Page 7 of A Little Puck Luck

Maybe that call was a prank. No, it couldn’t be since Natalie said she only recommended me because I was good with dogs. Natalie wouldn’t prank me like that.

“You called me last week about needing a dog walker, but I was too afraid to call back. I’m hoping the job is still available since I need every penny possible to find a new place to live. I can take care of your dog, and you can get to know our son.”

I wanted to ask him for a place to stay, but I was too chicken. Maybe he could still read between the lines?

He looked at me.

“So that really was you. Nat didn’t give me a last name, but I hoped it might have been you.”

He was up and pacing again, but that was Terry. Always on the move and always doing something. As a kid, he swore he thought better when he was moving.

He shook his head and said, “I need to focus. Before I can even think about having you walk Walter, there needs to be a level of trust, and getting to know Eric would be the only way that could happen.”

That seemed fair, but I was still scared. What if I could never earn that trust?

Not that Eric wouldn’t react well. He had been dying to meet his real dad.

Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad of an idea, but part of me was scared of Luke’s reaction. Although, it was unlikely anything bad could happen since there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest, and the cops were holding him in jail.

“I understand. Admittedly, Eric would love it. He really looks up to you. You’re his favorite player, although that varies by the day.”

That stopped Terry’s fidgeting, hearing he was his kid’s favorite player most of the time. But it also meant asking the obvious question. “Is it because he knows I’m his real dad, or is it because I play for the Legacy?”

That was the million-dollar question for me most days. While hockey was always pretty off-limits and had to be done in secret, I wasn’t sure if Eric had put two and two together that Scuba was his dad, thanks to Luke’s temper tantrums.

“Mostly because you play hockey and score goals, but I think he suspects you might be his dad since things took a turn for the worse with my ex the moment you signed with the Legacy.”

Terry sucked on his bottom lip. It was an old habit of his whenever he was unsure of something, and I wanted to tell him to spit it out, but I was afraid to do so. So much could have changed since we talked six years ago.

That’s not the only reason you’re afraid.

It was going to take a long time before Luke and his angry reactions would stop living rent-free in my head.

Terry finally opened up again. “How do you want me to meet with Eric, and if it’s not too personal, what are you doing after you get out of here?”

A few minutes ago, I hoped that we could talk about my living situation since I was sure he would help me. But now that we were talking about it, I just felt ashamed. Because what was I thinking, going from one guy to another? My rushing things was how I got into this mess in the first place.

“I’m cool with anything. If you want to hang out with Eric since he’s with Spencer, you can. If you want to introduce yourself as Eric’s dad, that’s okay too. He knew my ex wasn’t his real dad. But as for after the hospital, I don’t know what Eric and I are going to do. I can’t go back to my ex’s place.”

“Well, you better not if he did that to you.”

Much to my surprise, he didn’t actually ask me to live with him.

I guess it showed how much trust I’d truly broken with him.

There was a cricket sound coming from Terry’s pocket, but he just silenced it and said, “Well, I better let you rest. I’ll be in contact soon.”

Chapter 6

Scuba

SeeingAnniewasfuckingweird, and I basically had to speed to get back to the training facility in time for the video meeting.

Thankfully, my buddies, the Spencers and Carter Carmichael, saved me a seat next to them. That way, I didn’t look like a dweeb for coming in late. As I sat down, Spencer Suzuki punched my arm and whispered, “Everything okay? You seem a little weird since this morning.”

Of course, he realized something was up.

I just hoped he didn’t see me loitering around Annie’s room like some sort of creep. He had custody of my son right now, and I needed him to trust me.

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