Winging It (10 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Toby

Nat and I talked on the phone a few more times that weekend, but never for as long as the Friday marathon. It had occurred to me that if I got too used to talking to her, it was going to be that much harder when things ended. Better to keep things cool and distant.

Of course, I hadn’t told Nat that, and she was her usual enthusiastic self on all the calls, meaning that I maintained my reserve for about one minute each time and then got sucked into whatever she was talking about. I really was weak.

On Sunday night we got back into town after curfew, so we had to go straight home to bed, but the next morning after the team workout I drove by the community center gym and Nat jogged out from the building to meet me.

She swung the door open, flopped inside, and grinned happily at me. “Six points,” she said. “Nice going!”

It honestly took me a while to understand what she was talking about. The weekend games. We’d won all three, so we’d earned six points in the standings. Right. “Yeah, it was good,” I managed, trying not to stare at her. She was wearing jeans, a baggy sweatshirt, and a puffy quilted vest, like something people wore in the eighties or something. Her hair was wet and kind of stringy, and if she was wearing makeup I couldn’t see it. She was just normal, everyday Nat, nothing special. So there was absolutely no reason for me to be grinning like a demented clown and having trouble finding first gear because my hands were trying so hard to reach out and touch her.

She was oblivious to my issues. “And you did well, too. A goal and three assists, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“So, that’s good. What, are you being all modest or something? I mean, it probably wasn’t your best three games all season, but totally solid, right?”

“It was a good trip,” I said and finally managed to get the car moving. “How about you? Good weekend?”

I could see her shrug out of the corner of my eye. “It was fine. I practiced with the girls yesterday, but after skating with you guys it didn’t seem like much.”

So, this was my chance. “That’s because they’re not serious players, not because they’re female. You get that, right? There’s lots of guys who wouldn’t challenge you in a practice, either.”

“Yeah, I get it. You’re not a better player because you’re a guy, you’re a better player because you’re very, very, very good. I remember.”

“Well, I’m glad we’ve got that established. But you know, I was thinking…” Was I going to seem too controlling? Like I was telling her what to do, or trying to teach her a lesson? This had seemed like a good idea when I’d come up with it, but I probably should have run it by her first. “It’s optional,” I said, trying to backtrack a little. “Obviously it’s not something you
have
to do. But if you’re interested? I called a guy I know. He was an assistant coach up here last year, but now he’s a head coach at University of Toronto. In the women’s program. And he said if you want to go down and have a practice with them, that’d be fine. They’re in the playoffs now, so most practices are pretty intense, but they’ve got optional practices sometimes, and he said you could fit into one of them.”

She didn’t answer right away, and I was so nervous I almost missed the turn to get us to school. “You don’t have to, obviously. But I told him you were good and were working hard but were having some trouble because there isn’t really a girls’ program up here. So, you know, just the basic facts. And I didn’t pressure him or anything. I just asked for some advice, like how you should go about getting noticed, and he said you should go down. That’s all.”

“I can practice with the U of T team? You set that up for me?”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“You’re sorry? What for?”

“For not asking you first. I was just killing time in North Bay and I started thinking about…well, thinking about you, I guess, and the idea came to me and I just did it, without really thinking it through. I should have asked you first. But it’s not like you have to go or anything. I didn’t even give him your name, so you wouldn’t look bad if you didn’t go. It’s totally optional.”

“Are you kidding me?”

We were lined up at a stop sign, all the other cars in front of us carrying students to school, and I risked a look over at her. She didn’t look mad. “Uh, no, I’m not kidding.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to go? And jeez, Toby!” She backhanded my shoulder. “Do you think I’m such a megabitch that I’d be upset about you doing something like that for me? Seriously?”

“Uh…” It seemed like I was about to get in trouble for a whole different reason than I’d been expecting. “No? I just didn’t want you to think I was pushing or whatever.”

“Toby.” We’d moved up in the line, but there were still a couple cars ahead of us, so I let myself look over at her. She smiled back at me. “Thank you. This is a great opportunity. I’ll probably get really nervous soon and start doing stupid things to mess it up, but for now, it’s great. Seriously. Thank you.”

Time to move. I pulled through the intersection and turned in to the school’s parking lot. “It’s not a big deal. I just made a phone call.”

“You thought of it. That’s what makes it so sweet.”

Sweet. Sweet in a good way? Like, “My boyfriend is so sweet”? Or sweet in a sort of pathetic, dismissive way, like, “Oh, Toby. Yeah, he’s sweet. But you know who I
really
like? His asshole cousin, Scott.”

And then, like just thinking his name had been enough to summon him from Hell, the damn Mustang pulled in beside us. Seriously, I think he might have been idling somewhere in the background, waiting for us to arrive so he could pounce.

Scott looked over and gave me a bright, insincere smile, then nodded at Nat like they had some sort of secret. Shit, for all I knew, maybe they did. I’d been out of town for three days, and I’d had games both Friday and Saturday night, so it wasn’t like I’d been on the phone checking up on what Nat was doing. I knew Nat’s general plan, but maybe I didn’t know quite how far it had already progressed.

I pushed my door open and pocketed the keys as I stood up. It took me a couple seconds to pull my bag out of the backseat, and I knew Nat was out of the car already, probably waiting for Scott, giving him her best smile—but when I straightened up and looked over, Nat had her back to Scott and was looking at me over the roof of the car. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.

It took me longer than it should have to figure out what she was talking about. “For the U of T thing? I’ll send you his email. He said there isn’t much time left in the season, so you’ll need to figure something out pretty soon.” I frowned. “Is that going to be a problem? Getting down there?” The Wests only had one car, and her mom needed it for work. “I could drive you, but I’m not sure when. We’re in the last couple weeks of the season, so it’s not like I can take a couple days off.”

“Drive you where?” Scott interjected, ignoring me and focusing on Nat. “Maybe I could help.”

“Yeah, I’m looking for a ride to
Toronto
,” Nat said, “not the corner store. I’ve got a chance to practice with the U of T women’s team.”

She’d clearly thought he’d be put off by the distance, but I could have told her it wouldn’t be an issue.

“Cool. I could visit my friends while you’re doing your thing. Hey, we could stay overnight at my dad’s place, if you wanted. There’s a couple little kids to deal with, but if we timed it right they might already be in bed by the time we got there.”

Those little kids were his two half sisters, but apparently for him they were just nuisances. Obstacles in his big plans for seducing his cousin’s girlfriend. “I can probably figure something out,” I said quickly. “Or maybe your mom has a day off and you could borrow the car?”

“Yeah, I’ll ask her.” She frowned. “Well, I guess I’ll contact the coach first and ask him when I
can
go down, and then I’ll try to figure out a way to get there.” She looked at me and shrugged. “It’s a great opportunity, Toby. Thank you. I’ll just have to figure out a way to make it work.”

“Keep me in mind,” Scott said, like he’d been invited to be part of the conversation. “I’d be happy to help, and staying at my dad’s place would make it a lot less driving in one day. Could be good.” And then, with a warm smile at Nat, he said, “We’d have fun. I promise.”

My hands were clenched into fists, but I made myself turn away. Starting a fight on school property would get me suspended, which would mean Coach wouldn’t let me play, which would mean I was letting down the team. And starting a fight with my cousin would create all kinds of family drama. Scott was protected from all directions, the sleazy asshole. “You ready to go?” I demanded of Nat.

She didn’t look exactly surprised by my mood. Yeah, she knew exactly what Scott was doing, and she knew he got an extra kick out of doing it in front of me. She wasn’t oblivious, and she didn’t exactly approve, but it wasn’t a big deal, not for her.

But then, as we headed for the school, I felt her hand brush against mine, and when I looked over, she said, “I’ll try to find another way down. I really will.”

“But if you can’t?”

She frowned. “What do you want me to say? I mean—do you want me to not go?”

Of course that was what I wanted. But I’d been the one to come up with the Toronto trip, and it really was a good opportunity for her. And of course I wanted to her to go; really, I wanted her to not
want
to go, at least not with Scott. But that was wishful thinking. “No. You should go. Sorry.”

She frowned but didn’t argue as we headed into the school.

So it wasn’t all that surprising when I found her for lunch and heard that she’d already been in touch with my guy at U of T, and that the best practice for her to audit was on Wednesday morning, and that her mom needed the car Tuesday night. It wasn’t too surprising to hear that Nat’s mom was talking to Scott’s mom, double-checking that it would actually be okay for Scott to take a day off school in order to drive a friend down to the city, and I knew I wouldn’t be surprised when Scott’s mom decided that it was just fine for him to do that. After all, Scotty was her perfect baby, and if he said he could afford to miss some school, he must be telling the truth.

The whole thing was coming together. But it was coming together for
Scott’s
benefit, which really hadn’t been the idea.

No, I reminded myself. It was for
Nat’s
benefit. She was the one who was going to get to skate with a university team and see what they could do, the standard she had to meet. I’d set this up to help Nat get what she wanted, and it was working out perfectly.

I’d just forgotten that one of the things she wanted was Scott.

Chapter Nineteen

Nat

“You’re sure about this?” Dawn asked, holding the backpack I was using as an overnight bag so tightly I thought she might be thinking about not giving it to me. “I don’t care if his dad and stepmom are going to be home, you’re still planning to spend the night under the same roof as Scott Dakins. Not to mention the three hours in the car each way. You’re sure you want to do that?”

We were standing in the front hall of my house after school on Tuesday, waiting for Scott to pick me up. It really wasn’t the best time for this conversation, but I figured there was at least one thing I should be sure about. “Have you ever seen anything that would make you believe Scott would be dangerous?” I asked. Dawn seemed a bit surprised by the question. “I’m serious. Like, do you think he’d try to force me to do something? He’ll probably come on to me—I thought I blew that, but it seems like he’s too stubborn to be put off so easily. But do you have any reason to believe that if I say no, he won’t respect the words? I told you, I made it crystal clear to him that I’d appreciate the ride as a favor, but it didn’t mean I owed him anything, and he said he understood. So would he try to force things? He’s a harasser, maybe, but do you honestly think he could be a rapist?”

She stared at me then shook her head. “No. He’s never gotten physical with me. I never heard about him doing that with anyone else, either. For him, it’s—I don’t think it’s about the physical side of things. He wants to
win
. Like, he wants to beat Toby, but he also wants to win by getting the girl to agree to something.” She grinned suddenly. “Maybe he’s read too many old romance novels and he wants to be the grand seducer.
Tempted by a Torontonian
, or something.”

“
Mad for a Man With a Mustang,
” I suggested.

“And poor Toby is stuck trying to figure things out based on Jane Austen. No wonder he’s a bit slow off the mark.”

“Jane Austen?”

“Shh. Don’t tell him I told you. But, yes, he’s a closet Austenite.” Another quick grin. “
Pucks and Prejudice
, maybe?”

“Okay, I can’t start thinking about Toby reading classic chick lit. Let’s get back to Scott. Why do you think it’s a bad idea for me to go to Toronto with him?”

“Because he’s an asshole. I think it’s a bad idea for you to
cross the street
with him.”

“But not actually dangerous?”

She frowned. “No. Not actually dangerous.”

I held my hands out for the backpack. “Okay, then. I’m going to drive down with him, we’re going to stay at his dad’s place with lots of chaperonage or whatever, and tomorrow I’m going to practice with the U of T women’s hockey team. It’s going to be excellent.”

“And you’re still—I mean, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Toby, doing your training and practicing and whatever. You guys have been getting along well, right? You’re still crushing on Scott? Really?”

“Is there any point in us talking about that
again
? And spending time with Toby has been great, but—” But what? “Toby’s my friend. He’s just helping me out. You know that.”
I
knew that. I had to remember it.

“Seriously?” She stared at me for a second, opened her mouth like she was about to say something, then shut it again and just shook her head.

Maybe I would have prodded her for a little more, but I saw the Mustang turn in to the driveway then, and pulled the house door open so Scott would know he didn’t have to get out and come find me. He was already doing me a huge favor, so the least I could do was be courteous. “We’ll talk when I get back,” I told her. “It’s all good.”

She didn’t seem impressed, but she led the way down the walk to the driveway and gave Scott a semipolite nod before heading for her own car.

Which left me with Scott and the Mustang. One of the
many
questions my mom had asked his before they agreed to this plan was whether Scott was a safe driver, so I knew he’d had one speeding ticket since he’d gotten his license, no accidents. But that car?

Well, I told myself as I lugged my hockey bag out of the garage, if he’d only gotten one speeding ticket driving that car, then he really
was
a safe driver, because the thing looked like it would just speed on its own, rolling down the highway leaving a path of smoking asphalt in its wake.

Scott popped the trunk for me and then climbed out of the driver’s seat and came around the back of the car. “You might need to take some stuff out of the bag.”

I stared at him. “I need everything in it. There’s no point in going to all this trouble if I don’t have the right equipment for the practice.”

“Just take it out of the bag,” he clarified, “not leave it behind. The trunk’s a good size, but the opening isn’t. So to get the bag in the trunk, you might need to make the bag a bit smaller.”

Oh. Well, that made more sense, but when he reached for the zipper of the bag, I darted my hand out faster and got there first. Sure, I air out my gear, but it still doesn’t smell
good
, and the idea of him driving all the way to Toronto with the scent of my stale sweat on his hands? No way. So I was the one who pulled out my shoulder pads and my helmet, and he carefully eased the bag into the trunk. I dumped the rest of the gear in beside the bag then went back to the garage for my sticks.

Which, of course, had to ride up front with us, stretching from my foot well into the backseat. Scott didn’t look too impressed, but I was pretty sure Dawn would have approved if she’d seen it. The sticks were an effective fence between Scott and me, keeping us both safely on our own sides of the car.

The drive down to the city was a lot less stressful than I’d thought it might be. Scott was only about half strength on the innuendo and sly teasing, and after the first half hour or so I relaxed enough that I could more or less chat without worrying about every word that came out of my mouth. I kept my gaze mostly on the traffic or the roadside, with only occasional glances at his face, and that definitely helped. It was a lot easier to talk to him when I wasn’t being reminded of how gorgeous he was.

“So, what are you going to do tomorrow morning?” I asked as we exited the highway onto a street with a lot of malls and fast-food places. Scott had agreed to drop me off at the team’s arena, which was right downtown. He could have shopped or something, but practice started at seven in the morning. His friends would still be asleep, and not too many stores would be open.

“Maybe I’ll watch the practice,” he said lightly. “Chances are I’ll be totally ready to be out of the house by then, so it won’t really matter where I am as long as I’m not listening to my dad’s lectures or my stepmom’s nagging.”

It was the first hint I’d ever heard from him that his life might be anything less than perfect. “Do you guys not get along? Is that why you’re back living in Corrigan Falls?”

He was quiet for a while before saying, “We get along fine. In public. I guess I’m kind of using you that way—I can do my dutiful son visit, make sure nobody’s forgotten that I’m getting a trip to Europe this summer and a new car when I go to school in the fall, and with you as an audience they’ll leave it at that. They won’t be able to point out what a failure I am or how disappointed they are—not with someone else listening in.”

He looked over at me, and his smile was almost as charming as usual, but there was a dark little twist to it that I hadn’t seen before. “You’re my protector, Natalie.”

I wasn’t sure how to handle that sort of honesty. He and I had never really had a conversation like this before. So I chickened out and went for the joke. “And here I thought you’d volunteered to drive me just because you wanted to make Toby crazy.”

He was quiet for a moment then gave me his old, confident, teasing grin. “Well, making Toby crazy is an excellent side benefit, I’ll give you that.”

I wanted to ask him more about Toby, now that he seemed to be in a sharing mood. I understood how Toby might resent Scott for getting everything so easily—even the car we were sitting in, the car that was apparently not good enough anymore because it was a couple years old—but I couldn’t really figure out Scott’s problem with Toby. I could only see Toby through my eyes, and based on that, it was hard to imagine anyone knowing him and not liking him. I was kind of interested in seeing him from someone else’s. But before I figured out the best way to formulate my question, we’d turned onto a tree-lined driveway that took us back surprisingly far from the street before looping around in front of a big old stone house. Like, maybe more of a mansion than a house.

“My stepmother is old money,” Scott said. “Don’t worry—she won’t give you a chance to forget it.”

Great. I was finally getting comfortable with Scott, and now I had a brand-new thing to be nervous about.

Scott parked in front of the house, right in the middle of the driveway. If he’d edged off to one side or the other there would have been plenty of room for someone to get by him, but I had the feeling he was looking to make a statement. Great. Family feud, rich-person style.

He turned off the car and looked at me, and I guess maybe I was looking as nervous as I felt, because he froze, then looked back out through the front window for a moment. Then he turned the key again, letting the car rumble to life, and eased it off to the side of the drive.

Like he’d realized I didn’t want to be in the middle of whatever was going on between him and his family and he’d decided to make at least a bit of an effort to keep things civil. It reminded me of Toby again—why could Scott be considerate with me but so aggressive with his cousin?

“Thanks,” I said quietly, and we both got out of the car.

We climbed the wide front steps and found the door locked. Scott swore softly, rang the doorbell, checked his watch, and then fumbled around with his keys until he found one that got us inside. While I stared at the high-ceilinged foyer, he picked up a note from the polished wood table.

“They’ve gone out for dinner,” he told me. “They waited for us, but they finally had to go because the girls have school tomorrow, so they can’t be out too late.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said.

“For what?” He looked like he was trying really hard to be amused but wasn’t quite making it. “We’re half an hour
earlier
than I said they could expect us, Nat. They didn’t leave without us because we were late; they left without us because they didn’t want to spend time with us.” He paused, then said, “Me. They didn’t want to spend time with
me
.” And then he forced a smile onto his face. “Which is actually really useful for me to know. I mean, the point of this trip was to make sure I was getting Europe and a car. So if I make it clear that if I don’t go to Europe, I’ll be at home, bugging them, and if I don’t have a new car and don’t want to drive the old one, I’ll have to go to school in a city with good public transit, like, say, Toronto…yeah, those’ll both work.” He nodded, and his smile looked more natural now. “Yeah, I’m golden.”

I wasn’t sure how to take that. Trading my mom’s love for a trip to Europe and a new car? Not a deal I would choose to make. But I guessed Scott hadn’t exactly chosen it, either. “Okay, good,” I tried. “So everything’s fine?”

“Absolutely. Except I’m hungry, and there’s never any easy food in this house. Do you like Thai? There’s a great Thai place not far from here.”

Did I like Thai? I had no idea. “Sure,” I said. “But I’ll probably need help knowing what to order.”

And just like that, sleazy Scott was back. “I’m happy to be your guide in
any
new experiences you might be interested in.”

“Probably just the Thai, thanks.” At least until Toby and I were officially broken up. “Are we walking or driving?”

“Let’s drive,” he said. “Now that I know I’m getting a new car, I don’t have to worry about the Mustang getting banged up in city traffic.” He reached for the door handle then grinned back at me. “Besides, Toby hates my car, and he hates the idea of you being in it. So…I win.”

I followed after him slowly. Everything was changing, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Scott wasn’t who I’d thought he was, or who Toby thought he was—he wasn’t the golden boy with the effortless life, and I liked him better because of it. But it was hard to look at him without thinking of Toby, and thinking of Toby? Well, that was just one more thing that made me not completely happy with the current situation.