Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“I had to be vegetarian,” Isabelle explains.
“Until you went to university,” Portia says, connecting all the dots.
“What happened when you went to university?” Everly asks.
“I lived on campus, away from home, so I didn’t have to eat raw steak. I could eat whatever I wanted.” Isabelle smiles impishly.
“You could have cake for breakfast?” Everly’s eyes are wide.
“I could and sometimes I did,” Isabelle confides.
“I want to go to university,” Everly declares.
Everyone laughs and Cordelia tells her she needs to work hard and get good grades.
Isabelle grabs her sister’s arm. “Please, do not tell Mother any of this.”
“Of course not.” Portia makes the lips-zipped gesture and tosses the imaginary key aside.
Whenever I spend time with them, it’s like they discover a new piece of their family puzzle right along with me. It seems everyone has been hiding stuff from each other, and Connor isn’t the only one who’s struggled.
Dinner is full of laughter, and Portia and Isabelle tell us stories about Connor growing up.
“Remember when Mother made him take piano lessons?” Isabelle says.
Portia rolls her eyes. “He hated them so much.”
“So much, but she wouldn’t let him play hockey unless he spent two hours on the piano first,” Isabelle adds.
“Why make him play piano before he was allowed to play hockey?” Flip asks, clearly confused.
“They didn’t want him to play,” I explain.
“Why not?” Flip’s eyes are wide. “He’s a natural. He’s one of the best defensive players in the league.”
“It’s physical, it’s violent, you can lose teeth, break bones, and it doesn’t require a university education,” Isabelle explains uncomfortably.
“But almost all of us played for our university team,” Flip replies.
I jump in. “They wanted him to work for Grace Hotels.”
Understanding dawns. “Right. Gotcha.” Flip sits back, expression pensive.
“So he had to learn how to play piano?” I ask, turning back to the sisters.
“At first he just banged away for two hours, but he gave himself a headache, as well as everyone else,” Portia replies.
Isabelle grins. “And then he moved on to learning the most annoying songs and practicing them until all our ears bled.”
I prop my chin on my fist, always interested to hear more about young Connor. “Did he get better?”
“Not at first.” Portia sips her cocktail.
“But he wanted the time for hockey.” Isabelle runs her finger around the rim of her glass, expression far away. “Every two hours on the piano meant an hour of hockey, and he was desperate for time on the ice.”
“I’m sure.” I nod. “Imagine being forced to do your least favorite thing to be able to do your most favorite.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever loved anything as much as Connor loves hockey,” Isabelle says thoughtfully.
“Do you remember his recital piece?” Portia asks.
I’m wildly fascinated by them—perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect everything. Poised, proper, and almost extensions of each other. It’s clear that they rely heavily on each other for everything. And why wouldn’t they, when it’s them against everyone else?
“Unforgettable.” Isabelle nods.
“What did he play?” Callie asks.
“‘Nothing Else Matters’,” Portia says.
“By Metallica?” I grin. Of course he would pick something like that.
“It’s so pretty at first—” Isabelle starts.
“Father was so angry after his performance—” Portia continues.
“But he was so good.” Isabelle shakes her head.
“I bet he still is—” Portia agrees.
“—but he won’t play anymore. Though maybe for you he would,” Isabelle muses.
“Maybe.” But I don’t know that I’ll ask him to. He’s been punished enough in his lifetime.
We shift our conversation away from Connor to talk about the lessons we took as kids. Rix enrolled in every free cooking class under the sun, Hemi was a master debater and took scrapbooking, Lexi (no surprise) lived and breathed hockey—just like Callie and Flip, and Hammer loved working on graphics and graphic design. Tally and Fee both loved dance, but Fee’s passion lies in art. Portia and Isabelle have a laundry list of things they’ve dabbled in, from golf to dance to piano. I joined clubs in school, but I didn’t have many foster homes willing to part with the money to put me in lessons. Everly echoes this, but jumps in to say that she joined the drama club at school this semester and likes to work on the sets. Some of the parents also provide snacks, like pizza and subs, which she clearly enjoys.
Everly and Cordelia have to leave to retrieve Victor and we send them off with takeout for him and dessert. Roman picks up Callie at the end of dinner, and any disappointment at being left out of what’s next disappears when he reminds her Connor is meeting them at the local rink to shoot the puck around for an hour.
As soon as she’s gone, Lexi’s eyes light up. She looks to Hemi. “Is it time?”
Hemi nods. “Oh, it’s time.”
Hammer shimmies in her seat, and Tally claps excitedly.
“No shots,” I declare.
“How about fun shots, with fifty percent juice?” Essie suggests.