Page 45 of My Wife
“Not Vohn,” Gracie says with a smile.
“What do they put in the water here or is it the ice?” I murmur.
The conversation shifts from hockey-playing husbands to non-toxic home décor that’s suitable for children. Given my new job and KJ living in what amounts to a nicely appointed bachelor pad, I take notes.
When the ladies discuss a shopping trip to Omaha, through gritted teeth, I say to Cara, “I’m seeing multiple red flags flying in the wind.”
“Not with Liam. Trust me. But we’ll talk later,” she says with a smile.
I devour the loaded potato skin pub pucks and everyone slowly filters out, leaving Cara and me at the big table amidst the dinner desolation.
Looking around to make sure Mrs. Gormely, the town gossip, isn’t within earshot, I tell Cara about my first two encounters with Liam Ellis. “I didn’t realize he was the same guy from the bakery until today.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize him since Grandma Dolly is obsessed.”
“When have I ever paid attention to hockey?”
“Let’s see, April before we graduated high school you had a crush on Lane Sheridan.”
“That was fleeting and there’s no way I’d even entertain a flirtation with a married man fifteen years my senior. Speaking of, where is Liam’s wife?”
Cara frowns. “What do you mean? He’s very, very single.”
“They divorced?” I ask, probing.
“He’d have to have been married first. I told you, the guy doesn’t date.”
“Then he must have flings.”
Cara practically snorts soda out of her nose. “To do that, he’d have to go out. No, Ellis is married to hockey.”
“But what about?—?”
Cara waves her hand dismissively, but I don’t think she knows about KJ, otherwise, she’d mention it or would’ve suggested I work as a nanny rather than an assistant since it’s more in my wheelhouse, having studied early childhood education before dropping out of college.
After crushing a piece of ice between her teeth, Cara says, “Here’s the Ellis family dossier. Liam’s father is Rainer Ellis, a German hockey player who was big in Europe and then transferred to Canada in the nineteen nineties.”
“Oh, so he has a family legacy thing going on.”
“Big time. There, Rainer met Belinda Bell, a showstopper, according to the old-timers in the league. She was turning heads and he won her hand. When he retired, they settled down in her hometown of Brookking Sound to raise a family. The eldest you know who, plus Ingrid and Hendrix of the Toronto Titans.”
“So his brother plays in the NHL too?”
“Right forward. They’re super competitive. Both of them are very physical players.”
I recall Liam working out in the middle of the day like his life depended on it.
“Liam played for Saskatchewan and then the Warriors, I think, before joining the Knights with a no-trade clause. With the kids grown up and out of the house, their parents moved to California. Then there’s Grannie Bell and Aunt Goldie. They’re really sweet with a side of sass. I’ve met them a couple of times at games. They’re all super supportive.”
“So no major family drama? No mommy or daddy issues?”
“Nope. They’re solid.”
I scratch my temple, unsure why he has daddy issues, well, as a father. It seemed like he could hardly be in the same room as his child without having a crisis.
“I’m sorry things didn’t go well today. There’s always tomorrow.”
“That’s my line.” I absently hum a few songs from the play and feature film,Annie. No one knows the entirety of my past, not Cara and not even Grandma Dolly, but they both have enough pieces of the puzzle to get the picture. I always counted on tomorrow being better.
