Page 3 of Blinding Lights
My mom is sitting in her wheelchair, rolled up to our old dining table. Her best friend, Stacy Thorne, sits with her. Both women are in their early fifties now, and I am just now noticing that age has slowly crept up on them. My mom’s golden hair, almost the same shade as mine, grays at the roots. She has lines at the corner of her navy blue eyes.
I lean down and kiss my mom on the cheek before hugging Mrs. Thorne. Stacy and my mom have been friends since their grade school days, just like me and Emma. She and her husband, George, divorced a few years ago, but she’s kept her house in Springbrook down the street from ours. She refuses to upgrade to something fancier, no matter how many times her son Cole has tried to convince her. Thoughts of Cole make me hurt, even years later.
“I’m glad you’re home. Did you hear about Coach Ward?” Stacy asks me when I take the seat across from her at the table.
“No. What’s wrong with the coach?”
“It’s the saddest thing. He’d been in the hospital for the past week after suffering a stroke. Last night, he passed away. He was only sixty-one. I can’t believe it.”
“That is sad. His daughter is still so young.”
My mom nods, “Yes, and his son didn’t even make it back from his tour to visit him before he died.”
Thoughts of Talon Ward make me ache, too. It doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t take the trip to be by his dad’s side. From what I’ve heard through town gossip, Talon hasn’t attempted to visit or see his family in years. Talon had a contentious relationship with his dad and his much younger wife.
“I’m sorry for the Wards’ loss,” I say.
“It’s a tragedy. He was so beloved by the community. Next weekend, we will celebrate his life and the legacy he left for the community. A memorial service and other events will be held in his honor.”
“Are you working next weekend?” Mom asks me.
Before I can answer, Mrs. Thorne chimes in, “I’m sure the Millers will close the florist. The whole town will want to participate.”
I’d started at the Miller’s flower shop in town after months of healing from the car wreck, once I could stand up for eight hours daily. Over the years, I’ve moved into designing customer arrangements. It was a good job, but not what I really want to do.
“Oh, good. I don’t want to miss anything. I want us all to grieve together,” My mother tells me, looking relieved. I don’t have the heart to tell her I’m not interested in attending all of these social events. I’m somewhat of a recluse, spending my time working and not doing much else.
Mrs. Thorne gives me a calculated look, “Many of the players Coach Ward trained will be coming into town to pay their respects. Cole called this morning, and he is making his travel arrangements. It would be nice if the two of you could reunite. I don’t know how long it’s been since you have been in the same room together.”
It's been six and a half years. I left him behind in a university ice rink and never laid eyes on him again, at least not in person. It would be impossible to miss his face in print everywhere since he was one of our small town’s heroes who made good for himself as a professional hockey player.
I give her a fake smile, “I would love to see Cole again. Isn’t he engaged?”
Stacy grimaces, “Not anymore. Thank goodness he came to his senses a few months ago and called off the wedding—again. That girl is awful. I still can’t believe he was stupid enough to let you go.”
Cole and I had a relationship that grew from inseparable childhood friends to high school sweethearts until it crashed and burned. After our end, I might have cyberstalked him occasionally. He and Hannah have had an on-again, off-again relationship for years. He’s made a habit of proposing to her and breaking it off afterward. His mom hates her, but something apparently keeps them both going back to each other. I want no part of that drama.
“That was a lot of years ago, when we were practically kids,” I point out to her.
“The childhood bond the two of you had will never disappear,” my mom retorts.
I roll my eyes at them. I see that our mother’s dream of the two of us riding off into the sunset together and giving them a bunch of grandbabies is still alive and well. There was a time I bought into that dream, too, before it was shattered at my feet.
Sensing my unease, Stacy tries for a safer topic. “Do you remember Foster Holland? He was in your grade and Cole’s teammate. They’re still good friends, and he works as a nutritionist for Cole’s team. He’s coming in for the weekend, too.”
Foster isn’t a safe topic, either. Cole, Talon, and Foster are all coming into town. A ball of dread settles into my stomach. Next weekend will be my personal hell. My three biggest mistakes all in one room together. I need a plan to avoid the whole damn thing.
Chapter 2
Then: 6+ Years Ago
The buzzer rings, and I jump out of my seat on the bleachers. High fives fly everywhere as we celebrate. The Springbrook High Gladiators are going to the State Hockey Championships for the fifteenth year in a row.
"He's definitely making it pro," Emma yells into my ear as we make our way out of the stands and into the lobby area to wait for the players.
She's not wrong about my boyfriend, Cole Thorne. He is the star defenseman for the Gladiators and is destined for the NHL. There's nothing he wants more. We've been inseparable since we were in diapers, and he's been hooked on hockey since we started skating lessons together as toddlers. I can't remember a time when he wasn't on the ice.
Emma is not a hockey fan but sticks it out with me every home game. She wears a matching jersey, though mine has "Thorne" written on the back. We find a spot to wait for the players in the warm lobby. Our friend Olivia takes a seat with us.
