off our game. The mood was sober as we showered. Still quiet, we boarded the plane to take us to the next town.
To top off my irritation, my phone had died because I’d forgotten to pack a charger. McGregor and I had different phones, or I’d have borrowed his. Then once we got going with our day, I didn’t think about asking anyone if they had a charger. I didn’t get to plug it in until we got back to the hotel after the game and I bought a charger from the gas station on the corner.
Once it had enough charge on it to turn it on, I impatiently waited for it to load.
“You coming downstairs with us?” asked McGregor as he came out of the bathroom. I looked up from my phone.
“Nah. I need to make some calls,” I replied. He came over and sat on his bed facing me.
“You okay? I may have only known you for a short time, but I know you well enough to know you have something on your mind. Your behaviors have changed drastically.” The worry that furrowed his brow had me running a hand over my face. I debated whether to unload any of what was going through my head. In the end, I decided it might be better if I waited.
“I’m good. My mom is talking about coming down to visit soon. I’m a little stressed is all.” All true, but definitely not the driving force behind what was going on with me.
“Oh, shit. Do you not get along?”
“I’m not really sure how to answer that. I guess? Sort of. I mean, for the most part, but it’s a little tense with me and my mom.” My shoulders slumped. In all honesty, it was the first time I’d ever discussed any of my personal family life with anyone but my brother.
“You stayed with your dad, right? I think I remember reading that somewhere.”
I nodded. “My brother stayed with my mom. It kind of sucked because he and I had been close. No matter how much I love hockey, sometimes I wish they would’ve told us no and had us be normal kids. Maybe they’d still be together.” I shrugged and looked off out the window.
“Dude. You do understand their divorce wasn’t your fault. Right? You were a kid. They made choices as adults that affected their marriage. That’s on them.” My eyes flickered back to him.
“All this emotional talk is making me itch,” I said to lighten the mood. He chuckled and shook his head.
“You sure you don’t want to go downstairs? It might help to have a drink. Clear your head. Relax.” He made the offer one last time, but I wasn’t feeling it.
“Thanks, but not tonight,” I said. He stood and went to the door.
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us after you’re done with your call.”
“Thanks, man.”
He nodded and left the room. Once the door clicked shut, I glanced down to see my phone had enough juice to make a call if I left it plugged in. Checking the time, I realized that with the time difference, she might still be having dinner with her parents.
I figured if she couldn’t answer, she wouldn’t.
The phone rang several times. Right when I thought it would go to voicemail, I heard a breathless, “Hello?”
“Hey. You okay?”
“Ugh, yes. I left my phone in my room and I went running to grab it when I heard it ring. I hoped it was you. I’m so sorry about the game.” It all rambled out of her in her winded but still sexy-as-fuck-sounding voice.
“We were definitely off our game today. But I’d rather not talk about it. How did work go today?” Insanely, I actually wanted to know about her day. In the back of my mind, a snarky little voice was saying things I didn’t want to hear. So I told myself the reason I wanted to know was to give me something to think about rather than how shitty I’d played today.
“It was good! We locked down several contributors for the foundation.” The excitement was evident in her tone. It brought a smile to my face as I lay back on the bed to talk to her. After toeing off my shoes, I plumped the pillows behind my head and tuned in to the sound of her voice.
By about forty-five minutes into our call, she’d yawned several times, and I knew I needed to let her get to