After pulling her jacket on, she hooks her purse over her shoulder and pulls her cell out.
As I follow her to the front door to show her out, I catch sight of the rideshare app she’s looking at.
“You didn’t drive here?” I ask.
“Uh…no. I was…I was a little too nervous, so I called an Uber,” she confesses.
“I’ll take you home,” I state, opening one of the doors in the hallway and pulling out a pair of sneakers.
“N-no. You need to relax. Get ready for bed. It’s late and?—”
“I’m taking you home, Freya. Argue as much as you like; it won’t get you anywhere.”
For the second time in only a few minutes, she closes her mouth and admits defeat.
Grabbing my keys from the bowl I threw them in earlier, I pocket them and then open the door for her.
“How long have you lived here?” she asks as we descend through the building.
“Only a few months.”
“It’s incredible.”
“Yeah,” I muse. “Almost good enough to convince me to buy it.”
“You rent?” she asks, sounding shocked.
“Yeah, playing in the NHL means I could be traded at any moment. I’d prefer not to put roots anywhere until I secure a no-trade clause in my contract.”
“I guess that makes sense. Must be unnerving to know everything can change so suddenly.”
“Watching it happen to Brit is a reminder that it could be any of us.”
“Dad was shocked by that move.”
“We all were. He was at the top of his game. But we’ve got to trust that our GM knows what he’s doing.”
“James does know what he’s doing,” Freya agrees, reminding me that she knows Coach on a more personal level. “How is Rett getting on?”
“Playing about as hard as can be expected. He’s the kind of D man every goalie wants in front of them.” It’s the first time I’ve played on the same team as Parker’s big brother. I’ve always watched him from the other end of the ice, but he is a beast at what he does. I can understand his frustrations in Seattle this season. I’m just hoping his bad luck doesn’t follow him, because we’ve had too good a season to fuck it all up now.
“Dad’s looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.”
“And what about you? You’ve been to a few of our home games this season, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve tagged along to a couple. I always enjoy the excitement of a game, even if I don’t really understand everything that’s happening.”
“As long as you celebrate every time the puck hits the back of our opponents’ net, that’s all that matters.”
“Good to know,” she laughs.
“Are you coming to watch on Friday night?”
“Maybe. I guess it depends on how demanding my new boss is.”
“Only time will tell,” I tease as the elevator door opens to reveal the parking garage before us.
Pressing my hand to the small of Freya’s back, I guide her toward my car and open the passenger door for her.
