The Rivals of Copper County (Copper County #2)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

WATT

I sat back down in the booth after Jasper left and offered the Monroe brothers a smile. “Sorry to break up your night. Looked like you guys were having fun.”

“We were. Jasper’s good people.” Delaney adjusted his glasses. “But we’ll hang out another time. He’s an honorary Monroe now.”

I blinked in surprise. “Is he? That’s… great.” Actually, if Delaney considered Jasper a brother, that was awesome .

For many reasons.

“Delaney needed another non-hockey person in the family,” Lawson confided with an exaggerated wink.

Delaney and I exchanged a look, and he grinned. Apparently, taking care of tipsy Monroes—and honorary Monroes—was his thing.

“I don’t know if Jasper’s a non-hockey person anymore,” I told Lawson. “He’s getting pretty good at skating now. Slapshots won’t be far behind.”

Lawson chuckled. “I heard he keeps skating forward until he finds something to grab onto. That’s a… wh addya call it, Delaney?”

“Serious problem?” Delaney suggested. “Deadly accident waiting to happen?”

Lawson frowned. “No. Jeez. Negative much? I meant a… a metaphor. For Jasper’s life. Skating forward…” He laid his palm on the table and drove it toward me like a car. “Until he’s got a reason to stop.” He bumped his hand into my arm.

Delaney and I exchanged another look, and it was clear he was trying not to laugh. “Sure, Law.” He patted his brother’s arm. “You’re great at metaphors.”

He lifted his chin, offended. “My verbal skills are unappreciated. And after I helped you teach our bro-ski how to yaysnnays and everything.”

Delaney did laugh now, even as he shook his head. “Dude. We need to get you back to the B it was simply drawn toward something that felt right, something it needed to survive… something more important than all the obstacles in its path.

Same, buddy .

Derry was right. In the morning, first thing in the morning, I would tell Jasper how I felt. Give him all the information he needed, all the messy truth of how much I loved him and wanted him to stay but never wanted to tie him down. I’d stop worrying so damn much about how I packaged it up and perfected it.

I’d trust us not to misunderstand each other again.

When I got to the kitchen the following morning, I was in a great mood, and it only got better when Jasper texted.

Jasper

Happy Thanksgiving! I made pumpkin muffins. Want me to bring some over? On the one hand, we’re having tartlets later and that’s a lot of pumpkin, even for a pumpkin whore. On the other, you’re supposed to carbo-load today for the race tomorrow…

I bit my lip and grinned.

Jasper. Baby. There’s no such thing as too much pumpkin.

He took a moment to reply, and I knew it was because of the endearment I’d thrown in there.

Jasper

Well. If that’s how you feel… I am definitely on board.

I really hoped he was agreeing to more than just the pumpkin.

Let me know when you’re coming over. Derry’s leaving for his mom’s in an hour or so.

Jasper

Oh. I can wait, if you want.

Nope. Not at all. I thought you’d like to wish him a happy Thanksgiving. Derry and I had a long talk last night.

Another long pause, and then…

Jasper

???? You can’t leave me hanging like this.

Come over.

“Aw. You and Coach Lancaster figured stuff out, huh?” Derry appeared in the kitchen with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder and made a beeline for the fridge.

“Not yet.” My stomach fluttered with excited nerves. “But I’m feeling hopeful.”

When my phone rang, I answered it without thinking. “Hello?—”

“Oh my heck,” a voice on the other end said sadly. “Happy Thanksgiving, Watt. I have terrible news.”

“Uh. Happy Thanksgiving, Kayla,” I said. “What’s going on?”

Something in my tone had Derry looking up from the juice he’d been pouring.

“I know this is going to absolutely crush you, Watt, and I… I’m so sorry… but I’m not actually going to be able to prance with you tomorrow.”

“Oh.” In all that had been going on, I hadn’t given a single thought to the Pilgrim Prance… except to hope that there really wouldn’t be costumes. “Oh, that’s…” Amazing . “Not a problem. Is everything okay?”

“I’m afraid not.” She sighed. “I sprained my ankle last night. Nothing serious, but I’m on crutches for a couple of weeks. I can’t drive.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Let us know if you need anything, okay?”

“Yeah, about that… I’m gonna need you to send Zachy home, I’m afraid.”

I frowned. “Zach’s not with us, Kayla.”

Derry’s eyes widened, and he suddenly got very busy drinking his juice. He headed for the living room, and I moved to block him.

“Yes, he is,” she said with so much certainty I almost doubted it for a minute. “Zach told me last night that he and Derry had plans this morning. Watching the parade, I think.”

“Hang on, Kayla,” I said. I pulled the phone from my ear. “Derry? Anything you’d like to tell me?”

Derry winced. “Uh. No?”

“Dermott.”

Derry sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I told him not to, Dad. After you and I talked last night, I texted Zach, just like I said I was going to. I told him my concerns. He swore he wouldn’t do anything until we talked.”

“What was he going to do? Where is he?”

“I… I don’t know exactly,” Derry admitted.

“Watt?” Kayla’s voice called from the phone. “Watt, are you there? What’s going on?”

“I’m trying to figure that out, Kayla. Zach’s not here,” I said. “But Derry might know where he is. We’re going to look into it, okay?”

“But… where could he be?” she said, her voice high with stress and worry.

“He… he was thinking about meeting a guy who offered him a job. He wanted an alternative way of paying for college instead of a hockey scholarship. That’s all. And Zach’s an adult,” he reminded me.

“A job ?” Kayla’s tone suggested a job was about as strange and unwelcome as a pet boa constrictor. “What in the world? He knows I don’t want him working during the season. Where is he, Derry? Where can I find him? I… oh my heck, I can’t even drive!” she wailed.

“Kayla,” I said calmly. “We’ll find him and get him home, okay? Hang tight.” I disconnected. “Start talking,” I told Derry.

“We can try to find him…” He shook his head. “But it might be too late. He might have already left town.”

“Left town?” I demanded. “He hasn’t graduated yet! Derry, what the hell?—?”

A knock sounded on the back door before it was pushed open, and suddenly, Jasper was there, holding a plate of muffins and looking fresh and gorgeous. I drank him in like sunshine after a long winter.

“Uh. Hey.” Jasper looked between us in concern. “I heard you from outside. What’s going on?”

I sighed. “We’re gonna need to postpone breakfast. Zach’s missing.”

“Missing?” Jasper gasped. He set the muffins on the counter with a clack . “Oh my God. How?”

“I don’t know.” I turned to Derry and tilted my head. “Dermott was just going to tell us.”

Derry blew out a breath. “Okay, so like… me and Zach were in town a few days ago at Fanaille because there’s this girl he likes who loves the cupcakes there.”

“Okay,” I said impatiently, trying not to rush him.

“Right. Sorry. Um, so we were at the bakery, and Zach was talking to me about how he doesn’t want to play hockey but doesn’t know how else to pay for school, you know?” His eyes met mine, and I nodded.

“Oh my God,” Jasper breathed. “It really was your friend ?”

Derry frowned. “Well, yeah. That’s what I told you, right?”

“Yes. Yes, you did.” Jasper waved a hand. “Go on.”

“Anyway, this guy was sitting at the table right near ours—you know how the tables are so close together? And he was like, hey, if you’re looking for a job, I’m hiring!”

Jasper and I made identical what the fuck faces, and Derry huffed before continuing. “And Zach immediately said, ‘ Yeah, no. Go away .’”

I let out a relieved breath. “Good.”

“Zach’s not an idiot, Dad. He’s not gonna step into some weirdo’s candy van down by the river. But… the guy wasn’t a creeper. He was old. And nice. He mentioned that Zach had the potential to make decent money, and… look, I know it sounds weird the way I’m telling it, but it wasn’t. The guy recognized the quote on Zach’s laptop sticker, and we got to talking. He seemed really smart and like he knew what he was doing, so they followed each other on Instagram, and… and the guy DM’d him. Zach thought about it for a while, but he was really intrigued by what the guy had to say, so they talked on the phone, and then… I don’t know.”

He bit his lip. “If I’m being honest, something about it gave me the ick. I remember you saying if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But I didn’t wanna tell Zach that when he was all excited and finally thought he had a decent alternate plan, you know? And plus… like, Zach knows that I’m bummed to think he and I might not be playing together next year. I didn’t want him to think I was telling him because I wanted to guilt him, you know? Bu t then last night, you and I talked, and you said you need to give people all the information they need to make a solid decision. That you need to tell them how you really feel.”

Derry glanced back and forth between me and Jasper. “Right?”

Jasper and I looked at each other. Our gazes caught. Held. Warmed. His eyes widened in question, and I smiled slowly. He let out a breath that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and the tension left his body in a rush. Then he smiled back— a smile filled with so much pure love and promise my heart lurched crazily in my chest.

Okay, then , I thought, taking a deep breath. Okay.

I still didn’t know what the future held—and I really, really could not wait to actually sit down and talk about it—but at least Jasper was feeling feelings, too. We would figure it out together.

“…so I texted Zach that he should talk to Coach Lancaster,” Derry was saying. “Since he’d know better than anyone if the company was legit. And Zach said he?—”

Jasper wrenched his head around when he heard his name and held up a hand. “Sorry, wait, back up. What company? What kind of job was the guy offering Zach?”

“Oh.” Derry looked back and forth between me and Jasper again. “Modeling. The guy was an agent. Didn’t I say?”