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I blow out a long breath. “Will you be home for dinner?”
His eyes dart toward the stack of papers, and I know the answer.No.
“I should have asked…why aren’t you at school?”
“There’s a car wash at the animal shelter. It’s a fundraiser for the new kennels. I told Eileen I’d come back and help out. Holden and I drove down after we finished class for the day.”
“And how is Holden?”
Briefly, all I can see is bloody knuckles. I think part of me is still holding my breath after seeing the devastation on his face from finding out he wasn’t a match. Waiting for him to lash out again.
“He’s good. Busy with basketball, even though the season hasn’t even started. He’s taking the train to visit Sydney tomorrow.”
“He treats you well?”
I nod, my throat thick. I missed this with my dad, even if it’s a little awkward that the topic is my love life. It feels like those mornings before school when we’d talk about basketball and he’d ask about my grades.
“The best.”
My dad nods. “Good.”
“Well, I—” I clear my throat and stand, glancing at the stack of papers. “I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks for…talking.”
Halfway to the door, I hear him call my name.
I glance back. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be home for dinner, honey.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, battling the bizarre urge to cry. It’s not aneverything will be okayoryour mom and I are getting back together, but it’s something. And even if it doesn’t change the outcome, I’ll get to eat dinner with my entire family—minus Maggie—for the first time in a while.
“Okay. See you at home, Dad.”
“See you at home.”
I leave, carefully closing his door behind me.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
HOLDEN
Ahorn blares to my left, scaring up an entire flock of pigeons. I hold my arm up to block my face, concerned a bird is going to fly right into me. Sidestep a pile of trash bags.
If by some miracle I get drafted and end up playing in a major city, it’ll be a big adjustment. I liked growing up in a small town. And Richmond might be large, but the closest town has fewer than ten thousand residents.
Sydney attends a tiny, artsy school. The campus is literally just a couple of city blocks, nothing like Richmond’s sprawling size.
I was worried about Sydney’s future when she decided this was her dream school. Supposedly, they have one of the best theater programs in the country. But nothing in the shiny pamphlets Syd drooled over said anything about their graduates’ employment prospects or median salary.
Maybe that concern was rich, coming from me. About one percent of Division I basketball players make it to pros. I’m not exactly angling for a set future. And I don’t have many marketable skills. If I wasn’t playing basketball, I was rarely studying. I’ll graduate with a degree, but none of the accolades Cassia earned. The money my dad left me is mostly untouched. Richmond offered me a full athletic scholarship.
But I’m not about to have a kid.
Any worries I had about Sydney’s future in theater are amplified now that she’s pregnant. Now that she’s decided to keep the baby.
I didn’t raise any concerns when she decided on school here because Sydney has always been reasonable and mature. I trusted her to figure out what would work for her. And it was money our dad had left for her. Sydney’s to use as she wanted.
I’m stressed about my future. Cassia’s. And now I have Sydney’s to worry about as well. She was supposed to be happy in New York next year. Not having a baby to take care of.
