Page 20 of The Backup Plan
Isaac ducked his head and his smile turned genuine. “What do you have in mind?”
Taking his arm, she steered them down the sidewalk to the student parking lots. “We’ll get to that. Before we plot my brother’s payback for abandoning us, I’m going to say something while we’re more or less strangers, and you can forgive me for a huge overstep by saying I’m just ignorant.”
“Okay, but we’re only strangers for about three more minutes.”
“I’m working on my fear of boats and the ocean with a little amateur exposure therapy. For the last two weeks, I’ve been forcing myself to look at a picture of a waterfront. That’s the kind of thing that might have given me nightmares last year. I’m sure you know why.”
“Justin told me a little about your brother. How’s it going with the picture?”
“Really well. It’s hanging over my desk in my room now, and I’m going to get another picture soon.”
“I know where you’re going with this.”
“My parents didn’t get me and Justin any counseling after our brother died. We had to fend for ourselves in that arena—school therapists and self-help. It’s been kind of haphazard. But I’m tired of being afraid, so I decided to try this, one picture at a time, and see what I can do.”
“Quarterback sneak. You’re throwing all your weight behind a short gain for a big benefit.”
Avery laughed. “God, you are a football wonk.”
“Loud and proud. Football is life.”
“I propose we give you some limited exposure to something non-football. Something that makes you anxious.”
“If we’re going to be besties, you can’t propose to me. This isn’t that kind of movie.”
She flicked his shoulder. “If we have to go tonight, let’s make our own rules. We’ll set a time to leave so you don’t worry that the torture will never end, and we’ll have a safe word for emergency extractions.”
“Okay. You sold me with the safe word idea.” He wrangled his keys from his pocket. “If it’s a game, I like it. I like playbooks and play clocks. And popsicles. I am all about the popsicles.”
She checked the time. “Let’s go there, run the clock for sixty minutes, and then get popsicles to celebrate.”
“Sixty minutes, or the safe word. Which is what, exactly?”
“Yours is ‘peach’ and mine is ‘eggplant.’”
He faked a gasp. “Your brother told me you were a good girl.”
“Oh, I’m a delightful girl. Our safe word is ‘bubblegum.’”
He offered a pinky, and she hooked hers around his.
Justin greeted them at the door, casting a watchful eye over Isaac’s shoulder. “Mindy will be here in about fifteen minutes,” he said. “Bonfire and keg are out back, and water and soda are in the fridge, since you are both law-abiding children.” He tapped the side of Avery’s head. “I’ll find you guys when she gets here.”
“You’ll have to hunt us down,” Isaac said. “We’re mapping the place for laser tag.”
Avery tugged his elbow. “We’re totally playing laser tag. Can we? We have to. No one ever wants to go.”
“Oh, I’ll go.” He reached for his phone, and stopped. “I guess I can’t look anything up right now.”
“You’re not supposed to. Justin said if your phone’s out, you’re out, more or less.”
“That’s the weirdest party rule ever, but it’s pretty nice to know that if you have one too many and start acting stupid, you won’t be on everyone’s social media in the morning.”
“That’s precisely the point.” She led him by the hand to a loveseat in the living room. “Here’s a decent view,” she said, plopping down on the orange plaid cushion. “You point to teammates and tell me what I should know, and I’ll receive them here like a princess if they wish to meet me.”
“I don’t have a sister, Avery.”
“Huh?”