I head downstairs, dressed in track pants and a t-shirt. At least I’ve mastered the art of putting my injured arm in first and tossing it over my head. I guess I’m more limber than I thought.

The house is silent, and I suspect Molly and Caiden are downstairs, Molly probably giving her brother a complex at his young age since it’s practically Darwinian for boys to want everything big.

Rounding the bottom of the staircase in Skylar’s parents’ home, I spot the sisters at the table, picking up the rumaki and laughing over what just happened.

How do I ever look Molly in the eyes again?

“Thanks for that, Zoe.” I grab a soda out of the fridge and join them at the table, pulling the aluminum pan full of rumaki in front of me.

“Well, if I’d known you were giving away peep shows, I’d have strapped her to the chair to keep her down here.” Zoe props one foot up on the chair, swinging her long brunette hair around to one side.

It’s apparent the two are sisters on the outside, but Zoe is more aggressive than Sky. Maybe it’s a momma bear thing, but I always feel like I teeter on the edge of whether or not she’ll go off on me.

“If I’d known I was giving away peep shows, I would’ve made sure the spectators were old enough to vote.”

“She’ll forget it by tonight.” She waves me off, leaning over the table and stealing a rumaki.

“Long enough for Vin to kick my ass.”

She laughs. “Nah, he’ll understand. Molly doesn’t get privacy. Vin just moves faster than you.”

Sky rolls her eyes, using a toothpick to grab another rumaki.

I cover it with my hands. “These are mine. Made for me.”

“Well, until Mrs. Shapiro finds out you flashed her granddaughter.” Zoe’s eyebrows shoot up.

I push the pan back into the middle of the table. “I’m eating too much anyway.”

They each waste no time continuing to consume all the food.

“Mommy.” Molly stops in her tracks when she sees me at the table.

Zoe’s eyes shift to me and then back to her daughter. “It’s okay, Molly. Uncle Beckett has pants on.”

Skylar throws a toothpick at her sister. “Come here, my favorite niece.” She opens her arms wide.

“I’m your only niece,” Molly deadpans, too smart for her own good.

Molly slides up on her aunt’s lap anyway, sure to avoid making eye contact with me.

“Why don’t we apologize to Uncle Beckett for walking in on him,” Skylar whispers loud enough that we can all hear.

Molly peeks up through the long dark eyelashes she inherited from her mother.

I smile and roll my eyes.

She giggles.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice soft and low.

I pick up a piece of the rumaki with a toothpick and hold it out to her.

“But Nana made them for you.” She’s yet to pick up her head.

I look around at the pile of toothpicks in front of Skylar and Zoe. “For you, I’ll always share.” I wink. She takes it from my hand, biting conservatively at first. “How about you do a drawing on my bandages?”

Her eyes widen, popping the entire bacon wrapped water chestnut into her mouth and running out of the room to their designated play area when they’re here.

“Chew, Molly,” Zoe screams after her daughter.

A minute later Molly returns, her cheeks still puffed out with the food, but she’s got her markers, sliding into the chair next to me. “Let me see it.”

I remove the sling carefully and hold out my arm and she uses it as her own personal canvas while we eat rumaki.

And as quick as that, the whole bathroom incident is forgotten.

---

“Will you stop putting crap in the cart.” Skylar picks up the pack of Oreos and puts them back on the shelf.

“You’re being a killjoy.” I toss in some Chips Ahoy anyway.

“Hey, Mr. Silver Medalist, you may be able to sit your ass on the couch for a few months, but the rest of us have to keep in shape.”

I stop, turning around, stopping the cart with my good hand. She falters back, her eyes wide in surprise.

“So, no grad school?” I ask.

Her shoulders slump and she shakes her head a few times. “I haven’t decided yet, but if I want to continue to ski, Chips Ahoys aren’t going to help me spin in the air.” She plucks them out of the cart and puts them on the shelf.

“You have four years, Sky.”

She moves me out of the way with her shoulder and pushes the cart in front of me, leaving me in aisle three. “You and I both know that isn’t true.”

Reluctantly I follow her and our cart of fruit, veggies, and wheat grain items. “Can we have one cheat day?” I whine like a four-year-old asking for Halloween candy.

Looking more at what’s on the shelves than in front of me, I run smack dab into her back. “Shit, Sky.”

She starts walking backward and I trip over my own heels to back-up. I didn’t think my argument to buy the cookies was that sound, but okay...

“Go, go, go.” Her voice is low and rushed.

We end up back in the temptation aisle of cookies and everything I shouldn’t eat, and she ditches the cart and starts walking the other way.

“Sky?” I question.

She circles back, gives me a death stare, places her finger over her lips and waves me to follow.

Instead, I peer out into the main aisle running across the back of the store to see what has her spooked. I’m not sure what I thought I’d find, but it sure wasn’t a well-built guy picking out which package of steak to buy. Other than the fact that he prefers an artery clogging meat to a leaner cut, he seems harmless.

Skylar is already at the other end of the aisle, her foot tapping, her arms crossed.

I throw my hands up in a what the fuck’s the matter?

She waves frantically like there’s a crack splitting in the earth between us and I have two seconds to jump before I’m swallowed up.

Walking slowly over to her, it looks like she’s about to run out when I grasp her elbow to stop her. “What’s the problem?”

She whips around so fast her ponytail nails me across the eyes. I blink a few times, the sting slowly fading.

Her eyes do a sweep of the immediate area and she leans in. “It’s my ex-boyfriend.”

I scoff. Standing taller and wishing I didn’t have this damn cast on decorated with Mollys’s rainbows and shit.

“Ben?” I ask.

I know his name. He screwed her up. Just like Summer did to me.

She bites down on her lip and nods.

Never in my life have I seen Skylar run from anything. Well...that’s not entirely true. She’s running from skiing right now if she was honest with herself.

The skiing part I understand. Her ego is bruised. She’s letting herself feel down about it, when in reality, bronze is still an amazing accomplishment. But this—an ex? The ex that screwed her over by kissing her best friend at a party? We’re not running away from this.

I pull on her elbow, but her feet are planted on the ground as if she’s grown roots. I may be disadvantaged with one arm, but I’m stronger than her.

“You’re not going to let that douche stop you from grocery shopping.”

She nods, and her eyes say yes, yes, I am.

I shake my head. “No. No, you’re not.” I link my good hand in hers, leading us back to the cart.

I peer over the tall grocery shelf. Ben is still there. Seriously, how long does it take to pick out a steak? Skylar dodged a bullet with this one if you ask me. Coming back, I stare into her fearful eyes. Why is she scared? She should be standing up to him and saying I’m a fucking Winter Classics medalist, what do you do? Other than getting your jollies from staring at red meat for ten minutes.

“We’re going to shop, and if we run into him so be it. I can handle it if you’d like.” I place her hands on the cart to give them something else to do instead of clenching and unclenching at her side.

In my mind, I thought we’d have a few aisles for her to calm down or maybe he’d leave, and he’d never know we were there. Ideally, the latter would have been the best option. Sometimes in life, things don’t always work like that. Nope, we step out of the aisle, rounding the corner to head into the next row and the bastard finally puts a steak in his basket and looks up.

His face transforms in three different emotions in a matter of seconds. Surprise first, along with a smile. Then a frown, probably remembering what he did to Skylar. Lastly, a soft smile that says it’s nice to see her.

I’d chop him up and put him for sale in cellophane packages if I could.