He can’t guarantee that. TBIs arenothingto mess with. I want to will my body to shake off the double vision and nausea, but my brain is hyperfocused on the idea of not playing hockey again. Will this truly only be a month’s rest? Or...
Don’t think like that.
There’s nothing I can do about this today. I’ll let them bench me for a month before I’m begging them to put me back on the ice. It’s where I belong, my whole reason for existing. I don’t have a lot of skills, but hockey is where I shine. If they take it away from me, what’s left?
4
Val
I cheer as the Warriors take a victory lap around the arena. My mind briefly drifts to the injured player. The man who broke my sister’s heart when he cheated on her. We don’t talk about him much—I mean, it has been ten years or so since they dated—but for a while it felt like a Harry Potter–type situation where we didn’t even say his name. If my family finds out my sympathy lies with the hockey player, they’ll probably Gibbs-slap me upside the back of my head.
Except the hit he took has shaken me. Maybe because I still remember the kindness he showed me when he and Jackie dated.
Don’t focus on that. Remember how he broke herheart?
My empathy should obviously be with my sister. Jackie had been inconsolable when Crank ghosted her. I’ve never seen my sister so devastated. Dad immediately forbade anyone in the agency to do business with him. Granted, Crank already had an agent and hasn’t ever shopped for a replacement.
“They played amazingly,” Steff says.
I smile at the blond beauty. “They did. This was a great game.”
“Raimo will be so happy to see us after. You will come with me, yes?”
“Are you sure you two don’t want to be alone?”
“Later.” Steff grins.
I laugh despite the twist of envy in my gut. “All right. You twisted my arm.” Besides, I want a chance to say hi to some of the other players. Javier Sanchez is Jackie’s client, and he seems like a genuinely good guy. I can only pray fame won’t change him. I’ve seen the good ones succumb all too often.
Steff leads the way out of the private suite and down the elevator to the cordoned-off area. With a flash of a badge and a single “She’s with me,” we’re past security. The other wives and girlfriends begin to trickle into the waiting room. Some circle off into cliques, flipping their long hair over their shoulders. Others stand with kids, trying to keep them from running around the room or throwing tantrums. God bless them. My nephew runs circles around Jackie—well, truly, all of us. He has us wrapped around his finger, and the little guy doesn’t even speak full sentences yet.
After what feels like forever, a door opens, and the players slowly traipse into the room. Some of the ladies squeal as their men meet them in a hug. Raimo comes over and sweeps Steff off her feet, much to her delight.
Don’t be jealous.But the tightness rising in my throat says otherwise. I want what they have. I want a love that makes me laugh, sigh with all the emotions, and never lets me go.
“Glad you came, Val.” Raimo gives me a side hug.
“Thanks for the invite. It was an awesome game.”
The joy on his face is so startling. Raimo has dark brown hair and a matching beard. His brown eyes are so different from what I expected when we were first introduced. When he smiles, it lights his face from the inside out. You have no choice but to respond in kind. His joy makes him popular with kids all the way to the elderly.
“I’m glad we won.” He frowns. “I just wish I knew how Crank is doing. Some of us are going to check on him at the hospital.”
I try to keep my face neutral despite my racing heart. Raimo doesn’t know my history with his friend, and I plan on keeping it that way. We’ve never been in the same orbit at the same time, soavoidance has worked well. Only now I feel a little guilty knowing his injury has prevented us from running into each other tonight.
Be relieved. Now there’s noawkward reunion meeting.
I let out a discreet sigh. Avoiding He-Who-Won’t-Be-Named is a good thing. If anyone asks, I can honestly say I didn’t speak to him. Fran and I live together, and she’ll definitely want all the juicy details. I’m not so sure what makes my younger sister so nosy, but she has a heart of gold despite her penchant for gossip.
“When are you going to date a hockey player, Val? You know we have the best men to choose from.”
I snort. “You think my dad wants to see me with an athlete?” He sings Jackie’s praises for marrying a sports agent and leaving behind “degenerate” athletes. Though they’re his bread and butter, Dad doesn’t have a lot of respect for them.
“Why not? What is wrong with us?” Raimo gapes.
“With you, nothing. But I can’t say that’s the same for everyone else. You know this.”
“Yes, there are always bad eggs.” He sighs. “But you cannot discount all of us.”
