AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She just needed to get out of Vancouver. Get back home and back to her life. Stay busy, and move on.
Then everything would be all right.
THIRTY-ONE
BEING IN NEW YORK SURE AS HELL WASN'T HELPING Will's mood.
It had been two weeks since he last saw Amber. He'd been back at work, had even played against Chicago so he'd seen his parents and his brother.
At least that part had been fun. He'd gone to the bar, had downed a beer with the regulars, showed off the gold medal and shared a meal with Mom and Dad and his brother, Ethan.
He hadn't even mentioned Amber, though his mother had known something was up with him. What was it with moms and their freaky intuition anyway? He told her he was tired from the games and he'd be fine once he got back on schedule.
She didn't believe him. Imagine that.
But now he had a game in New York tomorrow night. They'd just flown in this morning and checked into the hotel. He'd made contact with Drew Hogan, hoping that connecting with Drew might help keep his mind off Amber.
Will had invited Drew out for drinks, but Drew told Will he could just come to his place and they could have lunch. Carolina was out of town on a buying trip and Drew said he'd order takeout for them.
It sounded like a great idea, so Will had a car take him to the nice-looking apartment Drew and Carolina owned on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was modern and well furnished and, considering the location, very spacious.
Drew opened beers for both of them and they sat on the white leather sofa.
"Guess you can't toss your shit around in this place," Will said.
"I've learned to live a little neater, but I have a game room in here that Carolina lets me slob around in."
"Then why the hell are we sitting in here?"
"Because food's coming soon. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."
Drew ordered Thai food for them, which sounded great because Will was hungry, too. They ate and drank a couple of beers and talked shit to each other about tomorrow night's game.
"Too bad your goalie's hurt and your team is playing a backup," Will said. "I don't know why you're even bothering to show up."
Drew finished his plate and wiped his hands on his napkin. "Because even with our backup goalie we're going to drag your asses all over the ice?"
Will laughed.
"So are you glad to be back to regular business?" Will asked.
"Hell, yeah. I mean the games were fun, but holy shit that was some pressure. I've got enough pressure going on here."
"Here being the high castle? It is fancy."
Drew leaned back against the sofa. "Yeah, well fancy's going on the market. Carolina's pregnant."
"No shit? Congratulations, man." Will leaned forward to shake Drew's hand. "When's the baby due?"
Drew sprouted a wide smile. It was obvious he was really happy.
"Thanks. Baby's due in August. We're both pretty damned excited about it. But this place"--Drew looked around--"isn't suitable for a baby. So we're moving out of Manhattan."
"Yeah? How's that gonna work with Carolina's fashion career?"
"She has a talented staff of people working under her that can deal with the day-to-day. She intends to take the first year with the baby, and she'll handle a lot of the minutiae from home."
"I'm really happy for you, Drew."
"Thanks. Hey, you and Amber seemed to hit it off. Maybe it won't be long before you're headed in this direction."
"Yeah, that didn't work out."
Drew frowned. "It didn't? Why not?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I told her how I felt. She just . . . didn't feel the same way."
"I find that hard to believe. She was really into you."
"That's what I thought, but sometimes it doesn't go the way you want it to."
"Huh. I'm sorry, Will."
"Me, too."
The last thing Will wanted to talk about, think about or dwell on was Amber. "But hey, you've got great news and some exciting things to think about. So let's talk about that."
"Oh, yeah. Like putting this place up for sale, buying a house, moving, dealing with a hormonal wife, finishing up this hockey season, trying to figure out the million different baby things to buy and worrying about what kind of dad I'm going to be. Or even if I know what the hell I'm doing."
"See? Like I said. Exciting things to think about." Will shot Drew a grin and a nod.
Drew laughed. "Asshole."
"That's what I'm here for, buddy."
And as long as they could talk about something--anything--other than his wrecked love life--Will would be happy.
Though he wasn't sure he'd ever be happy again.
THIRTY-TWO
AMBER HAD A PERFORMANCE TONIGHT AT MADISON Square Garden. She loved doing a touring performance there, and the crowds were always fantastic.
Normally being in Manhattan would perk her up, since going into the city was always one of her favorite things. Instead, she sat in her hotel room, looking down at the bustle of the city, the traffic, the people, and felt as far removed from it all as she could.
She didn't want to be here.
"You seem down."
Amber lifted her gaze to her mother. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. Tell me what's bothering you. Is it one of your fellow skaters?"
Her mother would think that. "No."
"Then what is it?"
She might as well tell her. "I broke up with Will before we left Vancouver."
Mom stared at her for the longest time, then finally nodded. "Well, that's good."
Amber blinked. "Good? How can you say that?"
Her mother came over to her and sat in the chair across from her, taking her hands. "Honey, it frees you. Now you don't have the bonds of that relationship to tie you down. You can concentrate on your skating, on your career, on your future."
Amber jerked her hands away. "That's all you ever think about? My career?"
She stood and paced the room, her heart aching.
"Sweetie, you'll feel differently when you have some time--and some distance. You have so much to look forward to. Don't look back."
Amber pivoted and glared at her mother. "He told me he loved me. And I never told him I loved him, Mom. Which I do. I love him."
Her mother waved her hand back and forth. "You hardly know him. You'll get over it."
She stared at her mother, unable to fathom her lack of empathy. "I'll get over it? How can you say that like my feelings mean nothing?"
Her mother leaned back in the chair. "What do you know about love, anyway, Amber? You've never even dated. You were in a bubble at the games. It was a fling."
Amber sighed. "It was more than a fling. I love him, Mom. He loved me. And I hurt him."
"Give it some time. You'll move on. You have your career to think about. Now's not the time to get involved with someone. There are big things on the horizon for you. That's what you should be focusing on right now."
She sat across from her mother, wishing she understood. "Just once I'd like you to consider my feelings."
"What do you want me to say? What do you want from me, Amber?"
"You know what I'd like? Just once, I'd like you to act like my mother instead of my manager or my coach or my trainer. I'd like you to be sympathetic to my feelings, instead of thinking of me as a figure skater. I'm hurting here, Mom, and all you can think about is how awesome it is that I broke up with the man I love because now my relationship won't get in the way of my career.
"You know what I expected of my mother? A little empathy. Maybe a hug. That maybe you would actually care that my heart is broken. Instead, all you care about is how it affects my career. That's not what a mother does. That's what a manager does. I don't need a manager. I need a mother. I've always needed a mother and you've never been one to me. And that breaks my heart."
She was crying by the time she finished. She'd never been so outspoken with her mother, but it had
felt like a catharsis. She'd held all that emotion inside for years and it needed to come out. And now that it had, she wouldn't take it back.
Her mother stared at her, giving her that same judgmental look she'd given her her entire life. "I've always done what was best for you."
"I know you did. And I'm so appreciative to you and Dad for everything you've given me. I've had a wonderful career. Now I need you to step up and be my mother."
She waited for the lecture. And waited for her mother to blow up at her.
"I'm . . . I'm sorry, Amber. I had no idea."
Amber was shocked.
"I've been so hyperfocused on your career, that maybe I have overlooked the emotional side. As you know, I'm not very emotional myself. But I can see you get your emotional side from your father. It's a part of you I'll probably never be able to understand. But I can learn to appreciate it."
"So you do love Dad?"
Her mother frowned. "Of course, I love your father. We've been married for twenty-seven years."
"You can be married and not love the person you're married to."
"Well, what would be the point of staying married to someone you don't love? I love your father, Amber. I always have. I always will."
"But you're not . . . affectionate with each other."
