A few of the girls blinked.
“Hotels,” Eleanor added. “Real estate. Ohio, Pennsylvania. That one in Columbus that’s under renovation.”
Mel looked from Eleanor to me. “And we’re calling him what?”
“The Beast,” Eleanor said. Robin nodded. She seemed to know of him, too.
“He looks like he’d audit the rink for OSHA violations,” Zella muttered.
I almost laughed.
“He’s . . . direct,” I said.
Mel stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Is he good to you?”
That question landed heavier than the rest. I thought about the crutches. The first-floor room. The pacing outside my door. The way he’d stood in the waiting room like the building personally offended him.
“He’s steady, and yeah, he has been good to me,” I said. That felt honest.
Mel studied me for a long moment. “And you’re okay with this?”
I nodded. “For now.”
Robin exhaled. “Six to eight weeks?”
“Yeah.”
Mel squeezed my shoulder gently. “You sit your stubborn ass down and heal.”
“Yes, coach.”
She rolled her eyes.
The doors swung open, and Raphael stepped back inside, phone now silent in his hand. The team shifted slightly, instinctively widening the circle.
He didn’t loom. He didn’t interfere. He simply observed, just like he had promised. And I realized something strange. He was out of his element here. But he wasn’t trying to control it. He was letting me have this.
After a few more reassurances and promises that I’d still show up to practices, just not on skates, I finally let him guide me back outside. The air had cooled. He opened the car door again. I didn’t argue this time.
Halfway home, I noticed something. The discharge paperwork I had left on the dashboard earlier was no longer there. It was neatly stacked on the center console . . . highlighted.
“You read them,” I said.
“Yes.”
I stared at the neon marks running across the pages.
“You highlighted them.”
“Yes. There are specific instructions regarding icing intervals.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
“I knew you were going to be insufferable.”
“I am being thorough.”
“You’re going to schedule my physical therapy before we even get home, aren’t you?”
