Page 72 of You, Again
I was coming out.
* * *
After Sienna leftfor the airport, I showered and made my way into town, admiring the banner on the post office wall as I turned left into the almost deserted lot at the El Rink. I parked next to Ronnie’s truck and raced inside, down the dark corridor to his office.
“Good. You’re here.”
Ronnie nearly jumped out of his seat. “Holy crackers! You scared the shit out of me.”
“I hope not,” I joked, flopping onto the chair across from him and immediately standing to pace to the window and back. “Hey, I want to talk to you.”
“I figured. Take a seat and—”
“No, I can’t. I’m too jittery. I’ve had five cups of coffee.” I shook my hands and crossed my arms.
“Hmm. Your timing is good. My mom is picking up Mary-Kate from her friend’s house while I catch up on some paperwork. I didn’t get a damn thing done after yesterday. That was some win, man,” he gushed.
“Yeah, it was great.” I raked my fingers through my hair.
“It was nice to meet Sienna. She’s prettier in person than in magazines. You’re a lucky guy.”
“We’re friends. That’s all.”
Ronnie widened his eyes comically. “Really? We all got the impression she was here to get her man and ride off into the sunset with you. I was hoping I’d get a chance to thank you for—”
“You’re welcome. Look, I’ve been thinking about what comes next, and I have a couple of ideas. Hockey ideas. This place is an untapped gold mine and I can help you, Ronnie. I have more money than I know what to do with. Let’s remodel the rink, rebuild the program, hire a few coaches. You might not want to use my name after what I’m about to tell you, but my money’s good. You should take it.”
“Whoa. We’ve been through this, Vin. I don’t want your consolation money. I’m not keeping score, and I’m not hanging on to the past. If I lived like that, I’d be a lonely man and a really crappy father.” He worried his bottom lip the way Nolan did when he was thinking of exactly the right words to say. “I never expected you to drop your life to save mine. I had to save myself and I did, so…let it go.”
“I know, I know. It’s not consolation money,” I snapped. “Okay, it was when I first got here, but it’s not now. I mean this. I want to help. I want to stay.”
He cocked his head as if waiting for a punch line. “Here. In Elmwood?”
“Yeah, well…there’s a twist.” I inhaled deeply, opened my mouth, and…nothing happened. I tried again, same result.
Maybe the twist was that it was a lot easier to come out to an ex-fuck buddy than a best friend.
“What twist? You okay, man?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and glanced toward the window. “I’m bisexual.”
“Okay…”
“And Nolan and I are—we’re…together.”
“That’s it?” he asked casually.
I furrowed my brow incredulously. “Yeah, it’s serious too. I mean…it’s new, but not new.”
“I know,” he drawled, rounding the desk.
“What do you mean, ‘you know’?”
“You two are the most obvious idiots I’ve ever met,” he gloated. “The goo-goo eyes, secret smiles—even Mary-Kate suspected you had the hots for her Uncle Nol.”
I opened and closed my mouth. Twice. “Really?”
Ronnie chuckled, his eyes crinkling merrily at the corners. “Really. The ex-girlfriend showing up was a little confusing, but that’s for you two to work out.”