All he wants to know is if I can do my job.
I don’t hesitate, though. I never do.
“Yeah.” I nod. “I’ll be ready.”
He watches me, like he’s weighing it, then decides not to push.
“Good,” he grunts. “We need you locked in.”
Then he turns away, already moving on.
I linger there for a second, waiting to see if he says anything else. He doesn’t.
I guess that’s how this works. I say I’m good, and that’s the end of it. No one questions it. No one looks twice. And if I don’t bring it up, neither do they.
It’s loud in the locker room when I step in a few minutes later. A mix of jokes, laughter, and lockers slamming shut. I roll my shoulder once as I move to my stall, trying to loosen it up before anyone notices.
Owen looks up when he sees me.
“You alright, Rowdy?”
“Yeah,” I say automatically. “Just a little beat.”
He watches me a second longer than I’d like.
“You’ve been quiet for the last couple of days. This about…” He trails off, not saying her name.
I glance across the room and catch Talon’s eye. He’s sitting at his stall, a towel draped around his neck, one elbow braced on his knee.
“Before you feed us some bullshit answer,” Talon says evenly, “remember we know you better than that.”
I grab my shirt from the bench and drag it over my head, buying myself a second.
“I’m good,” I say finally. “We’re good. Just feeling it from the lift. Nothing we haven’t all pushed through before. Right?”
Owen nods slowly. Talon doesn’t look convinced.
Thirty minutes later, I step out of the rink, the noise from inside fading behind me. My body feels heavy in that post-lift way. I wish I was heading back to the house to crash.
Instead, I’ve got a list of chores to complete.
My phone buzzes in my pocket before I make it to my truck. I pull it out to see a notification come through from Brinley.
And just like that, everything else fades to the background a little.
Brinley: Missed waking up next to you. Hope your workout is going well and your shoulder is better today.
I smile despite myself, something loosening in my chest.
Just leaving the rink now. Feeling better now. How’d you sleep?
Brinley: Great, actually.
That does something to me.
I start the engine and pull out of the lot, heading toward Brinley and the farm. The road stretches ahead of me, and my mind drifts back to the workout, to the game coming up and everything riding on it.
I’ll take care of my shoulder. I’ll ice it and be ready, just like I always am.
