today, Hannah?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I had to cover Rose's shift." Hannah looked at him. "I'm a nurse. The hospital is getting busy as the tourists arrive in town, although summer is never as bad as winter. The snowboarders and skiers break a lot of bones and pull a lot of muscles."
"I'll bet."
"Are you a winter sports guy?" Hannah asked.
"No. I've been snowboarding a few times, but I've never gotten past the medium hills. I bet you're all very good at winter sports, considering where you live."
"Keira is the best."
He turned to Keira. "You're a pro, huh?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but I grew up on these mountains. And I like speed. I was always a very responsible kid, but when I skied, I let myself go. I even did some downhill racing, but I had a bad fall when I was a teenager, and my mom was so freaked out about how I could have killed myself that I backed off the circuit."
He wondered how many other sacrifices Keira had made for her mom. It certainly seemed like more than a few. He was a little surprised she liked speed and racing, although maybe he shouldn't be. Keira clearly had a zest and an energy to participate in life. She wasn't a spectator. She was definitely a doer. She had multiple businesses, she was the family caretaker, and she was very involved with her friends.
The conversation shifted as Lizzie and Justin joined them for dinner, and there was an easy comfort among everyone in the group. Lizzie talked about the inn. Justin mentioned his new office center that was apparently being designed by an architect, who was also a friend. Jake spoke about his adventure sports business while Hannah threw shade at just about everyone.
He liked all of them, more than he would have imagined, and he found himself being drawn into their conversation but in subtle ways. No one asked him about his stats or his injury or anything to do with baseball. That might be because he'd made Jake and Hannah uncomfortable, but he found himself sharing information about his family, growing up in San Francisco, even his old dog, Rosie, who had shagged baseballs for him.
Apparently, Keira had also had a golden retriever named Dusty, and they bonded even more over stories about their dogs. She mentioned that she and her mom still occasionally thought about getting another puppy, but that was just one more job that she probably didn't have time for. He, of course, had never considered getting a pet, because he was on the road too much, but talking about Rosie made him realize that having a dog was something he'd missed. Having a laser focus on baseball had made him tremendously successful, but in some ways, it had kept his world very narrow.
As they finished their meal, they headed back to the buffet table to admire the cake. It featured a stage and a woman in a beautiful dress holding an award. Apparently, the woman was Chelsea, and the dress was a copy of what Keira had designed. Several photos were taken of the cake before it was cut, and it struck him that it was the first time he'd seen anyone take a picture of food since he'd arrived in Whisper Lake. Whereas when he was in his real life, and especially when he was with Nikki, there were more photographs taken of the food they ordered than actual bites.
Of course, Nikki had to stay thin for her job, but she also looked at food as a photo op more than a pleasure or even a necessary sustenance. In fact, most of what they did was designed to provide a good post for one of her social media channels. He couldn't fault her for working her business, but sometimes he felt like a prop.
In fact, hanging out with Keira and her friends reminded him of when he was young, when he hadn't been a celebrity or a superstar, when his friends had felt more real. Back then, his friends weren't with him because he was picking up the tab or because he had connections. They were just friends.
"Okay, it's just about show time," Lizzie announced. "Get your dessert, coffee, whatever you need. The red carpet starts in a few minutes, and we need to see Chelsea in Keira's dress."
They took their cake into the living room. Keira had a seat of honor on the couch in front of the television, and he ended