Sully:You're very honest for someone who definitely listened to it.
Pratt:I didn't.
A long pause. Then:
Sully:Okay, I was recording an argument with a guy at the bar about whether you can make a proper sidecar with VS cognac. For the record, I was right. You can't.
Pratt:What did he say?
Sully:He said the French don't care.
Two minutes later:
Sully:Which is somehow also correct. I hate it when that happens.
Pratt:That's fascinating.
Sully:See,this is what I mean about you.
I didn't ask what he meant. I set the phone on the nightstand and went to sleep.
The practice facility in Nashville had two ice sheets and a weight room that smelled like rubber and dried sweat. We had the smaller sheet for the morning skate.
I came off early. My edges were sound, and there was nothing to correct.
I was in the locker room unlacing when Heath came in with his helmet still on. He sat two stalls down and started on his skates.
"The grilled cheese place you mentioned," he said. "On LaSalle."
"I didn't mention a grilled cheese place."
"You mentioned a grilled cheese. Kieran and I tracked it to a place."
"You tracked it? I said Sully made it."
Heath laughed. "Just yanking your chain, Pratt. Loosen up." He looked at me. "The bartender next door," he said. "How's that going?"
It wasn't so much a question as an observation for me to verify.
"Fine," I said.
"Fine, like excellent fine, or fine, like you're way too nosy fine."
"Fine, like it's a developing situation, and I don't have a full read on it."
He was quiet for a moment. "The night we went to Carver's. He had the entire bar to look at, and he was watching you. I think that's already developed."
"He watches everyone. That's the job."
"Sure." He pulled off the second skate. "Except when he was watching you, the job stopped."
I folded my tape into a tight roll and dropped it in the bin by the stall.
"Also," Heath said, "you look different."
"I look exactly the same."
"You look the same but act different. I can't explain it better than that. It's not a bad different. Actually, kind of good to see." He stood, skates in hand. "Kieran noticed too."
