Huffing in annoyance, I grumbled, “Well, we can cross the Speed players off the list. I’m sure Maddox ran back to his boys, telling the tale of how he narrowly escaped the wrath of the great Ace Moreau. We are headed out west next week, so I’ll try again.”
“What cities?”
“Denver, Salt Lake, Portland, and Calgary.”
“Yikes. Sounds cold.”
“Weather’s a little touch and go in early November, sure,” I conceded.
“Have you thought this through? What happens if you findtheguy and he lives on the other side of the country? What then? Are you willing to move for him?”
“Tell me, Amy. Where are you taking this call? At home in Hartford or across the Atlantic?” I had no problem shining a spotlight on her hypocrisy.
“Point taken, but it’s not the same. If you’re with a player, say, in Portland, you’ll be in Portland for eight straight months. Whoever he is probably has a summer home where he’s from. Hartford will become a blip on your radar. You wouldn’t even pursue your music career because you didn’t want to leave.”
“Maybe I could broker a trade to the Comets.” I knew I was grasping at straws.
“Come on, Hannah. You think your dad would ever let that happen? He’s spent nearly two decades keeping players away from you and your sisters. If you make this happen, he’s not going to lie down and accept it. Your player, whoever he may be, will become public enemy number one. I would even go so far as to place bets on head hunting when he plays against the Comets.”
“Seems a little extreme.”
“So does the dating ban. Maybe you’re not interested in a bossy man because you grew up with one. Daddy issues and all that.”
Damn, I hated her ability to pick apart a situation. Whining like a toddler, I griped, “Why does this have to be so hard? All I want is a hockey player. Just one. I’m not greedy.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Thinking ahead isn’t exactly my strong suit. I do better in the moment. It seemed simple in my head, but I don’twant to leave Hartford, and Daddy dearest won’t let me have an adult playdate with one ofhisplayers.”
“Sounds like maybe you need to take a step back and re-evaluate,” Amy suggested.
“Maybe,” I conceded. “I’ll let you get back to whatever important royal shit you’ve got going on over there.”
“See you when you get back from the road. I can’t wait to get home.”
“Girls’ night?”
“Yes, please.”
We hung up, and I dragged my body to the bathroom, gripping the side of the sink as I stared at my reflection. The smudged makeup resembled war paint, reminding me that I wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. The season was still young.
I would take this next week to reset, maybe hook up with a random on the road to get my head straight. Then it was back to work.
Come hell or high water, I would chase my dream until it became a reality.
No one would stand in my way.
Chapter 8
Cal
There was no placelike home.
Well, that was if you weren’t acting like a fucking spy, ducking around corners following a woman. “Stressed” didn’t begin to cover it.
Coach was asking too much. I wasn’t paid enough for this shit.
After the night at Spades, I expected her to continue her wild ways, prepared for a week out west following her to clubs. She’d been surprisingly well-behaved.
