AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I could leave it there, but I like a job well done. “He told me in the car he’s planning on meeting up for practice with Rhett. Something about pointers?” I scratch my head as if I don’t know what that means.
Mercy’s pupils dilate and that large vein in his forehead throbs. “Were you plannin’ on telling me about that, Leslie?”
“Of course. It’s been busy, Merc. We have an infant plus other children and …” Jack sighs and runs a hand through his scraggly hockey hair. Fuck, do I hate hockey hair.
Seeing how flustered Jack is deflates Mercy’s anger. “We’ll talk about it, baby. It’s fine.” Doesn’t sound fine. “As for you, are we clear on the matter?”
“Yeah, we’re clear. What about those noise-canceling headphones I asked about? If recovery’s so important, shouldn’t I be able to sleep?”
I want the best ones, of course. The salary they’re paying Jack to play the dumbest sport on Earth is ridiculous and it should be shared with someone lower income, like me. Just call me Robin Hood—stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Mercy winces, which I read as him feeling bad that he’s got to turn to his boyfriend for money, especially when it’s clear that Jack’s kinda pissed at him. Well, for Jack. An angry Jack is like a puppy. He barks a few times but is quickly distracted by a bone. A lot of times that bone is my brother’s dick.
“Of course, Lo. We’ll get them today, how about?” Jack says. “We can go together. It’ll be fun.”
“Like, go to a store? What is this? Eighteen-ninety-four? I’ll order them online.”
Jack frowns. “Sorry. Thought you might need them right away.”
“Oh, I do. I’ll have them express delivered.” I take a sip of my black coffee. I’m not a huge fan of the stuff, but it keeps me awake.
“You’re not wasting Jack’s money on shipping. He’ll take you,” King Mercy decrees.
“No. It’s fine. I’ll spring for it,” Jack says.
Huh. Did I actually manage to start a fight between them? Jack never disagrees about something like that. Mercy seems to sense he’s in some sort of doghouse and doesn’t push.
“In fact, I have something for you.” He checks in with Mercy who nods. Jack pulls a shiny black credit card from his wallet. “Um, we had something like this growing up—me and my brothers—so I had one made for you. It’s got a one-thousand-dollar limit, which should be enough for extras while you live here.”
I stare at the card. I used up the last of the cash I had getting here. I couldn’t afford to put gas in my bike, but now I’ll be able to. I don’t think for a second that means I’ll be allowed to drive myself to the ice rink for practice. For some reason, Merc thinks that should be their responsibility.
“We’ll increase the limit before we go to New York,” Jack continues.
Right. New York. They don’t know about the dorm rule thing, so Mercy decided I would live with Jack. As Merc said, “You can be independent when you’re able to rub two nickels together.”
But if I don’t come up with the money, I won’t be going to school at all. Wonder how they might feel about a loan?
I take the card and stare at it. He’s giving me a thousand dollars a month for whatever?
“Thought it must feel shitty to always have to ask for money. This way you can just get whatever.”
Is Jack shy about this? He’s acting weird.
“You could say thank you,” Mercy suggests like I’m a fucking toddler.
Guess I can’t argue that one. I should be grateful for something so nice, because of course Jack is this fucking nice. I don’t want him to be so nice. I want to continue to hate him. I didn’t count on Mercy having a live-in boyfriend when I made my plans to move to the West Coast. Mom kept in touch with Grant Meyer, Merc’s dad, and he made it sound like Mercy wasn’t likely to settle down with anyone. She told me he was a super successful hockey coach, too. I thought he’d have money to spare with the image that he was a bachelor, living the high life. She gave no indication that he had several million family obligations.
“Thank you, Jack,” I say. “Appreciated.”
I flip it between my fingers and slide it into my pocket.
“Uh, but here. Use my card for the headphones. That’s a need, you shouldn’t have to pay for those at your age.”
He does remember the plastic money he gave me is still his money, right? God damn it. Now I do feel bad, and Mercy’s eyes are burning a hole through me. “Know what, maybe it’d be fun to go together. You mind taking me to get them?”
Jack’s face brightens with a smile. “I’d love to, Lo. Just let me run up and kiss Stanley’s head real quick and then we can go.”
Jack runs off to kiss a baby that won’t even know he’s stepped out for an hour. God. My brother’s an idiot if he thinks for a second that he has to worry about Jack leaving him. Aside from their daily sap-a-thon, Jack is so head over heels for that baby it’s not even funny. I refuse to call the baby by his name until he becomes a person.
