“Okay if I message you tonight?”Ollie asks.
I laugh.“You better!Don’t worry about the time.But if you are hanging out with the team don’t worry about me.You need to bond with them.You already have me.”
He grabs his bags, and I open the door for him, waving to Burke sitting in Colby’s SUV.
“Talk to you tonight.Be safe, Phoebe.I’ll miss you.”
I hug him and give him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth before stepping back.“I’ll miss you too, Ollie.Talk to you tonight.Have fun.You deserve this.”
My heart wants to sayI love youinstead ofI’ll miss you,but I don’t want to do that as he’s walking out the door.Maybe he heard it anyway because his eyes soften and he leans in for a quick kiss before going down the steps and loading his stuff into Colby’s vehicle.Ollie waves before climbing in the back behind the driver’s seat, and on impulse, I blow him a kiss before waving back.Colby gives a little beep-beep with his horn as he pulls away, and Burke waves.
I can’t stand the emptiness.I can’t stay here.I go back inside, wash my face, and brush my hair.I grab my keys so I can walk to the bakery and talk to Jack about getting some hours this weekend.The quiet here is too loud.It’s only a ten-minute walk, and Andie will give me a ride home after her shift.Maybe we can have a girls’ night and discuss the show.I’ll take whatever distraction I can get.This next week can’t pass fast enough.
25
OLLIE
“You okay, dude?”Bedard asks as we head to the bus lot at the local airport.
“Yeah, fine.Thanks.”I’m not the type to pour my heart out, especially to strangers.Manners would dictate that I ask if he’s okay, but I don’t want to talk.Not even a week ago, I was flying in to start my time with a new team, and here I am getting on a bus with them on a short road trip to hopefully advance us in the playoffs.And I’m an engaged man.I’m dreading leaving the bubble I’ve been in here.I know I’ll have to face the media with questions about my brief time onBigfoot Finds a Bride, my trade from the Sasquatch, and my engagement to Phoebe.
I see Bedard and Alvarez exchange a look.They probably think I’m an asshole.Whatever.I’m here to play hockey, not join their buddy-buddy sunshine-and-rainbows cult.
We pull up to the private lot at the airport and park.
I follow Bedard and Alvarez into the terminal, where most of our teammates are waiting.
“What kept you?”Lindy asks, arms flying wide.
“Yeah, you’re always first here.”Coach tips his baseball hat up so we can see his slightly disapproving expression.
Alvarez elbows me in the ribs.“Loverboy didn’t want to leave his lady.”He smacks a few kisses my way.
A few of the others slap me on the back, and Bedard leans in close.“I didn’t want to leave Kendall, either.”
They’re teasing me, but it’s annoying.
Nick the trainer gives a chin lift in greeting, and I want to punch him.He knows what Phoebe’s kisses are like, and it kills me.I never thought I was a jealous man, but that’s because I never had anything I wanted so badly.Then there’s the friendship thing with Stone.The little bit I know about Stone is that he’s a good guy.He’s a skilled player, he plays fairly, and he’ll reach out a hand to help you back on your skates after he checks you into the boards.Phoebe liked him well enough to become friends with him.
We check our bags, and I show my ID so they have it on record.
Coach comes over and slaps me on the back.
“Hey, King, crazy couple of days, huh?”he asks.
I can’t be an ass to him, or my ass will be benched.“Yeah, definitely.”
He surveys the terminal before asking, “Have you had a chance to look over our playbook?Obviously, the game is more about systems than set plays, but until you get the on-ice reps, it’s a foundation.”
“I’ve been looking it over and watching game video.Being on the ice with the team yesterday was good.”
We’re told we can start boarding and leave the terminal to climb the steps up onto the bus.My first impression of the team’s bus is gratitude.It’s much nicer than the bus the Sasquatch use.It doesn’t smell like wet fur.The ’Squatch bus, while appearing clean, always smelled like a flock of sheep that rolled in shit and then got rained on.Maybe that’s why they’re all miserable.Looking at the luxury the Devil Birds travel in, it’s easy to see why they’re so damn perky and nice.
Coach claps me on the shoulder before taking a seat at the front of the bus.“Good.If you have any questions, ask me.”
This is like climbing onto a school bus on the first day of school and hoping you can find a place to sit, knowing that it will dictate where you sit for the rest of the year.I take a seat in the fourth row and put in my earbuds, opening my iPad to show I have no interest in being social so no one sits next to me.
Stone doesn’t pick up on the cue and plops down.He’s quiet until we pull out of the airport and get on the highway, but that’s as long as it lasts.
