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)
I agreed we needed to do something; I just wasn’t sure what could be done.
I wanted to help my friend, but he had to be willing to accept help.
And from what I’d seen, he wasn’t.
After back-to-back wins in Atlanta and North Carolina, I was in a good mood on the flight home. My teammates were as rowdy and obnoxious as ever, making me laugh despite how annoying they were. A few of the guys were going out after we landed, but I was ready to sleep in my own bed. I wasn’t much of a partier in general, and after spending the last week with my teammates every minute we weren’t sleeping, it would be good to just chill.
I was playing a game on my phone when an unfamiliar number popped up with a text.
Unknown: Hi, Kon. This is Lucy. I finally got a new phone.
Kon: Hello! How are things with Sawyer?
Lucy: Ugh. You don’t want to know.
Kon: Still bad?
Lucy: Well, I guess it depends on how you define bad. The cleaning service is coming once a week again, so the house is in good shape. I’ve also got Sawyer eating at least one meal a day, so that’s an improvement. Beyond that…
Kon: Is there anything I can do?
Lucy: I don’t know. He’s worse than I imagined, and I don’t want to push him. You know how stubborn he is. The more we push, the harder he’ll push back.
Kon: I’m sorry. The guys on the team are going to try to visit more. Even if he doesn’t want us to.
Lucy: That’s a good idea. Just warn them he won’t be overly friendly.
Kon: He was never overly friendly to begin with.
Lucy: You didn’t know Sawyer before Annie got sick. Anyway, the real reason I texted was to invite you to that dinner I promised you.
Kon: It’s not necessary. You have enough going on without having guests.
Lucy: But I love to cook and having someone else here to engage with Sawyer is the only thing I can think of that might help. Maybe not right away, but if we do it consistently enough maybe something will break through.
Kon: Then I would love to come.
Lucy: You get back tonight and have a game tomorrow, so how about Thursday? Does that work for you? I don’t know if you have meetings or other plans?
Kon: Probably practice in the morning, but nothing the rest of the day. Tell me what time and what kind of wine to bring.
Lucy: I’m making chicken and dumplings, as promised, so how about a white?
Kon: Chardonnay or Chablis?
Lucy: Surprise me.
Kon: I don’t know much about wine.
Lucy: Whatever looks good to you. I really like Napa Valley wineries.
Kon: Okay.
Lucy: Six o’clock? We eat pretty early these days.
Kon: Six is perfect. I eat early as well.
Lucy: See you soon.
Kon: I’m looking forward to it.
Lucy: Me too.
I put my phone away and realized I was looking forward to seeing her again. I wasn’t sure why because there was nothing between us, but I felt a pull. Dealing with Sawyer’s situation on the back end of what I assumed was an unpleasant breakup had to be draining. I wanted to be there for her, even if for no other reason than to lend a friendly shoulder for her to lean on. My gut told me she didn’t have a lot of people she could rely on in her life, and I felt that deep in my soul. Other than my teammates, and the grandmother who’d raised me in Russia, I had no one.
I’d lost my parents at a young age. My mother’s mother had raised me, but we’d had less than nothing. I went to bed cold and hungry more nights than not, and if it hadn’t been for the hockey program the local church had offered, I probably wouldn’t have survived. Even then, I’d only had one meal a day and I’d tried to save something for my grandmother. Half a piece of bread, leftover broth, anything to keep her going. It had been that bad.
I shook off the depressing thoughts.
I’d fought my way out of hell both literally and figuratively, and while Lucy’s situation was nothing like mine, the cold, hungry little boy I’d been always wanted to help someone in need. Sometimes it was as much of a curse as it was a blessing, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.
I’d just restarted the game on my phone when another text popped up.
Svetlana: Konstantin, are you there? I really need to talk to you. Please call me.
Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
What fresh hell was this?
Last I’d heard, she was going back to Russia.
Nope.
I wasn’t getting involved, no matter what mess she’d gotten herself into.
Not my circus, not my monkeys.
I deleted the text and turned off my phone.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucy
Sawyer hadn’t even gotten the refrigerator door all the way open when I came over and gently closed it.