Page 94 of Chasing Hope

Whatever they’re up to will no doubt be revealed at the right time.

“Can you two shut up about what type of dog Irving would be?” Johnson grumbles.

O’Connor places a hand on the back of the couch, his dirty blond hair hidden by the backwards hat he’s wearing. “Stop raining on their dog parade.”

Irving juts out his chin. “Yeah, Johnson, you heard him. Let me parade around.”

O’Connor slaps a hand over his face. “That isnotwhat I said.”

“Need your fucking ears checked,” Johnson grumbles under his breath.

Jack Lewis bursts through the front door, swinging his arms back and forth. He smirks before triumphantly lifting a thick black rectangular object in the air. “I got it, fuckers! You can all bow down and kiss my feet as thanks.”

Kieran rolls his eyes. “I got the tape, actually. I just made you copy it onto a VHS.”

“What the hell is a VHS? Why can’t we just watch it from your phone?” Irving asks, making the room fall silent.

Johnson throws his head back. “Oh for fuck’s sake, I am too old for this conversation.”

“Clearly, because the kid doesn’t know what a goddamn videotape is. Please tell me you’re fucking with us,” Grayson all but begs as he looks at Irving.

His cheeks turn crimson. “Of course, I’m just fucking with you.”

The room collectively lets out a sigh but Kieran and I lock gazes as he likely doesn’t miss the way Irving quickly pulls out his phone. One glance down tells me exactly what I thought, too. He’s googling VHS.

“You all right, bud?” I ask.

He drops his phone, smiling as he shoves a handful of popcorn in his mouth. “I know what it is. I call it a videotape, not a VHS.”

“Right,” I slowly drawl.

“I swear it,” he whispers.

Letting him have this one, I turn to Kieran, watching him slide the tape into a player. I’m thankful O’Connor at least asks what I wanted to. “First of all, where the hell did you even find a VHS player? I swear to God they’re all gone. And secondly, Irving has a point. Why aren’t we watching this digitally?”

“So no one can trace it back to me.”

“Hey!” Lewis objects. “I’ll be the one who gets in trouble.”

Kieran smirks. “I know.”

“I’m getting Emmy a drum set for Christmas as payback, dick.”

“I’ll buy earplugs.”

“I’ll buy an amp.”

“Speaking of Emmy, where is she?” Grayson asks, looking around Ashford’s living room.

“Layla took her over to Momma Bear Carson’s.”

Grayson’s smile is full of warmth. “So she’s being spoiled?”

“Oh, absolutely. Your mom is over there too.”

Shaking his head, Grayson laughs. “She’s hounding me for more grandchildren. I blame you for it.”

“All right, here we go, boys.” Kieran spins, lifting the remote in the air. He hits a button and an arena appears on his flat-screen TV. “A collection of Kai Silverton’s skating.”