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I risked a glance at Cayden. He had his mask firmly in place. Cool politeness. My parents were falling for it.
“Well, you can get on track, too.” My dad smiled at Cayden. “Hade Harbor is a great school. Of course, your focus should be on hockey, but you’ll still have a much better senior year academically than back in Midnight Falls.”
Cayden was from Midnight Falls? That town, about an hour over, was notoriously sketchy.
“Thanks, Coach. Believe me, I mean to make the most of it.” Cayden was laying it on thick, but I wasn’t falling for it.
“I’m sure Lily can help you out here and there with some tutoring, if you want. She really is a very smart girl,” my mom chipped in.
“Mom!” I stared at her, horrified.
Cayden chuckled. “I might just take her up on that, seeing as I’ll be here, anyway.”
Silence fell at his words.He’ll be here anyway?
I turned to my dad. He had a suppressed sort of excitement about him. I knew that look. It was one I’d grown wary of trusting long ago. It was the expression that told us he was working all weekend or missing a family outing to go and scout some kid at a faraway game.
I looked at my mom, searching for a clue. Her eyes were bright. She seemed worried but excited.
“Cayden, have a second helping. You need energy for training.” She pushed the bowl of mashed potatoes toward him.
“Dad, what’s going on?” My voice sounded too loud inside my own head.
He picked up my mom’s hand, and they shared a look. Dread gathered in my belly. This couldn’t be good. Cayden was too confident, and my mom was too nervous.
“Lily, we wanted to tell you now, before it’s official… that we’ve made a very important decision for our family.”
Mom smoothed her hair back. “Honey, I don’t know if you realize, but your father has a very good chance of winning nationals this year. As you know, if he does, he’s got that job at HHU lined up,” she said.
I recognized the tactic immediately.
Dad took over. “But to win, I need help. I need this guy right here,” he said and nodded to Cayden.
I avoided his eyes at all costs. Keeping my mouth shut and not protesting what was coming was all I could do right now.
“Cade can’t play for his old school. It’s a waste, and they aren’t going anywhere. And besides, between us, his living situation wasn’t ideal,” my dad continued.
I spied Cayden’s fist curling into a ball beside his plate.
“So, what does it all mean?” I burst out, the suspense doing terrible things for my heart rate.
“It means Cayden’s going to stay here with us, we’re going to foster him…just until the end of the school year.”
I raised my eyes to my parents’ hopeful ones, my shock quickly turning to horror.
“You mean, he’s going to be living here for a year?” I asked, trying to keep the hysteria out of my voice.
“Yep, just long enough to win nationals, get a scholarship, and make local history, for both of us,” my dad said, with a megawatt smile.
“He’s too old to be a foster kid!” my accusation shot out.
My mom gave me a warning look. “Sure, he’s just about aging out. You guys are nearly the same age…but he’s already in a foster situation. It’s unorthodox to start a new arrangement so close to his birthday, but if everyone agrees…it satisfies the school board and means that Cayden can play on the Hade Harbor team.”
“But I don’t agree!” I was on my feet now. Panic was tugging at the edges of my mind. I was on the cusp of a full-blown spiral.
“Lil – stay calm. I know this is big news. Take a moment to process it.”
My dad’s voice usually comforted me, but today it had the opposite effect. He sounded so decided, it terrified me.
