Page 106 of Gold Rush

Mine.

It looks and sounds and feels right.

Until Rory lets out a dazed laugh and says, “Wow. I’m really going to miss having sex with you.”

And all I hear is, You’re a shallow playboy who’s incapable of love.

33

Oliver watches Isaac Durbin saunter toward home plate with a bat slung over his shoulder. “Perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon,” he states, taking a bite from his hot dog.

“Agreed,” I say. “Thanks. I really appreciate this.”

“No thanks necessary. You’re doing me a favor. Been a while since I made it to a game, and the regular season is almost over.”

“I meant the foundation help,” I tell him.

Oliver grins before taking another bite. “I knew what you meant, Flynn. Plenty of time to discuss all that after the game.”

“Sounds good.”

Three innings later, I hear an uncertain, “Hey, Flynn.”

I glance left, right at my cousin. Perry is standing at the end of the aisle we’re seated in, part of the prime section right behind home plate.

“Hey,” I reply, startled by his sudden appearance.

I haven’t seen Perry since the dinner I had no clue he’d be attending. We’ve only crossed paths with each other a handful of times since he moved to New York after law school. He didn’t grow up in this city, like I did, and he’s in a different income bracket. Our only overlap is our fathers, who aren’t exactly close.

He’s here with a woman I don’t recognize. They’re holding hands, so I presume they’re dating.

“This is my girlfriend, Macie,” Perry confirms.

I aim a polite smile her way. “Nice to meet you.”

“Uh, so we’re actually headed for those.” Perry points at two open seats about two-thirds of the way down the aisle I’m in. “We got a last-minute deal since the game already started and weren’t sure what side of the section to come down. Then I was pretty sure it was you, so …” He smiles awkwardly. “Mind if we go past?”

I’m still processing the surprise of randomly running into my cousin, so it takes a second for his request to register. “Oh, right. Of course.”

I stand, seeing Oliver do the same in my peripheral vision. “This is Oliver Kensington. Rory’s dad. Oliver, this is my cousin, Perry, and his girlfriend, Macie.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Oliver says graciously. “Enjoy the game.”

“Thanks,” Perry replies, then continues down the row, saying, “Excuse me,” to each person.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him and Macie sit down about fifteen seats away from us. She whispers something to Perry, and he smiles at her.

I look back at the field.

“Long story,” I say to Oliver, who’s likely wondering why I just treated a relative like a casual acquaintance.

His kids are close with their cousins. Rory is serving as Lili’s maid of honor, and Wren is a bridesmaid. Kit and Bash are two of Charlie’s groomsmen.

“I’ve got a few of those.” He glances over. “You want to talk about it?”

I shrug. “Not a whole lot to say. I let my dad’s opinions become mine. He and his brother have a weird dynamic, and I let it become ours too.”

Oliver nods. “Been there.”