Page 67 of The Grinder

“I know that.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

No, she wasn’t. She just didn’t know how to fix it. Couldn’t fix it. “Maybe I’d be willing to find a way to make it work.”

Vivi didn’t say anything right away and Aly snuck a glance away from the TV.

“What?”

Her sister smiled. “It’s kind of nice to see you want something enough to mess with your schedule.”

Aly held Vivi’s gaze. “Am I really that rigid?”

Vivi grimaced. Then she nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes. You know I love you, sis, but sometimes I think you’re never going to bust out of your shell and have a real life. And you’re gonna miss so much.”

“And now Hatch takes the puck for the Colonials. The twenty-eight-year-old is making his NHL debut tonight…”

The rest was lost as she and Vivi squealed and locked hands, bouncing up and down on the couch.

Tears actually popped into her eyes as she watched Riley race down the ice with the puck before passing to another player and getting checked into the boards.

For the next two hours, as they watched the game and ate dinner between periods, Aly watched Riley’s every move. She held her breath every time he was on the ice and only breathed when he headed for the bench.

Even with her extremely limited knowledge of the game, she could tell he was doing well. He seemed to be on the ice often, CJ always with him. They played well together, and by the end of the night, although neither of them had scored, the announcers had mentioned Riley as a good addition to the third line.

She had no idea what that meant other than that he’d done well. He’d had an assist on one of the team’s goals, which helped because it’d been a tie game until then.

The Colonials had gone on to score again and won the game.

She and her sister had high-fived then Vivi had said she was heading out to meet up with friends.

And left Aly alone.

She reached for her phone without thinking, even though she knew there was no way he’d call or text now.

But she still sat there with her phone in her hand until she went to bed an hour later.

* * * * *

“We want you to take practice with the team tomorrow and Thursday, and we’ll make a determination about Friday then. You had a great game tonight, Riley. We’re all pleased with your play and looking forward to seeing what else you can do. See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Coach. I appreciate this opportunity.”

Coach Angstadt smiled and clapped him on the shoulder in his office. He’d called Riley in as soon as he’d been showered and dressed after the game.

Because of the cellphone-blackout in the locker room, Riley had been counting down the minutes until he could call Aly. And his parents, of course.

But first, he wanted to hear her voice. Couldn’t fucking wait to hear her voice.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing and I think you’ll be pleased with the results.”

Riley left with a nod and headed out of the office, not surprised to see CJ waiting in the hall, looking nervous as hell.

Riley grabbed his shoulder and gave him a little shake. “Breathe, CJ. You played a great game.”

That made the kid smile. “You, too, man. All right. You gonna wait for me?”

“Won’t leave without you.”

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