AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Geezus, are you having some kind of breakdown?”
I stood and walked over to the sliding glass doors where the city of Portland was spread out in front of me. A small, but hockey crazy city, glittering against the jet black ocean. In this town, near the stadium, there was a billboard with me on it. And when I got on the ice, everyone in the arena chanted “Heart, Heart, Heart.”
This was my life. My fancy life with the cool shit and all the accolades a guy could want.
And I just crushed a woman at the start of her career.
Such an asshole. I deserved to be lonely. I should feel like shit.
“Why did you call?”
“I wanted to see if I could score some tickets to the opening preseason game. I can use them as a giveaway for the bar.”
“Not to come see your big brother play?”
“I’ve seen you play plenty,” Wendy said. Giving me the gears was her love language. “The movie people have left. The tourist season is over. I’ve got Jackson Dumont’s new bar to contend with, and while the locals are being very loyal, I can’t just coast on my existing clientele. I need new blood.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll hook you up with two.”
“Four,” she countered.
“Wendy, it’s our first game. It doesn’t matter that it’s preseason. It’s gonna be a sellout.”
“Fine. Two. Now, are you going to tell me what’s happening with you and Liv or what?”
The change of subject gave me whiplash. “What about me and Liv?”
“Uh, the fact that Dave caught you sucking face in the kitchen last week after you kicked our asses in the three-legged race.”
Fucking blabbermouth Dave.
“You told me things with her were a no go because she worked for the team,” Wendy reminded me.
“Yes. Well, things are still a no go. We shouldn’t have messed around. It was a mistake.”
There was silence on the other line.
“What?” I pressed, familiar with my sister’s silences. “Just say it.”
“You guys looked good together. That’s all. Even when she was smack talking her ass off at me I thought…yeah, that’s who he needs.”
“I don’t need anybody,” I said, fully embracing my shit mood. “I can’t need anyone. I need to be focused on my game.”
“Right,” Wendy agreed. “Everything for the sport, for the win. For the high of being on top.”
“You know what Dad taught us,” I reminded her.
“Oh, I do.” She dropped her voice so she sounded like a talking bear. “No marriage, no relationships, no happiness until I’m done playing.”
“Is that supposed to be me?” I asked, confused by the impression.
“Dillon, I adore Dad, but did you ever consider it wasn’t us that ruined his wrestling career? That maybe Mon Ami was just a freaking dumb character. And maybe, all that traveling he did to try and make it big, wasn’t the thing that ruined his and Mom’s marriage. Maybe they got divorced because they weren’t right for one another. So you can wait. Until the sport and wins abandon you. And the guy you walked away from asks you if it was all worth it, and you’re like, how can I possibly know, and he keeps texting you even though he’s told you he’s moved on with this life.”
I frowned. “Are we talking about my life or your life right now? I’m confused.”
“All I’m saying is that we tend to be very focused people, which is great, but lonely.”
“You should get a dog,” I told her gruffly. “I would feel better knowing you had someone to walk you home every night after the bar closes.”
