"I waved," she says dryly.
"Exactly. Professional level."
She laughs and takes a drink of water.
The quiet stretches for a second, comfortable rather than awkward.
"You know," I say finally, "you've handled all of this better than I expected."
"Living with a professional athlete?"
"Living with my… everything," I correct.
She tilts her head.
"Your everything is mostly hockey gear and a child who believes she controls the outcome of games."
"That's still a lot, especially with Jenna on leave."
Her expression softens slightly.
"She's a good kid," Natalie says.
"She likes you," I say.
"I like her," Natalie replies.
She hesitates before adding quietly, "She makes this whole situation easier… because if Maddie is happy, everything else feels simpler."
"You make things easier for her," I say.
Natalie looks down at the counter for a moment.
"That matters," I continue. "More than you probably realize."
She brushes it off with a small shrug.
"We're weirdly good roommates," she says.
"Low bar for marriage," I say.
She smiles at that.
"Still," she says, "I didn't expect this to work as well as it does."
"Yeah," I admit. "Me neither."
She studies me a second like she knows there's more behind that answer.
"What did you expect?" she asks.
I lean my hip against the counter across from her.
"Honestly?" I say. "I figured the logistics would be harder."
"Logistics," she repeats.
"Living together. Schedules. Maddie adjusting. You getting tired of hockey gear everywhere." I gesture vaguely around the kitchen. "I thought we'd be stepping on each other's routines constantly."
