Page 37 of Unforgettable Player

During dinner, I avert my eyes until I give myself a headache. I try to block out Connor’s voice as he tells his parents about the progress of the summer camp kids. I especially try to block out the sound of his voice when he laughs at a joke Scout makes.

He gets a phone call and leaves the room to take it, and for the first time since I walked into the room, I feel like I can properly breathe.

His face is grim when he returns. I watch as he slides the mask into place before he takes his seat.

“Everything okay?” Richard asks.

“Yeah, just work, checking in.”

A hush falls around the table. Scout’s cutting into her meat so aggressively she’ll probably take the pattern off the plate. I don’t even think she’s listening until she raises her head and asks, “When are you going back to Harvard?”

Connor swallows and blinks rapidly. All the while, he’s trying to keep that tight smile on his face.

“I’m not.”

She frowns, looking confused. “Seriously? Why not?”

He shrugs. “I’ve got a job. A good job.”

“Why is it a good job?” Scout asks.

“It pays well. It allows me to travel, to⁠—”

“Do you love it?”

I keep expecting Naomi or Richard to step in and tell Scout to stop hassling her brother, but they don’t. In fact, they’re watching the interaction eagerly, not even pretending to be aloof. It’s the question we all want to ask. A question everyone else seems too scared to broach.

“Sure,” Connor says.

“Really?” Scout asks. “Because I thought your life’s ambition was to be a hockey player. I thought that’s why we had to listen to you go on about it for the past twenty years.”

“I couldn’t even talk for some of those.” Connor jokes, the color in his face has reddened.

“You know what I mean. Don’t be obtuse.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Yeah, you do. Stop pretending to be dumb. You’re not dumb. Annoying and cocky and full of yourself, sure. But not dumb.”

“Scout,” Naomi says, but her voice lacks conviction.

“I can’t believe you got into Harvard and you didn’t even bother to graduate. I could respect you at least when you were a dedicated hockey bro. At least you were dedicated to a cause. But this?” She gestures vaguely. “This isn’t you. Why are you throwing your dream away just because the best team in the NHL didn’t need you right now? Are you really so full of yourself that you couldn’t handle going through a side door? It had to be the red carpet or nothing for the great Connor Ryan.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Scout, so just drop it.”

“Drop it? No. Because it pisses me off that you got in and you didn’t even finish.”

“I tried,” he says, his voice low and his gaze trained carefully on his plate.

Scout snorts. “Sure, you tried.”

“I did.” Connor sounds like he’s gritting his teeth.

“You just couldn’t be bothered, all you care about is praise and getting to show off to⁠—”

“I was failing!” Connor raises his voice and cuts his sister off. Everyone’s heads snap in his direction.

“What?” Naomi asks.