Page 48 of Playoff

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Come on. We can go this way.”

She turns down a little hallway I’ve never used before and we take a weird, winding path that brings us to the door that leads to where she’s parked.

“I had no idea that hallway existed,” I say.

“Yeah, there are a lot of nooks and crannies to explore in this building.”

I absently open the door, letting her walk out ahead of me.

“Let’s go get a drink,” she suggests as we get into her Honda SUV.

“I don’t know if there’s enough alcohol to soothe what’s broken in me right now.”

“We’ll figure it out.” She starts the ignition. “Just breathe. Use the same technique I told you about on the ice. It works for nerves, anxiety, and anger too.”

I hope so because I’m beyond furious right now.

I’ve been paying for my childhood mistakes for most of my life, and I’m just tired.Tired of feeling like a disappointment to everyone, especially myself.

Tired of wishing things could be different.

So fucking tired.

The only thing I’m not tired of—well, that’s the woman sitting beside me.

FIFTEEN

Rowan

I rememberBlake’s dad being impossibly hard on him in high school, but not outright mean or cruel. The way he behaved tonight infuriated me, which was why I had to get Blake out of there. Mr. Rourke was trying to humiliate him, and it serves no purpose. Why now? He’s actually playing in the NHL. This is the pinnacle of success in hockey. So why try to sabotage that?

He’s jealous.

It comes to me out of nowhere, and I realize it’s true.

Mr. Rourke played in the Major Juniors but never got any further.

Blake has.

“He can’t help who he is,” I say after Blake has had a few minutes to calm down. “He’s jealous.”

“Jealous?” He snorts. “Of what? He thinks I’m a loser.”

“You’re a loser who accomplished things he couldn’t. He stalled out at eighteen. You’re still playing, and now, you’ve reached the big-time. Even if it’s just temporary, look at how well you’re doing. When you were in the minors, he couldn’t saymuch because his opinion that you’re not better than him was validated. Now you’ve shot that theory to hell, and he hates it.”

“And I’m starting to fucking hate him,” he growls.

“I know. I’m so sorry.”

“I’d sell my soul to the devil if I could pay back the money he took in that second mortgage.”

“I know.”

“Fuck!” He lets out a shout and clenches his fists.

“It’s okay. Let it out. I can be a safe space for you, Blake.”

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