Page 115 of Lucky Shot
“You never mention your mom. Is she in the picture at all?”
His mouth falls into a straight line. “She died when I was in college. About a year before Aidan was born.”
A pit forms in my stomach. “Oh, god, Nick. I am so sorry. I had no idea.”
“I know.” He shakes his head. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have.”
With my free hand, I squeeze his arm. He attempts a smile.
“I should talk about her more, I suppose. I think about her a lot. It’s weird passing by big life moments without her. Having a kid, getting drafted, moving around, buying a house…”
“You were close, then?”
“We were. She was the best.” He clears his throat and then turns his head to look at me. “What time is your flight?”
I tell him and then we chat about all the things my family has planned for the short time I’m in Arizona. Greer’s baseball game, family dinner, a trip to the bookstore where my grandma and sister work to sign their stock of my books, and my dad really wants me to play pickleball with him now that I’m “intosports.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him no, so that should be interesting (aka, a disaster).
When it’s time for me to go, I stand and wrap my arms around Nick. I am excited to see my family, but I think I’m going to miss him.
“See you in a few days,” I say as I pull back. “Don’t have any fun without me.”
A real grin finally pulls up the corners of his mouth. “See ya, Red.”
26
NICK
On Sunday I head to the rink after I drop off Aidan at his mom’s house. Camp is less than a month away, but most of the guys that left for the summer are already trickling back into town. We’ll start working out together and getting ready for the season. I like to stay in shape year-round but some of the younger guys need that time before camp to sharpen their skills and conditioning.
The building is quiet as I walk back to the locker room. The only light streams out of our recovery room. I slow and peer inside as I come to it. Dr. Scott sits at his desk in the front corner. He looks up when he notices me.
“Nick!” He leans back in his chair. “I should have guessed I’d run into you here.”
“Hey, Adam,” I say as I step into the room. “What are you doing here?”
There’s a stack of boxes filled with things and my gut twists.
“Moving to a new office,” he says with a reassuring smile. He joined the team of doctors on staff last year, right after his residency but despite being new he has quickly become everyone’s favorite. “Finally getting out of this closet.”
“That’s great.”
He comes around his desk to move a box out of one of the chairs, then motions for me to sit. “How’s the shoulder and collarbone?”
“Really good. No pain at all.”
“That’s great. Did you have a nice summer?”
“I did.” My mind drifts to Ruby. It’s only been a day since she left, but things have felt weird without her around. “You?”
“It was great.” He pulls out his phone and then turns the screen to show me a picture of a baby wrapped in a pink and white striped blanket. “Meet Daphne.”
“She’s beautiful, man. Congrats. I had no idea.”
He waves off my concern. “Thanks. It’s been a blast. I’m going on zero sleep but all totally worth it, right?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“I swear I’m a doctor, but I had no idea what it’d be like. Reagan, my wife, shooed me out of the house today because I was hovering too much.”
