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I’m not proud to admit it, but I let jealousy get the best of me.
Even though we both lost our parents, his life didn’t come to a screeching halt the way mine did. He wasn’t forced to drop out of college or stop playing the sport he loved. He didn’t have to work full time to make ends meet and keep a roof over our heads. No matter how hard I busted my ass, we still lived on a shoestring budget. If Hunter needed new cleats, I went without or took on a few extra jobs at the garage to make sure he had them.
I worked weekends.
I put in ten- and twelve-hour days.
After our parents died, Hunter had Skye to cling to.
He had school and football.
Normalcy.
My life got turned upside down and inside out.
I should have handled it better.
What I’ve learned in the last two years since we’ve splintered apart is that regret is a cold-hearted bitch. Sometimes, there’s nothing more you can do but make peace with your demons and move on. Otherwise, they’ll eat you alive.
I sweep those depressing thoughts from my brain and focus on the conversation. “It pays the bills.”
He nods before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You know I’d give you money if you needed it. You’ve earned it, Mase. That was part of our agreement.”
I jerk my shoulders and fold my arms across my bare chest. I’ll be damned if I take one cent from him. “I’m doing just fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
He searches my eyes with ones that are just as dark and penetrating. Staring at Hunter is like looking in the mirror.
“Still…”
When his voice trails off, an awkward silence descends that makes the cracks in our relationship even more apparent.
Uncomfortable with the lapse in conversation, I clear my throat. “Where’s your better half?”
Emotion flickers across Hunter’s face. “At her father’s place, helping Brandi go through some of his stuff.”
Well, shit. There’s not much I can say to that. We had to do the same thing for our parents.
“I was sorry to hear about Dean,” I mumble, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
Hunter nods. “Thanks.”
After the accident, Skye’s father became more like a surrogate to him.
Until Skye left town.
“How’s she handling it?”
He jerks his shoulders. “It’s hard. They were close. Even though you know something is coming around the bend, and you think you’re prepared for it, there’s really no way to be ready for the void that person leaves behind in your life.”
“No, I suppose there isn’t.” The pause that follows is filled with poignancy. My guess is that we’re both dredging up the past and thinking about our own parents. We never had the chance to say goodbye to them. One moment they were here, heading out for a boat ride, and the next, they were gone. “Make sure you give her my best.”
“I will. She’ll appreciate it.”
For just a few seconds, I’m almost able to fool myself into believing that everything’s just like it used to be, but then another silence falls over us, reminding me that nothing is the same.
That it might not ever be the same.
“So…how’s the team shaping up?” I ask.
