Page 53 of Goaltender Interference

“Morning,” Jesse said cheerfully.

Connor blinked slowly. “Uhh, morning.”

“You okay there?” Jesse asked, helping himself to a mug of the freshly brewed java. He added some cream, then nudged Connor out of the way with a bump of his hip so he could grab a spoon.

“Tired.” Connor rubbed a hand over his face. “Maura had nightmares.”

“Oh no.” Jesse frowned. “What are they about?”

“Well, monsters being in her room, mostly. But I think it’s coming from the shit from the divorce.”

“Ahh.” Jesse winced. “That sucks.”

“Yeah, we’re working on it. And itisgetting better. The past few nights were fine but she’s heading to Viv’s again today, so …”

“Got it. So neither of you got much sleep last night, huh?”

“No.” Connor rubbed his face again. “I’d hoped having Evie in the same room would help Maura have fewer nightmares. Now I’m worrying that Evie will lose sleep and I don’t know what to do. Last night, Maura and Evie talked for a bit but then Evie fell back and asleep and Maura came into my room and wanted to crawl in with me. Maura kicks in her sleep, so then I didn’t get any rest and …”

“Okay,” Jesse said, both slightly alarmed and a bit amused by Connor’s sudden tirade. “You sit down. I’ll make breakfast.”

Connor glanced at the clock. “The girls will be up in like twenty …”

“Then you have twenty minutes to let your coffee do its job.” Jesse pulled out the stool and patted it. “C’mon.”

Connor shot him an amused smile, but sat, wrapping his hands around the Boston University mug. Jesse had gone for the Harriers one this morning.

“So. I’m thinking a big bowl of oats, some scrambled eggs, toast, turkey sausage, and fruit?” Jesse asked.

“Uhh, sure,” Connor said, half-rising from the stool. “But I can help you cook.”

“Sit!” Jesse pointed.

Connor sat with a huff.

Jesse took a big sip of his coffee, then started pulling out pans. Since he’d arrived a little over a week ago, he’d familiarized himself with the layout of Connor’s kitchen and it came in handy now.

“Nolan’s already gone, right?”

“Yeah,” Connor said. “My dad picked him up ass-early for practice this morning.”

“Nice. What will the girls want to eat?” Jesse asked.

“Uhh, they both like oats and fruit a lot. You can make turkey sausage for them but it’ll be hit or miss if they eat it. Maura hates eggs, but Evie could go either way. No on the toast. They never have it with oats.”

“Done.”

Jesse pulled out food and got to work, aware of Connor’s amused smile as he moved around the kitchen. He poured milk into a saucepan and let it heat while he set out skillets for sausage and eggs and got those warming.

“So, you cook, huh?” Connor asked after a bit.

“Yep. I’m not anywhere near as good as some of the Fisher Cats crew but I can hold my own,” Jesse said, grabbing food from the refrigerator. “Matty Carlson was the brunch king and I am going to miss the fuck out of that.”

“Yeah? Did he do team brunches or something?”

“Yep, and pizza parties. He had a pizza oven in his backyard. Sometimes he invited the whole crew, sometimes a few guys at a time.”

“He’s married now, right?”

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