Jaden squinted. “You look like Dad when Mom asks if he remembered something.”
Cole pointed at him. “Watch it.”
Catherine’s mouth twitched. I picked up my water because my mouth was dry.
Holland turned to Catherine first. “How was brunch?”
“Good,” Catherine said. “The girls were chaotic.”
“That sounds accurate,” Holland said. “Who was there?”
“Billie Rose, Taylor, Liv, and Sadie.”
Cole nodded. “I saw Jake talking to management this week.”
Jake Sutherland was a retired NHL player. He had broken quite a few records in his time.
Catherine nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. Sadie was being hush hush about it. Maybe they are planning to move to Dallas.”
“Maybe.” Cole shrugged.
The waiter came by and poured water into our glasses. I picked mine up again because my mouth was still dry.
“How are things going with the team?” he asked.
Catherine straightened a little, slipping into that professional posture I’d watched her use at the arena. “Good. I’m learning a lot. Wren’s been great, and the pace is intense, but that’s what I wanted.”
“Anyone giving you a hard time?” Cole asked.
I looked at my menu. The menu was very interesting. Farm greens. Braised carrots. Herb-roasted chicken. I suddenly hated every vegetable.
“No,” Catherine said. “Everyone’s been respectful.”
Cole nodded. “Good. Tell me if that changes.”
“I can handle myself,” she assured her dad.
“I know you can,” Cole said.
His voice softened just enough that I glanced up. Catherine’s expression changed too. There was a whole conversation in that small exchange. Cole saw his daughter as capable, but still wanted to stand between her and anything that could harm her, just like I did with Isla.
The waiter returned, and everyone ordered. Catherine picked some seasonal pasta thing that sounded too small for the kind of afternoon we’d had. I ordered the chicken because Holland was watching me like she might check my protein intake by force. When the waiter left, Holland folded her hands on the table and turned to me.
“Oh, before I forget. Quinn called,” she said.
I had just taken a sip of sparkling water. The bubbles hit my throat at the exact moment my body forgot how to swallow. I choked. A full, humiliating, eyes-watering cough that made Holland sit up straighter and Cole reach toward me like he was about to perform the Heimlich in the middle of a farm-to-table restaurant. Catherine’s hand jerked under the table. I felt it more than saw it. She wanted to help.
“You okay?” Cole asked.
I coughed into my fist. “Wrong pipe.”
“Do you need water?” Holland asked.
“That was the problem,” I said, still coughing.
Catherine pressed her lips together. She was laughing at me. I glared at my plate, even though the food had not arrived yet.
Cole looked at Holland. “Why was Quinn calling you?”