Page 84 of The Rebound Plan

Then there’s a whistle on the ice, and everyone huddles up around the coach for a quick chat.

I shake my head, clearing it of thoughts of hockey players. That isn’t as important as my friends who are right beside me. “So, what’s new with you guys?”

Harper’s expression brightens right up. “Did you hear Kiley’s news?”

Kiley grins. “We’ve bought an apartment. Well, Ty's bought a condo, and I'm gonna live there rent free."

“Hey, congratulations!” I know that Kiley currently lives in a small run-down World War II era apartment building in a cute, walkable neighbourhood not far from the arena. Harper lived in the same building before she moved in with Kieran last season, and when Harper moved out, Ty moved in to her place—subletting it so he could be closer to Kiley.

But the two of them living upstairs/downstairs from each other wasn’t really long-term NHL-calibre accommodations, so now that he’s convinced her to be relationship official, a move is definitely in order.

“Thanks. And we get possession pretty much immediately because it’s vacant already. It’s got a very different vibe from my place, and everything I own is hand-me-down anyway, so I’m treating it like a blank slate and finding all new stuff. Well, new to us. Ty loves art deco and mid-century modern, so I’m getting up to speed on retro furniture pretty quickly.”

“It sounds lovely.” I pause a beat, then glance at Harper, testing the next thing I feel I need to say. "I don't want to be a downer. I promise I'm not trying to be. But you know you need to save all of your income as yours, right? Don't split anything. Let him pay the bills, especially as life gets more expensive.”

"Oh, I know, and he is. He's great about that."

"Good, good. Of course he is.”

Harper nods along. “I had the same talk with her, don’t worry.”

Heart pounding a mile a minute, I smile through the discomfort.

Down on the ice, everyone skates off, Max last.

I remember when he started paying my bills. It felt so romantic, not having to worry about rent or anything else. And then my lease came to an end, and of course it made sense to move in with him. His Upper East Side apartment in a building with a doorman was better than my shitty walk-up. No brainer.

But then I was in his way during play-offs. We fought. I learned not to throw surprises in his path. Then came the pressure to work less, as if me being more dependant on him would be easier. Followed by a romantic proposal. A legal meeting that went by in a blur.“It’s all pretty standard.”A wedding that same summer. More pressure to give up work.

A move to another country was just the last in a long line of small maneuvers to make me wholly dependent on him.

A credit card he pays off every month can’t be used surreptitiously for divorce lawyers. It can’t cover my rent for the next twelve months while I wait out a separation period.

And our marriage contract foresaw me being the one who would leave him, and it punishes me appropriately.

Another group of skaters arrive, and with a jolt, I realize I recognize the biggest, tallest person on the ice.

“Why is Russ skating with a bunch of AHLers?” I sound alarmed, because I am alarmed.

Kiley glanced at Harper, who shrugged.

Neither of them have been around long enough to understand the nuances of training camp groups.

I frown.

To distract myself, I circle back to Kiley’s moving plans, because a weird idea occurs to me. "Are you planning to sublet your apartment?”

She shakes her head. “Luckily we don’t need to do that. We’ll get possession of the condo two weeks before my lease is up, which is basically perfect.”

Damn it. “Well that’s good!”

Kiley tips her head to the side. "Why? Do you know someone who needs an apartment?"

I shake my head, "No," I lie. "I was just, you know, curious."

Which is a silly response. I should have said it was for someone I met through volunteering.

Or you could tell her the truth.

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