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When Carter dropped us off, he looked like he wanted to trail behind us. I wasn’t sure if that was because he wanted to spend more time convincing Rhys how amazing Ann Arbor was, or because he was a fan after watching him with the team.
"I’m starved, what are you guys feeling like?” Thatcher rubbed his stomach as soon as Corey drove away. We agreed to meet him back here in two hours on the dot.
“There’s a pub right there. How about some burgers?” Rhys used our clasped hands to point at a restaurant on the corner.
“Works for me.” I shrugged.
After we sat down and placed our orders, Thatcher jumped right in.
“Damn, Rhys. You’re a god out there on the ice. I knew that. I’ve seen you play, but something about being in this setting really worked for you,” he said as he rested his elbows on the table.
“You really seem to fit in with the guys. They’re way nicer than the guys you play with and against now.” I rolled my straw paper up into a ball, then set it off to the side.
“Yeah, they aren’t what I expected. I thought their egos would be bigger at the college level, but maybe since they’ve already made it, they mellowed out.” He shrugged like he didn’t really care one way or another.
How was he not more excited than this? The glow he emanated when he finished practice dwindled down until he was flushed with contentment, but any excess energy I’d expected was missing.
Surprisingly, Rhys steered the conversation to other things, and we spent the rest of the two hours walking around downtown. We laughed, we joked, checked out stores, and wasted time doing nothing important.
It felt like a group date.
And I loved it.
The ride back to the university was too short. After spending the afternoon together, goofing off and just enjoying each other, I hated to see it end.
But I was happy for Rhys. He deserved good things, and hockey was definitely where his talent was. I supposed he could be a figure skater if hockey didn’t pan out, but the idea of him in a tight leotard while skating to some sad love song almost had me snorting in the back seat.
Using the moment of quiet, I shot a text off to Trinity, just to check in on her. She’d continued to be the sister I thought she was, and as much as I wanted to believe her, my heart didn’t quite trust it yet.
Me: Hey. How was your weekend?
The message was marked read and the dots at the bottom immediately started bouncing to signal her coming reply.
Sis: I’m alive. Not in jail. Also, not pregnant. I feel like life is looking up.
I snorted. When she wasn’t being a disingenuous brat, she was hilarious. Rhys looked back at me from the front and Astrid sent me a questioning look too. I shook my head and held up my phone. “Checking on Trinity.”
They nodded and went back to playing on their phones, only half listening to Cater, or whatever his name was, drone on about how amazing the school is and how Rhys would be crazy to go anywhere else.
Me: I do consider that a win on multiple fronts. Just don’t get any ideas before I get home.
Sis: You’ll be home in a couple hours. I doubt I could do anything that crazy.
Uh-huh. If she said so.
I’d been trying to get her to look at colleges, but she refused until she knew what was going to happen with her court date. It made sense, I couldn’t fault her for not wanting to get her hopes up, but she needed something to look forward to. And what would that be if not her next chapter in life and the next step to her own independence?
“We’re here!” Carter chirped as he pulled up to the curve of the sports complex where the ice rink was. “Rhys, the coaches are waiting for you. Just give a knock and go right on in.” He flicked his gaze back to Astrid and me. “I can give your friends a behind the scenes tour while you’re gone.”
“I’d like them to stay with me. They’re my family, so there’s no need for them to have to find something to do.”
Perking up, I glanced at Astrid to see what her thoughts were. I, personally, would rather sit with Rhys as they discussed his future here with the university. Never having enough money or interest in sports, this was all foreign to me. I was curious on what they actually discussed in those conversations.
Astrid shrugged. “Sure.”
“Works for me.” I opened the door and gripped Rhys’ headrest as I swung myself down.
“I…uh. Let’s just check with the coaches.” Carter—no—Corey flushed. Poor guy. He probably wasn’t sure this was okay, but I know parents went in there with prospective players. So why not us?
