Making the Play, page 1
Making the Play
A.D. LYNN
Copyright © 2024 by A.D. Lynn
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Concept and Design by Katie Golding, Goldnox Designs
Edited by Kelly Siskind
Author headshot photo courtesy of Jen Moser Photography.
Created with Vellum
For Cora.
You’re not allowed to read this book yet, but thanks for being my biggest fan. I love you more than any book I’ll ever write.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Also by A.D. Lynn
About the Author
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Chapter
One
NATALIE
A car slamming into my face at six a.m. is not how I planned on starting my day.
I lie in my twin bed in my childhood bedroom and ignore it. Maybe he will go back to sleep?
“Vroom-vroom.” My nephew’s Matchbox car tickles my forehead again.
“Argh!” With a playful shout, I sit up and start tickling him. His little belly contracts under my fingers as he giggles. “Say the magic words and the tickle torture stops!”
“Aunt Nattie smells like stinky socks!” he yells, squealing with delight.
“No, those aren’t the magic words!” I tickle relentlessly, trying to get to the backs of his knees—the sweet spot.
“Aunt Nattie eats boogers!” His grin threatens to split his face in two. Even if it’s early, it’s a fun way to wake up. At four, Jace is probably my favorite person on earth.
“How could you forget the magic words? ‘Aunt Nattie is amazing.’ How hard is that to say? All you have to do is—” But I stop talking as my foot encounters a wet spot in my bed. Uh-oh.
I let go of Jace and scramble away from it. “Uh, buddy. I won’t be mad, but did you wet the bed?”
His face screws up in horror, eyes flashing with indignation. “No! I’m too big for that.”
“Then why is the bed wet?” I pat the sheets, and yeah, they’re damp. I take an experimental sniff, but the sharp tang of urine doesn’t hit my nose. Small mercies, at least.
“Did you spill your sippy cup again?”
“Nope.” He points to it on my nightstand, covered in Paw Patrol characters, lid in place.
“Then what—”
“It’s dripping.” He points to the ceiling. It’s hard to tell through the weak morning sunlight that peeks in around the gap in my broken blinds, but it looks like there’s a darker patch right above my foot and—
Yep. Another drop lands on my leg. Lightning quick, I stand up on the bed.
“This doesn’t mean you’re allowed to do this,” I tell Jace, pointing my finger. His brown eyes, the same shade as mine, track my inspection.
Peering up in the dim light, I stretch my five-foot, ten-inch frame and inspect it. The plaster is puckered, and water gathers like a stalagmite—or is it a stalactite? I can’t remember the difference. I guess that’s why I’m majoring in business, not something useless like geology. If I really need to know, I can Google it. Right now, I’m more interested in what’s going on and how to fix it.
“Okay, buddy.” I sigh. “I’m not sure what’s wrong but grab your stuff and head back to your room.”
Jace snags his threadbare baby blanket and his favorite stuffed animal and pads out the door.
“And don’t wake up your mom,” I whisper. He nods and puts a finger to his lips, then disappears down the hallway.
I glance around my bedroom, and then move my laptop off my nightstand and relocate it to my desk so it’s out of the splash zone. I scheduled a blog post for this morning, and I don’t want anything to interfere with it.
After throwing a ratty sweatshirt over my sweatpants and pajama shirt, I head out to the living room.
“Mom?” I keep my voice low as I turn to the kitchen. Our house is small, barely 1200 square feet. Three bedrooms, one bath, an open living room and a cramped eat-in kitchen. Built in the fifties, it’s cute and compact. If we had the money to flip it, it could be stylish. Unfortunately, it’s a little worn these days, and there’s not much chance of that changing soon. Homey is good, too.
Maybe once I graduate and get a good job, I can save for renovations. My mom’s smile as she sits on a new couch would make the sacrifices worthwhile. I’m willing to put in the extra hours as a newbie accountant next year to move up the ranks. I won’t have time for much else, but I’d love to give my family financial security. They deserve it after everything we’ve been through.
Hands wrapped around her coffee mug, my mother looks up from our scarred wooden table. Dark circles stand out under her blue eyes and deep lines bracket her mouth. Her hair, once blonde, is now entirely silver and cut in a no-nonsense bob that skims her chin. She’s only forty-five, but the last ten years have prematurely aged her.
She swallows. “Natalie, is everything okay?”
My face must give away that I have bad news. I hate to ruin her morning and burden her, but I don’t have a choice.
I bite my lip. “There’s a leak in my room. Can you grab a bucket?”
She jumps up and rushes to get the one under the sink that holds cleaning supplies, muttering under her breath. Praying, probably. After emptying it, she hands it to me.
“Let’s see it.”
She follows me down the short hallway into my bedroom, and we inspect my ceiling. Shoulders slumped, she shakes her head.
Keeping her voice low, she asks, “Can you help me move the bed?”
There’s not much extra space, but we shift my nightstand over and haul the bed out of the splash zone. I hope our huffing and puffing doesn’t wake my sister or dad, both still sleeping in the other rooms.
After we get the bucket situated, my mom wipes her brow and jerks her head towards the door. “We need to check the roof.”
We wrestle the wooden ladder out of the garage, and I convince her I should be the one to clamber up while she holds it and spots me. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but the broken tree branch leaning against the roof and the missing shingles aren’t a good sign.
I narrate what I see to my mom. Her deep sigh resonates in my chest even from six feet above her. I climb down, and her knuckles are white as she holds the ladder.
“Maybe insurance will cover it.” Glancing at her watch, she frowns. “I can call before work.”
“Okay.”
I get the ladder jammed back into our packed garage while she heads inside. But when I get back to the kitchen, she shakes her head.
“Apparently our roof is so old it’s out of coverage.”
“Seriously? Why do we even have insurance if they don’t have to pay for this?” Sounds like a convenient loophole to me.
My mom leans her hip against the table and her frown lines deepen. “It gets worse. A new roof is close to ten thousand dollars.” My stomach plummets, but she’s still talking. “And I can’t get a roofer to take the job without ten percent down.”
It’s only a thousand dollars to get them started, but it might as well be a million. Because we don’t have extra money lying around. Already too deep in debt from medical bills to even think about putting it on the credit card, I do some mental calculations. I just paid for tuition, book fees, and car insurance. My bank account can’t handle that hit, either.
I swallow and grab her hand. “I’ll help. We’ve got this. I’ll beg for more hours at The Silver Spoon. My longevity has to mean something there.”
She squeezes my hand in return. “I’ll ask Cara if she has any catering spots open. We can trade off being home for Jace and make it work.”
My sister Sarah works second shift at the Caterpillar factory in town. She’s on the line, helping to make the massive engines that go in their land-moving machines. If it’s yellow and at a construction site, part of it was probably made in my hometown of Lafayette, Indiana. It’s a good job, but it makes caring for Jace tricky. He goes to daycare while Sa
We also take turns getting my dad to his dialysis appointments every two days. Between school and family commitments, my calendar is booked. But I need to do more. It’s my family—and who else will? We rely on each other.
I force a smile and inject a reassuring note in my voice. “It’s just a bump in the road. We’ll get it patched up in no time.”
After getting Jace dressed and dropped off at daycare, I throw on my most professional outfit (from Goodwill) and hightail it over to campus. After classes, I swing by the Silver Spoon. I’ve worked part time at the old-fashioned ice cream parlor since high school, and it’s a decent job. Reliable, and I’ve been faithful.
“Todd!” I greet my manager when I open the door, bells dinging as it closes. “How’s business today?”
“Hey, Natalie! It’s kinda slow, but that’s expected on a weekday afternoon. Do you want to grab a bite?” He grins and adjusts the bill of the red cap he wears over his sandy hair.
“I’m good, thanks. I was actually hoping you could give me more hours?”
I try to walk the line between eager and desperate, smiling but not looking crazy.
But Todd’s face falls. “I wish. You’re a great employee. We don’t want to lose you, but we’ve hired some other college students since school started. The schedule is maxed.”
“Okay, no worries.” I keep my tone positive and up-beat. “I appreciate the hours I have. And I like working for you.”
“No problem, Natalie. See you this weekend?”
“Yep, I’ll be here.”
Tossing a smile over my shoulder, I head out. It’s a minor setback, but not the end of the world. Harrison is a big campus; there must be other possibilities. Pulling out my laptop in my car, I scour the Career Services job boards. The work-study jobs are already assigned, but the college needs thousands of employees to keep things running. Unfortunately, it’s the end of September, and there’s only one job available. The time-stamp says it was posted this morning, so maybe I’ll get lucky.
I apply online and attach my resume, but I really need this job. So after my business marketing class, I head across campus on foot to the Athletic Director’s office. I’ve never been inside before, but it’s a big enough landmark that I’m familiar with the location.
I finger the yellow Post-It I made for myself with the details. It’s a job working for the Athletic Department Social Media Director. Between my business classes and my secret fashion blog, I can figure it out.
I could figure out anything to get a job right now.
When I woke up this morning, I thought I was just overcoming my normal worries. A dad with polycystic kidney disease, a mom who can barely afford the mortgage. Senior level business classes and the pressure of finding a job after I graduate. A secret blog my family doesn’t approve of. A sister who’s barely around and checked out when she is home. A nephew who won’t stay in his own bed and always ends up hogging mine.
But the roof leak is an unexpected curve-ball. I thought The Silver Spoon would be my easy answer, but no dice. It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of hard work. Nothing that a little determination can’t solve. I refuse to let this setback get me down.
Chapter
Two
HUNTER
Hadley: Good luck tonight, bro! Go Griffins! Can’t wait to cheer you on in the stands at my first game as a Harrison student!
Hunter: Thanks.
Hockey is life.
I repeat it endlessly before every game. It helps me focus and reminds me what’s important.
But today, it’s failing me. All the minor distractions of the locker room—Jonas’ music, Mateo’s mumbling, Cooper’s inane whistling—get on my nerves.
Hockey is—
“So, how ya feelin’?”
I know he means well, but I stifle a growl as I turn to Cooper, my best friend. His relaxed attitude this season grates on me a bit. He’s all blissed out from falling in love with a great girl. I know he can still focus on the game and win, but I’m not quite used to this new version of him. Taking a deep breath, I shrug and try to relax my tense shoulders.
“Fine.”
Raising a brow, he pins me with a stare, his intense brown eyes seeing more than I want.
“Nervous for your first game as captain?”
“It’s the same as any other game.”
I wish that were true. It should be. But tonight’s game feels like a test—can I lead the team well? It sets the tone for the entire season.
Cooper claps a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay if you are, you know.”
I sigh and glance around the locker room. Everyone else is getting dressed and ignoring us. It’s okay to let my guard down a little.
“There’s just a lot of pressure this year, you know?” I say under my breath, and Cooper nods. “To win and take us back to the Frozen Four, and to get signed.”
Cooper squeezes my shoulder. “Your dad?” he asks, voice soft.
He knows. He’s probably the only person who understands my complicated relationship with my dad. Maybe Hadley gets it, too. But between money, hockey, and my dad, sometimes I don’t know which way is up.
“Yeah. He won’t stop calling, offering me advice. Which I should probably take, but…”
Hockey is life, but I want it on my terms. What my dad is pushing doesn’t feel right for me.
“But you want to be your own man,” Cooper finishes for me.
Yeah, I think I do.
“And I want to be a good captain. You’ll tell me if I turn into a dick?”
He laughs. “Of course. That’s my job.”
The choice of captain was between me and Cooper. Coach didn’t talk about it, but everyone knew. I never said it out loud, but I would have been wrecked if it wasn’t me. Cooper was unperturbed. Genuinely. He’s a laid-back, relaxed guy, made even more stable these days by his steady girl. He makes a great assistant captain, supporting me and backing me up in public. But he won’t hesitate to tell me privately if he disagrees with me, and I’m grateful.
“Are you nervous about tonight?” I ask as he adjusts his socks.
“Nah. I don’t have to give the big pep-talk.” He tosses his brown hair out of his eyes, and then his expression softens. “Plus, Jasmine’s watching. That always makes me play better.”
I’m happy for him and his girl. Really. She’s cool, and she honestly cares about him. Doesn’t mean I’m not struck with a pang of jealousy sometimes, though. Not over Jasmine—but what he has. A girl who loves him and shows up to support him. I get plenty of female attention but finding one who’s worth more than one night—that’s not in the playbook for me.
And after what happened this summer, I won’t make that mistake again. I’d rather be alone than with someone who’s using me.
“Is Hadley coming to the game?” Cooper’s still talking, pulling me out of my introspection.
“Uh, yeah.” I put on my knee pads and Velcro them in place. At Hadley’s name, I’m hit with a rush of mixed emotions. “I love her, and I’m excited she’s at Harrison for her freshman year. It’s a little weird, too, though?”
It’s not like Lafayette is around the corner from where we grew up in Boston—I’m pretty sure she only picked this school in Indiana because I’m here. Which is awesome. I don’t know her as well as I’d like. After her mom left our dad, I’d only see her when she’d come stay with us during the summer. We went to the same high school for a year but didn’t run in the same circles. I’m trying to make the most of our time together now.
Cooper nods and adjusts his pants. “I don’t really get it, since I don’t have any siblings. But I can imagine.”
“I remember being a freshman and all the shit we did.” I wince. “I feel a little bit responsible for her, you know? Maybe I can help her avoid some mistakes we made.”
Cooper chuckles. “She seemed like she had fun when we went out the other night.”
“Too much fun.” My voice is a low growl as I remember how I practically had to beat jerks away with my hockey stick last weekend. It’s nice to have someone cheering for me in the crowd, and I like hanging with her. But between my responsibilities to her, my team, and future pressures, it’s no wonder I can’t focus.
