Page 18 of Not A Chance

“Thank you. It’s how things go, I know. It’s just different when it happens to you, you know?”

“I hear ya. Three seasons ago, I was in your place. That’s how I got stuck with this guy.” The captain jerked his thumb at Campbell, who feigned an insulted expression. “Unfortunately, the powers that be seem to think we ‘complement’ each other.”

“I can tell you right now that’s not true,” Campbell chimed in. “I haven’t said a single nice thing to your face in all the years we’ve known each other.” He bumped Michaels with his shoulder, his antics drawing a chuckle from both of us.

Michaels just rolled his eyes in response, clearly used to his alternate captain’s brand of humor.

It was clear these two had each other’s backs, despite all the ribbing. No wonder they led such a powerhouse of an offensive line.

“I’m sure you need to see Coach before long.” Michaels checked his phone. “But we’ve still got an hour before we need to be on the ice. We’ll show you your locker.”

“You’ll love it. I blackmailed Lapointe with last year’s holiday party photos to switch spots so you could be right next to me.” Campbell gave me an exaggerated wink.

I had a feeling that the defenseman to whom he was referring wasjust being nice to the new guy. But all the same, Campbell struck me as a man who liked to keep people on their toes.

“I even talked him into leaving you last season’s lucky socks.” He snickered as he put his arm around my neck to guide me toward the locker room and whatever biohazard awaited me.

On second thought, maybe this wasn’t so much a “welcome” as an initiation ritual.

I’d spent the rest of the evening after seeing Theo steadfastly ignoring his entire existence.

I told myself that I was long over him, and while, yes, it had been a shock seeing him so unexpectedly, I had been able to keep my cool.

I was no longer the impressionable nineteen-year-old looking for someone to love her. My early years consistently taught me that others only looked after themselves. My parents looked after their own interests first, as did everyone in their circle.

I was an afterthought, if they thought about me at all. I’d spent my childhood convinced that the only reason my parents acknowledged my existence was because one or more of their admin assistants sent them an email reminding them there was an event I should attend to show what a perfect family we were.

It was Angelina, our housekeeper, who had come to all of my ballet and piano recitals because my parents were “away on business.”

I’d gotten things mixed up spending time at the Yao-Miller house. It was like walking into a Hallmark special. Lots of excitement andinevitable drama, but the love of family always overcame any obstacle.

My walls had come down around Emery and her family. And then Abbie joined our little crew too. Her ability to hold on to the joy in simple things had further thawed me to the idea that I could trust someone with my heart.

That Christmas morning had shattered any delusions about opening my heart to anyone other than the slivers I gave to Abbie and Emery. It jolted me back into the reality I should have learned when Alice passed away. Love doesn’t stop bad things from happening.

Theo’s rejection cemented the lessons I’d learned from my parents’ neglect year after year. Love wasn’t in the cards for everyone. At this point, I had no desire to involve myself with anyone other than the short flings I’d had since starting college.

I didn’t want to need anyone so much that they had the power to devastate me. Watching Abbie go through her struggles with Aiden had made me vicariously ill. They’d had so much power to make each other miserable.

I busied myself filling out the detailed foster application for Gizmo. Now that I’d been talked into it, I was kind of looking forward to having a little company in this apartment.

Plus, I was keen to keep chipping away at what I called my “Learn to Do Normal Stuff” list. Each year, I chose one thing to learn that a regular kid might have experienced growing up. It was written on a cheesy piece of Abbie’s kawaii stationery from a rare drunken night in college. Now more wrinkles and coffee stains than paper and ink, it held an ever-growing list of things I wanted to try.

I’d enjoyed learning to bake from Alice. Emery had taught me how to climb trees. Chase and Liam had shown me how to ride a bike in a rare moment of patience.

Once I left for college, I’d continued the tradition by continuallyseeking something I’d missed out on.

With my unplanned relocation, I’d added tourist attractions as my goal for the remainder of this year and until I returned home. It always made me sad when I thought about all the business trips in North America and Europe that I’d gone on during my childhood years, but I never got to experience any of those cities.

Now, I was going to find out what Toronto was all about.

Even better, I’d get to live the life of a pet owner, at least for a little while. On the plane, I’d read that it sometimes got to -20°C during January and February in Toronto, which was freaking cold when Google converted it to F. I’d be buying two new winter coats, one human and one canine.

I liked the challenge of not being able to do something and then learning how. I was lucky that the office was pet-friendly, so I’d be able to take her to work with me if she was chill enough.

We’d hang out while she waited for adoption. Then, she’d be off enjoying her new life as a Canadian canine.

Simple.

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