Page 18 of Crew Girl

Her mom, to her shock, blazed back. “You want to know the truth? I hate Eagle’s Cove. When I left twenty years ago, I promised myself I’d never come back. But here I am. And not by choice. Because of your dad. Everyone here thinks I’m sad about it, but I’m not sad. I’m furious.”

Gosh. Teagan hadn’t seen that coming. It was strangely reassuring watching her mom have a meltdown. “Oh.”

Her mom looked up at the ceiling and laughed. “You know? As mad as I get, I remind myself, he’s your father.” She shook her head. “It’s been six months and I still can’t believe he did this to us.”

“But he did.”

Her mom shifted around to face her. “I don’t know why I kept his bag. Maybe I thought it would have some answers. But at this point? I don’t know if I should keep it or burn it.”

She ran her fingers through Teagan’s hair and for the first time in forever, Teagan didn’t want to pull away.

“I’m so angry at him, Mom.” Teagan tipped her head on her shoulder. “But I really miss him, too.”

Her mom’s arm dropped from her hair to her waist and gave her a squeeze. “Me too, Teags. Me too. That Asshole.”

Teagan laughed even though moving made the world spin. It was nice, sitting with her mom like this. Talking openly and honestly. Maybe this whole disaster was the thing that would finally bring them closer together.

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“I think I need you to hold my hair in the bathroom.”

Mouth breathing was the only way Teagan was going to get through another morning of sweeping goose poop. That, and dark sunglasses. Saved her from squinting against the too-bright day and dodging eye contact after Britney had destroyed her reputation. Check that. She hadn’t had a reputation to destroy, and now she had one. Embezzlement Barbie. Bankrupt Barbie. Boot-Her-Out Barbie. And the list went on.

Coach Hayden had come down a few minutes ago and even though it was fifteen minutes after practice was meant to have started, there wasn’t a sign of any of the rowers.

“You sure you don’t want to scrap the boys’ team and try to round up some girls instead?” Teagan chanced.

“Ha! Nice try. I’m sorry to say, kid, Easton won’t make a big push for a girls’ team until the boys start winning again.”

“They’re not going to win with hangovers.” Teagan nodded at the clubhouse where the boys, all in various states of disarray, were finally beginning to emerge.

Grumbling about the Dock Party, Coach met the guys halfway and barked out a command to give him a lap before they got on the boat.

Liam stumbled a few steps, then bent double to retch. “Just give me a minute, Coach.”

“You’re the cox. That means you’re meant to be leading the team—”

“I said give me a minute!”

Teagan, who really should’ve been keeping her head as low as possible after last night’s disaster, couldn’t help herself. “No wonder you’re losing.”

Liam turned his head, sunglasses slipping down his nose. “Ex-cuse me?”

“You’re wasting precious practice time being hungover. Do you know how many people would kill to get in that boat? I know I would.”

Liam started laughing. “Cute. But—”

Coach cut him off. “I think she’s onto something. Teagan? You want in the boat? There’s a position up for grabs.” He looked between the two of them, then said, “Cox.”

“What the—”

Coach held his hand up. “Liam? Teagan. You’re going to race for the position.”

The next thing she knew, Teagan was standing next to Liam in front of the team, all of whom looked as bewildered as she did. Or, more accurately, terrified.

She was a solo rower. Not a cox. And what happened once she beat Liam? Because she would totally beat him.