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I finished closing the magazines and went to see Gladys. “Thank you so much for your help! I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon.”
Gladys smiled.
While I could have stayed and searched for more about Jerika, I felt a familiar rumble in my belly and felt the shakes coming on. I needed food. Even if I didn’t want to stop, I had to or risk the insatiable hunger that wouldn’t quit the rest of the day.
Glancing up at Ransom as I led the way out, I pulled car keys from my pocket. “So where is this place?”
He grasped my hand. “Ride with me. I’ll drop you by to pick up your car after. You’re going to work more while I go home and prepare for the game, right?”
Digging around for my sunglasses, I dropped the keys in my purse and when we pushed out the front door, I got blinded by the sun so I couldn’t find them anyway.
I felt Ransom’s arm circle my waist as he ducked down, his lips hovering at my neck. “Just keep your eyes closed. I’ll take you.”
I felt a smile creep across my lips. We used to do this all the time when we were kids. I’d be inside somewhere and my eyes hurt when I went out in the bright sun. Ransom would take my hand and lead me to where it wasn’t so sunny. I was used to his cues. We had a system we both still remembered.
Once at the truck, he hoisted me up, pulled my sunglasses from my purse, and pushed them into my hand. “There.”
When I placed them on and turned, he was still there. Leaning in, I pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thanks.”
His eyes tightened. “Are we okay?”
Looking at what happened in the night, it was stupid. Stupid for me to still be mad about it. Sure, a source spooked and that sucked. But it was the middle of the night and he wasn’t quite awake. He wasn’t used to my lifestyle. He wasn’t used to late-night calls from random people, with me jumping out of bed to chat. But if he really wanted to live together, he would have to get over it.
In the meantime, I couldn’t stay mad at him. Never could. Ransom wasn’t like anyone else. He never had a bad intent when it came to me. He was careful about what he said, what he did. And he loved me. One half-asleep mistake wasn’t going to change that.
My heart squeezed. “Yeah, Chief. We’re great.”
28
RANSOM
While Phoebe said we were okay and she wasn’t mad anymore, there was something that was bothering her. I asked so many times she yelled at me. So, for now at least, I had to let it go.
What felt even worse was that over the next few days, the team and our new coach took a few significant hits. I wished they were physical hits. Probably would have come and gone faster, but they were psychological hits. Losses. Big ones.
With our team’s stance with Molly, we felt like we had something to prove. And instead of going out there and wiping the floor with other teams now that we had Coach and Molly, we skated like shit.
Then there was the backlash from the professional hockey community landing harder than usual. Coach Buchoskya stepped into a shitstorm media frenzy. Handling it like a pro, he gave press conferences and sat for interviews giving efficient, sometimes blunt answers.
To say morale was low was an understatement. Molly tried all her usual tactics. From being sincere to kicking our asses, she gave it her best shot. Maddy played upbeat music for us during practice. Kiley brought us chocolate bacon cupcakes to have after practice. But we still entered the locker room for a game with grim expressions and a low opinion of ourselves.
Tonight, though, when we came to suit up, we realized we weren’t alone. We found the entire Raptors team standing in front of our lockers.
Angus, the Raptors’ goalie, stepped forward. “I know I’m not the team captain, but I feel like I know ye. I’ve been where ye are, felt yer struggles. So, we’re here today to support ye, to make sure ye know you’re not alone. Let us take on some of yer troubles so ye can go out on the ice with a clear mind and brave heart.”
Filtering through, we shook hands, slapped each other on the back, and some of the worry did melt away. The support. The kindness offered. It was above and beyond.
Suiting up, we dressed with bantering and joking conversations. We followed our rituals, but didn’t get weirded out when silence didn’t reign for a change. It felt collegial, fun again. Like skating used to be back in college.
Once we were dressed, Angus gave Molly the all clear and she came in smiling. “You know, I realized something yesterday. We got so caught up in the game, the drills, the fine-tuning, and practice that we lost this. The ability to smile. The playfulness. The fun. So, I brought the guys who don’t have to take life as seriously to come remind us. Don’t feel like you have something to prove out there tonight, guys. You don’t have to prove anything to me or anyone else. Just have a fucking good time!”
The guys all shouted with whoops and hollers.
Molly chuckled. “The skills are second nature. Don’t doubt them. Just remember why you started playing the game in the first place and things will fall into place.”
When it was time to head out, it didn’t feel like we were walking to a guillotine. It felt like we were headed toward something great. We were going out there to play. Sure, we’d keep our feet moving. And we’d watch for opportunities and passes as always. But, it was time to get back to basics and stop overthinking it.
The first period, we scored a goal and kept the other team from scoring at all. It was a solid start, better than the last few. When we went into the locker room at the first intermission, we all fell apart laughing. How could Molly know what we needed? How could she find something so simple and make it work for us? As she walked in front of us, punching us in the chest, laughing and joking with us during the break, I marveled at her maturity. She could have been a moody teenager, but she chose to spend her extra time with us.
