“Ugh,” I sighed. “Fine. I’ll see you at three.”
Dirks clapped me on the back as Charlie got distracted by another phallic-looking vegetable in the stand next to us. She excused herself, so it was Dirks and me.
“You hooked up with her, didn’t you?”
“Not in the way you think,” I said, not wanting to lie.
Dirks groaned, “Dude.”
“It was a one-time thing.” I held up my hands like I’d been caught. “I swear.”
Dirks shook his head. “Don’t let your feelings get involved. It’ll be hard to navigate out once you have your insurance shit figured out. Speaking of, did you hear they’re hiring at the stadium to bring a hockey influencer in for broadcasting? You’d get to be on air, giving your opinion, sharing stats, and then participate on the ice during the summer, doing community stuff for kids.”
“My public persona is trash.” My ex-wife had been involved in the newsroom. It was the last place I wanted to be... because I didn’t think I was strong enough to handle the pressures. “I’m good.”
“It would be a full-time gig, which means you’d have your insurance, and then you could get a divorce quicker than you thought.”
I don’t want to get divorced.
Not yet. It was too soon, and I wasn’t ready to pull that from under us at the moment. “I’ll look into it. Honestly, with the way the media hated me, not sure if they’d consider me for that position.”
Dirks shrugged. “Heard there’s also an assistant coaching gig.”
I laughed. “No. I never played long enough for that.” I looked at Dirks, whose face fell. “Thanks though. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
That was earnest. I genuinely was grateful Dirks was still looking out for me, and that I had a friend after all this.
“No problem.” He turned to go and called over his shoulder, “See you later. Can’t wait to kick your ass.”
I chuckled and walked over to where Charlie was holding up a carrot.
“Don’t you dare.” She preemptively scolded me, and I laughed again as she guided me through a few different stalls before we turned to walk toward the house.
My entire life, I’d wanted something like this. I wanted to feel normal and safe and...
“I know this morning probably felt boring, and I’m sorry for saying yes to Dirks. I thought I’d make it up to you by doing something you enjoy later.”
I stopped and turned to face her. We were on a quiet side street, surrounded by grand houses and shaded by towering oak trees, making it feel like we were in our own little world.
“Hey, don’t say that.”
“Say what?” Charlie asked as I took the bag she insisted on carrying from her hand.
“I don’t think this was boring at all,” I said, holding her gaze. “This... this is exactly what I’ve always craved and wished for, even if I didn’t always know it. There was a time when all I wanted was to get high—it was the only way I could escape everything around me. Back then, I would have thought this was boring and mundane, but life, therapy, and growing up have taught me that there’s so much beauty in the small things.”
I paused, searching her eyes to make sure she understood. “I’m trying, Charlie. I really am. I still have so much work to do to prove to myself—and maybe everyone else—that I’m not the villain of my own story. I’m not the same person I was back then, but I am trying.”
Charlie’s expression softened, and she reached out, brushing her fingertips across my cheek. “You don’t have to convince me,” she said, her voice gentle. “I see it, Austin. I see how hard you’re trying to better yourself.”
There was more to me than my past, and in front of me was someone willing to believe in that—even when I struggled to believe it myself.
“Tell me what you loved about your ex.”
I blinked a few times, and she gestured for us to keep walking.
“Why?”
“Because if I’m married to you and if we go out and share this to the world to make it believable, then I want to know about her. Anyone who Googles you will see you were married, and I’m sure my brother’s going to snoop into your background the moment I break the news to him.”
