Me: Hey baby, you around tonight?
There was a message typed and then paused and retyped.Something tugged at my chest when I saw it. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but after the connection we shared last night, I thought there was something still there that she was holding back.
Rayne: Hi. I’m tied up until after eight tonight.
……
Got some work to finish.
I was hitting a response when another message popped up.
Rayne: Actually that’s not exactly true. Can I take that back and try again?
Me:(wink)Of course.
Rayne: There’s something I need to do tonight. It’s not work but it’s something that needs my focus right now. Can we catch up afterwards?
Me: I’d love that. No rush.
She had priorities. Surely, she knew I understood that. Maybe later, I could tell her she didn’t need to explain anything to me. And she certainly didn’t need to lie to me.
27
Stroyken practically attackedme when I walked in the door. Like my own personal bodyguard, he kept everyone at arm’s length until he had a chance to catch up with me and Roger about today’s drills, who’d be watching and what was at stake.
“You’ll play three rounds today with—”
“Two,” I interjected.
With a breath, he nodded. “Two. You’ll play two rounds, we’ll switch the players around.”
Josh and a couple of other players greeted me fondly, cheerfully and looking forward to a round with me. Josh stepped up, feeling my need for breathing room. “I’ll show you to the lockers. We got a guest player uniform set up for you.”
I nodded at my agent and followed Josh. “Thanks, man,”
“No worries, I’m just glad you made it here. Half of us…we had our doubts, but we hoped.”
“And the other half?” We both knew who I was referring to. The guy who had yet to make an appearance.
“Don’t worry about them. Just play the game. We all know you want to.”
He was avoiding the topic. But it was just as well.
“I’ll see you out there.”
I laced up after putting on the crisp clean brand-new gear. What should have been a ritualistic moment felt more like my first day with the NY Dexters.
My mood shifted after that first step onto the ice in full gear on the pro-sized rink. It was like I never left. Like riding a bike, but a bit more brutal. And I loved every second of it.
Half the team was out there, light drill work to warm up. I arched around and dribbled the puck, shooting one into an unguarded net.
They hadn’t officially started the tryout practice yet. I spied Max on the ice, standing around, watching others. As if he didn’t need to be there. He was above the practice. I turned, ignoring his presence.
“Not bad,” he called, whizzing past me, retrieving the puck I’d shot. “They teach you that over by the youth center?”
I ignored him and pushed around another puck passed at me from out of nowhere.
“You think you can try that again with someone actually blocking you?”
