Oh no.
Janice sat on the stool next to him. “I had a call from my mum yesterday. It’s not good news, I’m afraid. She fell and bumped her head, and it was hours before anyone noticed because she lives alone.”
That sounded terrifying. “Is she okay?”
“Mostly bruises. A nasty cut on her head that she’s lucky didn’t kill her.” Janice let out a long breath. “She can’t live alone anymore, but she refuses to leave the house. You know how parents can be. ‘Your father built this house with his own two hands.’”
And now Jordy understood the reason for the conversation. “You’re leaving us.”
She grimaced. “I wish I didn’t have to. Just—there isn’t anyone else. She can’t afford live-in help, and even if she could, she’s too proud to take it from someone who’s not family. And—”
“And she’s your mom,” Jordy finished. He understood. That didn’t make his situation any less challenging. “Are you sure she wouldn’t accept—”
“Jordy,” Janice said gently, “don’t you dare offer to pay for it.”
His shoulders slumped.Hecould afford it. And if Janice took him up on it, he wouldn’t be in a tight spot with Kaira. “I’d be happy to help out, though.”
“I know. But I meant it—stubbornness runs in my family. Lucky for me,” she added, lightening her tone a little as she jostled his shoulder, “because goodness knows I’d have a time of it with Kaira otherwise.”
He smiled wanly. “She gets it from her mother.” The old joke felt rote today, the humor of blaming his sister for any undesirable genes falling flat.
Janice smiled. “So you’ve said.”
They lapsed into silence for a moment. Then Jordy braced himself to ask the important question. “When’s your flight?”
She sighed. “Monday. I hate that it’s so soon, with training camp starting up, but I really can’t leave her much longer.”
Jordy shook his head. “I understand. And we’ll be okay.” Plenty of the other guys on the team had kids, whether they had nannies or not, and they were used to doing favors for each other. Kaira could make the rounds with them until he found a… replacement.
It had taken him months to find Janice, and he started well before Kaira was born. It’d take a miracle to find someone he trusted in just a few days. But he wasn’t going to make that Janice’s problem.
Janice squeezed his hand again. “I know you will.”
At least Jordy didn’t have to bring it up with Kaira right away. Today was Clem’s birthday party, and she had gone over early to “help him get ready.” Jordy didn’t know what sort of primping six-year-olds did before parties, but as long as Clem’s mother didn’t mind having Kaira there, Jordy didn’t mind having a little extra time to himself.
But he wasn’t going to spend it in the house. That would lead to brooding. Instead, he took advantage of what passed for mild weather in August and went for a run.
It was always a risk, running in public. Jordy had a fairly recognizable face, and then there was his size—he outweighed most recreational runners. The upside was that he was an athlete. If he wanted to run, most people weren’t going to be able to catch him. He shoved in a pair of earbuds, as much for plausible deniability as actual music, and set out for the park.
The stress of the morning dissipated with each footfall on the warm asphalt. Right now only moving mattered. Controlling his breathing. The sun in the sky. The beat of the song in his ears. The smell of freshly cut grass. The—
The sting of a round disk of plastic hitting the back of his head.
Rubbing at his scalp, Jordy turned to find a Frisbee at his feet and a couple of people in athletic gear running toward him.
“Sorry about that!” called the man in the lead. He chuckled breathlessly as he got closer. “Seriously. Pete’s aim is the worst, and it doesn’t improve when he’s tripping over his own feet.” His voice trailed off in a familiar way and his eyes widened. “Oh shit.”
“Jordy?” said a familiar voice, and Jordy looked beyond the first man to see the second had a familiar face.
“Rowan.”
“Oh my God,” the unfamiliar man breathed and turned on Rowan. “Thatwasyou. I thought it looked like you, but then I thought, no way—he’d have told us if he was hanging out with Shield players.”
“Uh.” Rowan shot Jordy a look and then shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly hanging out with hockey players. I just made a friend at a gala. But that is beside the point. The point is Pete attacked poor Jordy with the Frisbee. Sorry about that.”
“I’ll live.”
“Hey, what’s the holdup?” yelled one of the other players from a ways off, and all three of them turned to look.
