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He shakes his head and grins. “No, you didn’t. SJ knew all along.” SJ is their other sister, who lives in Chicago.
“They’re tight, huh?”
He gives me a sideways glance. “No one is taking SJ’s place in Archer’s heart. Those two are as close as Harper and me.”
We pull up in front of the hotel, and Archer has Harper pulled into his chest. Hagan throws the gearshift in park and jumps out of the car. My window is cracked so I hear Hagan say, “Hap, I’m here. I’ve got you.” His voice is soothing and free of any of his usual cockiness.
He calls her Hap, huh? I wonder what’s going on with her.
Talynn taps my shoulder, and this is the one time where I don’t look at Talynn. My eyes are stuck on Harper and Hagan. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a twin and to have experienced almost everything at the same time as your sibling. “Towles, what do you think is wrong?”
All I do is shrug because I have no idea. Archer pats them on their backs and they release each other. Hagan opens the car door for Harper, and she slides in next to Talynn.
“Harper, I’m glad you’re here. Towles sucks at trivia so you can be on his team. He doesn’t know any of the pop culture questions,” Talynn jokes.
I fire back, “Valedictorian, remember?”
“A class of one, so it doesn’t count. Does it Harper?”
Hagan chimes in before Harper can say anything, “Harper was Salutatorian, class of one hundred fifty students.”
I pull down the sun visor, slide open the mirror, and get a glimpse of Harper just watching the scenery pass by the car window, seemingly uninterested. She’s gorgeous. Apples don’t fall from the trees—the Chatham’s have good genes.
Flipping the visor back up, I say, “Harper and I are going to kick your butts.” Laughter erupts from Hagan and Talynn.
The German restaurant bar is the perfect twenty-something hangout. They have billiards, upwards of ten large screen showing sports, trivia, and a sand volleyball court near the outside tiki bar. We grab the only high-top table left because the Kodiaks are playing the Vultures for the division lead today, and the bar is packed.
Harper’s quiet, but once we start the game, her competitive side comes out in a blaze of glory. She smirks at Hagan. “Obviously you should have spent more time studying than chasing girls.” Then Harper gives me a high five.
Hagan doesn’t back down from a challenge, and luckily for him, sports is the next category. He knows obscure facts about hockey and fencing. Who in the hell knows anything about fencing? They make a come-back, so we’re basically tied going into the last question.
Question:Who hit a walk-off home run to win the last World Series?
None of us need the multiple choice. Hagan and I both tap the buttonWilson Shepherd.
We wait for the countdown. Hagan squeezes Talynn’s hand. “We’ve got this.” She smiles, which irritates the hell out of me.
We watch the television screen as Patrick comes up to bat, and he hits a double. We look to the trivia screen as it counts down to the winner. Four-Three-Two-One. It flashes “Winner: Haglynn!” Hagan/Talynn, how cute. He pulls her shoulder into him and kisses her on the cheek. I watch her blush.
Fuck.
After their public display of affection is over, Hagan’s arms fly up in victory. “Take that smarties.” We named ourselvesThe Torians, which I thought was clever. “Losers buy the burgers.”
“A bet’s a bet.” I go to the bar and order food. When I get back to the table, Hagan is holding Talynn’s hand when the room erupts in cheers. Wilson bats cleanup and hits a two-run homer, scoring Patrick. Hagan and Talynn are out of their seats, hugging.
Harper leans over and whispers among the cheers. “Don’t worry about Hagan, we’ll be gone soon.”
Slowly, I turn to meet Harper’s voice. “I’m not. Talynn and I are friends, that’s all.”
She nods her head, not willing to concede her conclusions are wrong. Thank God our food arrives. I’m the only one that ordered my burger without a bun, and Hagan ribs me about it. Just then, Wilson and Patrick turn a double play to win the game. The whole bar is mimicking their handshake with their partner. I look at Hagan and we both hop off our seats, performing the handshake. When we are done, the bar claps for us.
The night ends early because I have a day game tomorrow in Tampa. It’s a three-night series before we head out on a twelve-day road trip. While I’m playing baseball, Hagan is here doing my fucking job—making Talynn laugh and blush.
ChapterTen
TALYNN
“Can we talk?”
