“What team is interested in you?”
“The Toronto Maple Leafs.”
“Oh really? The Leafs?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You’ve looked down on Canada and Canadian teams and Canadian everything so much that I wouldn’t have thought you’d be caught dead playing for a team north of the border.”
“You know I’m mostly kidding about that stuff, right?”
“Mostly kidding, eh?”
“That’s right. The Leafs wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I can’t knock it.”
“Sure, you can. Your first choice was to play for the Buffalo Sabres, and you acted like no other team would do.”
“Well, yeah, but?—”
“That was part of the plan you had completely mapped out for yourself, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but?—”
“Along with the minimum of six Stanley Cup rings, a mansion with a sports car in every garage, three sons, and a busty, blonde wife.”
I’m telling you Erik was practically incapable of having a conversation without bringing up certain things. I also realized that he hadn’t answered my question. I’d asked if he was happy for me, and he’d avoided and went on a rant instead of swallowing his pride like he was supposed to. Maybe he hadn’t done that on purpose, but it didn’t matter. I would’ve thought he would be at least half as excited as I was.
“Okay, I get what you’re saying,” I said. “That was my plan at the beginning of the year. I needed to dream big, have a huge goal to work towards. But things change. You know that.”
He nodded because he knew damn well our friendship was living proof of that.
“When things change, you’ve got to amend your plan,” I said. “The NHL is still my main goal and always has been. And who’s to say that I won’t get a chance to play for the Sabres?”
“Like, if another scout comes knocking?”
“Right.”
Look, I’d already heard from one scout, and things looked pretty damn promising. The idea that another team could come along didn’t sound so delusional.
So, what was Erik’s problem?
“It could happen, couldn’t it?” I asked.
“I’m sort of amazed that one has already talked to you. I haven’t heard of any of the other guys being contacted yet.”
“But they might. You never know. The Lions could be in big demand.”
I wanted to think that I was special, that I’d been the only one contacted for a very good reason—I was the best, period. I would become hockey royalty soon enough. This was my destiny, and the proof was beginning to materialize. But I couldn’t tell my boyfriend that. It would only cause trouble.
“What ever happened to focus?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“Come on, Kayden, you know what I’m talking about.Focus. That’s been your mantra all season.”
“Of course it has. It’s crucial.”
“Aren’t you worried that getting a big fat hard-on over your chances to go pro will be a distraction?”
