Page 57 of Not A Chance

I privately wished Emery would just concentrate on creating art. She was happiest in her studio. But she wanted to be the second Professor Yao in her family, so I didn’t say anything.

Abbie

OK, let’s forget altruism for a second. Blah, blah good for the world and all that. You’re both angels. Ind, any good inside gossip to share about those world class, not to mentionhot athletes you work with on a daily basis? Now that neither of us are in the main Appeal building, nothing ever happens around here that’s worth mentioning.

Hoping to keep the conversation away from Theo because I didn’t want to outright lie to them, and especially not to Emery, I chose the best fall guy for the job: Campbell.

Indie

Nothing huge, but Ryan Campbell, the alternate captain and right winger, told the largest hockey magazine in the country that he and I were living together.

Abbie

LOL. What?!

Indie

Yep. He’s from Georgia so the last name Layne doesn’t strike fear into his heart. To be fair, he thinks I’m just another member of his staff and he can use me in his schemes. Which I am, except Gerald Layne’s family name isn’t something he can play around with so I had to threaten the reporter within an inch of his life.

I wasn’t going to mention what the reporter wanted to ask Theo about his and Emery’s mom. That was still a barely held together wound for Emery. She didn’t need to worry about the press digging into her business.

Emery

If I could admit that hockey playerswere hot, Ryan Campbell would be top of the list. Since my brother playing hockey forced me to spend time in freezing cold arenas and outside disgusting locker rooms, I’ve seen the truth for myself.

Abbie

I’m just over here pretending I have any idea what a right winger is. Carry on.

Emery

How is Theo? I haven’t heard from him since he called me a couple weeks back. How are his knees? He saw someone last year in Vancouver but never mentioned it again. Whenever I ask about it, he clams up and tells me he has to go.

Yeah, I know. He called you from my kitchen. There was the guilt rising in my esophagus, threatening to choke me.

What could I say to her?Gee, Emery, I think he’s good after we had sex without a condom for the first time in my life, and we both came more than once. Or he stayed by my side and took care of me while I was sick.

Yeah, right. Typing those words would happen exactly never. Both of those circumstances made this thing with Theo sound way more involved than it really was, like I trusted him a great deal.

What was the deal with his knees?It sounded like he had something significant going on, and he’d never once mentioned it.

The sting of hurt was a sign I was on the right track with my plan to set things straight with Theo once he was back in town.

This wouldn’t be the first thing I kept from Emery and Abbiebecause I didn’t want them to have to deal with my issues. And when I had to end things with Theo, they wouldn’t have to worry about me.

So I kept it vague.

Indie

I think he’s OK, Em. The team’s away for four days so I haven’t even seen him. He’s been playing better than ever, according to the coaching staff. Almost at work. Talk later xx

There. That sounded like something a friend of the family would say.

I picked up my pace, feeling colder than when I left my apartment building. Despite now being keen to get to work and distract myself with the day’s tasks, I couldn’t stop myself from mentally calculating how many hours were left until I saw Theo again.

I was exhausted. The team had been out of town for a longer stretch of time than usual because of the way the games were scheduled.

Finishing up a series in New York before heading straight to Vancouver, I hadn’t had time to register that I’d be playing my old team for the first time since the trade. Other than a quick hello from my old captain and backup goalie before the game, it was just another game with my new team but in familiar surroundings.

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