Chapter 7
Bo
“I aced that second question card. Just so you know.” Feeling pretty good right now. Even though I know she’s feeling vulnerable, that’s a step in the right direction for us.
“Oh you did, did you?”
“Yup. I know, Mary Did You Know, by heart.”
“Very impressive,” her tentative tone catches my attention.
“You didn’t know all the words, did you?”
“Oh ya. I totally did. Mary did you know…” she hums and mumbles some words.
I just laugh. Even though what I really want to do is haul her into my arms and swing her around. Maybe fall into a soft patch of snow with her.
“Sounds exactly right, JJ.” I toss her a wink to rile her up as she ties her skates.
And just as I’m about to reach for my second skate, she beats me to it and launches it a few meters to the side.
“Now, now, JJ. Play nice,” I chide as I hobble over with one foot in my skate to retrieve the other. “As it stands, we’re probably even right now in this competition. There’s a lot at stake right now.”
“Oh really? I’m trying to win this bat for my brother. You know how much he’s been there for me when our mom died. Why do you want the bat, huh? Just another piece to add to an already obscenely large collection?”
Her truth freezes me. Blake’s a good guy.
He totally deserves the bat. I can’t imagine how she must feel, always being the one taken care of, never feeling as though she had something to offer her big brother.
My parents were absentee. So much so, that I hated to be home.
I don’t know how my sister came out like a healthy person, a good mom.
But I’m struggling. I’m caught up in baseball, the fast life, not making time for my sister and my nephew like I should.
It’s because of baseball—even I know that’s an excuse at this point.
And that’s why I know that my nephew deserves this bat.
I need it to show him that I listen to him when he talks.
That I’m not just some deadbeat uncle. I should tell Maisy—
But she’s already taken off across the lake toward a box on the other side. The table sits empty. I guess Ted’s not coming to this station, since we already know the drill.
And wow. Percival’s got a lot of land. There’s just a massive lake for us to skate atop. I see what looks like an old tire swing laying in the snow from where kids must have jumped off and into the lake. This would be an amazing place to grow up.
“Hey Maisy,” I shout to her and she spins so that she’s skating backward while maintaining eye contact.
“What?”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“What’s that?”
I hold up my hand. “We’re supposed to be doing this together.” Since this is the perfect excuse to be near her, of course I’m going to use it. “We’ve been doing the whole race this way. Why change it now?”
She shrugs cutely. “No animals. No need.” She flings her arms out to the sides and spins around again.
How could I have forgotten how athletic she is?
We used to practice baseball together, me more than her, but she’d throw the ball around or pitch to me, whatever we felt like doing.
And she’d always come to my games. I might have loved that the most, even if she didn’t wear my jersey like some of the other girls in school started doing.
I knew that in her heart, she was my biggest fan. Now, not so much. The fall from grace hurt hard. And I need to claw my way back.
“Let’s get the last box.” Her voice pulls me out of my reverie. And the second I look up, I see her skate catch an edge.
Fuck. That wasn’t an edge. That was a weak spot in the ice.
There’s terror on her face as she feels herself instantly sink into the frozen lake. My heart lurches into my throat.
Fuck. She’s too far away. The ice could be weak all around her. What the fuck am I going to do?
I feel completely helpless as I watch the one person in my life that I truly don’t want to disappoint crash into the freezing water.
“Bo!” Her voice is quaking with panic.
“Stop thrashing about, Maisy. Just hold on.” Hold onto what, Bo? You absolute fucktard. It’s not like you have a rope out here in the middle of buttfuck—
The swing.
I turn around and race back to the embankment.
“Bo! Don’t leave me.”
Fuck. My heart is cracking inside my chest cavity. She’s terrified. I can’t waste time explaining myself. I rip at my laces and yank my skates off. I tug my boots back on and head over to the swing where I start digging like a mad man in the snow.
Fuck. There’s a rope intact. I just hope—
I can’t think that way. I grab the tire and the rope and head back to the ice.
“Hang on, baby. I’m gonna stay back so as not to crack the ice any further. I’m gonna slide the tire over to you. Just grab onto it and hang on. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”
Her lips are already turning blue and her teeth are chattering as she nods her head shakily.
“I got you, baby.”
“Okay, Bo.”
My chest tightens around my heart, squeezing the ever loving fuck out of it as I slide the tire her way.
“I-I c-can’t reach it.”
Fuck.
I yank it back so hard it almost flies into my face. I hang onto as little rope as I can and slide the tire again.
“I got it.”
“Got a strong grip, baby?”
“Y-ya.”
“Don’t let go. Just hang on. I got you.” I start tugging on the rope and she comes out of the ice with a grunt. Slowly, carefully, I pull her all the way to my warm body where I take off my jacket, wrap her in it, and scoop her up.
“I’m so c-cold,” she mumbles into my neck.
“Shh…don’t talk. You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be alright, baby. I got you.” My heart is thrashing out a death metal beat, but I have to ignore it. I just have to get her safe. That’s all that matters.
She’s all that matters.
All that ever has.