Page 89 of Out Of Time

“So, this is weird,” Carter said jokingly.

“If you invited me for good conversation, you should have known better,” Max teased back.

They all laughed.

“Today was a lot,” Brown spoke up. “I guess me and Carter just wanted to see you and make sure you’re okay. It all happened pretty fast. It was like one second you were telling the team you’re retiring and then we had practice, business as usual. It felt unfinished I guess, like there wasn’t any real closure. Not for the team anyway, and I’m guessing not for you either.”

Max looked over at Remi, she gave his thigh a reassuring squeeze, a reminder that she was with him, and that he was safe.

“I felt the same way. I just sat in my garage when I got home,” Max said, and they all laughed again.

“Is that what you’ve been doing for all these years when we’ve invited you out with the team after a win?” Carter joked.

Max took a second, sipped his drink, and then answered honestly. “Yeah. Pretty much. I mean, I didn’t sit in my garage, but I definitely hid away. I wish I had done things differently,” he said, his voice trailing off at the end.

“We all have those thoughts,” Brown said. “But what’s important is that we realize that sort of thing before we live our whole lives without making any necessary changes.”

“When did you get so wise?” Carter asked the young goalie.

“I’ve had a great mentor,” he said, looking over at Max.

Max, surprised, brought his hand to point at himself. “Me?” he asked, shocked.

“Yeah, you,” Brown said. “You may not say much, but when you do talk, it’s exactly what people need to hear. I became the goalie I am today because youdidn’tsay a lot. When you gave me feedback, I knew it was genuine, I knew it was important, because you didn’t give it often. I hung on to every word you ever told me. And more often than not, it was exactly what I needed.”

Max wasn’t expecting this. He didn’t come prepared for admissions of the heart. He hadn’t even known anyone felt this way about him, but he was grateful it was being said.

“You know, when I first met Max,” Remi started, “he told me he wasn’t great with conversation, but I think I agree with Jack. I think he’s just cautious with his words, and I think that makes being someone he chooses to share them with feel extra special.”

Max took a drink of the cocktail the server had brought and ran a nervous thumb over the condensation dripping down the side of his glass. “There is one thing though, that I wish I had said more,” Max admitted.

They all waited in a safe, but still a little awkward, silence for him to go on.

“I wish I had said yes to the celebrations, the dinners, and the friendships. I wish I had gotten to know the team on a moreintimate level. I was always so afraid of not knowing what to say that I missed opportunities to listen. I missed opportunities to get to know amazing people—” He paused and looked over at Remi. “But I’m working on that, thanks to this girl,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss her there.

He smiled over at her, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. “One yes at a time,” she said.

“One yes at a time,” he agreed.

Carter took a piece of the complementary bread, dipping it into the accompanying oil mixture. “How did you get him to open up to you? I have to know. I’ve been trying to lure him into my web of bullshit for years,” he said with a mouth full of bread.

Remi smiled, this time a double-dimple smile, and Max couldn’t believe, in this moment, that she was his.

“Hummus,” she said simply.

“Hummus?” Brown asked with a chuckle.

“Yup.” She beamed. “That was the first time I got a yes out of him. I asked him to have a picnic with me on the beach. And then there were the donuts, cat ears, and even a punk show,” she said, then paused and added, “Oh, and one hard rule: No more passes.”

Max shook his head and lowered it, a small grin on his face.

“No more passes?” Carter asked.

“Yeah,” Max said, “it turns out if you tell me I’m not allowed to pull away and chicken out, I actually stick around and do scary things.”

“Do scary things,” Carter repeated quietly, and Max knew he was thinking back on the moment in the hotel room when Max had lost his shit over those simple words.

“Yeah, she helps me do scary things,” Max said.

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