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Finn arches a brow at me. “It is if you want it to be.”
I smile at him. “Yeah, I definitely want it to be.”
22
FINN
Iwould have loved nothing more than for Ellie to just stay with me once she’d decided to make the move, but obviously that wasn’t feasible. She had some work she needed to finish up in New York, there was packing to be done, and, of course, she had to figure out what her brother wanted to do.
Aidan offered Nate his apartment to live in, but ultimately Nate decided he wanted to be where Ellie is, so he’s moving to Connecticut as well. Luckily there’s plenty of room in my place so we won’t all be living right on top of each other. And even though I haven’t actually met him in person yet, he seems like a pretty decent guy. Most importantly, he makes Ellie happy, and anything that puts a smile on her face is a winner in my book.
Today’s the first chance I’ve had to come down to New York and help Ellie and Nate move. I don’t usually take time off during the season, but we don’t have a game this week so I’m making the exception. Although, to be honest, I think I probably would have come even if we were playing on Saturday. It’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve seen Ellie in person, and I miss her like crazy.
There are a couple of other things I have to take care of while I’m in the city, as well. Cait’s little boy is turning one in a couple weeks, and I seriously doubt I’ll be able to get back for his birthday party, so I figure today’s a good opportunity to drop in to my sister’s place and give the little guy his present. I also need to check in on Shay and Jake; Ross was right—Jake jumped at the chance to play for Carmichael when I mentioned it to him. I’m not entirely sure what Ross said to Gregson to convince him to bend the usual admission rules, but whatever it was, it worked; Gregson gave Jake the opportunity to take an entrance exam last weekend, and he passed it without any problems. The only issue now is finance. Carmichael is an expensive school, and while they do offer some athletic scholarships, that was one area Gregson was in no way willing to budge. Fortunately, Jake is the benefactor of a pretty sizeable trust fund left to him by my uncle. The only issue it that Jake won’t actually come into the inheritance until he turns twenty-one. So that’s what I’ve come to talk to Shay about today. When we talked earlier in the week, Shay seemed to think there might be a way around the age limit, but he needed to look into it a little more. I’m hoping by now he’ll have the answers we need.
I decide to make that my first stop when I get to the city. It hopefully won’t take too long, and I know Ellie will want an update as soon as I see her.
Shay greets me with a bright smile when he opens the door. “Hey, man.”
My brows creep up at his enthusiastic greeting. “Are you smiling like an idiot because you’ve got good news? Or is this just your usual effervescent self?” I tease. “Oh god,pleasedon’t tell me Jamie’s lying naked in your bed and you’re on a sex high.”
Shay scoffs. “Yeah, like I’d be answering the door if Jamie was naked in my bed right now.”
I let out a wry chuckle and follow him farther into the apartment.
“Soda?” Shay asks.
“Yeah, thanks.”
He stalks to fridge and grabs two cans of soda, tossing one in my direction.
“Asshole!”I growl, snatching the can out of the air.
Shay just grins as he opens his can and takes a swig. I, meanwhile, have to wait for the fizz to die down before I can risk opening mine.
“I spoke to the solicitor handling Jake’s trust,” Shay says, as though he hasn’t just been acting like freakin’ twelve-year-old. “And apparently there’s a condition on the inheritance that allows Jake to access it early if he needs it for tuition or medical bills or shit like that.”
I let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good news. So, what—does he just get the whole thing now instead of four years’ time?”
Shay shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t work like that.Hewon’t actually see any of the money at all. It’ll be done through the solicitor,” he explains. “Basically, I send the guy the invoices for Jake’s school fees, and he pays them from the account Dan set up.”
I nod thoughtfully. “Huh. Okay.” I finally brave opening my soda and take a sip.
“I thought it was a little weird, but I spoke to Blake and he said it’s normal. Apparently, he has something similar in his will in regards to Jamie’s trust in case something happens to Blake before Jamie turns twenty-eight.”
“Woah, back up,” I say, holding up my hands. “Jamie has a trust fund?”
“Of course. Why d’you think I’m marrying him?” Shay jokes.
I smirk at him. “I think the real question is why the hell is he marryingyou?Especially now he’s going to be rich. He could do way better, bro.”
I’m expecting Shay to hit me back with a smartass response, but instead his face morphs into a sincere smile. “Don’t I know it.”
I shoot the shit with Shay for a little longer, and we manage to work out a loose plan for Jake’s move to Carmichael, which I’m glad to know will be happening sooner rather than later. All going well, he should be available to play in our next game.
After leaving Shay’s place, I head straight over to Aidan’s apartment. The guy who opens the door can only be Ellie’s brother, Nate. The resemblance between them is clear, although I’m a little surprised by how tall he is. I mean, Ellie’s not exactly tiny at around five seven, but Nate’s only a couple inches shorter than I am—definitely over six feet.
“Hey, you must be Nate.” I grin and offer my hand for him to shake. “I’m Finn. Nice to finally meet you.”
