Page 23 of Faking It with my Hockey Crush

“I don’t,” Debs says, shaking her head.

Both Sharon and I look at her.

Debs shrugs. “Look. It’s like this. You get married, you get the world off his back, you split up. Tell me.” She looks me directly in the eye. “When’s the last time you did anything exciting in your life?”

I can see Sharon’s jaw drop, and not letting me speak, she cries, “This isn’t excitement. This is nuts.”

“To you, maybe,” Debs reasons, not letting Sharon’s astonishment faze her. “But to someone else, this would be a walk in the park.”

“Someone like you, you mean?” Sharon blurts.

Debs smirks and shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe.” She looks at me again. “You haven’t answered me.”

“I haven’t had a chance,” I joke, throwing a glance at Sharon, who giggles a little.

“Alright, maybe I am getting a little carried away,” she says. “It’s only because I care.”

“I know, sweetie, and I’m grateful.”

Debs is still looking at me expectantly, still waiting for me to answer her question.

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “How long ago did we all go skydiving?”

“It’s been three years,” Debs says. “And I know you haven’t done anything anywhere near as extreme since.”

“I like my life the way it is,” I counter.

“Then there’s your answer,” she replies. “If this is the life you want, tell Ryan you’re not interested.” She pauses for a beat. “But…”

Sharon makes a deep groaning sound of despair.

“But,” Debs carries on, “are you going to look back on this in ten years and wonder what might have happened? Life is a series of experiences. And I can assure you that you’re not going to get offered an opportunity like this again.”

“I’m not sure I’d call this an opportunity,” Sharon chimes in.

“That’s because you’re a boring spoilsport.” Debs grins.

The three of us laugh, and then Debs continues. “Think about the possibilities,” she says, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. “Think about the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet.”

“You sound like Dr. Seuss,” Sharon quips.

“Better him than Dr. Spock,” Debs quips back, sending us all into fits of laughter.

When the laughter is over, Debs looks at me again with that same intensity that makes her who she is.

“Think about the adventure. Sometimes, the scariest choices lead to the most rewarding experiences.”

There’s a tension in the room at her words, and even Sharon doesn’t say anything. Maybe she’s feeling the same way I am in that moment and wondering whether a little bit of adventure would be such a terrible thing in my life.

I’ve played it safe. In fact, I’ve always played it safe. What’s the worst that could happen?

You could lose your business.

Surely not. In fact, if anything, wouldn’t this promote my business even more? I already have coaches across the country wanting to snatch me up. This might be an opportunity for me to expand.

Is that what you want?

Honestly, I don’t know. But if I did this, it would be a question that I might actually have the option to consider.

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