Page 7

SEVEN

Jethro

“But I don’t want to move,” Toby insists, his young voice radiating panic from my rental car’s speakers. “I like my room the way it is.”

My blood pressure climbs another notch. “I hear you, bud. But your room at Grandpa’s house isn’t going anywhere. You can visit in the summer. In the meantime, you’ll also have a nice room here. It’s a great townhouse. There’s even a fireplace, so Santa can find you.”

That last tip is courtesy of the real estate agent. That’s what my kids would worry about , she’d said.

But not Toby, apparently. “Jeez, I’m not a baby ,” he scoffs.

I hold back a sigh. “Just keep an open mind,” I beg. “There’s a killer playground at the complex. That’s why they showed this place to me. Lots of kids live around there. You can see it tomorrow.”

“They can have it. I’m not coming!” he insists. “There’s no reason I should have to!”

I hear a loud thump—the sound of a phone smacked down on the nearest piece of furniture—and then nothing more.

My father’s voice comes through the speaker a moment later. “Hey. You still there?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” I stop at a traffic light and look around. Boulder is beautiful, but it’s ruining my life. What’s left of it anyway. And this intersection doesn’t look very familiar. Did I miss my turn?

“He’s pretty upset,” my father says unnecessarily.

Like I didn’t notice? “This will blow over, right? He’ll get used to Colorado once he’s here.”

He’d better, because we don’t have any other choice.

“Jethro.” My father drops his voice. “You could just leave us here in Michigan. It’s an option.”

“No. I can’t do that.” The light turns green, and I follow the traffic ahead of me.

“You could,” he says simply.

The awful truth is that I’ve already considered this. Yesterday morning, right after the gut-wrenching meeting with management, I’d left Bess and driven straight to Toby’s school, where I asked to pull him out of class. I’d taken him to McDonald’s, bought him a breakfast sandwich, and told him we were moving to Colorado.

The first thing he’d said was, “No way.” The second thing was, “Go to hell.” And the third thing was, “I hate you.”

Right about then, I’d considered asking my dad to stay back in Detroit with him until the end of the season. Our lives have been so full of turmoil already. I was awarded custody of Toby only eighteen months ago. But my hellacious schedule means I can’t be his only caretaker. So I’d given up my condo and moved into my father’s brick two-story.

During that time, my once-absent father has held our odd little family together. That’s why his suggestion is not that outrageous. But I’m the one with custody, so I’d have to go back to court to give my father the legal right to care for him.

Also, my father is a sixty-five-year-old man in an eighty-year-old body. He’s suffering from a steadily weakening heart, probably exacerbated by previous decades of alcohol abuse. I can’t leave them alone for six months. I just can’t.

“Dad,” I say carefully. “I’m sorry to disrupt your life. But I can’t leave Toby in Detroit. I’m sure both of you hate me a little right now. But it’s not forever. My contract is only another year and a half.”

He sighs. “Yeah, okay. It’s what Shelby would want, anyway.”

There’s also that, I guess. Fucking Shelby, who caused almost as much drama in my life as my terrible mother and my unreliable father. Shelby’s opinion counts last.

I stop at another light and look around. That’s when I realize I have absolutely no idea where I am. “Hey, Dad? I have to go. I’m going to be late for practice.” On my first day.

“How do you want me to pack up your room?” he asks.

“I don’t. Pack the Christmas presents we got for Toby and some clothes for the both of you. Then hire whichever overpriced mover Bess found for us, let them handle everything, and then get on a plane tomorrow morning. Now I really gotta go.”

“All right. See you tomorrow, son.”

I ring off with him. “Hey Siri!”

“Yes, champion?”

That’s funnier when I’m not late. “Where is the Cougar Ice Barn?”

“The Cougar Ice Barn is located in Boulder, Colorado. It’s the headquarters of the Colorado Cougars, a professional ice hockey team…”

“ Where , Siri? Navigate to the Cougar Ice Barn.”

“One moment, champion.”

Sigh .

“Use the right lane to turn north onto Broadway…”

I flip on my blinker and start to change lanes when someone lays on the horn behind me. There’s a flash of yellow, and a Jeep leaps out of my blindspot and passes me at warp speed.

Christ . I almost got into an accident. I hate Colorado.

Stressed out and tired from staying out until one a.m. with my new teammates, I finally arrive fifteen minutes later. After I jog into the building, I find the dressing room empty. I change as fast as I can, but I can’t skate without stretching. So there goes another ten minutes. When I arrive on the ice, the team is already involved in drills.

“Good of you to join us,” says Murph, the assistant coach.

Shit . It gets even worse when I glance at Clay, who’s silently judging me. Arms crossed. Face grim. And then he actually averts his fucking gaze, as if I don’t exist.

“I got fucking lost,” I mutter. “Apologies, Coach.”

Murph nods grumpily. And Clay says nothing. Like I’m as important as a wad of gum on the bottom of his shoe.

I skate out for my first practice.