Page 99 of On the Power Play

Picked up an extra shift

Not coming home this morning, but I'll be back around four

She was working a double, and Oscar was in Vancouver for another day and a half. Jack exhaled. "Dinner. Clara's working a double shift, and I have a game tonight. Dinner for her would be great."

Delia beamed at him. "Dinner it is."

She wouldn't let him clean up the rest of breakfast, so Jack reluctantly walked back out into the living room and helped carry the last of the equipment out to Tyler's truck. The morning was surprisingly warm without a hint of wind. "Thanks again, bud. You're a miracle worker."

Tyler slammed the back door shut. "Still a lot of work to do. I'll keep reporting the clips, and hopefully it’ll start to lose traction."

Jack nodded. "Me, too. With all of us on offence, I'm sure it won't take long."

"Speaking of offence, tonight determines your seed for the playoffs, right?"

Jack nodded. "I think we'll win. Should be up in Edmonton by Monday."

"You feeling connected with those guys?"

Jack shrugged. All of his momentum where that was concerned had been killed by the last forty-eight hours. "Working on it."

Tyler clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You're a hell of a player. Ignore the circus, eh?"

Jack nodded, then turned back to the house. He walked inside, but the only thing he found in the kitchen was the hum of the dishwasher and drying baking sheets.

He could look for her. He could walk up the stairs like he had last night and slip onto her bed?—

Jack stopped at the bottom of the staircase. She was talking to someone. Mary. He heard a shriek of laughter, patted the bannister, and walked out the front door to his truck. He turned the key in the ignition, the low rumble of his engine breaking the morning stillness in the neighborhood. Either nobody commuted or they'd all left already. He went on autopilot, enjoying the blue skies and the hint of buds on the tree branches.

He arrived home in twelve minutes flat and parked the truck in the driveway. It seemed like a week, and he took a moment to let the sun warm his face before walking inside. Since he'd been there last, his life had flipped upside down.

On the outside, not much had changed. He'd put in his two weeks notice, but that was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment.

You're allowed to want to be happy.

He wanted the NHL. He was working to accept that he sure as hell wanted Delia.

But who was he to have a happily ever after? He didn't deserve that more than anyone else. He certainly didn't deserve it more than Angie.

Jack's shoulders bunched as he walked to his room and stripped off his clothes, tossing them in his dirty bin in the closet. He checked his phone before plugging it in. It was at ten percent after sitting out all night next to Delia's bed.

Heat pooled in his middle thinking about holding her. Sleeping next to her. Then feeling her desperate, hungry kiss that morning and wishing he could've picked her up and carried her right back up the stairs to that bed.

Jack opened a text from Country.

You're already at 300k views, bud. Might want to read the comments this time

Jack's jaw flexed. Good. He wasn't ready to check it, but he made a mental note to open his brand-new socials that afternoon. He tapped on a text from Ben, his product manager at Big Rick.

Just got the news. Sucks that you're leaving, but good on you

Wanted you to know that coat's ready whenever you want to pick it up

Jack plugged in his phone and stalked into the attached washroom and turned on the shower.

Hot.

Chapter Twenty-Four

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