Puck Drills & Quick Thrills (CU Hockey 5)

“Okay. Okay, I won’t say anything.”

Tears fill her eyes. “Thank you.”

“On one condition.”

“What?” she croaks.

“If it gets worse or something else happens, please come and tell me?”

She nods, but I don’t believe her.

“Promise me,” I say.

“I promise.”

But even with that, I leave her room feeling completely helpless.

I want to fix everything for her but can’t. And that’s definitely becoming a running theme in this family.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that’s how I find myself in Burlington at a bookstore, trying to find books on parenting kids who are being bullied for possibly, maybe being LGBTQIA. And I had no idea there would be so many books on this topic. Much like everything else in my life, it’s all overwhelming.

I grab a stack of them and head for the register, but I can’t even manage that. The top one slips, and in my attempt to catch it, the whole pile of books lands on the floor.

“Of course.”

“Need a hand?” a deep voice asks. The guy, probably in his late forties or so, helps me pick them up.

“Thanks,” I say when we stand.

“No problem, Westly.”

I look him over, and he obviously picks up on my confusion.

“I’m Dave. Dave Matthews.”

I narrow my gaze. “Dave … Matthews.”

“The art professor, not the band.”

Recognition finally hits, and I shake my head. “Sorry. Of course. We met on campus.”

“We did.” He glances at all the titles I’m buying. “Ah. Looks like you might have your hands full at home.”

I huff a humorless laugh as I think about just how much of a mess things are at the moment. “Understatement.”

“You know who you could talk to about all this stuff? Jasper Eckstein.”

“That’s, uh, probably not a good idea. We didn’t exactly hit it off.”

Dave’s smile widens. “Yeah, I heard, but this … he knows this.” He points to the books.

“He has kids who were bullied?”

“No, he is the kid who was bullied. For being gay.”

The story of the hockey team breaking Jasper’s face flickers in my mind. “Oh. Right. He told me about that.”

“He mentioned.” Dave nods. “That’s surprising, but good for him.”

“Well, he told me hockey players broke his face. He didn’t say it was because he’s gay. But, yeah, that makes sense—why he hates hockey players so much.” I stare down at the books. “Shit. What if Hazel grows up to be bitter and angry at the world because I didn’t do the right thing?”

Dave’s eyebrows jump up. “You think Jas is bitter and angry at the world? Jasper Eckstein is tough on his students, especially jocks, but beneath that, he’s one of the most caring men I’ve ever known.”

Ah. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend your partner or—”

Dave bursts out laughing. “Hell no. Oh, I mean, yes, he’s very caring, but no. No. I’m married.” He holds up his hand with a shiny gold ring on his finger. “Happily. Greg’s around here somewhere. He can spend hours in a bookstore, and I have to send out a search party. But Jas … he’s a good friend, and he might have issues when it comes to athletes, but it’s only been made worse because his high school reunion is coming up, so he’s dreading facing all those people again. And who could blame him? My point is he’s not usually as uptight as he’s been lately.”

“He doesn’t exactly strike me as the relaxed type though.”

“Oh, he’s high-strung and has a need for control, don’t get me wrong, but he’s usually not this bad. Fuck, I’m totally selling you on asking him for help, aren’t I?”

“Thanks for the advice, but I might just try these instead.” I hold up the books.

“Okay, but if that doesn’t work, I think you two could help each other out.”

“How so?”

“He needs a date to his reunion, you need help with your kids …”

“Yeah. Never going to happen. Thanks though. I’ll see you around campus.”

As I walk away from Dave, I can’t help the pang of sympathy I get for Jasper Eckstein. That still doesn’t mean asking him for help is a good idea.

He’d probably scoff in my face and call CPS, telling them I can’t handle my siblings. He wouldn’t be wrong, but I don’t want to draw attention to that.

No, this is something I need to do on my own.

6

Jasper

Dave’s a bad influence. I spend all weekend trying to run from the idea he’s planted in my head, but it’s no use. Logically, I know the request is pointless, but would it hurt to make it anyway?

Yes, actually. It probably would.

Asking for something puts you in a vulnerable position and gives the other person the chance to say no.

The last thing I want is to give a hockey player the upper hand.

But the idea keeps eating at me.

All through my five-mile run.

During visiting my aunt in Burlington.

And during scrolling, with morbid curiosity, through Thomas Harvey’s social media profile. He follows a few hockey pages, including Boston’s team. The team Westly used to play for before he retired.