Page 38 of Slap Shot
Madeline
Not funny.
Me
I laughed. Maybe you need a new sense of humor, Galloway.
Madeline
Wrong thing to say to the girl who has a pack of knives with her, Hayes.
I didn’t take the Metro, by the way. Piper let me borrow her car.
Me
She did? I could’ve picked you up.
Madeline
That’s okay! I’m going to unload our stuff, drive back to Piper and Liam’s, then pick up Lucy from school and take the Metro to your place where we’ll be for good.
Me
You’ll tell me the next time you need a ride.
Madeline
Okay, bossy.
I didn’t want to inconvenience you.
Me
It’s not an inconvenience if it’s something I want to do.
There’sa knock on my front door, and I jog to open it.
“Hey.” I lean against the frame and smile down at Madeline with her half a dozen suitcases. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks.” She steps into the foyer and lets go of the bags she’s lugging. “This is so much better than the apartments I saw that had leaky pipes and cockroaches in the bedroom.”
“The worst thing you’ll find here is my sweaty gear after games. Avoid the bathroom off the kitchen when you see my jersey in there. The smell is horrific.” I grab two of the suitcases and tilt my head. “Come on in. I’ll give you a quick tour.”
“Where are the dogs?” Madeline closes the door behind her and follows me down the hall. “I expected to get assaulted by Gus, and I hate to admit I’m disappointed I didn’t.”
I laugh. “They’re at daycare so we can have some peace and quiet. The lady who runs the place has a son on the Titans. She wanted athletes in the city to have a spot for their animals that didn’t have restrictive drop-off and pickup hours. On game days, I take them in late morning, and I pick them up on the way home.”
“The Titans,” she repeats. “That’s… baseball.”
“Close. Football.”
“That’s not close at all.” She huffs, and I look at her over my shoulder. Her oversized sweater hangs past her waist, and her leggings are half covered by thick socks that come up her calves. She brushes her bangs out of her eyes, and I smile at the white ribbon tied to the end of her braid. “I’ve only ever seen your pantry and kitchen. Remind me how many bedrooms there are?”
“Four. The one on my side of the condo shares a wall with my bedroom and has its own bathroom. The bedrooms on the other side of the condo don’t have a bathroom in the room, but they share one in the hallway.” I walk into the living room and wheel her bags next to the couch. “You can pick whichever ones work best for you and Lucy.”
“Wow.” Madeline puts her hands on her hips and surveys the room. “Look how much natural light you get.”
“Gus and Millie love to hang out here in the afternoon. I swear they sleep for hours in the sun.” I motion for Madeline to follow me, and we head down a different hall. “Let me show you around.”
