Page 23 of Playoff
I shook my head. “He was in a serious relationship that ended because he left for New York. Then he married Sharleen. Probably because he was lonely on the East Coast while everyone he knew and loved was in BC. And obviously, the marriage was a disaster.”
Callie cocked her head. “Should I know about this?”
Apparently not as common knowledge among those who didn’t follow the hockey world. Callie was new to it. “JJ is quiet, doesn’t make friends easily, and Sharleen wanted a wealthy husband. I know, that sounds judgy, but based on how she behaved, it’s fair. It turned out he wasn’t that wealthy, because he’d paid for me to go through school, and supported our parents. While they were married, she had an affair with a basketball player, a guy with a much bigger contract, and left JJ.”
He’d been a quiet guy before any of this happened. Losing his girlfriend, and the public drama of his marriage and divorce had driven him into his shell so far that he barely spoke to anyone who wasn’t a teammate or family.
Katie put her hand on her chin. “He blames Denny? That’s going to make things awkward.”
I spun my coffee cup around. “I don’t know that he blames him, but the name brings it all back, you know? Lots of really horrible associations.”
JJ didn’t talk a lot, but he felt things deeply.
Katie was still watching me closely. “Is that why you moved to Toronto? To be with your brother?”
I didn’t want them to think JJ was a wreck. Or unable to function on his own. “I’m a financial advisor. Toronto is the financial hub of the country.”
Katie nodded. “So that is why you came here.”
I sighed. “Part of it. He wasn’t in a good place after the Sharleen debacle. And Toronto really is a good place for my job.”
Callie tilted her head, studying me like I was one of her tax problems. “You’re careful to steer your clients away from anything that might be close to a Ponzi scheme, aren’t you?”
My cheeks heated. That was a little too on the nose. Finance was a good career for job security, but I was trying to protect others from what we went through. Fortunately, the waitress arrived with our food. My friends let the conversation shift to other topics—Callie’s work at the law firm, Katie’s classes. When Ducky could join us again.
I’d meant to tell them that I’d done something for me, hooking up with the handsome stranger last night. The way my life was going, another escape by way of orgasm would be nice, if I’d only gotten his number. But it didn’t seem real, not now. Less than twenty-four hours, and it was a dream, a memory I could maybe bring out when I needed a break.
Life was too complicated for anything more, even if the guy hadn’t been someone just passing through.
I ran some errands after, so Justin was back from practice by the time I got home. Hanging up my coat and kicking off my boots, I padded down the hall to the great room.
I heard faint sounds of a hockey game on TV, which was normal when you lived with a hockey player. I could smell something appealing coming from the kitchen, and that worried me. It was supposed to be a quiet day for the team, and it wasn’t shocking that he had cooked, but not… I took a long sniff. Not macaroni and cheese. That was comfort food, not staying-in-playing-shape food.
What had happened? Had Denbrowski already arrived from LA? I’d been hoping it would take him all day, but Justin had to meet him sometime. Maybe he hadn’t gotten here yet and everything was okay, but then why the pasta?
My twin was watching the TV, sound low so he wasn’t distracted by the game announcers.
“Hey,” I called out when he didn’t respond to my less than stealthy approach.
Justin jerked his head toward me. Yeah, he hadn’t been focused on the game. His mind was somewhere else. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where.
“Oh, hi. I made dinner.”
I diverted into the kitchen and opened the oven door. Yep, mac and cheese. It was almost cooked, and he’d done all the dishes as well. It was too early to eat dinner, and I was going to have to do something to burn off the extra calories after poutine and then this. It would be worth it though.
I crossed into the living room and sat on the couch beside Jus. Being tactful didn’t work with him—he’d just politely ignore what you were getting at. “Why are you cooking something the team nutritionist would throw fits over?”
He paused the TV. “The way I reacted last night made things a little weird at practice this morning, and I needed to do something.”
“Has your new teammate arrived?”
He might have faced questions from the guys, but I didn’t think that was enough to bring on the comfort cooking. Hockey was his happy place. He nodded, not meeting my gaze. “How did it go?”
He shrugged and dropped his head back on the couch. “Cooper wants me to talk to him.”
“Do you think you should?” It might not be a good idea. Not that I was afraid my brother would get violent—he’d been nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy, mostly because he avoided fights and confrontations whenever possible. But this was different.
Jus sighed. “I ignored him today. I can't keep doing that. But what the hell do I say? ‘You don't know me, but my life blew up when your parents skipped out, and just hearing your name makes me want to hit something’?”
