Page 19 of Cross Checks

“Uh oh,” I whispered.

“We told him there’s a special Wednesday in November that Coach calls Wacky Wednesday. That was today, of course, and we told him that everybody knows we’re supposed to wear mismatched skates on the day.”

I chuckled. “And he believed it?”

“He fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He showed up on the ice with his regular black skate on one foot and this beat-up white skate on the other. It wasn’t even a hockey skate; it was a figure skate. He looked ridiculous and nearly fell over when he tried to glide forward.”

“Oh, no,” I laughed. “Did you put him out of his misery?”

“We did, fortunately, before Coach showed up. We didn’t want to mess up the practice for real, but it was pretty hilarious.”

“Sounds like you guys have a lot of fun.”

“We do our best. Sometimes, when the season is intense, we must do little things to break some of the tension.” Chase leaned against me, and I smiled.

“So, he took it well?”

“Yeah, he was a good guy about it. He was a little embarrassed and said he’d get us back one day.”

We emptied the food containers, devouring every last grain of rice. My stomach was full when it was all gone, and I leaned back against the couch with a contented sigh. That was when I finally noticed the music playing in the background.

I’d focused so intently on Chase, the fish, and the food that I ignored his choice of songs. “That’s Depeche Mode,” I said. “I love their music.”

Chase grinned. “I’m a bit of an 80s music junkie. Sometimes, I think I was born a few decades late. You like this?”

“Oh man, yeah. My dad worked as a DJ in his 20s and played this stuff all the time when I was growing up. I think it seeped into my DNA—Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, ABC.”

My comments caught Chase’s attention. “No way, you love Duran Duran, too? I think ‘Rio’ is the best, but they did so many great songs.”

I nodded in agreement and sang a few lines of “Rio.” It was clumsy and out of tune, but it proved my love for the music. “Synth-pop is my ultimate comfort zone. Do you like the videos, too?”

“Who wouldn’t? Nothing’s better than A-Ha’s ‘Take on Me’ with that comic book coming to life.”

I grinned and hugged Chase. “Some evening, we should binge on a few of the old movies and watch music videos in between.”

“Damn, that sounds like fun. So, what’s your desert island song from the 80s?”

“You go right for the jugular, don’t you? If you force me to choose, it’s between ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and ‘Tainted Love.’”

“Bonus points if you have sung them for karaoke in a bar.”

“I’ve done both.” I grinned.

Chase laughed, his eyes sparkling. “I’ll have to see that someday, and I do a mean version of the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams.’”

“Are you laying that down as a challenge, Mr. Taylor?”

“Maybe,” he replied with a sly grin.

“Oh, wait, I’ve changed my desert island choice. Somehow, I almost forgot.”

“Yeah?” Chase raised an eyebrow.

“The ultimate best has to be ‘I Melt With You.’”

“Oh, man, you’ve got a point. You know what, Hank? You melt my heart.” Chase chuckled.

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