“Sorry for leaving like that.I had to take that call, and there wasn’t any time to explain.”
“You’re fine,”I assure her. “I knew it must’ve been something important. I finished up and sent them on their way with an assignment for next class.”
“Thanks,”she sighs. “I’m grateful you’re here. Especially now. That was the hospital back in Virginia. My dad had a stroke this morning. He was playing tennis with his buddies and dropped like a rock on the court. Luckily, one of the guys at his gym is a retired doctor. He knew what to do to help Dad get the help he needed. He’s stabilized now, and I need to take care of some things here before getting on the road so I can make it to Norfolk in time for visiting hours.”
“Yeah,absolutely. Are you good to drive or do you need a lift? I can switch shifts with Mel if you need me to drive you.”
“No,I’ll be fine, but thanks. The drive will let me clear my head a little. I need to go home and pack a bag too. That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I’m going to need to be dad’s caretaker for several weeks, at least. It’s only a little more than four hours from here, but I can’t do that commute three times a week. Dad will need round-the-clock care. I’m going to hire a nurse, but even that will take time to organize. What I’m asking is, can you cover the lectures? I’ll post what I can online, but I have permission from Dean Mercer for you to fill in. I know you have classes of your own and the coffee shop, so if this is too much, tell me.”
I nod instinctively.“It’s fine, of course it is. I’ll cover whatever you need here, while you take care of your dad and yourself, back home.”
She takesa breath and smiles gratefully. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means. I trust you completely, and I know I’m leaving my classes in capable hands. I’ll post what I can. I may even be able to come back once a week. Or—”
“Hannah,don’t worry about that now. Just get your stuff together and get on the road. I’ve got all this covered. And listen, if you forget something at home, just text me. I’ll mail whatever you need.”
“You are awesome.You know that, right? You were my best student last year, and you’re the best TA I’ve ever had. More than that, you’re an amazing friend.”
“And you’rethe best mentor I could ask for. Now, enough mushy stuff, you need to get out of here.”
We hug,and she heads out as I sit in the empty lecture hall wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.
This iswhat I get for cursing my loneliness and wishing I had more to fill my time.
Chapter 5
Booker
I'm never defiant.Ever. I do what I'm told. What's expected of me. I don't cheat on my team-designed meal plan. I don't cut corners on my workouts. I call home twice a week and visit at least once a month even if it sucks away my soul.
I attend church events that shame and ridicule.
I don’t speak up when I should.
I hide any part of myself that might be up for debate.
The only times in my life that I've ever done anything questionable have been when Whit's dragged me along on whatever adventure he's decided we needed to have. Mostly that involved getting drunk and watching porn. The booze gave me a headache and made me sluggish on the ice. The porn was easy to ignore. My dick barely stirred.
Right now, I should be walking toward the registrar's office. But I'm not. I'm on my way to the rink. And in three hours, when I emerge, the office will be closed for the day, and it will be officially too late to drop the class.
This is a terrible decision. That class makes my skin crawl. It's everything in the world that makes me uncomfortable. But it also makes my blood run hot, and my mind run wild. It's possibility. It makes me curious. It makes me feel not quite as...different? weird? as I always have.
The desire to do the safe thing—to drop the class—to lie and tell Ian my schedule's too hectic is strong, so I run in the opposite direction. And I run hard. Like defenders are hot on my heels and I need to haul my butt to the opposite end of the ice as fast as my skates will let me.
I’m not paying attention to where I’m going, so it’s no surprise that I slam into Ollie as I turn toward the practice facility. I stop, finally, resting my hands on my knees to take a breath. “Crap. Sorry, I—”
He just laughs. “Shit, Book, is someone chasing you? Ooh, is it your sister? She's hot.”
“She's in high school. Keep your filthy paws off my sister.”
“My paws are clean, thank you.”
I arch my brow.
“No, for real. I just showered. Okay, like, six hours ago. But it counts.”
I shake my head at my teammate as we head inside. He asks me what I'm doing here, and I open my mouth then shut it. I'm not good at lying.
“Lemme guess. You're here because you worked out this morning, but if you put in an extra hour before practice then maybe you can single-handedly turn this ship around?”
