year.
I gave him my most casual shrug. “I’m working three jobs, guys. Entertaining you over meals doesn’t pay enough.” Seeing them right now — Hartley with the symbol for “captain” on his hockey jacket, and Corey walking almost as if she’d never sat in a wheelchair — it caused me almost physical pain. Because there was so much I’d been missing.
Moping over the carefree life I’d lost was totally pointless. But it hurt.
“Hi, I’m Corey,” Hartley’s girlfriend said, with a wave at Scarlet, who was now standing behind me. “If Bridger won’t introduce me, I’ll do it myself.”
“No need to get impatient, Callahan. I was getting to that.” I wrapped an arm around my girl. “This is Hartley, one of my oldest friends. And Corey Callahan, who’s a pain in my ass. Guys, this is my girlfriend Scarlet.”
There was a loud silence. Instead of saying something, both Hartley and Corey were openly staring, their mouths open.
Great .
Corey exchanged a loaded glance with Hartley. “Say it again,” she demanded.
“C’mon, Callahan,” I grumbled. “You’re making me look bad, here.” I snuck a glance at Scarlet, but she only looked amused.
Hartley recovered first. “It’s nice to meet you, Scarlet.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Now I know why we haven’t seen Bridger since September.”
Corey dropped Hartley’s hand, so that she had a free one to shake hands with Scarlet. “Really, a pleasure to meet Bridger’s girlfriend .” Her eyes twinkled. “Wow. I can’t believe that I have to sit down to a study session right now, after that bomb you just dropped, Bridge. Just promise me that we can all hang out soon.”
“Sure thing,” I lied.
“I’d better get over there. Nice to meet you, Scarlet!” She gave Scarlet a big smile, and me a wink. Hartley kissed her on the temple, and then she began to walk across the atrium toward the meeting rooms, planting the cane lightly with every other step.
My eyes tracked after her. “Damn, that’s really impressive.”
“I know, right?” Hartley agreed, flinging himself into a chair. “It’s those new braces. There was a hell of a learning curve, but the results are pretty incredible.”
“Is she… Will she get to skate again?” I sat down on the sofa, tugging Scarlet down next to me.
Hartley shook his head. “Nah. The motion’s not the same. And it’s too risky. If she broke a wrist, and couldn’t hold the cane for a couple of months, that would be a disaster.” He leaned over to punch me in the arm. “But, seriously, let’s compare schedules. Hockey is kicking my ass for the next three months. But there has to be a couple of hours somewhere. Preferably with a case of beer and a football game. But either way…”
“Sure.”
“Gotta run,” Hartley said. “I have a history lecture. But, soon , okay?”
“Soon,” I echoed as Hartley got up and trotted off.
I watched him for a second before turning to Scarlet beside me. “So that was…”
“… Fascinating ,” she finished for me. “First of all, your best friends don’t know you have Lucy?”
I gave my chin a single shake. “They’re the last people I can tell.”
“God, why?”
“Because they’d do anything for me.”
Her frown deepened. “And that’s a problem because…?”
“Hartley’s mom waited two decades to go to nursing school. And I’m not going to wreck it.”
“Damn,” she whispered. “But maybe there’s some way she could help you around the edges. I don’t know… weekends or something?”
I shook my head again. “That’s not how Theresa works. She puts other people first. I’m not going to be the one who fucks up her dream.”
“Oh, Bridge,” she put her head on my shoulder.
“Scarlet?”
“Yeah?”
“Is it okay that I called you my girlfriend?”
She was quiet for a second. “I liked it,” she said quietly, “until I realized you only said it because you needed an alibi.”
I slid my arm around her
I gave him my most casual shrug. “I’m working three jobs, guys. Entertaining you over meals doesn’t pay enough.” Seeing them right now — Hartley with the symbol for “captain” on his hockey jacket, and Corey walking almost as if she’d never sat in a wheelchair — it caused me almost physical pain. Because there was so much I’d been missing.
Moping over the carefree life I’d lost was totally pointless. But it hurt.
“Hi, I’m Corey,” Hartley’s girlfriend said, with a wave at Scarlet, who was now standing behind me. “If Bridger won’t introduce me, I’ll do it myself.”
“No need to get impatient, Callahan. I was getting to that.” I wrapped an arm around my girl. “This is Hartley, one of my oldest friends. And Corey Callahan, who’s a pain in my ass. Guys, this is my girlfriend Scarlet.”
There was a loud silence. Instead of saying something, both Hartley and Corey were openly staring, their mouths open.
Great .
Corey exchanged a loaded glance with Hartley. “Say it again,” she demanded.
“C’mon, Callahan,” I grumbled. “You’re making me look bad, here.” I snuck a glance at Scarlet, but she only looked amused.
Hartley recovered first. “It’s nice to meet you, Scarlet.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Now I know why we haven’t seen Bridger since September.”
Corey dropped Hartley’s hand, so that she had a free one to shake hands with Scarlet. “Really, a pleasure to meet Bridger’s girlfriend .” Her eyes twinkled. “Wow. I can’t believe that I have to sit down to a study session right now, after that bomb you just dropped, Bridge. Just promise me that we can all hang out soon.”
“Sure thing,” I lied.
“I’d better get over there. Nice to meet you, Scarlet!” She gave Scarlet a big smile, and me a wink. Hartley kissed her on the temple, and then she began to walk across the atrium toward the meeting rooms, planting the cane lightly with every other step.
My eyes tracked after her. “Damn, that’s really impressive.”
“I know, right?” Hartley agreed, flinging himself into a chair. “It’s those new braces. There was a hell of a learning curve, but the results are pretty incredible.”
“Is she… Will she get to skate again?” I sat down on the sofa, tugging Scarlet down next to me.
Hartley shook his head. “Nah. The motion’s not the same. And it’s too risky. If she broke a wrist, and couldn’t hold the cane for a couple of months, that would be a disaster.” He leaned over to punch me in the arm. “But, seriously, let’s compare schedules. Hockey is kicking my ass for the next three months. But there has to be a couple of hours somewhere. Preferably with a case of beer and a football game. But either way…”
“Sure.”
“Gotta run,” Hartley said. “I have a history lecture. But, soon , okay?”
“Soon,” I echoed as Hartley got up and trotted off.
I watched him for a second before turning to Scarlet beside me. “So that was…”
“… Fascinating ,” she finished for me. “First of all, your best friends don’t know you have Lucy?”
I gave my chin a single shake. “They’re the last people I can tell.”
“God, why?”
“Because they’d do anything for me.”
Her frown deepened. “And that’s a problem because…?”
“Hartley’s mom waited two decades to go to nursing school. And I’m not going to wreck it.”
“Damn,” she whispered. “But maybe there’s some way she could help you around the edges. I don’t know… weekends or something?”
I shook my head again. “That’s not how Theresa works. She puts other people first. I’m not going to be the one who fucks up her dream.”
“Oh, Bridge,” she put her head on my shoulder.
“Scarlet?”
“Yeah?”
“Is it okay that I called you my girlfriend?”
She was quiet for a second. “I liked it,” she said quietly, “until I realized you only said it because you needed an alibi.”
I slid my arm around her
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