waving a hand. “It’s small, but that’s New York.”
“Yeah, it is small.” I survey the tiny space. Compared to the huge apartment I had in Dallas, this is…well, it’ll be an adjustment.
“I have two bedrooms and two bathrooms,” Easton says, turning away. “The bathroom’s here and the spare room is right here.”
They’re just off the living room. Both are a good size and nicely decorated.
“The other one is down the hall.” Easton strides away and I follow him.
“This is great,” I say. “Lots of room.”
“Yeah. I haven’t done a lot of decorating.” He shrugs. “This is the en suite.”
I survey the bathroom and a huge walk-in closet. “This looks good.”
“Apparently there are a few units available. Mike can set something up for you to look at them if you think you’re interested.”
“Yeah. I’ll talk to him.” Maybe it would be better if I lived in a different building than Easton. Then again, I don’t really want to spend days looking at apartments and figuring out how to get everywhere. This is all fucking with my head. It’s pissing me off.
He shows me more storage and the laundry space, and we return to the living room. Otis has followed us everywhere, watching me with alert eyes. He’s a goofy-looking dog, with a face like he ran into a door and big ears.
“So what do you think?” Lilly asks brightly as we return to the living room.
“Looks great.”
“Would you like coffee?” she asks. “I’m so sorry, I should have offered sooner. Easton and I are both coffeeholics.”
I haven’t even taken my jacket off. “Uh, no thanks, that’s okay. I’ve got…um, stuff to do.”
Easton nods, his arms crossed, face impassive.
This sucks.
I don’t have the energy to deal with it right now. This whole situation is stressing me out and making me relive all the uncertainty and fear I had after the accident. I fucking hate feeling like this and I just need to survive so I can play hockey.
“Thanks for showing me your place. Appreciate the time.”
Lilly’s eyes flick between me and Easton, and I sense she wants to say more but she doesn’t.
“See you next week,” I say to Easton. “I’m looking forward to playing again.”
“Yeah. It’ll be good. Enjoy the rest of the break.”
I leave his apartment, my gut tight, my hands clenched. In the elevator, I slump against the wall and take a few breaths. Shit. Why is this so hard?
I push out onto the street and stand on the sidewalk, gulping in frigid air. Shit, it’s cold out here. I zip up my jacket, tugging the hood over my head, and pull my gloves out. For a moment I look around at what could be my new neighborhood. Lots of open area, paths for running and walking, the river nearby. Could be worse, I guess. I take a different route back to the subway station to check things out more.
I spend the rest of the break signing a lease on an apartment—I go for easy and rent one in Easton’s building. Mine is on the fifteenth floor and a different layout, but it will work fine for me. I arrange for the furniture I put in storage to be shipped. My car arrives, so that’s good, although I can already see that getting to the arena is going to be way easier by subway than driving.
When the break is over, I meet the guys again. Mike picks me up and drives me to the practice facility, where we get back on the ice. The guys on the team are great. Mostly. Easton avoids me, but I’m fine with that. Team captain Daniel Bergen, who everyone calls Bergie, shows me around the Apex Center. Alternate captain Nate Karmeinski is also really friendly and helpful, including me when we break for lunch. Coach has paired him and me up at practices, so maybe I’ll be playing with him.
“Hey, Josh,” Jay Bobak says to me. “Your dad was one of my favorite players growing up.”
I smile. I’ve heard this before. “Yeah?”
“Your uncle was my favorite,” James Michaud says. His dark auburn hair has earned him the nickname Red.
“Which uncle?” I grin. I have three uncles and they all played in the NHL. Talk about a hockey family.
“Jase. He had wicked silky mitts; man, could he dangle the puck.”
I nod. Not for the first time, I’m glad I play defense so people don’t compare me too much to my dad and my uncles. I still wonder if my name is