For the first time since dinner started, she looks at me across the table. “Jasmine, you must see this in your work. The players who succeed are the ones with partners who devote themselves to supporting their careers. It takes a certain kind of commitment. The travel, the schedule, the media, the pressure — it's not a life that works unless everyone is all in.”
The words are delivered with a smile. The tone is warm and conversational. She could be talking about the weather,but every person at this table knows exactly what she's saying. Sarah's fork pauses over her plate, and Dom's jaw tightens.
I open my mouth to respond, but Logan gets there first.
“Mom, stop.”
The table goes quiet.
“Don't do this,” Logan says. His voice is calm, but there's steel underneath it. “Don't sit at this table and tell Jasmine she needs to prove she's worthy of being in my life. Don't use words like commitment and devotion to make her feel like she's not enough. I know what you're doing. You did it ten years ago, and it’s not going to work this time.”
Cat's smile falters. “Logan, I was simply pointing out what she needs to know.”
“You were doing exactly what you did when we were eighteen. You told her that hockey families aren't easy and it takes a certain kind of woman. And then I left, and she spent ten years thinking she wasn't enough because my mother told her so.”
George puts his fork down. “Logan, that’s enough.”
“No, Dad. You had your turn ten years ago. You told me that relationships can wait, and I listened because I didn't know any better. I'm not eighteen anymore.”
The dining room is silent.
“Jasmine is the woman I love,” Logan says. “I have loved her since I was sixteen years old. Walking away from her was the worst decision of my life. She didn't deserve what happened, and she didn't deserve what Mom said to her. I'm not going to sit at this table and watch it happen again.”
“We were trying to protect your career—” George starts.
“You were trying to control my life. There's a difference. Dom figured that out years ago. It took me longer.”
Dom looks up and meets Logan’s gaze.
“Jasmine is part of my life,” Logan says. “She's not going anywhere. You can welcome her, or you can lose me, but those are the only two options. I'm not asking for permission, and I'm not looking for approval. I'm telling you how it is.”
He picks up his fork and takes a bite of lamb.
The silence stretches for ten seconds. Then Cat picks up her wine glass and takes a long sip. George clears his throat and reaches for the potatoes.
Nolan breaks first. “So, Jasmine, do you handle player contracts too or just the sponsorship side?”
I could kiss Nolan Shaw. “Mostly sponsorships, but I've worked on player contract negotiations at other firms.”
“That's so cool. Can I call you when my agent is being an idiot?”
“Anytime.”
The conversation resumes. It's stiff and careful, but it moves. Dom asks Logan about the upcoming road schedule. Sarah tells me about a restaurant in the city she wants to try. Nolan carries the table with his usual energy, filling the gaps, keeping the noise level up.
Cat doesn't speak to me again for the rest of the evening. She clears plates, serves dessert, and fills water glasses. She does it all with her perfect hostess smile firmly in place.
We leave at nine-thirty. Logan hugs his brothers at the door, shakes George's hand, and kisses Cat's cheek. She pats his arm and says, “Drive safe, sweetheart,” and doesn't look at me.
I say thank you for dinner. Cat says it was lovely to see me. Neither of us means it.
The car ride is quiet. The lights of Long Island fade behind us. Logan has both hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road. I lean my head against the window.
I'm not angry. I'm sad. A deep, heavy sadness that sits in my chest like a stone. Cat looked at me across her dining tabletonight and saw the same girl she dismissed ten years ago. It doesn't matter that I'm a lawyer now, that I built a career and a life.
Cat looked at me and saw a distraction. A woman who doesn't belong in her son's life.
I’m glad that Logan stood up for me, and it should make me feel better. It does, in a way. But it also makes me sad because Logan had to choose. He had to tell his parents that the woman he loves matters more than their opinion.
