Playing for Real - Book 2

Chapter 7

Quinn 

"I'm so happy you decided to come home to California for the holidays," Lyndsey calls from the kitchen.

"This place doesn't feel like home." I drop my luggage in the foyer of the sprawling two-story mansion that our father bought when he took over hockey operations for the Santa Anna Tornadoes.

I step into the living room and take in the impressive view from the floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors opening onto a huge wrap-around deck overlooking the Pacific coast. Lyndsey walks out of the kitchen, wearing a deep-blue sundress that flows just above her knees. She looks, as usual, over-done and downright stunning as she carries a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses on it.

"In his defence, he could have easily bought a bachelor pad closer to Santa Anna, but he didn't," Lyndsey says. "He decided to buy a beautiful home on the beach because he wants this to feel like it's our home, too. He's excited to spend Christmas together this year, and so am I. It's been long since we've all been together as a family for the holidays."

"I know." I look out at the waves crashing against the sand.

I've gone from light and fluffy snow in Boston to sunshine and ocean air. I almost miss the festive feel of the holidays on the East Coast. It makes the holiday season feel more real and less obligatory. I haven't returned home to California for the holiday break since my first year in undergrad, and for good reason. The holidays always felt weird and forced after our mother passed, and now they feel even weirder without Cash in my life. This would have been our first Christmas together.

"On a little bit of a different note, I've got some good news." She studies my face before accurately deciding that she is ready to tell me. "I started a job. And before I tell you where and what I'm doing, promise me you won't flip out."

My mind immediately flashes to the worst, like she's taken a job as a stripper. All the blood must have drained from my face because Lyndsey laughed and patted my shoulder.

"Relax, Quinn. Just promise me."

"Fine," I sigh. "I promise."

"Being with Louis has made me start to think about my future. Lately, we've been talking quite a bit about our lives together, where we see ourselves in the next five years and all that stuff I hate talking about...stuff I never thought I'd ever be thinking about in my early twenties." She pauses and glances over at me. "So, with that being said...I've decided college isn't for me. I'm not you. I will never be like you, studious and focused," she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I've dropped out of college."

What?! I try to keep my face impassive, but it's tough not to show emotion. If she's stripping, I won't be able to keep my cool. Then, my mind flips to the next horrible alternative. She's posing for Playboy.

"I want a job that I will love," she continues and opens her eyes, snapping me out of my worries. "A job that will allow me to move around and give me the freedom to work from wherever Louis's hockey career could take him. I can't work behind a desk or imagine pursuing graduate-level education. So when Olivia's cousin Holly offered me a job at a local salon, I accepted. I'm apprenticing to be an Esthetician. Please don't flip out."

My first reaction is relief. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Because seriously, thank God she isn't a stripper or posing for Playboy. When I reopen my eyes, my second reaction is slightly disappointed. I can't help but be slightly unsettled with her decision to drop out of college. But when I look at her sitting on the edge of her seat, waiting patiently for my approval, my third and final reaction is ease. I am happy she's found something she's genuinely passionate about. I could see Lyndsey as an Esthetician. She loves makeup, beauty products, and pampering herself and others. I'm pretty impressed she's put thought into her future, even though it wouldn't have been what I envisioned for her.