north of Chicago.
“How did this get here?”
“This establishment is very cosmopolitan,” Vadim said. “They have all sorts of beer options.”
At Cal’s smirk, he added, “And I asked them to put a case behind the bar for you. To officially start your season off right.” He clinked Cal’s beer bottle with his own. “Welcome to the Rebels, my friend.”
Training camp started tomorrow, and Cal was itching to prove himself. Meeting with Vadim the night before was a tradition that extended back to their time together in Canada.
“Thanks, Vad. I’ve missed this.” It was hard to keep a friendship going long-distance, and Cal had wondered if too much time had passed to be able to pick up the reins of their earlier closeness. Vadim’s life had changed so much since they knew each other all those years ago.
“How’s the knee?”
“Still sore. But I managed to walk in here without limping.” He looked around, then leaned in close. “Sometimes there are fans or press here, eager to gossip about a player’s injuries. I must give them a good show.”
Cal laughed. He’d always appreciated Vadim’s unerring sense of melodrama and certainty that he was the focus everywhere he went. He cast a quick glance around and sure enough, a guy two tables over was pointing a phone in their direction. While Cal was a professional athlete, his ego didn’t assume for a moment that was for him.
Vadim took a swig of his beer. “Speaking of injuries, how is your shoulder?”
“Oh, fine.” He rolled his shoulder out, then spoke louder. “But sometimes, it’s not, y’know? Sometimes I think this whole season will be a wash.”
His friend’s lips kicked up at the corners. “That should get a tweet or two.”
Cal shifted his chair, so his mouth was clearly out of anyone’s sightline. “I want to win the Cup with you as my captain. We missed out that last year you were in Montreal.”
It was weird not to be teaming up with Vadim, who wasn’t yet off IR. One of the reasons Cal had come on board with the Rebels was the chance to work with his old friend.
But then again, maybe it was better if he wasn’t around Vadim all the time. Because of Mia.
Not that they were doing anything wrong, only these last few weeks Cal found himself looking unreasonably forward to jousting with her on the ice then discussing strategy, both hockey and otherwise, at their post-practice breakfasts.
Vadim nodded. “While I hope to be here for longer, this might be the last season to do it. Last chance for a lot of things. I am too old for the Olympics, they only want youngsters now.”
“Damn youth. Wasted on the young.”
“Which reminds me. How is Mia coming along?”
How was she coming along? If they limited the conversation to her on-ice training, he’d have to say she was doing fine. If he extended it to the rest …
“She’s going to have no problem getting a spot. In fact, she’s so damn good I don’t get why she’s not already on a pro team. Sure there aren’t as many rosters or spots, but she should be a lock.”
Vadim studied him. “Has she told you about why she didn’t go into the pros?”
“She said it was because of the pay issue. But …”
“But?”
“I don’t know if I believe her. It sounds like an excuse.” Maybe it was something to do with the guy who hurt her in college. “I think it’s more likely she had a bout of lost confidence. It happens.”
“Not to me, it doesn’t.”
Cal rolled his eyes. “It happens to everyone but you.” He waited a moment, as memories returned in fleeting glimpses. “I remember when you found out about her.”
Unknown to Vadim, Mia had been living in Brooklyn with her mother when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Only then did her mother reveal that she had an older brother, a famous hockey player in the NHL—amazingly also Mia’s chosen sport because hockey was in their DNA. Vadim had tested positive for the bone marrow match, made the donation, and the rest was history.
His friend smiled, then turned serious. “She is a strong and brilliant player, but she is also fragile, having grown up without a father and then suffered with such sickness. She was sheltered and hidden from the ugliness of the world. I want to protect her and ensure she fulfills all her potential.”
“I think you’re underestimating her. To me, she comes off as incredibly driven.”
“Yes, now. About the Olympics.”
Among other things. “She’s very