Harley chuckles. “Oh, way worse consequences than that.”
I try to smile, but even though he laughed, I have a feeling that is a completely serious promise. And I’m not sure Harley is the one who will be carrying out those consequences.
And since nothing has been simple and straightforward since the very first text from Nora, I should have expected that even taking her out on a few dates would come with a side of oh-you-might-die-from-this.
I sit back in my chair and take a deep breath. “I am really sorry I didn’t meet with you last October. I understand that we had a meet-and-greet scheduled, and I screwed it up.”
Harley slides a bookmark into his book, closing it and setting it on the table. “We did. But you were having a bad night.”
I nod. “I was. Maybe the worst I’ve ever had.”
“I’ve had a few of those in my time. I accept your apology. And I’m glad to see that you’ve recovered.”
“Thank you. But I haven’t. I can’t seem to get over this final hump.”
Harley reaches for his coffee cup. I study him closely. I am definitely no expert in strokes, but I don’t see anything obvious about Harley that tells me he has any impairment.
“I know how that feels,” he tells me. “It’s absolutely devastating when your body betrays you.”
I feel a stab of recognition. He does understand. Better than most people. Maybe even in a way thatIdon’t fully understand. What he went through was life-threatening. And as Nora reminded me in the truck on the way here, he’ll never be one hundred percent.
“I’m glad to see how far you’ve come as well,” I say. “I know next to nothing about strokes, but you look damn good.”
He smiles. “I’m guessing you know a little something about putting on a façade as well.”
Again, that feeling of being seen hits me hard right between the eyes. “Yeah. I sure do.”
He looks around the place, then back to me. “Tomorrow when they ask you to share something about yourself, make it something about you as a person, not hockey.”
“Pretty much everything about me is hockey,” I say. “And that’s why I’m here.”
“Dig deep,” he says. “Or fake it.” He smiles. “They want to know you as a person.”
“I’m a hockey player,” I say with a shrug. “There’s not much else.”
“Everyone here has a label like that. Bill is an electrician. Mary is a teacher,” he says. “But there’s more. Tell us things you like. Things you don’t like. Places you’ve been. Places you wish you could go. A joke or story that makes you laugh. Just something aboutyou, Alex.”
I nod. I have some time to think about it. Maybe I can come up with something.
“So, I have something you can definitely help me with,” I say.
“Shoot.”
“Where should I take Nora on our first date?”
“Oh.” He smiles. “She’ll love anything you come up with.”
“Really?” That seems way too easy.
“Certainly. You’ll find that Nora always appreciates other people and whatever efforts they go to. If someone does something forher, she loves it, no matter what it is, simply because they did it for her. That’s all it takes.”
I frown. “But…I don’t want her to begrateful. I want her to have a really wonderful time.”
“She will,” Harley says with a nod. “At least as far as you’ll ever know.”
My eyes widen. “So…” This isn’t helpful at all. “I can’t mess this up? No matter what?”
“Well, not with Nora, no,” he says.
