Probably why she looked at me funny when she gave me the phone. She didn’t want me to know. But why?

“I don’t know.” She peered up at me, snagging her pink bottom lip between her teeth. “I found out the other day. My dad got laid off recently, and they can’t afford to keep it.”

My stomach sank. Well, fuck. I guess that was why.

“I’m sorry, James.”

Bailey gave a little one-shoulder shrug that was anything but convincing. “It’s not a big deal.”

But it clearly was. I could tell from the way she talked about home that the house mattered to her. It was where she’d grown up. She said her mom had this crazy huge garden in the backyard; they did Christmas there every year; all of her and her brothers’ heights were marked on the kitchen doorframe, all of those sentimental things.

“Where will they live?”

“They’re downsizing somewhere nearby,” Bailey said. “They don’t need as much space now that we’re all grown, anyway. It probably makes sense.”

Maybe, but making that choice and having it made for them were two different things.

“The market is terrible where they live, though, so the house isn’t selling,” she added.

And it kept getting worse.

“Will they be okay if the house doesn’t sell for a while?”

“I think so,” she said. “My brothers can help them out if they need money. I’m sure my dad will find another teaching position soon too.”

I nodded. “Right.”

For better or worse, Bailey wasn’t a good liar. The way she nibbled at her lip and kept her head ducked told me things wouldn’t be okay. And she wasn’t giving me the full story, either, not with how Morrison’s text was worded. Money was a touchy thing with her, though, so I didn’t want to pry.

I needed to mull this one over a little. There was something to it, I just didn’t know what.

We fell quiet for a moment. The room was nearly empty, save for a few boxes and bare furniture, but the air was heavy.

I nudged her with my elbow, trying to lighten the mood. “Are you excited about moving?”

“Yeah. Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

If I were her, I would be wearing a shiny party hat and giving both Amelia and Jillian a gigantic “fuck you” on the way out.

“Well,” Bailey hesitated, “I guess there’s a small part of me that wonders if I’m letting my life revolve around yet another hockey player. You know, with the whole you-Dallas-Shiv connection. Feels a little…puck-bunny-ish.”

Ouch. I had skin as thick as hockey equipment, but that one still stung.