Page 11 of Playoff (Toronto Blaze #4)

One smile at a time

Jess

My abrupt departure from the Top Shelf had been noted, and there were messages from the PAC asking if I was okay.

Those messages were more welcome than my mother’s, but I still wished I could ignore them.

I didn’t want to talk about what had happened ten years ago, and why it was still a big deal now.

Not possible though. Jayna and Callie and Katie had become my closest friends in the city, and there was no avoiding hockey.

Our problems with the team’s new player couldn’t be hidden after the way JJ and I reacted last night.

JJ would be getting grilled about it at practice anyway.

I suggested to my friends that we meet at a diner we liked for breakfast. Jayna had commitments, but Callie and Katie were able to come, though I’d asked Katie to leave Ducky behind if he wasn’t at practice.

Callie was there first, sipping on a latte and holding a table for us. I slid in across from her and the waitress brought coffee immediately.

Bless her.

Callie had her menu closed on the table beside her. She’d order the eggs Benedict, like always. Every time we came here she said she’d try something new, but she never did. I didn’t have a favorite, but I knew what I was getting this time. The breakfast poutine—I wanted comfort food.

“You okay?” she asked, watching me closely.

I sighed. “I will be.” I’d be better when the news was out and had been forgotten.

Katie rushed into the diner and dropped down beside me. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Josh was pouting about being left out. He didn’t stay for the whole practice, and he had questions.”

She flipped her cup for coffee. The waitress brought extra milk and sugar, because Katie drank it white and sweet.

“Ready to order?” the waitress asked.

“Pancakes and bacon.” Katie always had that.

Callie ordered her Benny, and I asked for the poutine. After she left, the other two turned to me.

“So, what’s with JJ and Denny?”

I took a careful sip of coffee and set the mug down. “Denny’s parents ran a Ponzi scheme. They skipped the country ten years ago with a lot of money. Including most of our family’s investments.”

Katie’s eyes widened. “Ohh.”

I nodded.

Callie’s brain was working. “They’ve never been caught?”

I shook my head. Thanks to my parents, I’d always know if there was news.

Callie frowned. “Your parents lost a lot?”

“Basically everything.”

“JJ blames Denny?” Katie asked.

How was I supposed to explain this? It wasn’t straightforward. “I don’t think so. The police investigated Denny and didn’t charge him.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s innocent,” Callie noted.

True. But… “My parents wanted to file a civil suit against Denny, since he was the only person in the family still around. They couldn’t get anyone to take it on, and believe me, they tried everything, so I don’t think there’s any evidence.”

Katie pursed her lips. “You don’t seem as upset as JJ.”

I had to be careful about what I would share. I trusted these women, but it was JJ’s story, not mine.

“When this happened, JJ and I were about to start our first year of university. He’d been drafted by New York but was planning to get his degree in Vancouver before going pro.

When this big financial mess happened, he left Canada and joined the team in New York so he could start making money.

Our tuition fund was gone, along with everything else.

He supported the whole family and made sure I got my degree. ”

“That wasn’t what he wanted?” Callie questioned.

I shook my head. “He was in a serious relationship that ended because he left for New York. Then he married Sharleen. Probably because he was lonely on the East Coast while everyone he knew and loved was in BC. And obviously, the marriage was a disaster.”

Callie cocked her head. “Should I know about this?”

Apparently not as common knowledge among those who didn’t follow the hockey world.

Callie was new to it. “JJ is quiet, doesn’t make friends easily, and Sharleen wanted a wealthy husband.

I know, that sounds judgy, but based on how she behaved, it’s fair.

It turned out he wasn’t that wealthy, because he’d paid for me to go through school, and supported our parents.

While they were married, she had an affair with a basketball player, a guy with a much bigger contract, and left JJ. ”

He’d been a quiet guy before any of this happened. Losing his girlfriend, and the public drama of his marriage and divorce had driven him into his shell so far that he barely spoke to anyone who wasn’t a teammate or family.

Katie put her hand on her chin. “He blames Denny? That’s going to make things awkward.”

I spun my coffee cup around. “I don’t know that he blames him, but the name brings it all back, you know? Lots of really horrible associations.”

JJ didn’t talk a lot, but he felt things deeply.

Katie was still watching me closely. “Is that why you moved to Toronto? To be with your brother?”

I didn’t want them to think JJ was a wreck. Or unable to function on his own. “I’m a financial advisor. Toronto is the financial hub of the country.”

Katie nodded. “So that is why you came here.”

I sighed. “Part of it. He wasn’t in a good place after the Sharleen debacle. And Toronto really is a good place for my job.”

Callie tilted her head, studying me like I was one of her tax problems. “You’re careful to steer your clients away from anything that might be close to a Ponzi scheme, aren’t you?”

My cheeks heated. That was a little too on the nose.

Finance was a good career for job security, but I was trying to protect others from what we went through.

Fortunately, the waitress arrived with our food.

My friends let the conversation shift to other topics—Callie’s work at the law firm, Katie’s classes. When Ducky could join us again.

I’d meant to tell them that I’d done something for me, hooking up with the handsome stranger last night.

The way my life was going, another escape by way of orgasm would be nice, if I’d only gotten his number.

But it didn’t seem real, not now. Less than twenty-four hours, and it was a dream, a memory I could maybe bring out when I needed a break.

Life was too complicated for anything more, even if the guy hadn’t been someone just passing through.

I ran some errands after, so Justin was back from practice by the time I got home. Hanging up my coat and kicking off my boots, I padded down the hall to the great room.

I heard faint sounds of a hockey game on TV, which was normal when you lived with a hockey player.

I could smell something appealing coming from the kitchen, and that worried me.

It was supposed to be a quiet day for the team, and it wasn’t shocking that he had cooked, but not…

I took a long sniff. Not macaroni and cheese.

That was comfort food, not staying-in-playing-shape food.

What had happened? Had Denbrowski already arrived from LA? I’d been hoping it would take him all day, but Justin had to meet him sometime. Maybe he hadn’t gotten here yet and everything was okay, but then why the pasta?

My twin was watching the TV, sound low so he wasn’t distracted by the game announcers.

“Hey,” I called out when he didn’t respond to my less than stealthy approach.

Justin jerked his head toward me. Yeah, he hadn’t been focused on the game. His mind was somewhere else. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where.

“Oh, hi. I made dinner.”

I diverted into the kitchen and opened the oven door. Yep, mac and cheese. It was almost cooked, and he’d done all the dishes as well. It was too early to eat dinner, and I was going to have to do something to burn off the extra calories after poutine and then this. It would be worth it though.

I crossed into the living room and sat on the couch beside Jus. Being tactful didn’t work with him—he’d just politely ignore what you were getting at. “Why are you cooking something the team nutritionist would throw fits over?”

He paused the TV. “The way I reacted last night made things a little weird at practice this morning, and I needed to do something.”

“Has your new teammate arrived?”

He might have faced questions from the guys, but I didn’t think that was enough to bring on the comfort cooking. Hockey was his happy place. He nodded, not meeting my gaze. “How did it go?”

He shrugged and dropped his head back on the couch. “Cooper wants me to talk to him.”

“Do you think you should?” It might not be a good idea. Not that I was afraid my brother would get violent—he’d been nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy, mostly because he avoided fights and confrontations whenever possible. But this was different.

Jus sighed. “I ignored him today. I can't keep doing that. But what the hell do I say? ‘You don't know me, but my life blew up when your parents skipped out, and just hearing your name makes me want to hit something’?”

Not great for team unity. These guys had just started winning again.

“Maybe if you talk to him, he'll be him. A person. Not part of our messed-up history, but just a teammate. Because you have to play with him.”

He shook his head. “That's my problem. I’ll deal with it on my own, not talk to anyone.”

For Justin, talking things out was torture. Didn’t mean it might not be good for him. "Maybe he needs to work things out too. It won't kill you to speak to him. You'll have to on the ice, right?"

I grew up watching hockey, even though I’d pushed it aside when people started to use me as a way to get to Justin. I remembered though. Guys yelled instructions, warnings and insults all the time.

He dropped his head down and stared at the frozen image on the TV. A longer sigh. "Yeah. I'll let Cooper know. Maybe we can warm up before practice together."

Justin would handle it better if he was active and not just staring at Denny while trying to work through an awkward conversation.

"That sounds like a good idea. Anything I can do to help?" That’s what we did. Our parents had been flaky when we were growing up. Grandma had been great, but we weren’t always with her. We’d relied on each other, and we still did.

“There is one thing.”

“Absolutely. Just name it.”

“Can you come to the game tomorrow? Or at least come out with us after?”

I sat up. “If you want me to, sure I will. But why?”

“It’s his first game, so everyone will be going out.”

Right, welcoming the new guy. Everyone wouldn’t include some of the family guys with small kids, but there were a good number of single or dating guys on the team.

They often went out after a game. Jus had stopped going when he got married, and now even though he often joined everyone after the games, he normally sat near Cooper and kept quiet.

Not going with everyone after Denny’s first game would be problematic. If I went, I could be a buffer for him. Keep people from asking questions, give him someone to hang out with. Cooper would have Callie with him, so Justin wanted extra protection.

I’d absolutely do it. Anything for my twin.

“Do you need me there for the game? It’s book club night.”

“Don’t miss your club—I know how much you like it. But after?”

“I’ll be there. No problem.” I poked him with one foot. "You can pay for my drinks."

He trapped my foot, threatening to tickle it.

"No!" I squealed. "I’ll pay for my own drinks!"

He let my foot go, a little smile on his face. Warmth filled my chest. I'd done that.

“Do we have plans tonight?” he asked.

“Nope. Just us. Maybe we can find a movie to watch.”

Ten years ago, Justin had sacrificed everything for us, his family. I was doing my best to repay the debt. One smile at a time.