Kate finished the head count and sat down in her seat. “How is it you’re the advisor of this group, but I’m doing all the work?”
“You’re better at it, and the kids expect you to be in charge.” Julie handed her a bottle of water and pressed on, even though Kate had ignored everything she’d said about David so far. “I think he likes you.”
“I don’t think so,” Kate said. She shook her head and looked at Julie. “You know, I almost folded. I almost acknowledged him.”
“He’s so good looking. How did you breathe?”
“I don’t recall.” That was a lie. Kate remembered every second of their night, before and after they made love. The things they’d talked about. The easiness of it all. But she wasn’t going to be that kind of fool again. David may have been sweet when they spent time together, but that man was a broken heart waiting to happen. She must have been crazy, going out with him after California. Between Richard and Laura, Kate had more than enough to deal with.
She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw the text. Damn him.
Meet me after the game. We need to talk.
“I can’t believe him.” Kate didn’t think she said it out loud, until she noticed Julie looking over her shoulder at her iPhone.
“He wants to see you?”
Kate was going to ignore the message, but instead she opened a reply and keyed in one word. No.
She sent it and then looked at Julie, who raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
“What?”
“Kate, you could see him if you wanted. Al and I can handle the trip back.”
“And what am I going to do? Wait around the locker room door like some desperate puck bunny?”
“I’m sure if you told him you were willing to meet him, he’d make sure that didn’t happen.”
For a split second Kate considered it. Part of her, the weak part, the part that let her ex-husband control her for twenty years, almost took out the phone and sent him another text. Then she thought about what would happen. He’d take her out. He’d make excuses. He’d seduce her. Make more promises. And then he’d vanish from her life.
“No. He’s a mistake. I don’t know what would make him think I’d actually go out with him after what he did.”
Julie laughed. “Uh, he’s David Burke. I’m guessing he doesn’t get turned down a lot.” She paused. “I mean if it was that number twenty-two guy, Tricarico, I could understand. That boy looks like he walked into a light post.”
“You’re a big help. I’d like to think I have some pride.”
“Pride isn’t going to keep you warm tonight,” Julie said.
“No,” Kate began, “but it could keep me from being hurt again.”
*
David cursed as he walked through the tunnel. The other team was up by two goals and had held them to six shots on goal. Of course, he and his teammates were acting more like prom queens than pro athletes, so it was no wonder they were getting their asses kicked. He got snagged for an interview, since he’d actually managed to score a goal, along with his three penalties, but he really just wanted to tell their media guy to shove it. What was he going to say? He was going to shovel clichés at the interviewer about teamwork and coming out and working hard the last two periods. Blah, blah, blah. It was all bullshit.
But bullshit or not, he had to do it, so he turned on the charm and gave them what they wanted. When he entered the dressing room, the coach was already screaming at the defense.
“…we’ll be lucky if the fans don’t start throwing shit at your sorry asses.” Coach spun at David. “And you—what was your fucking problem? We don’t pay you to sit in the penalty box, Burke.”
David almost responded, but didn’t. As captain, he had to set a good example for the younger players, and with the coach being in such a shit-ass mood, anything David said would likely earn him a fine.
The tirade went on for several minutes, and David tuned it out. He kept thinking about Kate and how she looked at him. Why did he feel so guilty? He’d ditched women before. But his mind couldn’t let go of how she felt in his arms, and how she kissed him, and more than anything, how what he did for a living didn’t matter. She’d gone out with him in spite of his playing hockey for a living, not because of it. Finally when the coach slammed his office door, David refocused and checked his messages.
She’d responded with one word. “No.” She didn’t clarify it, didn’t rip his head off, she just said no. He wiped his face with a towel, glanced to his right, and saw Jay Hemmings with his head down. He was a perennial forty-goal scorer and one of David’s best friends, but tonight Jay hadn’t been able to get close to the net. “You okay, Hemmy?”
“I had a fight with Annie before I left.”
David slapped his friend on the back. Jay was so in love with his wife, it was almost scary. “Call her. You’re no good to us if you’re worried about where you’re sleeping when you get home.”
“Yeah.” Jay looked over. “What’s up with you?”
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
“It? Or her?” Jay asked. “Your face says you’re having woman problems.”
David grimaced. Jay knew him too well. Realizing he’d pretty well blown it with Kate, David looked across the dressing room toward Cam and nodded. They’d talked briefly about going out after the game, but he’d held off answering until he heard from Kate. Now that he had, David was going to his back-up plan, to get drunk and laid.
Sticking his phone back in his pocket, he thought about that for a second, and it helped him understand yet another reason why Kate probably didn’t want to see him.
Chapter 6
‡
Laura walked to the bus stop, fully intending to go to school. But when her friend Tracy pulled up in the shiny red Mustang she’d received as a seventeenth birthday present, Laura hopped in. The two girls looked at each other, smiled, and knew they weren’t going to school that day. Who the hell needed school, anyway?
“Breakfast first?” Tracy asked.
“Let’s go to the city. There’s more around, and then we can go shopping,” Laura said. She scooted into the seat, and rummaged through her purse for a pair of sunglasses. “I hate my mother.”
Tracy looked over and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what your problem is. Your mom is like the nicest person on the planet.”
“She’s such a pain in the ass. I swear she has no clue what it’s like to live with her, with her questions and prying and always wanting to get into my life. She won’t give me the money for the Bahamas, which totally pissed off my dad, and, get this, I think there might be a guy in the picture.”
“That’s awesome! Who? Is he nice?”
“I have no idea. She and her friend were talking. I think it might be over, though. I dunno. I hope it is.”
“Why? Your dad has a girlfriend,” Tracy responded.
“That’s different. Marie is, well you know, she’s cool.”
“Marie is weird.”
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Laura asked.
“Lor, I love you, but your mom got treated shitty by your dad. He talked to her like she was dirt and cheated on her. And Marie is creepy.”
“Dad said she deserved it.” Laura did not want to talk about this.
“No one deserves that. I hope she found some hot guy to date.”
“Not likely.”
“Why do you say that? Laura, your mother is gorgeous and famous. She could probably have any guy she wanted.”
Everything Tracy had said was true. Her mother was all those things and more, and Marie was a little off, but Laura still didn’t know what to believe. Who was telling her the truth? Maybe that was the problem. Her mother never told her anything.
“I don’t want to talk about her anymore. Can we go eat?”
Tracy shook her head and drove toward Philadelphia. There was a little café near Rittenhouse where they could eat, and hopefully Laura would cool off and relax.