Page 31 of Brace and Chase

I shake my head again. I can’t believe I’ve almost ruined our season by forgetting what actually matters.

My family; the Pirates.

Doing them all proud is a lot more important than caring about sharing space with Charlie Heart. Everything is more important than that.

So with a new determination fueling every beat of my heart, I look up at Bear and nod at him. There’s work to be done.

I go backto my room and order a handful of dishes that will act as my New Year’s Eve feast, then get to work.

First I call everyone who’s on my line.

Bates gets the first call, and though I fumble through well wishes for the new year and some small talk that’s awkward thanks to my disorganized thoughts, I get through it, telling him I need him to believe in me. Telling him I’m okay and that the Pirates andwinningare the only things in my mind from now on.

It gets easier after that.

Spiderman, Milkman, and Twocox are all young men who take few things as seriously as hockey, so talking things through with them is quicker and simpler. They’re all incredibly talented, and if they take care of themselves, I’m sure each of them will have their bookcases full of trophies by the time they’re my age.

After that, I take a break for eating and then make the hardest phone call of all.

“Santa,” he says, sounding happier to hear from me than he has all season.

“Hey, Laney.” I think he can hear it in my voice because he just knows. It could be the fact that he’s known me forfifteen years and has seen me become the man I am today, but I think it’s the fact that hecaresthat allows him to know me so well. “You’re ready to go?” he asks simply.

“I am. I promise,” I speak with the reverence the vow deserves, and a smile stretches my cheeks at his response.

“About fucking time.”

Simple as that, I feel like it’s all going to be okay. I feel like myself for the first time since that afternoon when Gab told us Heart was coming to Vegas. I’m not happy about it, but the thought does move through my head that with Heart on our team we have an even better shot at making it.

Our season is still more than salvageable because I’mback.

It doesn’t matter that I spend New Year’s Eve alone for the first time in my life, or that I know everyone I care about is having a good time without me, because all that matters is that I know I won’t let my family down.

Never again.

TWELVE

CHARLIE

I siton the armchair I brought out to the stupid Juliet balcony that I’m slowly falling in love with because it has the best view, and I stare. Facing west I get to watch as the sun goes down on the last day of the year, and I let out a big sigh.

Life is so weird sometimes.

Three months ago I was packing up my house and feeling like I’d failed miserably at the one dream I’d had all my life.

Now that’s not true anymore. I still have a chance of holding a Stanley Cup over my head, and I’m not feeling sorry for myself anymore. But looking back, putting things into perspective with the help of hindsight, I realize that nothing will ever be completely perfect just like nothing will ever be completely bad.

When I was playing for Atlanta I was on a bad team but I felt pretty good about life.

Now I’m on a good team and I not only know the camaraderie that I missed out on during my whole career, but I’m still missing out on it nowandseeing it first hand every day at work.

So yeah, some good things and some bad things.

Everything I overheard last night put things into perspective for me. Seeing Gab throw herself on Nikolay’s lap showed me that she’s very close to him. Seeing Nikolay take in everything Chris told him did as well.

So it seems I really have no clue what this team is normally like. It seems my arrival here changed things dramatically for them.

The sun disappears in the distance and I decide I better go down and start cooking.

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