Page 17 of Time to Shine

“Full disclosure,” Casey said, “I don’t cook. I’ve used that stove, like, once and it was to burn some eggs. So. Go nuts in here, I guess. If you want.” He opened the fridge, revealing stacks of small boxes and containers, all labeled. “I get my food delivered by a service that caters to athletes. It’s, like, tailored to my body or whatever, but I can ask them to send double of everything.”

That sounded expensive as hell. “No, it’s fine. I can get my own food.”

“Good call. This food is kind of gross, not gonna lie. Healthy, though. And easy.” He closed the fridge door and pointed to the touch screen on the front. “This screen does stuff but I don’t know what. I mean, it’s a fridge. It keeps my food cold. I don’t need it to do more than that, right? Oh, and the ice maker is fucked. Good luck with it.”

He started opening cupboard doors. Some had dishes, some were empty. “There’s...stuff up here. And down below. My mom bought all of it. She was optimistic about what I was gonna do in here, I think. There’s a bunch of things that I have no clue what to do with. There’s a pantry over here.” He opened two double doors that ran almost floor to ceiling. It was packed with food. “Help yourself.”

“I’ll buy groceries,” Landon said quickly. “I won’t eat your food.”

“You can if you want, but I’m not gonna eat all this myself.”

Landon wanted to ask why he had it all, then, but it seemed rude.

“There’s a coffee maker,” Casey said, slipping past Landon to one corner of the countertop. “I actually managed to figure this one out. Coffee is next to it. Oh, and in here—” he grabbed a yellow canister from the back of the counter “—are edibles.” He opened the canister and pulled out various silver bags, holding them up for Landon to see. “Different levels of THC, different highs. Ask me if you want a recommendation. I’ve got oil and, y’know, regular weed too.”

Landon wasn’t sure how he’d gone from being an undrafted goaltender living in a small apartment in Saskatoon to being offered weed in Casey Hicks’s home in a few short days. But he knew better than most how quickly life could change. “I don’t usually. Very often,” he said. “But thanks. Some of my teammates use it for pain, or as a sleep aid. Do you find it good for that?”

Casey grinned. “Yeah. It’s also good for getting me really fucking high.”

Landon felt like such a dork, and he felt even dorkier when a nervous laugh escaped him.

“Aw, it’s my favorite laugh again,” Casey said.

“Shut up.” Landon turned his face away, to hide his blush.

“For real, though, I find it’s good for, like, postgame adrenaline. Helps me sleep for sure. Here, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

Casey took him to the basement first, showing Landon the impressive gym he’d set up down there, including the promised treadmill. The gym was also a trophy room, displaying Casey’s own memorabilia and awards, like his Rookie of the Year trophy, his Team USA jersey from the World Junior Championships, and his gold medal from the same tournament. Some of Casey’s father’s jerseys hung on the wall as well, along with photos commemorating some of his accomplishments, like his two Stanley Cup wins with Tampa.

Landon had his AHL Goaltender of the Month plaque sitting on his dresser back in Saskatoon.

Adjacent to the gym was a full bathroom (one of five bathrooms in the house, Casey explained) and a large bedroom (one of four). “I don’t think anyone has ever slept in here,” Casey said. “It’s, like, the dungeon guest room.”

They went up to the top floor and Landon peeked inside the other three bedrooms. Each had their own bathroom and was large enough to be the main bedroom, but Landon could tell which room was Casey’s by the unmade bed and the clothes strewn around the floor.

“The cleaners come tomorrow,” Casey said, a bit sheepishly. “They come once a week, so you don’t have to worry about chores.”

Landon was starting to get the picture that Casey didn’t have to worry about anything.

They ended the tour downstairs, on the enormous deck that looked over the fenced backyard. It had a barbecue, lots of outdoor seating, and looked perfect for parties, if the weather was warmer.

“I might get a pool,” Casey said, “but I dunno. I travel a lot in the summer, and a pool is kinda pointless here the rest of the year.”

“Right,” Landon said distantly. What would it be like to live like this? What would it be like to give his parents a house like this? Or even one half this nice? He would be earning more money for however long he stayed in Calgary than he did back in the AHL, but nothing like what Casey earned.

Landon was generally frugal. He knew it wouldn’t take much for his hockey career to be over, and then even the AHL salary would disappear. An injury, a bad season, or even just a better goalie showing up in Saskatoon could end it all.

He knew Casey’s career could be ended suddenly too, but earning eight million dollars a year probably helped alleviate some of the stress around that. Having rich parents probably helped too.

“So,” Casey said when they were back in the living room, “which room do you want?”

Landon didn’t hesitate. “The basement one. If that’s all right.”

For the first time since Landon met him, Casey’s face fell. He quickly covered it with an unconvincing smile. “Sure. Yeah. That’s cool. You sure, though? There’s way more light upstairs, and the rooms are nicer, I think.”

“I like to be alone,” Landon said, then mentally slapped himself and added, “I just mean that I can be...weird. To live with. I think it’s better if I give you as much space as possible.”

“I don’t mind you upstairs with me, but I get it. Privacy and all that.”

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