at the net, they hadn’t bothered with full hockey gear, donning skates and gloves and calling it done.
The rhythmic sound of sticks hitting pucks was cathartic in a way that only someone who’d been born to the sport would understand. Some people jogged. Others journaled. Some meditated. Ethan had always found that hockey was the best way to clear his head.
There was no clearing Casey out of his head, though, and Ken’s prying hadn’t helped. No clearing out that he should’ve spent the afternoon at Ansel’s Antiques with Casey and Sasha instead of locking himself in his room to study before making the drive to Burlington. No clearing out Casey’s laugh the other night. No clearing out that he didn’t return Ethan’s feelings. No clearing out his expression of horror when he’d realized Ethan was serious about being real boyfriends.
He wanted to believe that it had been horror at realizing Ethan wasn’t joking, and not horror that Ethan had asked in the first place. As though the idea of them being actual boyfriends was ludicrous to him.
Considering he didn’t have feelings for Ethan, maybe it was.
Okay, enough. He’d come to Burlington to stop thinking about Casey, not dwell some more on things he couldn’t change.
Although he’d met with Roman several times since their initial meeting, Ethan hadn’t actually taken advantage of Roman’s mentor status, content to simply sit in a coffee shop with him and get to know each other.
“I’ve been talking to Chuck Yano about coaching hockey camps next summer,” he said as Roman set up his next shot.
“As part of Sport U Apparel’s new charitable foundation he’s working for, right?”
“Yeah.” Given that Sport U’s name was on the side of this arena, Ethan added, “Do you know the company very well? It’s one of the team’s sponsors, right?”
Roman tugged down the knit hat he wore over his shaved head. “Yeah. One of mine too. My biggest. Sport U has a reputation for sponsoring LGBTQ athletes. They’d be a good company to work for if you’re seriously considering Yano’s offer. The President and CEO—Jeff Bellmoor—is a good guy. Built Sport U from the ground up and started the Foundation recently as a way of giving back. I guess I should say former President and CEO since he’s going to be stepping down from the company to run the Foundation.” He sent a backhand shot to the net. “Your coach mentioned your interest in coaching at the gala a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah. I want to stay in the sport somehow after I can’t play anymore.” Ethan flexed his left hand, the one that had been aching for weeks now. He hadn’t bothered taping his wrists before stepping onto the ice since he wasn’t doing any hard training. Maybe he should have.
Well, shit. Maybe his RA was why Casey didn’t return his feelings—because he knew that one day Ethan would be crippled with pain and unable to fend for himself.
Roman smiled and reached for a nearby puck. “You sound like Mitch.”
Refocusing on the topic, he said, “Greyson?”
“Mm-hmm. He studied kinesiology with a specialty in sports science and rehabilitation at GH so he could stay in the hockey world after he retires from the game.”
“And what will you do?” Ethan asked, massaging his wrist. “After you retire, I mean? Whenever that is.”
“Good question.” Roman skated to the net and picked the pucks out, passing them in Ethan’s direction one by one. “Take some time to properly travel with Cody, see some of the world. After that, I haven’t figured it out yet. Whatever it is, it had better keep me in one place. I’m done with business travel.”
Hearing Roman refer to traveling for games as business travel made Ethan chuckle.
“If you sign on with the Sport U Foundation, where would you be based?” Roman asked.
Ethan pulled a puck closer. “Yano said I could have my pick of anywhere the Foundation’s piloting the summer camps.” Burlington, Vermont, and Portland, Maine, were both on the list, but if Casey got accepted to the archeology program’s summer field placement in Burlington, maybe Ethan should think about heading home for the summer. Or hell, choosing a different state altogether. Give them some time apart.
Although, if their time apart while Ethan had been playing in the juniors in Ohio hadn’t diminished his feelings for Casey, one summer wouldn’t make a difference.
“Burlington’s great in the summer,” Roman said, sounding like he was a salesperson for the city.
“I do like Vermont.” Ethan sent a wrist shot into the net,