Page 12 of Replay (Toronto Blaze #3)

You make Me Sound Like a Kid

Josh

My day had taken a shitty turn with the injury to my knee, but now it was so much better. I’d been trying to find the right way to reach out to Katie, and she was here at my place and wasn’t rushing off the first chance she had.

Not saying I’d get hurt again to get this result, but I could enjoy it this time.

She set plates on the counter and started to pull out containers from the takeout bag.

“Let me help.”

She frowned at me. “You’re not supposed to be on your feet, are you?”

Shit. I’d forgotten, too excited to have her here, but I’d better do what Carlos had told me to do. “Okay. I just need to get an ice pack.”

She pointed to the living room. “Sit.”

I boosted myself up on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. I leaned the crutches against it and pulled my injured leg up to rest on another stool.

She pursed her lips, but apparently this would do. “Where’s the ice pack?”

“In the freezer.” I pointed. It was a big kitchen, and I had a fridge and a separate freezer. Her gaze swung between the two appliances, and she shrugged before opening the freezer.

One side had prepared meals. I couldn’t cook, and following the nutritionist’s guidelines made meal prep more difficult so I used a service.

With Daniel around I wouldn’t need it as much.

The other side had a shitload of ice packs and some vodka.

Last season, Bongo had lived with me, and he loved his vodka. I should get rid of that.

“Interesting.” Katie pulled out an ice pack.

“You know I don’t cook. And the vodka belongs to Bongo. He was my roommate before he got his own place. I’ll tell him to come get his stash.” She brought me the ice pack and I draped it over my knee.

“You don’t have a roommate now?” She passed over a plate filled with Greek goodness.

“Yeah, I do. Thanks, and have some of this stuff too if you want.”

She scooped a bit of the loucanico I’d requested onto another plate. “Where’s your roommate?”

Anxiety swept over me again. “He’s on the way to Ottawa. Might be there now.” I pulled out my phone to check the time. “Yeah, the jet’s probably landed.”

Katie sat down on a stool by my foot. “Another hockey player, eh? What position?”

“He’s a center. Playing the second line, it looks like.”

“And you?”

I set my fork down, worry interfering with my appetite. “Last season I was the first line right winger. But this season…”

Katie cocked her head. “Did they demote you?”

I pointed at my knee. “I haven’t played much in the preseason. And now, when I was supposed to finally get some real time in a game, this happened. They’ll have someone else playing tonight, and if that guy has chemistry with Oppy and Deek, well…”

Katie stared at me for a minute. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking. I poked at my food, before setting my fork down. Finally, she spoke. “Seriously. Are you really likely to lose your spot after missing one game?”

I fidgeted in my seat, because this idea wasn’t totally realistic, I knew. “Probably not. But after last season, coaches and management want to make sure everyone is clicking. I’m going to lose at least a week. I might not play the home opener.”

Katie rested her chin on her hand, elbow braced on the counter. “I don’t know if you’re just worrying needlessly or not. How good are you? You seem to be pretty popular.”

I picked up my fork again to have something to do other than meet her gaze. “I’m not too bad.”

“Define not too bad.” She used her serious voice, the one I heard when she got on my case about math when she was tutoring me. It probably shouldn’t be that hot. It told me she wasn’t going to let me get away with avoiding whatever we were talking about.

“I had the second highest points total on the team.” I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. I hoped that impressed her.

“Goals?”

“Goals and assists.”

She pursed her lips, distracting me. “Right. That sounds like you were more than not bad. Did anyone get signed to the team who’s a better scorer?”

I shook my head slowly.

“Any of these new guys coming up scoring better than you?”

I shrugged. “Not really. Not yet.”

“So why are you so worried?”

I sighed. “Something I’ve learned, it’s that hockey is a business. After our loss, the team could have decided to change things up. They kept most of the team together, but if we don’t do well, they might start trading.”

“Are you afraid you’ll be traded?”

“A bit. I like it here. But what if no one wants me? What if this is it?”

Next thing, Katie was on the stool beside me, my foot resting on her lap. “Josh, from what I’ve picked up, and what you told me, that’s highly unlikely. The trainers said this would heal quickly, right?”

I nodded.

“You’re making lots of money, right? So if the worst happened, you’re okay financially, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but then what would I do? Everyone said— you even said—I should have a backup plan. And I didn’t. Hockey is all I know. It’s all I can do. What if it’s over?”

She shook her head. “We were all wrong. You’re here, making millions, right? You’ve probably made more than you would have in any backup career. And when you’re done, though probably not for years yet, you’ll find something else to do.”

“Like what?” I wasn’t just saying this. I had no idea what I’d do after hockey, but I’d thought I had more time to figure it out.

“What do other players do after they retire?”

“Some coach or do commentary on-air. Or go into management. Or business. And I can’t do any of that.”

Katie raised her brows. “Why not? I told you, back in high school, that there’s more to you than hockey. You’re not stupid.”

“No one else said that.”

“Everyone around you back then was interested in you succeeding in hockey. They were going to make money if you did or hoped for some fame or whatever. They didn’t look past the player part.

But if someone does, there’s a lot there.

Trust me, I wouldn’t have gone out with you if playing hockey was all you had to offer. ”

I looked away for a moment, afraid of what she might see on my face. Katie had been different. She’d made me believe I was smarter and could do more. She didn’t care about hockey. She’d cared about me.

I’d been so stupid to give that up. To give her up. If she’d wanted to end things when high school was over, well, I couldn’t do anything about that. But I’d thrown it away when maybe we could have made it.

She stood, putting my foot back on the stool, and I missed that contact, even through my sweats.

“But we’re not going to dwell on something that isn’t a real concern. Someone else will play tonight, but they won’t play as well as you would. And you’re going to be winging on the first line soon enough. Eat.”

She was right. My career wasn’t over with this little injury. I’d been lucky not to be seriously hurt previously, and I was overreacting. Even if I didn’t start on the first line when I got back on the ice, I’d make my way there.

I was short for a hockey player, and I hadn’t been drafted till the second round because the experts all thought I couldn’t maintain my game at the top level. I’d shown them. I’d made it to the NHL, made it to the top line, made it to game six of the finals.

I’d do it again. And I’d work just as hard to get Katie back. No matter what anyone else thought, she was good for me. The best. And I’d learn to be the best for her too.

Fitch’s words echoed. I’d have to do things differently this time. Last time, I’d been worried about making it in hockey since I was short and not as bulky as a lot of players. I’d overcome that by being fast and taking hits and shaking them off. This time, I’d make her more of a priority.

And here I was, when I finally had Katie with me, complaining again, being insecure. Enough of that. “So, what’s up with your family and school and everything?”

Katie’s eyebrows flew up, but she allowed me to change the subject.

“Nora had a boy—Garret, and he’s adorable.

He’s almost five, and she’s pregnant again.

” Katie had a warm smile on her face. I bet she loved her nephew and was good with him.

She had lots of patience. “Nora loves her kid and her partner, so they’re good.

She switched to a nursing program, and I think she’s almost done. ”

I cocked my head. “So, you graduated first? Like, from college?”

She nodded, head lifting. She was proud of that. Bet her parents were too.

“First college graduate in the family, right?”

“Yep. The whole family came out, took a bazillion pictures, had a party.”

“That’s great. And now you’re…”

“Next step is master’s. Then PhD.”

“You’ll be Dr. Baker.”

“Yep. I’m in applied mathematics, finance. But I’ve also thought I’d like to teach.”

“You’d be good at that.”

“In the math world, the attitude is definitely that those who can’t, teach. So that’s kind of a backup plan.”

I didn’t know what she’d do in applied math, finance, but she definitely was a good teacher.

She smiled and then stood up, her plate empty. “That was really good food. Thanks for feeding me. Want me to put the leftovers in the fridge?”

“That would be great.”

My stomach twisted. She was getting ready to go.

Which, yeah, she’d stayed longer than I expected, but I’d like her to stay for a while yet.

I grasped at ideas to make that happen, but I had nothing.

She had her own life and was probably busy with all her school stuff.

I’d asked a favor of her to help me, and she’d already done more than enough.

I pulled the ice pack off my knee. It was getting warm, so I’d better get another, and then stretch out on the couch to play a video game till the Blaze game came on at seven.

I grabbed my crutches, balancing my weight on my good leg, and carefully moved toward the freezer.

“What are you doing?” She sounded strict again.

“New ice pack.”

She held up a hand and cut in front of me to pull one out of the freezer.

“Thanks.” I reached for it, but she moved it away from me.

“Go settle down wherever you’re going to rest, and I’ll bring it to you.”

“You don’t have to?—”

“I offered. Go, sit or lie down or whatever.”

I grinned at her and turned on the crutches and hobbled my way to the big couch in the living room. I was slow. Usually my body was my tool, doing whatever I asked of it. But these crutches were awkward, the movement strange to me.

Katie finished in the kitchen, putting our dishes in the dishwasher and the food away in the fridge before wiping down the countertop.

I’d wedged myself into the corner of the couch, leg up beside me, crutches on the floor at my feet.

She brought the freezer pack over and passed it to me so I could put in on the knee again.

“Do you want a water bottle or something?”

“Just a glass would be great, thanks.”

She opened a couple of cupboards, then brought out a large glass and filled it up from the fridge. She carried it over and set it on the coffee table in front of me. “What else do you need?”

“I’m good. The remotes are right there and I’ve got my crutches.”

She frowned. “When does your roommate get back?”

“After the game. It’ll be late. They’ll fly out from Ottawa after.”

“And you’ll stay put till he gets home?”

As if. “I’ll have to eat, and you know, hit the head. Get another ice pack.” She stared at me, foot tapping. “I’m good, Katie. I’ve got the crutches. I’m slow but I can do it.”

“The Josh I knew in high school was more likely to do something he shouldn’t. He wasn’t good at staying still.”

I wanted to say I’d changed and wasn’t like that anymore, but it was going to be hard to just sit all day on my own. “I’ve got some games I can play. I don’t need to be waited on.”

“No.” But she still watched me.

“What?”

She looked away for a moment, then back at me. “I can come back. Go home, grab the stuff I need for my classes, and get you through the evening till your roommate comes back.”

I liked the sound of that, but… “I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can get an ice pack and warm up some leftovers.

But you’re likely to decide you need to go check something in your car or go get a Coke or ice cream from a corner store because you get bored and restless.

I’m not going to take care of you till you’re playing again, but maybe today, when you haven’t had time to heal. ”

I pushed down how good that made me feel. She knew me, and she did care about me. “You make me sound like a kid.”

She grinned. “Would you rather be alone?”

“Hell no.” Especially if the alternative was Katie.

“Okay. Give me your keys.”

* * *

She wasn’t long—only a couple of hours, but it felt like more. I made my own way to the bathroom, because damned if I’d let her follow me there. But after getting another drink, I was on the couch, behaving, when she got back.

We ordered in Thai, because if she was helping me, I wasn’t giving her leftovers.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.

We talked a bit while we ate, about how she was adjusting to Toronto, and how it compared to Halifax.

I settled back on the couch while she put the dishes and leftovers away. I was set for food for tomorrow.

“Does your knee hurt?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s good.”

She jerked her head at the TV. “I think your game is on soon.”

Right . I needed to watch, see how everyone did. “Do you mind me watching it? I could use my phone instead of the TV.”

Katie smiled. I smiled back, because how could I not?

“I brought headphones. I’ll do my stuff, and you can do your job.”

She dropped her legs to the floor and picked up her backpack. She brought out a textbook and her laptop and settled back in the chair. She looked up, questioning why I was watching her.

Right. The game. I picked up the remote and found the broadcast. Time to do my job.