Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

LUNA

" I started ripping up the floor in here and laying new boards, but I need to grab more materials to continue with the job. I'm going to check out color choices for the bedrooms, so I'll run to the store later."

Zach's been off this past half hour since he answered the door. I swear I heard Luke's voice, but I can't understand why that would cause an issue. I'm over here helping out a friend. I jumped in the shower, and he started going through all the tasks he still has left to do. But he's been, I don't know…strange?

"The kitchen was recently replaced by the previous owners, and the walls are good in there, so I figured we could get away with just painting if you want to make a start?" He turns to me with a hesitant smile.

"Yeah, sure. I guess it needs prepping, the walls wiping and taping up?" That's literally the extent of my knowledge when it comes to DIY.

Zach lifts a curious eyebrow. "You've done this before?"

"Well, duh." I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow. "I own my place and wanted to make it homely but couldn't afford to pay someone, so YouTube was my friend. Miss Independent here." I point at the middle of my chest with pride.

His brows now furrow. "Luke didn't help you?"

"No? He's still a friend, I guess, but he's not my boyfriend anymore, and I don't like asking for favors."

"Yeah, sure. Makes sense." He claps his hands together and nods through to the kitchen. "I'll show you where everything is and then head to the store."

"I could come and help pick out colors? That is my forte after all!" And it is. My place is a mixture of pinks, yellows, and oranges—they work perfectly, if I do say so myself.

Zach shoots me a wary look from over his shoulder. "I'm not going for bright colors though; I want a moody feel."

"To match your personality?" I retort quickly, skipping over to grab my purse.

"Precisely."

I look down at the worn leather seat in Zach's truck as we make our way to the hardware store. "You know, I've always been kind of surprised you don't drive expensive cars. Do you have a Ferrari in Seattle?"

He signals right and quickly glances over at me, but I can't see his eyes behind his aviators. "No. I have an F150 there too. You've always known I'm not materialistic. Money means fuck all. Some people spend it, some people save it, but most of mine goes to my Hockey Now foundation. Others need it more than I do. Bottom line, we all enter and leave this world in the same way. When I think back to how Mom and Dad poured every penny into my career and went without themselves, the least I can do is pay it forward and help those less fortunate and share the same dreams as me."

"So, you put all your money into the charity? I thought the galas did most of that?"

"Oh yeah, they do. Not all of my money goes to the foundation, just a large portion. I'll change my truck when I need to."

He hasn't changed at all since high school—still the same grounded, straightforward, and modest Zach. He never had time for the "popular" kids at school and wasn't impressed when the latest prom queen hung off him. He, of course, made prom king every year.

"You're still the same Zach, aren't you? I wish we'd kept in closer touch over the years. I know we live across the country, but I should've called you more, texted you more than every once in a while."

He finds a space in the store parking lot and puts the truck in park, his left forearm resting over the steering wheel. With his right hand, he reaches over and plucks gently at my bright pink T-shirt and smiles down at my neon Converse and denim shorts. "We kind of kept in touch, but yeah, I'm sorry I wasn't more present in yours and everyone's lives back here. I'm happy to see you're still the crazy, bright, fun-loving Luna I always knew."

He pulls off his glasses, and I see the warmth in his turquoise eyes as they cast down my legs where his gaze lingers a touch longer than normal. Is it possible he's attracted to me? I've never seen him look at me in that way. Or maybe I've never noticed.

The traffic and noise from the outside world are drowned out by the long stretch of silence between us as we study each other. It can only be a few seconds, but the way he looks at me, I could bottle it to last a lifetime.

Finally, he breaks eye contact and reaches into the center console for his wallet. "Come on, Rocket. I need your big strong arms to carry all the shit I need to buy."

ZACH

There's not a fucking chance in hell I'm painting my bedroom sunshine yellow.

"I don't care if that's the latest trend, it's not going on my wall. Gray is." I reach across and swipe two moon-gray paint swatches from the shelf, ready to head over and have the paint mixed. "Look, at least it's moon gray," I say tapping the swatch.

Luna rolls her eyes. "So, you want to sleep in Eeyore's ass."

"I'm sorry, what ?"

"In his ass? He's gray and miserable, and so is your new bedroom." She nods at the swatches I'm holding. "I'm not putting that on your walls."

My lips tremble, trying to hold back the laughter fighting to break out. I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of winning this round of tit-for-tat. "Whatever. It's mainly going on my ceiling, so you won't be able to reach, even with stepladders." I had no intention of putting it on my ceiling but I know it will piss her off even more than just the walls. So it looks like it's going everywhere, for fuck's sake.

I walk back toward her and rest my other arm on top of her head. She makes a great leaning post. "Come on; I want to pay and be out of here today. If you're a good girl, I'll even grab us lunch on the way home."

"Oh, let's do pizza. I'm craving it after my morning swim."

Probably not the best idea since I'm now sticking to a strict nutritional plan to help with rehabilitation and building strength. But she's doing me a solid, and watching her smile with excitement helps me forget the shit I've been through these past few months. If I'm totally honest, I've barely thought about the injuries I'm carrying or Amie since the moment I got home, or more accurately, from when I started hanging out with Luna.

We make it to the checkout, and somehow, I've acquired three new houseplants and a sundial for the veranda. I'm likely to kill the plants within a week and never use the dial, but again, if it makes her happy.

The cashier rings up my total. She's pretty and blonde and a hundred percent my type as she eye fucks me over the counter. It's clear she knows who I am, but I'm not about to draw attention to myself, and most people in my hometown leave me to go about my business. It's another reason why I love it here.

I pull out my black AMEX when I notice Luna shifting uncomfortably. "Put it on this please?—"

"Becca!" she squeaks. "We went to high school. You were in bio-chem with me. I sat two rows behind you."

I have no recollection of her whatsoever, but I do remember the girls who sat in those seats being the bitches of Eastbourne High, where we all went.

"Oh, yeah. Hi."

Luna takes one of the plants carefully off the side and holds it in her arms. "Hi, Becca," she says, looking down at the ground. There's a story there for sure, and I don't like the way it's clearly making her feel.

Once finished checking out, I come up alongside Luna who's a few paces ahead and striding through the parking lot—the leaves on the plant bouncing with each step she takes. "What's the story with Becca?"

"Nothing. I'm just not Becca's biggest fan."

I unlock the truck and start loading up the bed. "Why not?"

"Don't you remember? I mean, I get it was over a decade ago, and she wasn't exactly terrible to me personally, but she was to a lot of my friends back then. People like her don't realize the long-term damage they do when they're mean at school."

I guess she's right, but I wouldn't know since most were crawling up my ass. It was only ever Luke, Luna, and a few others on the team I let get close to me. "Well, hopefully, she's changed her ways now."

"Yeah, let's hope so." She takes the now empty cart but stops and turns over her shoulder, a sincere look in her deep brown eyes. "Zach?"

"Yeah?"

"Just be careful to make sure people want you for the right reasons. I mean, you can obviously do whatever with whomever you want, but I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

My heart squeezes, catching me right off balance, and I have no idea what to do with that. Without thinking anything through, I react on instinct. Slamming the tailgate shut, I walk the few paces over to her and swipe the swirling auburn hair from her forehead, replacing it with a chaste kiss. "Thank you for looking out for me, Rocket."