Page 92 of The Alternate Captain
I can’t even help the smile that creeps across my face, which gives Ryan all the fuel he needs.
“I take it you had success at speed dating?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
Now my next move is crucial. Because Vicky knows that Kirsty and I matched, and she probably told either him or Jen. But I don’t want to lie to him, not really—I’ve been doing that enough already.
I keep my response casual. “I guess you could say that.”
“Well, I can’t wait to hear more about her. Or him, if that’s what you’re into.”
Maybe Vicky didn’t mention Kirsty after all.
“Where did you get that impression?”
“I didn’t. But it’s rude to assume.”
I roll my eyes and shove my phone back in my pocket as we move towards the literary fiction section. Ryan plucks a book from the top shelf and turns it over.
“I think Jen would like this,” he says, tossing it into his basket.
And it gets me thinking that maybe I should buy a book for Kelly; to show her I notice her. She’s got a stack of books on a shelf in her bedroom, and I think they’re mostly romance novels. I make a mental note to check next time I’m in her room.
“Speaking of Jenna, how’s the house hunting going?”
At the start of the season, Ryan moved in with Jenna, who happens to live in the same apartment as my sister. I know that Ryan and Jenna are looking for a more permanent place to live, which means either Vicky will be looking for a new housemate, or she’ll be looking to move out too.
“We’ve got a few viewings lined up. But I just can’t find ‘the one’, you know?”
I can’t say I reallydidknow but I nod anyway. As far as I’m concerned, home is wherever my stuff is.
“Right, are you getting anything?” Ryan says, indicating that he’s ready to check out.
We pay and leave, and then we grab some coffee, carrying on the conversation about house buying before switching to hockey. Which is when my anxiety creeps in.
Dad coming to watch a game isn’t a new thing, but I always feel a heightened level of stress when I know he’s in the crowd. Every time I take to the ice, the nerves hit, and I’m desperate for my shift to go well. I’m desperate to impress him.
“What’s on your mind?” Ryan asks me after a few moments of silence.
“I feel like I should have tried harder. I feel like I should have done better.”
I can’t even look him in the eyes as I speak. Because when I do, all I see is the NHL superstar that I could have been.
“We’ve all got different parts to play, bud,” he says. “You’re killing it here. The guys love you. They respect you. And yeah, you need to be less serious at times, but you’re doing great.” He pauses for a moment and studies my expression. “What’s brought this on?”
“We both know why my dad has invited Liam tonight. Hell—he probably would have called you if he had your number.”
“He did call me,” Ryan says. “I told him I’m busy.”
I raise an eyebrow at him.
“Date night with Jen. Nothing ever hinders date night. Sorry, bud, but not even your old man.” Ryan smiles.
“I respect that.”
“Now, let’s kick a ball for a bit. Get your mind on something else. Worry about tonight later.”
And that’s whatwe do.
For my eighteenth birthday,my parents bought me an electric cello.
