Page 36 of Playoff

Now I’m going to have to walk all the way around the fucking arena.

And I didn’t even get to steal a kiss from the prettiest girl I know.

ELEVEN

Rowan

It’s a warm,sunny April day, and I’m glad I opted for shorts as I stand on the front step of Gene’s house. I was on my way home from the arena and decided to stop by. His wife Marnie opens the door with a smile.

“Hey, Rowan. Come on in. Gene’s out back by the pool.”

“Thanks. How is he?”

She shakes her head. “Bored, grumpy and stubborn.”

“Sounds about right.” I follow her out to the pool.

“Can I get you anything?” she asks. “It’s warm out there.”

“No. I’m good, thank you. I don’t plan to stay long. I just wanted to check on him and bring him a little gift.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.,” She opens sliding glass doors and calls to her husband. “Gene—look who’s here!”

Gene looks up from the book in his hands.

“Now you’re a sight for sore eyes!” he says, putting the book down.

I lean over to hug him. “It’s good to see you. How are you?” I sink into the chair across from him.

“Eh, you know how it is. I came home with a bunch of new pieces in my heart and a fuck-ton of rules about eating, exercise, all that crap.”

“Which you should already know,” I say pointedly.

“I do know.” He makes a face. “That’s why this isn’t fair. I don’t eat fast food, I work out, get plenty of sleep—I mean, if I’m doing all the right things and have had multiple heart attacks anyway, what’s the point of it? I might as well eat burgers and fries and enjoy my life.”

“I heard that!” Marnie calls from the kitchen.

“You were supposed to!” he yells back.

“Well, I brought you a little something.” I hand over the gift bag I’d brought with me. “I know you’re going to roll your eyes, but I thought the puzzle looked fun and I know you love sudoku.”

“I appreciate the sudoku for sure!” He smiles, pulling out the puzzle. Then he throws his head back and laughs. “Okay, this is good. Marnie and I will get a kick out of putting it together.”

I’d gone to a local place and had the puzzle custom made featuring funny faces from all the guys on the team. It’s a collage of photos I’d gotten the guys to send me, so I hoped it would make him laugh, if nothing else.

“So, how are you really?” I ask softly. “Don’t bullshit me.”

He sighs. “I’m pretty good, honestly. A lot more tired than usual but the doc wants me to start walking on the treadmill next week. We’ll see how it goes.”

“You’re only sixty,” I say. “You’ll be back to yourself in no time. I’m sure you’ll be back for training camp.”

A strange look crosses his face.

“What?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” he says, lowering his voice. “Marnie doesn’t want me to go back. She’s a tenured professor at UCLA, so she’llwork a few more years, but we’ve saved up and I could retire or do something that doesn’t include travel and all the stress.”

My heart sinks because I don’t think they’ll give me his job. I’m only twenty-eight and most trainers in the league are not just male, but they’re also in their forties or more. There are a few exceptions, like Dani Petrov, who’s the head trainer for the Lauderdale Knights, but she was both a college hockey and Olympic champion before she got the job and has been involved in hockey most of her life.

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