Mr. Streko blew his whistle and pointed at Shy, his orange-and-blue neck tattoo bulging. He carried himself differently at table tennis than he did in Latin, she noticed, more upright and bossy. His black Phinney T-shirt stretched tight across his sturdy, muscular chest. It was kind of hot.

“Eye of the tiger,” Roy said, redirecting his daughter’s attention.

Shy picked up her paddle and bit the inside of her cheek in concentration.

“Go, girl!”

Chapter 22

WE HAVE RABBIT said the handwritten sign taped to the window. A little bell jingled when Peaches opened the old shop door.

Hasslachers was the oldest butcher in New York State. It was famous for its always-been-here, low-key vibe and its unfussy presentation. The head butcher was the grandson of the original Hasslacher and had trained his young assistants since they were teenagers. The maleness of the place always intimidated Peaches and so did the meats. What was the difference between a sirloin tip and a Newport strip? But it was Friday, the school week was over. She wanted to drink a bottle of wine and cook something delicious for dinner—part of her pact with herself to make the best of what she had, which was a lot.

She squinted at the display case and eavesdropped on the butchers’ conversation behind the counter.

“She’s a great actress though, Nicole Kidman. You ever see that one where she plays the newscaster with Matt Dillon? She’s hilarious. And the one where she plays Virginia Woolf? She wore a prosthetic nose. You forget it’s her. She’s brilliant.”

Peaches was startled. It was not the sort of conversation she imagined butchers would have. Why was she such a snob? Just because you were a butcher didn’t mean you thought about meat all the time.

“Can I help you, miss?” The youngest butcher offered. He wore a mustache and had elaborate arm tattoos.

Peaches shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not ready.” She wished they would keep talking. What other movies had they seen? Maybe she should forget about dinner and go to the movies. Liam and Greg could order in.