And enjoy the really good food.
CHAPTER 32
Hutch
She seems much calmerthis morning. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m half afraid when we go out of town on a two week stretch of games, she’s going to bolt and run away. Her instinct is to run and hide from asswipe, not that I blame her for that reaction, but I want her to trust me to keep her safe.
But how can I guarantee that when I won’t be here? I can do everything legally I can and then have my bros on the hockey team here on campus keep an eye on her. I got her a good phone. There’s not a lot more I can do and it’s frustrating as hell.
“Check your email,” Conner grunts from the backseat. “And turn the damn heat on. I’m freezing back here.”
We’re just out driving. I left the city and we’re in the countryside filled with small ponds. I learned to skate on a pond with my Uncle Dallas. My Dad may have introduced me to hockey, but it was my uncle who taught me to love the sport. He died a few years ago in a car accident. I hate that he can’t be here to see me sign my first contract for the NHL. He’d be so proud.
I drive a few more minutes until I find the pond Uncle Dallas took me to when I was little. It hasn’t frozen over yet, so there’s no one here. The gazebo is empty and that’s where I lead us.
“This is pretty.” Daisy looks around and makes a beeline for the pond where several ducks, brave enough to brave the cold water, are lazily swimming. It’s my mom’s favorite spot too.
“This is where I learned to skate,” I tell her when I make my way over to her. “Thought it would be a nice place to talk away from everyone.” I glance over at C, who is staring at his phone. “C’s kinda a package deal.”
“I figured that out the first day I met the two of you together,” she says wryly. “He’s a good friend to you.”
“And to you.”
“And to me,” she agrees.
“We have to talk about asswipe.”
She sighs heavily. “I know, but I really don’t want to. I just want to enjoy today and think about him and what I might have to do later.”
“You’re not leaving.”
Another long sigh. “It would be safer for everyone, including me, if I did.”
“I disagree. You’re safer surrounded by friends, by people who care about you.”
She doesn’t say a word.
“Dude, check your email!” Collin yells from the gazebo.
That’s the second time he’s said that. Why do I need to check my email? Pulling my phone out, I open up the app to find tons of emails from the Raptors, from HR to marketing. There’s so many, it’s overwhelming.
“Fuck me,” I mutter.
“Something wrong?”
I show her the screen and scroll through the never ending list of emails.
“That’s a lot.”
“They want responses today!” Collin yells. “You and Red get your asses up here so we can talk and then deal with all this shit.”
She laughs at his harried voice. “Collin is such an easy going, do it in his own time kind of guy, this has to be stressing him out.”
“Him? What about me? I don’t know if I can get through them all in one day, especially if any of them requires a lot of information.”
“I’ve never known you not to get something done. I remember you complaining about your English lit class because you were on a long stretch of away games and you had a paper due. You got it done.”
“Yeah, but I got a B on that paper.”
