“Ha ha.” Jay’s wearing a sneer and when he looks at me, his hazel eyes are frosty at best. He meant that previous comment as the dig it was. What the fuck did I do to him?
“And now we stop all the bro-talk that’s freaking me out and smile nice!” Pennie says as she pauses to swipe her pass again and opens another door. We’re suddenly in the arena. Ground level. The tunnel is in front of us that leads to the ice but Pennie turns left and leads us down the curling hallway.
The coaches are behind us having their own conversation. I think I hear my last name once or twice but I try not to eavesdrop. I want to know what they’re saying but I have a feeling they’ll tell me soon enough. Pennie pushes open a thick door, glossy with the fresh paint in the team colors. And I step into my new locker room behind Briggs and McBride. I would have stepped in before McBride but he literally cut me off and stepped in front of me. Whatever.
Coach Corbin breaks up our little private convo and asks me. “What’s your favorite part about playing in your home state?”
“I don’t know.” I grin. “I haven’t done it yet.”
Chuckles from everyone. Except Coach Maxwell who just smirks. Tightly. Umm… I guess I better come up with something a little more in depth. “I think it’ll be sleeping in my own bed. I’ve owned a home here since my rookie year. I grew up about twenty minutes from this arena. But I’ve spent more time away from the place than in it over the years and it’ll be nice to be home when I’m home. You know?”
Coach Schneider smiles. “I figured you might say having family and friends come to games. That has got to be a benefit too, right?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Your parents must already be season ticket holders, huh?” Maxwell pipes in and I clench my teeth. It’s a habitual reaction when someone mentions my family.
Pennie says the worst possible thing. “Oh I’m sure they’ll be permanent fixtures in the arena.”
They all look at me again. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Briggs’ face contort into a look of confusion. Pennie’s pageant smile remains in position, but her eyes flare just a little. Clearly my clenched jaw is visible and I must be scowling, as I tend to do when my parents are brought up. “My sister will be at every game. She’s already ordered a mini-Barlowe jersey for my niece. And of course, I have a ton of old friends that will be blowing up my phone for tickets. Especially when we make the play-offs.”
“When. I like that attitude,” Coach Maxwell says smiling.
Crisis averted.
The coaches show us the locker room, dressing room, training room, and medical rooms. Everything is top notch, incredible, and state-of-the-art. I’m even more excited to get the season going now. Coach Maxwell seems to have loosened up a bit but I still feel like he regards me a little more apprehensively that he does Briggs and McBride. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Finally the coaches go off to a conference call with the owners, Briggs and McBride head back to drool over the training equipment one last time before they leave, and Pennie walks me toward the door.
Since we’re alone, I decide to start the conversation. Test the waters. “I don’t talk to my parents. We’re estranged.”
Pennie blinks. “Oh.”
“And I don’t discuss it. I thought you should know,” I say, and she nods slowly.
“Okay.” She clears her throat. “I can work around that.”
“Thanks.”
“Is there anything else I should know?” Pennie asks. “I mean, I know about the substance issues on the Boston team. You’re good there? I can’t get ahead of something if you don’t tell me, so always tell me.”
I pause and look down the long, curving hallway that seems empty but echoes. Her heels have stopped moving but a distant click sound is still reverberating through the cavernous space. I swallow and step closer to her and dip my voice. “That old flame of mine?”
She nods, big hazel eyes wide and expectant.
“Hey! You wanna grab some lunch with me since you’re still here?” Briggs’ voice barrels towards me and I step away from Pennie. “It’s either lunch with you or I have to go home and unpack boxes with my wife. So come check out a pizza place I heard about with me. McBride bailed. Pennie, you wanna join?”
“I have a working lunch with my assistant, but thanks.” Pennie steps away. “Call me if you want to continue that conversation.”
I nod and head out with Briggs.
So close but not close enough. Still, I feel closer than I ever was to coming out. To being with Declan. And that’s something.
13
DECLAN
It’s beena hell of a day. The restaurant was packed from open to close. We have every employee working and I even had to cover some tables on the back patio because the servers were slammed. I came in for a standard eight-hour shift but that was fourteen hours ago. Now, it’s just me, Robbie, and Javi because I sent the exhausted staff home as soon as their tables were cleared. I turn the sign on the door from open to closed and Robbie and Javi both clap. “Thank God this day is over.”
“Yeah. But damn good business for this place,” I can’t help but note. The business manager — ex-business manager — in me is excited. But the part of me that just worked a double shift that didn’t involve sitting behind the desk once, that dude is too tired to be excited.
