Page 18 of Playoff (Toronto Blaze #4)

I’m not going to be bartered off

Jess

I’d booked a hotel to stay at in Vancouver. Grandma’s care facility wasn’t too far away from it, and it was closer to the airport than Port Coquitlam where her house was. I’d check on it while I was here, but with it sitting mostly empty, I didn’t want to stay there on my own.

Justin and I needed to clear it out and make a decision on what to do with it after Grandma passed.

I hoped the day was long off, for my sake.

She’d left it to us in her will, with me as executor.

I couldn’t imagine Justin living in it, not after everything that had happened here.

Me? I wasn’t sure. Until I knew Justin would be okay on his own, I went where he did, and it didn’t look like he’d be back in BC anytime soon.

After he finished playing hockey, I had no idea where he’d want to live.

If he didn’t want to live in BC, where would he consider home?

New York? Toronto? Someplace completely different?

Once I’d settled in at the hotel, I went to see Grandma. I signed in, and an aide took me to her room. Grandma was bedbound now. The disease had moved fast, taking away her mental faculties, and I hated to think how little time she had left.

She hadn’t told me she had Alzheimer’s when I’d made the decision to go to Toronto with Justin. Just encouraged me to join him. And then, when she’d shared the diagnosis, she insisted I stay with him.

“He needs you, Jess. I’ll be fine—I have friends, and then I’ll be in a home somewhere. I’ve had a good life, and I can get your father to come when I need him.” She had to get him to come, because Mom was his whole world.

Damn it, why couldn’t Justin have been traded here, where we could be with her?

We’d done what we could. I’d spent my annual vacations here with her, and Justin had come for part of every summer, until this last one.

She no longer knew us, and Justin struggled with that.

On top of losing the Cup, it was more than he could handle, so he’d focused on preparing for this season, instead flying out several times over weekends.

I’d been torn between my twin’s needs and my grandmother’s. Feeling guilty no matter what I did.

Grandma looked good—as good as someone with her condition could. Justin paid a lot for this place, and they kept excellent care of their patients. Her hair was clean and styled, her clothing fresh. Really, when she was sleeping you had no idea how bad things were.

“Hey Grandma, it’s Jess.” Her head turned and her lips moved, but her eyes didn’t open. I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I flew out to visit while Justin is playing in the south. Florida, Carolina—all those warm places. Kind of envy him, eh?”

She never responded, but I still talked to her. It didn’t cost me anything, and maybe it helped.

“It’s pretty cold in Toronto. Visiting here is a break from that. Plus, I get to see you.”

It wasn’t easy, carrying on a one-sided conversation. I noticed the book on her side table. Pride and Prejudice , her favorite. I picked it up and settled in my chair to read to her.

I was sure the words still meant something to her, and I spent an hour with Elizabeth being offended by Mr. Darcy and his cold behavior. But soon enough, visiting hours were ending and I needed to go.

“Bye, Grandma. Justin sends his love, and I love you too. You’re the best.”

I swallowed around a lump in my throat as I left.

My parents came over from Victoria to join me for dinner. They reserved a table at a nearby restaurant—an expensive one. I was first at the restaurant, and once I was seated I ordered a glass of wine without waiting for them. I didn’t expect to enjoy this meeting.

Mom and Dad arrived, and I stood for air kisses as we said hello. We settled into our seats around the table. Mom smiled. “How are you? And Justin?”

Mom and Dad weren’t monsters, just self-absorbed. They did love us, in their own way, and she was asking because she wanted to know. Still…

He’s freaking out because the name Denbrowski brings up so many bad memories. And I slept with the guy without knowing who he is so I’m a little freaked out too.

I didn’t say that. “We’re good. And you?”

Mom gave a recap of what they’d been doing lately.

Not working, not using their travel agency background.

She complained that they couldn’t fly south with someone they knew, and that their place was too small.

It wasn’t as big as the one we used to have in downtown Vancouver, but they had two bedrooms and a study. For two people, it was ample.

Mom grew up with wealth. Her parents died when we were still preschoolers, and she was their only child and heir. She’d never known what it was like to budget and pinch pennies. Not till the Denbrowskis took that money from her.

Dad grew up with Grandma and Grandpa, solidly middle class. I’d always thought he was so grateful that Mom chose to be with him all those years ago that he was willing to agree to anything she wanted since.

Losing all her money had been difficult. I got that. But we went through it too and didn’t take advantage of family to try to get what we wanted. Justin had given up college and Mia to help the family. I took care of Justin and Grandma. I had limited bandwidth left for Mom and Dad’s troubles.

“Justin isn’t playing in the All-Star Game?”

The game was scheduled in Dallas after the team returned from this road trip. Justin was going to the game but hadn’t been invited to participate. He’d been chosen twice in previous seasons, but I didn’t think he was too upset about missing it. “Only going as a fan.”

Her lips pulled. Justin got a bonus if he was selected as an all-star. Mom knew his contract inside and out.

“Have you reached out to the Denbrowski boy?” she asked as our dinners were served.

I knew Justin and Denny had talked, but Justin still was uncomfortable with him. Too many negative associations. “Justin is his teammate, so they see each other all the time.”

“But they aren’t getting close?”

“Mom, Alek Denbrowski reminds Justin of all he lost ten years ago. He doesn’t want to spend time with him.” How was she unable to grasp that?

“We all lost.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Some more than others.”

Her mouth opened to argue, but catching my glare, she stopped.

We’d all lost money. Mom had taken the biggest hit, since she had the most money, but she’d also invested our college funds with the Denbrowskis.

I’d taken an extra year to get my degree, since I had no money and no job experience.

I’d switched from an impractical English degree to finance, and got a waitressing job to help pay for expenses, but Justin had paid for my tuition and anything I couldn’t cover.

Mom and Dad had lost some friends. Some of those had also lost money, while others found it awkward to be with our parents when Mom and Dad couldn’t afford expensive restaurants and trips.

They’d moved in with Grandma after the houses were sold, so were no longer close to the vibrant culture of Vancouver they’d been used to.

Now they had a condo in Victoria, but they weren’t happy with it.

But Justin had lost his girlfriend. The woman he’d loved deeply. He’d married Sharleen out of loneliness and desperation, and that had blown up in his face as well.

When our parents had taken money from him for fake expenses, he’d lost his faith in his family too. He trusted me—had given me power of attorney over his money just to keep Mom and Dad from manipulating him. They thought it was because of Sharleen,, but their betrayal had been worse in some ways.

They tried the same on me, but I was tougher than Justin when it came to standing up to them.

He could body check big hockey players without a flinch, but he hated confrontations with people.

After all he’d done to keep us going after the financial disaster, I’d do anything he needed, including buffering him from Mom and Dad.

To change the subject, I asked if they thought Grandma had changed. “She was barely responsive when I saw her today.”

Mom set down her fork. “I know I should visit more often, but…it’s hard. Too hard.”

I knew it was hard—I’d just been there.

Before I could respond, Dad spoke. “I’ve seen subtle changes in her.”

“You’ve been?”

He nodded. “Usually every week.”

I studied his face, but he seemed sincere. “I read her some P and P.”

A smile lightened his expression. “She’d like that.”

“We really should do something about the house,” Mom said.

And there we went, back to money matters. “I know. Depending on how the season goes, Justin said he’d spend a few weeks here going through her things in the summer.”

“Obviously we can help.”

I wished I could believe it was to help Justin, and not to assess whatever there might be of value.

Mom hadn’t been mercenary, hadn’t cared about money when she had it.

But now that she didn’t, she was obsessed.

“I’m sure he’d appreciate it. I’m going to come out on my vacation time to help and see Grandma as much as I can. ”

“When is Justin playing here again?” Dad asked.

“Next month. He’ll have dinner with you and visit Grandma.”

The rest of the meal was a more normal conversation. The awkward topics dealt with, we could go over family events and memories, talk about how the Blaze were doing, and how my job was going.

Dad left for the men’s room. The waiter came by with the bill, and I picked up the wallet and sent it off with my credit card. Justin would want to reimburse me, but I refused to be a burden on him.

Mom leaned over. “I know you don’t like this, but consider getting close to Alek Denbrowski. If we got proof he was involved with his parents, we could get compensation from him.”

I stiffened. “He was investigated at the time, you told me. The police, whoever else, couldn’t find anything he’d done wrong.

How close do I have to get to him to find out something that he kept secret all these years, if somehow he was involved?

” Closer than we’d been the night we hooked up—and I shoved that thought down.

She couldn’t meet my gaze.

I drew a breath. “If he was smart enough to keep it hidden, he’s not going to tell either Justin or me, since we were victims of the Ponzi scheme as well.”

“Does he know that? Johnson is a common name.”

“Justin told him.”

She shook her head and sighed. Then she looked at me again, eyes examining me closely. “He’s single, right?”

I held up a hand. “Just, no. I’m not going to be bartered off to someone because he has money.”

“Possibly our money.”

I shook my head, and Dad returned from the bathroom before Mom could continue on that idea. Another reason I didn’t want to date any of Justin’s teammates. Mom couldn’t see anyone anymore without guessing their net worth.

We hugged and said goodbye. They were heading back on the ferry to Victoria, and I was returning to my hotel. I’d see Grandma again in the morning and catch up with some old friends before I flew back to Toronto.

It was a short trip, but I felt better knowing I’d been here for Grandma. And maybe it had been enough to stop Mom from pursuing ideas about Alek Denbrowski.