Page 28 of Center Ice
“Drew’s there?” Lauren’s interest is clearly piqued.
“Uhh…Jameson didn’t mention that?”
Her voice takes on a sing-song quality as she chirps, “He sure didn’t.”
I tell her about the assistant coach canceling for tonight and that Drew was looking to do some volunteer work in the community.
Lauren’s chuckle interrupts me. “Uh huh. I’m sure it has nothing to do with you and Graham being there.”
“Listen, Lauren. I know you probably have questions about that conversation you witnessed Sunday night.”
“You got that right,” she says, and in the background, the white noise fades. I can picture her walking farther from the baby monitor. She probably just got the girls down for bed a few minutes ago.
“Here’s what I’m thinking. It would be great if you didn’t ask those questions, so that I don’t have to lie to you, or ask you to lie to my brother.”
“Not ready to talk about it?” she asks.
“Trust me, Iwantto talk about it.” I love that Lauren’s in my life now—she’s like a big sister who’s now a good friend. “But I’mnot ready to talk to Jameson about it. Drew and I have…things we need to figure out first.”
“And if you talk to me about it, you think I’ll tell Jameson?”
“No. I think that if he asks you about it, right now you have plausible deniability.”
“Are you doing something illegal that I should be pretending I don’t know about?” she teases.
“No, but you know what I mean. When Jameson asks if you know if anything’s going on between us, or whatever, you can honestly say you don’t know.”
“Why?Issomething going on between you guys now?” I can’t tell if she sounds extra-curious or hopeful, but there’s definite excitement in her voice.
“No, definitely not. So you can be honest about that.”
“Do you want there to be?”
“No, and Lauren, we’renothaving this conversation, remember?”
“I can’t help it!” She sighs. “I’m so freaking curious about what’s going on.”
“Well, once I figure that out, I’ll let you know.”
“Al-right.” She drags the word out slowly, sounding an awful lot like Eeyore, which makes me laugh.
“I’ve got to get back to practice,” I tell her. “I’ll see you Sunday night for dinner.”
“Okay. Come early, because we’re supposed to have perfect fall weather this weekend, and Jameson inflated the bounce house the other day. The girls can’t wait for Graham to go on it with them.”
We say goodbye, and when I head back into the rink, the boys are coming off the ice. Graham is running toward me on his skates, and over his head, Drew and I lock eyes as he steps off the ice. He looks like he wants to devour me, and it has heat flashing through my whole body. I look away, hoping no one else noticed.
“Mom!” Graham says with a big smile, one that I instantly match. “There’s a new player on the Boston Rebels and he’s here helping Uncle Jameson.”
“Yeah, Bud, I can see that.” I glance from Graham over to Drew where he’s chatting with Jameson, and the conversation looks a bit heated. Drew texted me Tuesday, letting me know about his phone call with Jameson, which is yet another reason it’s best if Lauren can deny knowing anything at this point.
“I told him we were going to get cookies after practice tonight,” Graham says, excitement making him speak so fast he’s hard to understand. “And he said he loves cookies. Can I invite him to come too?”
Graham’s got sweat dripping down his neck from his hair and is still in all his gear, and when I glance over at Drew again, Jameson locks eyes with me.Shit.
I squat down next to Graham, wondering when they had this conversation—maybe while I was on the phone with Lauren? “You know what, he looks kind of busy with Uncle Jameson right now. Let’s not bother him. We can always ask him next time.”
Graham’s face falls, but he says, “Okay,” and sits on the bench to start taking off his skates and gear. As I bend over to untie his skates for him, I wonder if he isn’t just a little too compliant for a five-year-old boy. I mean, I didn’t want to raise a hellion or anything, but Graham’s a really sweet kid, and I always worry that maybe he’s not tough enough.
