Page 112 of On the Power Play

Twenty years older Jack.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Delia

Is there a reason you didn’t mention YOUR PARENTS were going to be in the suite tonight?

She didn’t expect a response since Jack was most likely warming up with his team or changing in the dressing room, so she jumped when her phone buzzed against her thigh.

Jack

Was that meant for your mom again?

Ha. Ha. Seriously! Why didn’t you say something?

About what?

YOUR PARENTS!!!

Okay I thought you were joking

Not a joke. Your parents are here. Sitting next to me. And the hotel didn’t deliver my bag, so I haven’t reapplied deodorant

You’re screwed then. My parents have noses like bloodhounds

NOT FUNNY JACK

I laughed

I can’t believe they’re there. They didn’t tell me they could make it

You invited them?

What kind of person doesn’t invite their parents when they’re in the NHL playoffs?

Fair. You still could’ve mentioned it

Have to run. Talk about coin collections and you’ll have my dad eating out of the palm of your hand

I know nothing about coins

Jack

JACK

Delia shifted in her seat as Marc and Leslie Harrison took the two seats to her right. She searched the stands for the rest of the Snowballs players just to have something to keep her occupied. What did they know? Had Jack told them the truth about their relationship like she’d told her mother?

Clara and Oscar were supposed to join them at some point, but there wasn't enough space in the suite to fit everyone from the Snowballs. Alvin stood at the back next to the door, and Mary was still dishing up food.

"Jack doesn't know we're here. We can't wait to surprise him," Leslie said as she sat, then took her plate of food from Marc's lap.

Delia groaned internally. Hopefully Jack was a good actor because she'd already blown that cover. "I can't believe you drove here all the way from Moose Jaw. How long of a drive was that?"

"About seven and a half hours if you drive straight through. We did over half of it yesterday, stayed the night in Battleford."

That meant nothing to her. As far as Delia was concerned, Saskatchewan was one large swathe of blue sky and prairie grass between Alberta and Manitoba. "Glad you got here safely."

"We really wish we would've been able to attend the last game in Calgary. Jack didn't tell us you'd be singing the national anthems!" Leslie dipped her chip in the puddle of salsa on the edge of her plate.

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