Forever Pucked (Pucked 4)

“What do you mean, that’s it? It’s a big fucking deal.”

“It is? How do you know?”

“Charlene told me. Junior accountants don’t present on multimillion-dollar accounts.”

“She already manages Miller’s accounts.”

“Yeah, but this is different. Darcy isn’t family, and Bunny specifically requested her. Charlene said this is atypical.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize that. Well, I guess that explains her reaction this morning. I wish she would’ve said something.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t.”

“We were kind of busy last night, with other things.”

“Apparently.”

I like Darcy well enough. He’s a good guy, and Bunny’s always pleasant. She seems like the one in charge in that relationship. I tap the steering wheel, considering my options and how things could have gone differently had I known this information.

“I should do something nice for her tonight. Plan a dinner or something.”

“Good idea. Then maybe you’ll get some action and you won’t be so bitchy on the ice tomorrow night. We could really use a home win.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it.”

While we managed to win the first two away games—just barely—on this last trip, we lost the second two. It’s been like that this season: a lot of up and down, and not a lot of consistency.

My scoring average is also down, and Randy Ballistic, who’s new to the team, has been responsible for more goals than I have lately. It’s good for him, but not so good for me.

I’m silent for the rest of the trip to the gym. Darren doesn’t push for conversation, which is good because I’m mulling. As much as I’m disappointed that I didn’t hear this news from Violet, I’m also a little relieved it’s Darren who told me. It gives me time to process.

As exciting as this is for Violet, it also means she’s going to be busy planning for the presentation this week. Which means we’ll have even less time together. I’m happy for her, because she works hard at her job, and she’s amazing at it, but this isn’t just about this week. The better she gets, the higher she’ll climb, and the more time it will take away from us.

As a kid, my mom was always there: taking me to skating or hockey, making breakfast, working on homework with Sunny. I’ve always kind of imagined it’d be the same for my kids. I want that for my family, and I have the ability to provide it. Maybe Violet isn’t ready to look at it that way.

As soon as we get to the gym, I jam in my earbuds so I don’t have to talk to anyone and hit the treadmill. Darren leaves me alone. He knows better than anyone that sometimes I need time to think.

Lance Romero, one of my teammates and a good friend of Miller’s, steps onto the treadmill beside me and nods. I’ve gotten to know him a bit better in the last few months. He’s a notorious partier, and a while back he had a fling with the team trainer, Tash, which resulted in us getting a new trainer. It sucked for everyone, but since then he seems to have calmed down a bit.

I pull out an earbud. “How’s it going, Romero?”

“Yeah, all right.”

He looks tired, like maybe he was up late last night, probably with a bunny.

“You gonna be on for tomorrow’s game?” I ask.

“Damn right. We’re not letting Toronto near the net.” A hint of Scot creeps in, telling me he’s as fired up as I am about the losses we’ve been taking lately.

We spend the better part of three hours working out, though it’s not all heavy training. An hour of it is stretching for me, working out the kinks in my right shoulder. I need to schedule a massage for later in the week so I can stay on top of things. Not only is this my shooting arm, it’s my fingering-Violet hand as well. I can’t have anything interfering with my career, or my ability to get her off.

I decide to order takeout from her favorite restaurant, as well as a bottle of champagne, her favorite flowers, and some chocolates. That should cover all the bases and win back some of my lost points from this morning. I also recognize that this opportunity is a big deal for her, and I do want to celebrate her accomplishments. I get that right now this is what she wants, so I’ll support her. Her work ethic is honorable, if not always easy for me to handle.

After training I spend a few hours at Darren’s watching Toronto games and planning our strategy for tomorrow. I get home around four-thirty, which gives me plenty of time to get things set up for the romantic dinner. First I remove the cardboard effigies of myself from the front hall. The giant stuffed beaver finds a new home in the sitting room, which is where I discover a picnic-like set up in front of the fireplace.