Page 18 of Against the Odds
ZEKE
“Heading out!” I called up the stairs, as I got ready to leave for my tattoo repair. Silence answered me from Josiah’s room where he was supposedly doing his homework. Par for the course. I was still getting the silent treatment from him more often than not. “Back in a few hours.” That got no reply either.
Ducking into the kitchen, I grabbed my keys off the counter. My arm itched under the taped gauze, but that was probably all in my head. Soon it would itch for a much better reason.
When I backed my truck out of the garage, I noticed Callum’s beater was parked on his grandfather’s driveway. If he was home, it didn’t make sense to drive separately to the tattoo shop. Unless he’d changed his mind about coming. I didn’t actually need him to hold my hand and vouch for me, when I thought about it more logically without the emotion of that confession.
I put my truck in park and was about to text him when he came out of Roy’s front door and bounded off the porch. I powered down my window instead. “Hey, surprised to see you here.”
He came over and grimaced. “Apartment water damage. I’m staying with Grandpa for a bit.”
“Doing that annoying commute after all?” The Foxes’ arena was across the bridge in Surrey.
He shrugged. “It’s okay for now. I’ll figure something out.”
“Were you still thinking about coming to the tattoo parlor? You really don’t need to.”
“Well, yeah. I want to talk to River about my next tattoo.”
“Then ride with me. Silly to take two cars back and forth. Bad for the environment, too.”
He hesitated, then nodded, walked around, and got in beside me. “Sure. After two hours in the car this morning, I won’t object to someone else doing the driving. Especially in a truck with legroom.” He stretched those long, strong legs out with a sigh, his hockey thighs straining the denim?—
I yanked my attention back and put the truck in gear. “I hope your guy has some inspiration for me. I doodled a few things, but art is not my forte.”
“River’s great. I’m sure he can help.”
“How bad is your apartment? How long are you out of the place?”
Callum shrugged. “Near as I can read between the lines of today’s update, something weakened a supporting beam. Part of the roof actually caved in.”
“Oh, was that your apartment on the news?” I’d seen an ariel shot of a collapsed roof on the local show that morning, a helicopter hovering over the building. “That looked bad.”
“Yeah. They were downplaying it at first, but that’s hard to do when the news choppers are up there taking pictures.”
“Did you lose a lot of stuff?”
“I don’t know. They haven’t let us back in yet. Hopefully not, since I’m on the second floor, but I’m lucky to have clothes and shit here at Grandpa’s. I feel bad for the families with all their kids’ stuff where they can’t get to it.”
“I bet.”
“If I had an NHL salary, I could help folks out.” He drummed his fingers on his knee, staring out the window.
I wasn’t exactly rolling in money either, but it kind of melted me that helping people was where that angry redheaded nine-year-old’s mind went as an adult. I tried to change the subject. “Josiah’s decided he wants to be called Jos now.” I was just as glad he’d waited till after Heidi was gone to let me know. One extra fight we didn’t need to have, because Josiah had been Krystal’s father’s name.
“Well, go, Josiah. I mean Jos. That’s a better name anyhow.”
“The Ontario contingent of his relatives wouldn’t think so, but they’re gone, so who cares?”
He glanced at me. “He’s lucky to have you. Seriously. I know all about having relatives who don’t want you and relatives who do, after a parent dies.”
“Did you have— Sorry, that’s intrusive.”
“Nah, I brought it up.” He shifted in his seat. “When my folks died, Mom’s family didn’t want to even come to the funeral, which was fine, because she came out here to get away from them in the first place. My uncle Wayne is my dad’s younger brother but I was super lucky that my folks picked Grandpa in their will instead.” His lips twisted as if tasting something sour. “Uncle Wayne would’ve fucked me up for sure.”
“Not your favourite person?”
“He was in and out of Grandpa’s throughout my childhood. Mostly looking to borrow money and make trouble. He’s in prison now for identity theft and fraud to support his gambling habit.” Callum shook his head. “I’ve no idea how someone as great as Grandpa had one son just like himself in my dad, and one that’s such a loser. Anyhow, I was a handful for Grandpa, and Jos may be for you, but he’s still super lucky you stepped up when you didn’t have to.”
