Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Coach turned and disappeared, leaving us to greet our new teammate.
I knew of him, of course. He’d come from Tampa and there were a lot of rumors around the league about him. Something about a motorcycle accident? I didn’t pay much attention to gossip like that, so I wasn’t sure that was the story I was thinking of. Hockey was like anything else when you got a large group of people together; everyone talked, everyone had opinions, and the truth was usually somewhere in the middle.
I took a minute to introduce myself and then hung back with Boone and Rory as Wes helped him settle in. It was early, so we had time before the game. I was curious about what changes Coach was going to make to the lines even though it wouldn’t impact me. I wasn’t even supposed to play tonight since I’d played the last four games in a row, but I still paid attention to any changes on the ice. It was important for me to stay on top of that kind of thing, so I had a feel for the different lines when they were on the ice.
“You think this means Sawyer’s not coming back?” Boone asked under his breath as we finished changing.
“I hope not,” I said. “Lucy told me he’s been working out again, trying to get himself in shape. Why else would he do this if he didn’t want to come back?”
“I think they’re going to send Marsh back down,” Rory said. “He hasn’t had a point in weeks.”
That made sense. Marsh had been called up from our minor league affiliate but hadn’t been very successful so far this season. A guy like Granger could potentially be much more impactful on the ice.
“I think Granger’s dad was one of the people who died on 9/11,” Nash said quietly.
We all turned to look at him.
“Are you sure?” Boone asked.
“No.” Nash shook his head. “But I feel like someone mentioned it somewhere.”
“Probably not something we can just randomly ask,” Boone said, grimacing.
We stood around for a while, wasting time while we waited for dinner to arrive. Food was always provided on game nights, but most of us liked to order specific meals and they never arrived at the same time. Since I had a little time, I dug out my phone and texted Lucy.
Kon: Hello, beautiful.
Lucy: Hey, handsome.
Kon: I just wanted you to know I’m thinking about you.
Lucy: I’ve been thinking of you too. Where are you?
Kon: The arena in San Jose, waiting for my dinner to arrive.
Lucy: Eating anything good?
Kon: Nothing as good as your chicken and dumplings.
Lucy: I can arrange to have chicken and dumplings ready when you get back.
Kon: I am a lucky man.
Lucy: You’re lucky I love to cook. Anyway, good luck in the game tonight. You’re not playing, though, right?
Kon: Not unless Coach makes a last-minute change. How did you know?
Lucy: Sawyer has hockey on the TV 24/7 and I heard it on one of the pregame shows. It’s all Sawyer watches these days.
Kon: Maybe this is good. To get him excited to play again.
Lucy: I hope so. He’s been running five miles almost every day.
Kon: He is making good progress. Maybe after Christmas he can start to practice with the team again.
Lucy: You think that soon? Christmas is only a few weeks away.
Kon: Speaking of Christmas…is it a big celebration for you? Are you religious? I was thinking maybe we could spend the holidays together, but I am not religious, so I wanted to ask you what your plans are with your family.
Lucy: This is going to be Sawyer’s first without Annie, so I’m a little stressed about it. They hosted every year and whatever family was available would fly out. Annie’s family would always be there, and then Mom and I would also join. I don’t know what’s happening this year, but we’re not very religious either. Sawyer and Annie used to go to service on Christmas Eve, but I haven’t gone in years. It’s more about spending time with the family, you know?
Kon: We never did anything in Russia, so this is only my second time officially celebrating Christmas. I’m not sure about all the celebrations here in the US.
Lucy: Then we should do all the things you’ve never done. Have you ever decorated a tree?
Kon: I bought a pre-decorated tree and Mayra puts it up.
Lucy: Can you see me rolling my eyes over here? You can help me and Sawyer decorate ours when you get back from your trip.
Lucy: We can bake cookies, too.
Lucy: Oh! And watch Christmas movies…have you ever seen “A Christmas Story”?
Lucy: And don’t forget Christmas shopping!
I chuckled at the texts popping up one at a time.
My girl was into Christmas.
Which meant I was about to get into it too.
I didn’t care how far out of my comfort zone all of this was—I’d do anything she asked of me if it meant keeping her around.