“That’s it.” If it weren’t for the hot springs, the idea of taking tiny clothing of any kind to Colorado would be a waste of space. But that was her sensible side talking. She was a dimensional human with plenty of other facets, and to prove it, she tossed the pink bikini on top of the pile of clothes she’d tightly rolled and placed inside her suitcase. “No matter what, this fling is happening.”
Chapter Two
The airport display was ridiculous. Two sets of parents, holding two huge signs that screamed Welcome and We love you in glitter paint. They yelled her name like she was a rock star, too, and although it caused her cheeks to flare, Julie loved every second of it.
Mom and Darlene squealed as she rounded the barrier to the waiting area of the tiny Crystal Springs airport, and then she was swept up in a hurricane of affection. The moms teared up, embraced her, and bussed her on the cheek, while the dads seemed to be having a competition involving who could give her the most bone-crushing hug.
“Do you know what happens when lungs are deprived of oxygen for too long?” Julie wheezed.
“I’m sure you’ll use that big brain of yours to tell me,” Dad said.
“It gradually destroys the alveoli—”
“Is that a type of pasta?” Rashad asked, rubbing a hand over his nonexistent belly. At six foot seven, he stood head and shoulders above most people. His height, lean build, and countless hours of hard work had landed him a college basketball scholarship. He’d often caught the ire of Mom and Darlene for his ability to eat and eat without gaining a pound while they were constantly on some new diet program. “Now I’m getting hungry.”
Julie groaned and shook her head, going overboard on the dramatics—how else would the guys know their dad jokes had landed? She slipped off her gray and pink bubble backpack carrier to check on how Kylo Ren had survived all the hugging. While he appeared slightly irritated, his eyes narrowed to judgmental slits of green, that was also just sorta his face.
She switched her attention to the two couples in front of her, biting back a smile at Rashad and Darlene’s matching outfits. Apparently when they first settled in Crystal Springs, Colorado, people told them they didn’t look like a family, seemingly confused at how Darlene had Black children and Rashad’s children had slightly fairer complexions than he did. For petty reasons, they’d begun to coordinate so they could “help all the poor confused souls.”
Along the way, they’d decided it was fun and easy. Now they bought most of their clothes in pairs, and they currently had on identical gray and purple windbreakers with lime green trim.
“Have you talked to Gavin since the game?” Julie asked them, unable to hold back her worries anymore.
A sad smile flitted across Darlene’s lips. “Just through text. Of course he says he’s fine, but…”
The sinking stomach sensation made it hard to maintain the happy vibes. Under other circumstances, she’d celebrate that they suddenly had five extra days with Gavin. While Julie had always enjoyed football, she’d fully gone down the rabbit hole once he snagged the starting quarterback position their sophomore year. Plus, everything was more intense when your best friend’s hopes and dreams were on the line.
After three seasons playing backup for the Pythons, he’d signed on to play for the Mustangs, where he was finally starting games and getting the recognition he deserved. Last night she’d been glued to her TV during the intense, agonizingly close fourth quarter. A defender from the other team sacked Gavin, causing him to land hard on his already tender shoulder, and her heart had beat out of control as she attempted to pluck the dude off him through the screen.
The instant the camera homed in on Gavin’s face, she knew he wasn’t okay.
“Gavin’s flight is due to land in twenty minutes.” Darlene stretched out her hand and squeezed Julie’s fingers. “Don’t worry, hon. We’ll get him home, hear the prognosis, and go from there.”
Prognosis.
Usually that was a word she loved. It meant answers, and that was what being a pathology assistant was all about. After a surgeon removed a problematic growth or tumor, she dissected and dug deeper to figure out the cellular makeup and check if the margins were clear—in other words, if the surgeon had gotten the entire tumor out. With a proper diagnosis, the doctors would be able to provide the patient with the right treatment.
But when it came to Gavin and his shoulder…
It wasn’t the first time he’d injured it, but she refused to think about what would happen if he’d be out for the rest of the season. Last year, the Mustangs had come in dead last, not a single game won.
They hadn’t had Gavin Frost at that time, though.
The current season started bumpy, with a heap of growing pains along the way—as most teams did under a new coach, new management, or big roster changes. Thanks to former quarterback and current owner Lance Quaid, who’d inherited the team from his grandfather last spring, firing the entire front line and then signing Gavin, the Mustangs had all three.
As they’d begun winning more and more games and found their stride, morale had grown—for both the team and the fans. Gavin was the one who encouraged his teammates and challenged them to keep going. To pick themselves up and retaliate with a touchdown or field goal of their own.
He’s strong, and he’ll get this week to rest up, and it’ll all be okay. It has to be.
“When is the last time you saw Gavin, anyway?” Mom asked, smoothing down strands of Julie’s hair and trying to tuck the sections that’d come loose from the elastic into the rest of her ponytail. “Your hair is doing something weird—did you sleep on it? Maybe you want to duck into the bathroom and fix it. Ooh, and I have some lipstick in my purse, too.”
“Mom.” Julie smacked her hand away. “Gavin and I haven’t been in the same place since that long weekend in May, but we constantly FaceTime. And trust me, he doesn’t care about my messy ponytail or lack of lipstick.”
Mom sighed and cast Darlene a sidelong glance, as if Julie was the one making this difficult instead of their meddling.
“Just indulge your poor mother whom you haven’t visited in forever.” She followed the comment with a pat on the arm, as if that’d make the guilt-trip remark nicer, and then pressed a tube of lipstick into Julie’s palm.
Sometimes it was easier to just go along, so without bothering with a mirror, Julie slicked on the coral shade with warm undertones that would undoubtedly amp up her pale factor and make her look like Dead Hooker #3 on one of those procedural TV shows—they got a lot of the medical stuff wrong, FYI, something she often ranted to Gavin and Kylo Ren about.
“Peggy, I’m thirsty,” Dad said, linking his arm through Mom’s. “Let’s go grab drinks and snacks.” He cast Julie a wink that said you’re welcome and you owe me, and Darlene muttered she should grab food to tide her over as well and followed after.