Jacob smiled and gladly received his the brownie.
“Damn, I hope these things don’t actually have a ton of calories,” Jacob laughed. “Yeah, they’ve got a ton of protein or whatever. But tasting this good, there’s got to be a catch.”
“Right,” Ricki laughed. “Screw it. Who cares. Like you say, they taste damn good.”
Ricki’s physio room was looking as clean and organized as usual. Even with the possibility of spilling brownie crumbs to contend with, Jacob didn’t think he’d ever seen someone keep a space so neat.
However it wasn’t Ricki’s ability to keep his workplace neat and tidy that Jacob wanted to dive into…
“So…. Antonio Cardini?” Jacob said, immediately noting how Ricki’s cheeks flushed red at the mention of the Mafia man’s name. “Wanna talk about whatever’s going on with you two?”
“I…ummm… can’t talk about it?” Ricki spluttered, his voice with a questioning, uncertain tone to it. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Okay, but are you happy with whatever it is you’re not allowed to talk about?” Jacob asked, wanting to ensure that Ricki was feeling safe and comfortable with whatever the deal was between him and Antonio.
“I’mdefinitelyhappy,” Ricki blushed, covering his face with his hands in a burst of excitement. “I wish I could say more. But I can’t, not right now.”
“Poop!” Jacob said, totally frustrated at the fact that his friend wasn’t able to share his secrets. “But when you can talk about it, I want to be the first to know. Okay?”
“Of course,” Ricki replied, a giddy look in his eyes.
Jacob could see just how desperate Ricki was to spill the beans on his situation with Antonio. But while it would have been easy to keep trying to get Ricki to talk, Jacob decided that it was only fair to respect his friend’s privacy.
After that, the pair of them began to talk about Jacob’s plans for the off season and potential vacation destinations and so on. And it didn’t take long for the subject of Tane’s impending retirement or hopefully non-retirement to come around…
“I’ve got everything crossed for good luck,” Ricki said. “I’ve known Tane ever since I came to the Enforcers, and he’s just as much a part of the franchise as anyone or anything else. He’s a legend.”
“I think deep down he regretted announcing his final season a long time ago,” Jacob said, worry in his voice. “And now if this fitness test doesn’t go well, that’s the end of his time here. I don’t even want to think about it. I just want him to get his new deal and then we can both have the happiest off season and come back ready to hit the ice next season.”
“And I think next season the pair of you would both be even stronger as a partnership,” Ricki said. “I know I’m a physio, but I’ve been doing some of my own analysis on the team and I think you and Tane could dovetail even better on the ice.”
“Tell me more,” Jacob said, immediately seeing that Ricki had some tactical plans that might well be worth listening to.
With that, Ricki picked up his iPad and began to show Jacob some ideas for new plays that he’d been working on. Jacob hadn’t been sure what to expect, but he was genuinely impressed with what Ricki was showing him.
“These are great,” Jacob said, his eyes lighting up as Ricki talked and demonstrated a really great instinct for the offensive side of the game. “You should be working in the coaching team.”
Ricki blushed and Jacob could see that Ricki definitely had aspirations of moving into coaching. But that was somethingthat could wait, as no sooner had Ricki started explaining one final play than Tane walked into the room.
“Tane?” Jacob exclaimed, his heart skipping a beat as he tried to get a read on Tane’s face. “Is it good news… or?”
“It’s not good news,” Tane said, his voice flat as he walked toward Jacob. “It’s fuckingincrediblenews!”
Suddenly the whole room erupted into the happiest, purest sound of celebration as Tane wrapped his arms around Jacob and spun him around in delight.
“The doctor said that it was a close call, but ultimately there’s no reason that I can’t play again,” Tane said. “I’ll need to be careful, but I’ve passed the standard fitness testing and I’m good to go.”
“Let’s fucking go!” Jacob trumpeted, his face filling with emotion as the reality of what Tane was saying hit home. “That means a new contract! That means we get two more years together!”
“Boy, you do know it makes no difference to our relationship, don’t you,” Tane said, pausing the celebrations. “Contract or not, I always wanted you to be mine…forever.”
“I love you, Tane,” Jacob said, his eyes filling with tears of pure joy. “I always wanted you to be my one and only. And now it’s really happening I don’t know what to say.”
“Well we can both think about that kind of thing later,” Tane said, arching his eyebrow. “Now it’s time to hit the ice and show the Titans that our destiny is the playoff final, and they’re not invited.”
The game against the Titans was tomorrow, but Jacob knew that both him and Tane had time for one more practice together.And with Ricki’s new plays fresh in his mind, Jacob was ready to hit the practice ice and get ready to make the entire Enforcers family proud.
And with his Forever love by his side, Jacob felt like he could take on the world – and win too…
