7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Steven
I continue watching the door long after Scarlett’s gone. I let out a heavy exhale.
The way she held onto her coat for dear life, and her easy blushing at my family's teasing hit me hard. Hesitant and shy are two things my best friend has never been with my family. This whole situation doesn’t make a lick of sense, especially if—
“Steven.” Mom places a hand on my arm, drawing my attention away from the door. “How was your first day of practice?”
Running a hand over my forehead, I groan. “It could’ve been better.”
“I’m not surprised; you looked like death this morning.” Snapping my head in her direction, I gape at her. “I don’t even know how you were standing.”
“I didn’t look that bad.” I tug at the back of my neck.
But I did. I do, if the circles under my eyes are any indication.
My mom grabs the plate of nearly untouched baked ziti from me. “Did you eat anything?”
Did I eat? I’m not sure. My head is all over the place, thoughts running rampant. And I’m basically operating on five hours of sleep. “Maybe a little?”
“What’s going on?” She places a hand on my cheek before moving it to my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
Pushing her hand away, I roll my eyes. “I’m fine, Mom.”
“You do look pretty horrid.” Miles tosses a balled-up napkin at me that I easily catch and immediately throw it back at him. Man, I wish I could wipe the annoying smirk he’s been wearing since Scarlett stopped by.
“Steven Caleb Bennett!” I cringe at my mother’s use of my middle name. “Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me. You know how important it is to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need in order to stay healthy on the ice.”
I lean my elbows on the table and rub my eyes. I’m not up for this lecture, even if she’s right. “I promise to drink a protein shake before I go to bed.”
She narrows her eyes and pins me with her gaze. A flicker of unease crosses her expression.
“I promise I’ll eat something when I get home, Mom.” I wrap an arm around her shoulder. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long twenty-four hours.”
“Becca, with how you’re acting, you’d think that he didn’t survive the last five years on his own.”
Miles, Wyatt, and I whip our heads toward Jacob, surprised he’d chance having my mother’s wrath directed at him.
But all she does is tap him on the arm. “He had Jules. And Jules never let Steven skip a meal.”
“Did you spy on me?” I scowl at my mother as she pulls at some imaginary lint on my sweatshirt.
Laughter comes from across the table, and I glare at my brothers. Great, not only do they have Scarlett to tease me about, but now this.
Mom calling my team captain to make sure I was eating enough is typical fodder for my brothers to add to their ‘the baby always gets special treatment’ list.
“No.” She shakes her head, eyes wide. “Jules and I would catch up. You would just happen to come up.”
A brow quirks. “I just happened to come up?”
The table erupts in laughter. And my chin falls to my chest.
Pushing my chair back, I stand and slip my coat on. “I’m gonna head out.”
“Steven, don’t be—”
“Becca, Jacob. I didn’t notice you were here. I would’ve gotten here sooner to see what you wanted to eat. But I’m assuming it’s the usual?” The waiter fortuitously saves me from a lecture.
The usual is pizza with pineapple, black olives, and serranos—Jacob’s preference, and now apparently Mom’s too.
“The peppers balance out the sweetness of the pineapples,” she’s said more than once. “Try it, you’ll like it.”
Despite that, neither my brothers nor I are convinced. Tonight definitely isn’t the time to see if she’s right.
“You’re a bad influence.” Miles’ face is scrunched in disgust, looking at Jacob as he stands, his chair scratching against the floor.
Wyatt follows his lead.
“Are you all leaving?” Mom’s gaze bounces back and forth between all of us.
Leaning in, I kiss her on the cheek. “I have to go home and unwind. I need to sleep tonight.”
The narrowed eyes are back, and I lift a hand. “I’ll eat something first. I promise. Good night, Jacob. Sorry we didn’t have a chance to catch up.” I reach out a hand, and he shakes it.
“We’ll have plenty of time to do that later, with you back.” His hand tightens on mine, and he lowers his voice. “Let me know if you want to talk. I had a Declan Graham once too.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
“Mom, I’ll stop by tomorrow before heading to the arena.”
“See you then.” Taking a step away, she calls. “And Steven!”
When I turn back to her, the concern on her face knots my gut. “I’ll eat, Mom. I promise.”
Her face relaxes. “You better, cause there just might be a quiz tomorrow.” She winks, and my lips pull up, because she’s probably not joking.
I head toward my brothers. Wyatt and Miles are shoving each other’s cards away, arguing over who’s going to pay. Their arms are a tangled mess, making the cashier grin.
Without them noticing, I slip my hand into my jacket pocket, pull out my card, then slide it across the counter. “Please put my mom’s and stepdad’s total on here too.”
“Hey!” Wyatt yells, wrapping his arm around my neck and putting me in a headlock. Rubbing the top of my head with a fist. “That was sneaky, little brother.”
My lips tug up, pulling away. “Sometimes it’s good to be the smallest of the three of us.”
Signing the credit card slip, I turn to look for my brothers and find Miles taking pictures with some fans of the Mavericks.
“It’s always the quarterback that gets all the attention,” Wyatt mumbles. “I picked the wrong sport.”
Wyatt is the catcher for the Smokies, and last season had the most home runs in the league. He gets a ton of attention.
Miles is just the most outgoing of the three of us, and has always had a way of working the crowd.
Waving at his fans, he heads back over to us, a wide grin on his face. “Don’t say a word.” He points at Wyatt, who throws up his hands and laughs. Pushing open the door, I turn and wave to Mom and Jacob before following him out.
A stiff breeze blows, and I shiver, zipping up my jacket. It’s not enough. I pull the collar up around my neck and shove my hands in my pockets.
The bitter Colorado March cuts through my light jacket and is nothing like the warmer Florida springs I’ve become accustomed to.
“Mom knows something’s up with you and Scarlett,” Miles says as he steps beside me.
“Yeah. We ran into each other this morning at The Bleacher Bean. It was a bit tense.” A beep sounds as Wyatt unlocks his car from across the parking lot. “I was hoping she didn’t notice.”
“Ha. Like that’s even possible,” Wyatt scoffs. “She notices everything.”
“I can’t believe she called Jules.” My head drops back, and I groan.
“I’ve met Jules, remember.” Wyatt slaps me on the back. “If a spot on an NHL team didn’t happen, he would’ve been a chef. I’m positive he loved every minute talking about your menu with Mom.”
My lip twitches at the idea of Jules in a kitchen, but then my stomach growls as I think of his French omelet.
Miles taps me on the shoulder. “Mom’s not wrong; you need to keep up your strength. Make sure you eat something before you go to bed.”
“Yes, Mom.” I depress the button on my fob to unlock the car door.
“Make sure you get a good night’s sleep too,” Miles says in a falsetto as he walks backward to his car.
Throwing a hand up, my mouth lifts up. I’ve missed my brothers. Getting into my car, I fire up the engine and pull out of the parking lot.
Another yawn escapes, and I try to rub the sleep from my eyes. The short drive from Moretti’s feels like ten miles instead of three minutes.
Parking in front of my apartment, I pinch the bridge of my nose, hoping the physical exhaustion will snuff out any memories of the scent of cherry lip balm. But when I notice the light on in her apartment, my hand grips the steering wheel.
After crossing the street and reaching my front door, I turn back to her window in the hope of glimpsing a shadow.
My hand tightens on the doorknob when no one appears. I blow out a ragged sigh.
Shoulders slumping, I pull open my door and head up the stairs. Just as I’m about to unlock the door, my pocket vibrates, and my hand reaches for my pocket.
Pulling out the phone, my heart plummets.
Mom:
Just a reminder to eat something.
The corner of my mouth twitches.
Steven:
I’d starve without you.
Mom:
Steven. Caleb. Bennett. Do not make me come over there!
A laugh echoes throughout the hallway as I walk into my apartment.
Steven:
Pulling out a nice chocolate protein powder now.
Night mom.
Mom:
Thank you. Night, honey.
Hanging my jacket on the hook next to the door, I head into the kitchen and reach for the protein powder, blender, and glass. All to make a shake that even the thought of drinking has my abdomen curling.