7. Karen
KAREN
AUbrEY
I slam the front door. My head rests on the cool doorframe as I press against it.
What just happened?
Fuck.
I take a deep breath.
“I guess that went well,” I whisper to myself.
What is wrong with me? I’m so delusional if I actually think that encounter was anything close to good. But things could always be worse; Ted Bundy could’ve picked me up instead of Liam.
Always gotta look at the positive, I tell myself. When my body is no longer trembling from the cold, I push myself forward, heading for the steps that lead up to my room.
But then I hear the sound of voices streaming from down the hall. At first, I believe it’s coming from June’s room, but then, tiptoeing down the hall, I try not to squeak the wooden floorboards as I investigate.
June’s door is closed.
My eyes dart to a door across the hall—so is Rory’s.
Does Reese have someone over?
A grin spreads across my face as I turn around, heading up the stairs to give Reese her much-needed privacy.
When I get to my room, I throw June’s handy weapon, her handbag, on the ground. But I notice bright lights beaming through my curtains—still sitting in the driveway.
So I hit my own lights on, crawl into bed, and refuse to look out that window—suddenly afraid of what I might see.
I wake to my phone ringing the following Saturday morning. Groaning from being woken up when I know I have a long day ahead of me, I roll over and squint at my screen.
But when I see the name displayed, I quickly pull the charger free and answer the call.
“Hey, Karen,” I say softly to Liam’s mother.
Is it weird that we still occasionally talk?
Probably. But for some reason, I can’t help myself from answering when she calls.
She’s so worried about him. And I hate that she’s so far away, all alone since Liam’s father passed away when he was little.
Liam is the only thing she has left of her husband, and she nearly lost him, too.
My stomach sinks, my hands turning sweaty as I close my eyes, remembering. But I force myself to take a deep breath and try not to think too much about it.
“Aubrey.” She greets sweetly. “I’m so sorry to call this early.”
“Oh, no, don’t apologize. I was up anyway.” I lie, pulling a sweatshirt over my head as I head downstairs. I walk up to the fridge and pour a glass of orange juice.
“Oh, Aubrey, honey, you’ve never been an excellent liar.” She jokes as I take a long drink, the tart juice instantly waking me up. And against my will, her words free a memory from my mind…
“You must be Mrs. Anderson,” I exclaim, my voice breaking. My shoulders tighten as even I can recognize how nervous I sound.
“No, well—I suppose I am, yes! But not Mrs. Anderson—just Karen, my dear,” the middle-aged woman stammers as she pulls me into a tight embrace.
I suck in a sharp breath, her gesture taking me by surprise. When she pulls away, studying me a bit, I can’t help but notice Liam has her eyes—bright and green. But that’s about as far as the similarities go upon first impression.
“You must be Aubrey?” she questions as she moves back into her seat.
I nod, sitting beside her as the arena’s lights go low.
She pats me on the leg. “Oh, I’m so tickled to meet you.
Liam’s told me so much about you.” Her words bring a smile to her face, but then her features turn to stone.
“Please don’t tell him I said that! He asked me not to embarrass him, and I fear I’ve already said too much.
But it’s not every day a mother gets to meet her son’s girlfriend. ”
My heart ceases in my chest as my breath wheezes past my lips. “Oh—no. We aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean—well, I don’t know—we haven’t really—”
What am I saying?
I put a hand to my temple. I want to crawl out of my skin. Why did I correct her?
She hates me. She totally hates me.
I’ve practically just admitted that I’m screwing her son, but not ready to label anything yet.
“Oh—” she drawls, her face hardening with something that looks like sadness. “I just thought—”
“No—” I say quickly. “You’re right. It’s just so new, and I haven’t had a chance to process it.” I lie because I don’t think I can stand to look at her the rest of this game if I don’t.
“Oh!” she clasps her chest. “Oh, thank goodness, because I know love when I see it!”
“Whoa—” I blabber, shifting in my seat.
Okay, so I understand what Liam meant about his mom. She’s super friendly—just a little…overbearing?
“I mean, I care for your son a lot. He’s amazing,” my words bring a flush to my face. What I’m saying is true. No denying that. I’ve never met a man who’s anything like Liam Anderson.
He’s kind. Funny. Loyal.
But love? I don’t know about all that.
“Oh, honey—” she tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. The gesture makes me realize just how much more than green eyes her son has inherited from her. “You aren’t a very good liar, are you?”
From that moment on, Karen Anderson became my second-favorite person on this earth.
I smile as the memory fades, just in time for Karen’s words to pull me back to the present.
“Well, I won’t keep you long. I was just talking to Liam, and he mentioned that you two ran into one another.”
I spit out my drink, my eyes watering as it spews from my nose.
He told his mom?
He barely talked to her when we were together. I had to beg him to find the time for her. I know he thinks she’s too much sometimes, but he doesn’t understand that he’s all she has left to love.
“So, how’d it go? How did he look? Has he been eating? Last time he video called me, he looked so skinny.” She asks worriedly, each sentence bleeding into the next.
“He’s good,” I confirm, thinking back to last weekend. He looked more than good. He looked like his old self. That damned lopsided grin, his boyish green eyes that still heat me to my core.
I clear my throat. Probably shouldn’t mention that her son can still get me wet with just a simple thought, but I also know she deserves more than just good.
“He, uh,” I hesitate, and I hear her suck in a breath. “He looks perfect. Like the day I met him.” I smile, swallowing the lump in my throat as I add, “He’s still working out. I can tell. Not too thin.”
“Oh!” she exclaims, and I can practically see her clasping her chest in relief. “Oh, thank the heavens!”
I giggle. Karen really is a sweetheart. Liam reminds me of her, though he’d kill me for saying that. But they would both give you the shirt off their backs without a second thought.
We talk for a while longer. Apparently, Liam left out the part where he picked me up on the side of the road, as his mom just believes we ran into one another at Lover’s.
Definitely for the best. I think the only person who might take the news of me dating again harder than Liam, is Karen. She’d be heartbroken.
And the thought of her finding out breaks something in me, too.
I start cooking breakfast and head down the hall to see if Reese wants anything. Rory and June are over at friends’. And while I believe Rory is truly with her best friend, Elsie, June is with Brennan. She’s just continuing to lie to me about it.
But that’s really the least of my worries right now.
Karen and I are still on the phone when I head down the hall to Reese’s room. She’s filling me in on her latest crochet project. And though I would pretend to care regardless, I genuinely enjoy hearing from her. I know how lonely she is.
“I would love it if you sent me another scarf,” I tell Karen. “Rory always steals the one you made me.” Karen laughs, saying that must mean she needs to make several more, one for each of us.
I knock on Reese’s door again as I tell Karen each of our favorite colors. But when her door finally cracks open, it’s not my blonde-haired cousin that answers.
My mouth drops open at the towering male standing in the doorway. One I know all too well. He grins, those stupid fucking dimples pressed into his cheeks.
Does he think this is some joke? Because I’m certainly not laughing—in fact, he’d better start running because I’m going to fucking kill him.
“Karen,” I declare, interrupting her, “I’m gonna have to call you back.”
The call cuts off as I press the button, and my eyes narrow, scrutinizing him. Why isn’t he running? If he were smart, he’d be halfway across campus by now.
But no. All he says is, “What do you want, Hearteater? I’m trying to get some sleep.” A wide grin curses his smug fucking face as he adds, “Some of us were up late.”
My mouth drops open, and I shove him back, forcing myself through Reese’s door.
Tonight is the first hockey game of the season.
I tried my best to get moved to the women’s team when I learned we have to document so many hours per sport this semester. But if you can imagine it, the women’s team had no student trainer availability—so the men’s team was my only option.
Like I said—I’m pretty sure God is punishing me.
I’ve been with the boys’ football team since the start of the semester. So, when my advisor told me on Monday that I needed to trade rotations with Mandy, the sophomore who had been the student trainer for the hockey team previously, I was both panicked and relieved.
Relieved that I won’t face Noah Pierce and the little runaway scene I caused last weekend.
But absolutely panicked about the thought of being back in that rink.
Should be interesting, spending time with Liam’s old teammates, all of them aware of our ugly history.
But…after running into Liam and ending our first conversation in a giant argument, I know avoiding the past like I did all last year is unavoidable.
And honestly, it felt good to get some of it off my chest.
I enter through the players’ entrance, the main doors crowded as the fans begin to pile in.
As the first home game of the season, I expect it to be a full house tonight.
I do my best to push away any memories from resurfacing—like how I never missed a single game.
I even traveled hours to watch them when they were away.
No…not helping.
Thankfully, I get out of my own head when I find Reid making his way down the hall, bag slung over his shoulder.
“You!” I yell dryly. He stops dead in his tracks, telling one of the guys he will see them in the locker room. My blood is still boiling from this morning. From the vision of my precious cousin’s door opening and seeing that jackass staring back at me.
Of course, I assumed the worst. That the two of them were sleeping together.
But I think the truth was actually more shocking.
Mainly because up until eight a.m., I didn’t believe the pair of them could tolerate talking to one another, let alone be in the same room.
After demanding to know why he was opening her door half-naked, I quickly learned that Reese has agreed to tutor him.
Apparently, he’s failing English Literature badly enough that if he doesn’t get his grades up, he’ll be benched for the season.
Reese insists she has no other option but to help him.
Her English teacher wouldn’t give her a recommendation for the internship she wants next semester, unless she did.
Which is incredibly shady and doesn’t make much sense to me—but Reid is Delleth’s prized hog.
God forbid he be benched, and we lose the Frozen Four this year.
End of the world, right?
“What,” he states, eyeing me. He looks scared.
Good, he fucking should be.
“You look at me right in the face, Reid. And you promise me you won’t try to sleep with her. That you are only truly interested in getting your grades up...and nothing else.”
I’ve already asked him this ten times this morning, but hey, what’s one more going to hurt?
He grins like a child. But then he pushes his finger to his lips.
“Shh,” he looks around like someone might hear us. His voice is low as he murmurs, “I told you I don’t want anyone knowing about this.”
I shrug as we continue walking down the underground. That sounds like a Reid problem—not a me problem.
“Well, they are in for a real shock when you’re benched at the end of the semester.” It’s Delleth’s policy that student-athletes must maintain at least a C average to remain on the team.
“They’d never bench me. I’m Morgan Reid.” He chides, playfully winking at me as his dark hair falls out of his beanie.
You know, I think I suddenly see what Reese has all along—he’s kind of an ass.
“Reid—” I plead, looking at him and demanding he answer me honestly.
“Look,” he urges, and we continue walking. “I only stayed because the roads were bad and I didn’t want her to drop me off and have to drive home alone.”
I put my hands on my hips because why does Reid sound like a fucking gentleman all of a sudden?
I forget my train of thought when he mentions, “Wait a second—what are you doing here?”
“I need so many clinical credits per sport,” I explain. “I haven’t exactly been knocking down the door to step foot in this place, so…I’ve been avoiding it,” I admit, and he gives me a look. “My advisor had Mandy and me switch places.”
“Oh…” His voice trails off as a slow chuckle cuts into his words. “Fun. This is going to be so fucking great.”
Then, with a snort, Reid pushes open the locker room door. I look back as I head in the direction of the trainer’s room, but he disappears in a fit of laughter before I can ask him what’s so funny.
I put my stuff down and wait for the slow trickle of players to come in and get stretched or to have their ankles taped.
Mandy told me there would be another student helping with the start of the season—a senior who needed to make up hours. But where the hell are they?
I finish wrapping up Brennan’s ankle. He can’t even look me in the eyes. But I know it has nothing to do with Liam and everything to do with June.
Coward. I think as he scurries like a fucking cockroach when I’m finished.
I look up at the clock.
It’s four-thirty, and the game starts at five o’clock. So much for help from the other student trainer—the pregame rush will be over by the time they show.
I finish filling the water bottles, contemplating spitting in Reid’s for all the times he’s called me Hearteater. However, I decide he’s still a good friend to me, regardless of whether I’m concerned about him and Reese spending so much time together.
I stiffen at the sound of the door opening behind me.
“So, I won’t rat you out this time—” I don’t bother turning around, as I somehow know it’s my help arriving late. “But if you’re late again, I’ll have no choice but to—”
When I do finally come face-to-face with him, I’m met with piercing green eyes.
My mouth drops open as we stay locked in a stalemate.
Suddenly, I understand what Reid found so funny earlier.
Liam and I have clinicals together.
Just wait until Karen hears about this.