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Dante studied me for a moment. “Is that something you’re interested in still doing?”
“I would have enough time to, wouldn’t I?” I asked him.
“We can certainly make sure you do. We will keep you on as a coach, if you would like that.”
“I would.” I smiled. “If it is all right, I need to give my two weeks’ notice at my current job and then I would be able to start.”
“Of course.” He returned my smile. “If you want to, take the time tonight to go over everything I’ve given you and give me a call in the morning with your official answer. Then we can have it slated for you to start in two weeks. That also gives me time to transition everything over to you.”
“That is perfect.” I rose from my seat, grabbing my bag from the floor beside me as I tucked the stack of papers beneath my arm. “Thank you again, Dante. I will call you in the morning.”
Dante held his hand out for me to shake. “No, thank you, Juliette. You don’t know how valued you are here.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s only been a few weeks. Are you sure about that?”
Dante’s expression was serious as he nodded again. “Your father put in a good word for you and you have proven yourself.”
I stared at him for a moment, a little taken aback from his words. My father and I had a strained relationship since the accident in college. He was extremely pissed because I was foolish. He had such high hopes for my future in hockey and I threw it all away with one drunken mistake. A lot of things were said out of anger and disappointment.
And there was a part of me that never forgave him for it.
He had tried over the years, but things were still tense between us. He never brought up what happened or the things he said. He never even apologized for it. Instead, he simply brushed it all away as if his hurtful words were never said. As if he didn’t make me feel like absolute shit for losing the one thing that meant the most to me.
Dante and I finished up our conversation and I excused myself from his office before heading out to my car. After starting the engine, I pulled out my phone and tapped on my father’s contact info to call him.
“Juliette, is everything okay? I just got back from Calgary.”
It wasn’t often that I called him out of nowhere. Usually a text was sent before I would even bother calling and if I needed to talk to my parents, my mother was always the safer choice.
“Yes. I wanted to call you to thank you for putting in a good word for me with Dante. He said you vouched for me and told him everything about my history with hockey.”
My father was silent for a beat before he spoke again. “You don’t have to thank me, Juliette. It was the least I could do.” He paused, and I picked at the skin around my thumbnail. “You’ll never be able to play like you did before, but I know how badly you still want a life playing the game. It’s just a different way of doing that.”
The guilt and regret was heavy in his tone. It wasn’t the first time he said something to the same degree and in a way, I knew it was his way of trying to apologize. I would never get a full apology from the man, but it was time for me to let it go and forgive him.
“I really do appreciate it. I just accepted a position as the youth development coordinator there and will still get to coach the little kids.”
“That’s absolutely amazing.” I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. “You’ve always been destined for great things, and I know this will be a great venture for you.”
“I should probably go, but I just wanted to say thank you,” I told him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. Just like he didn’t apologize, I didn’t like having moments like this that warmed my heart.
“You’re my daughter, Juliette. I know we’ve had issues in the past, but that is one thing that will never change. I will always do anything I can to help you.” He fell silent, and I waited for him to speak again. “If you ever want to come to a Vipers game, let me know. I’ll have a seat for you.”
“Thanks, Dad, I will.”
We both said “I love you” and I quickly ended the call to avoid any more uncomfortable conversation. He may not have apologized, but it was still a step in the direction of forgiveness. Our relationship still had a chance, as long as we both put our stubbornness to the side.
When I got back to my condo building, I grabbed my mail and took the elevator up to my floor. Thankfully, all of my things were in my mailbox this time, but there was a part of me that wished Mac had stolen another package.
It would have given me an excuse to see him again.
An entire week had almost passed since we went skating together. He was busy with hockey and was due to be back from a trip they took for an away game. My father had answered the phone, saying he just got back from Calgary, so that would mean Mac was back too. Unless he was out or ended up going somewhere else for the night.
I wasn’t sure what he really did with his spare time and it wasn’t any of my business… even if I wanted to make it my business.
As I walked up to my door, something caught my eye. Butterflies flickered to life in my stomach and I pulled the sticky note from my door. My eyes scanned over the words scratched in his messy handwriting and a smile drifted across my lips.
Notes are fun, aren’t they?
