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I stared at her when I replied, “She’s nice.”
Dori said nice was boring, and the conversation shifted to Dion thankfully. But my lie tasted bitter, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it the entire ride to Lake Starlight. Calista stayed in her own little world, granting me none of her attention.
We pulled into Lake Starlight, and I told my grandma that I’d grab an Uber back to Sunrise Bay, but before I could, I was thrown when I saw Calista crying in her dad’s arms.
Fuck.
When Dori’s party rolled around, I didn’t have to beg my grandma to let me take her. I had my suspicions she liked the idea of Calista and me being a couple, and this was my chance to set it straight.
Walking into Glacier Point banquet center with Grandma Ethel on my arm, I gave my head a shake when I saw all the Baileys dressed alike. I scanned the crowd, eager to spot one specific person.
She stood with a group of her younger cousins, a sea of little girls in white dresses surrounding her as though she was their queen. She sneaked them each a cake pop from the table displaying a white-and-pink tiered cake with flowers cascading down to the base and a single pink candle on top. I guessed they’d opted not to have the big 9-0 on top of her cake.
“There’re my friends.” Grandma patted my hand. “You’re good, right?”
“I’ll be great. Have a good time.”
She’d already slid her arm out of mine before I even answered. It was sad that my grandma had more friends at a party than I did. Then again, it was a party for a ninety-year-old.
“Rylan!” Jamison patted me on the back, putting out his hand for a shake. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
His little son, Conor, stood at his side, dressed like a miniature version of him. I’d known the kid since he was in his mom’s belly. I held out my fist and Conor bumped it with a smile before sneaking behind his dad’s legs. He’d always been shy.
“Grandma wanted me to drive her.” I smile.
Jamison matched my smile with a knowing look of his own. “We’ve all been there.”
His little girl, Isla, ran over and he swept her up. I fist-bumped her and she bumped me back harder than her brother had.
“Hey, Rylan!” Isla yelled.
“Can’t say I’m upset about the way it all turned out though.” Jamison kissed his daughter’s cheek, and she squirmed to get free.
“Come on, Conor!” She grabbed her brother’s hand and dragged him away.
Another kid in the same gold shirt and black all the Bailey boys were wearing joined them, and they headed to the bar.
“So, how’s Stanford? What are your plans for after graduation?” Jamison asked.
That was the question of the fucking year. My dad was on me, my brothers were asking, even my grandma had inquired. My older brother Xavier tried to be a guiding force since he’d been down this route with football. Soccer was a different beast than football though, especially in the States. Since I’d started playing in college, my body had never been so beat up. I couldn’t imagine what going pro would be like, but what else was I gonna do? Sit behind a desk and put my degree in business to use? That sounded like a jail sentence.
“I’m not sure,” I answered as honestly as I could.
Jamison had never pushed me. He’d sat me down my freshman year in high school and talked to me about my options and where I wanted to go with the game. As cocky as it sounded, I knew I would have options after college because I was a skilled player.
“Well, don’t rush into anything. That’s all I’ll say.” He patted me on the back. “Want to get a drink? You’re legal now, right?”
I nod. “Sure.”
We headed to the bar, passed a few Baileys, and shook hands and exchanged hellos. It wasn’t until after I was holding a beer that I remembered I shouldn’t be. We were at the tail end of the season with a bye week, but I still had to stay sharp.
Someone bumped into me, and I almost spilled my beer all over the front of my suit.
Calista walked by with her cousin, Jamison’s oldest, Palmer. She didn’t smile, but I saw her lips quirk, betraying her. “Oh, sorry.”
“No problem.”
They disappeared into the hall by the bathrooms. Maybe it was because I was the youngest in my family, but I loved how Calista was always with her cousins and paying attention to them even though they were younger.
