Chapter 5
FIVE
Brian
Maddy was quiet for the first minute after we got in the car, looking out the side window so I couldn’t see her expression. I had no idea what she was thinking about.
But then she turned to stare at me, and I knew exactly what she’d been mulling over.
“So, you got something going on with her, huh?”
I blinked, Maddy’s question stumbling through my brain for a few seconds while I considered my answer. At least I could answer this truthfully. “You mean me and Rain? No.”
Maddy made a sound between a huff and a snort, that I recognized as a perfect imitation of her mom. My lips started to twitch into a smile, but I managed to cover it.
“She’s definitely into you.”
Really? “No. She’s not. We’ve just known each other for a long time.”
Maddy’s arms crossed over her chest. “And you’re totally into her.”
Shit. “No, I’m not.”
Okay, that was a total lie. And there was that huff-snort again, which made me want to squirm in my seat like I was Maddy’s age.
“Does she always talk that much?” Maddy continued. “I mean, oh my god, like, she never shut up.”
“We had a lot to talk about.”
“Does she always get so involved in everyone’s business? Seriously, like, doesn’t she have her own life?”
“She helps her family run the team. Pretty sure that counts as having a life.”
“That just means she got her job because of her family. Must be nice not to have to worry about money and stuff.”
I didn’t say anything right away, because I heard the hurt and frustration in Maddy’s voice. Life with Linny had never been easy, even though she had to know how much her mom loved her. Linny had always struggled with money. I’d helped as much as my sister would let me, but she only let me give her money when Maddy needed something. Clothes. Medicine. School supplies.
“Yeah, her family has money, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t work just as hard as everyone else.”
I glanced over to see Maddy looking at me with narrowed eyes. Those eyes were way too sharp for a twelve-year-old.
“You like her.”
She sounded so much like Linny, I shook my head, which Maddy took to be my answer.
“Yes, you do.”
“She’s a nice person, so yeah, I like her.”
“No, you want her to be your girlfriend.”
Since I’d promised Maddy I wouldn’t lie to her, and I had already totally lied to her just a few seconds earlier, I didn’t respond to her statement. “What I want is to get us settled here, and Rain’s going to help us do that.”
“Why would she do that? She doesn’t really know us.”
“I told you I played here before. I got to know Rain then. But I was friends with her brothers, Rowdy and Rebel, first.”
“Why do they have weird names?”
I barked out a laugh. “Wasn’t there a kid in your class named Blue Sky?”
“Yeah, but her parents are stoners, and they had her when they were, like, eighteen.”
Fair enough. “Rain’s parents definitely are not stoners, and their other son is named Rocky.”
“Seriously? That’s just stupid.”
“Well, when you meet the Colonel and Raffi, you can tell them that.”
I obviously couldn’t hear her roll her eyes, but I know she did. “Like I would ever. I’m not stupid. You need this job.”
I had to laugh again as I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. “Mads, stupid is not a word I would ever associate with you. You’re way smarter than me.”
Her snort echoed through the car. “Yeah, well, you’re the only person who thinks that.”
“Your mom thinks you’re brilliant. And I’m pretty sure Rain doesn’t think you’re stupid.”
Another sideways grin. “And I’m pretty sure you like her more than a friend. You’re not really that great of a liar, Uncle Bri. Like, you really shouldn’t even bother.”
The next morning, I walked out of the school feeling like I’d just failed a job interview.
Rain walked by my side, strangely subdued and silent the entire time it took to get to my truck. We both got in and got seated, and I just sat there for a second, wondering what the hell had just happened.
“Wow, so that was…interesting,” Rain said, staring out the front window. “I had no idea that would be so intense. I don’t even think I need my coffee this morning.”
“Good thing I’m going to practice later,” I responded. “I feel like I need to do penance or something.”
We turned and looked at each other, shaking our heads, and finally Rain started to smile, which made me smile.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “That was more like an interrogation than an interview. I mean, I guess they need to be sure about who’s taking care of their kids, but damn, I thought he was going to ask for a vial of your blood to be sure you are who you said you are.”
“I know, right? But hey, he seemed genuinely interested in Maddy, so that’s a plus.”
“I didn’t realize we—you’d be talking to the assistant principal. I’ve only met him a few times at games, but damn, he’s scary. I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side.”
Still shaking my head, I pulled my gaze away from the beautiful woman in my passenger seat and got the engine started. Maddy and I had met Rain in the front of the school about an hour ago. She’d walked over from the arena to meet us, because she’d said she wanted to get her steps in.
But now I was in an enclosed space with a woman I had dreamed about last night, with Maddy’s claim that I couldn’t lie worth a damn running through my head. All of that jumbled together with the look on Maddy’s face when I’d left her alone in a strange school in a strange town where she knew exactly no one, and I felt my chest constricting until I thought it would crack.
“She’ll be fine.”
Rain’s voice wrapped around me like my favorite flannel shirt, warm and comforting. And fucking arousing. My hands reflexively gripped the steering wheel before I caught myself and relaxed them.
“I know. She’s tough.” I sighed. “Maybe a little too much.”
“Give her time to settle in. Let the town grow on her. Of course, Mrs. Travers might give her a level of tough to aspire to.”
Mrs. Travers owned the garage apartment Rain thought we should rent. And because there weren’t a lot of other options in town, that’s where we were headed next. The team took care of housing, so I didn’t have to worry about being able to pay the rent, just if the place was a good fit for us.
And right now, pretty much anything would be better than living in a hotel. Maddy needed a place that felt like a home. Where she could have her own room. Where we could make dinner instead of eat takeout.
Rain gave me directions to Mrs. Travers’s house, which was in the residential area a couple of blocks off Main Street, and when we pulled into the driveway, I knew just from looking at the garage that this would work. The main house was a small stone Cape, which looked like it could use a little sprucing up. But the garage, which sat at the end of the driveway, looked newer and in great shape.
It looked more like a small house than a garage, with what looked like a full second floor. You could tell where the garage door had been replaced with a regular door and a full window, but otherwise, it checked every square for what I thought living in a small town should be.
“Is something wrong?”
Rain’s hesitancy made me slide her a glance as I shook my head. “No. It looks…perfect.”
Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud. This could still fall through. I hadn’t met Mrs. Travers yet, and from what Rain had said, she was a tough nut. And I hadn’t seen the inside. It could be a complete mess. But I had a feeling it wasn’t. Rain wouldn’t steer me wrong.
Rain’s bright smile made me feel like I’d just skated sprints, but I smiled back and got out of the truck. Didn’t want the moment to get awkward, and knowing me, it would get awkward fast.
Before I could make it to the front door, the door on the side of the house opened and a woman walked out, the cane in her hand looking spindly compared to the woman herself.
“Well, you must be the hockey player,” she practically yelled. “Got that look. Rainbow, you here?”
I heard the car door slam before Rain said, “Yes, Mrs. Travers. I’m here.”
Mrs. Travers had to be nearly six feet tall and probably weighed more than a few of the guys on the team. And I didn’t mean she was overweight. No, she was solid. I’d been expecting someone frail and elderly. This woman looked like she could bench two hundred pounds.
“You know I can’t see so well or hear so well, so come closer.”
I obeyed without hesitation because I’d been raised to respect my elders. Even so, Rain beat me to her.
“Mrs. Travers, this is Brian Fiskers. I told you he’d like to rent the?—”
“Yes, yes. He wants to rent the garage for the season.” Mrs. Travers turned toward me and squinted. “I was told you had a teenager.”
“She’s twelve, but yes, ma’am, my niece is living with me. She’s in school now.”
“Hmm, so, not a teenager. She noisy?”
“No, ma’am. Not really.”
“She’s not old enough to stay alone, and I’m no babysitter.”
Beside me, I saw Rain look up toward the sky.
“I’ll be here most days after school.” I planned to be, anyway. “We’ve already got a plan for her to stay with Miss Raffi when I’m gone for games.”
“Where’s her mom?”
My tongue got stuck on that one because I hadn’t planned to tell many people what was going on with my sister. I’d known there’d be questions, but Mrs. Travers’s blunt question took me back a step. Still, I didn’t want to lie.
“Treatment center. For alcohol.”
I didn’t know what I expected her to say or do, but I braced for whatever. Despite my size and my personae on the ice as an enforcer, I really didn’t like confrontation. That didn’t mean I was a pushover. I just didn’t want to have to deal with other people’s attitudes.
Mrs. Travers stared at me for a few more seconds, like she was ticking off pros and cons.
Finally, she said, “Son’s got issues with that. Been in and out of rehab a few times. Seems to be on the right path now.” She shot Rain a look, who didn’t look surprised. “No telling tales out of school, little girl.”
Rain nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Then she shrugged. “I like Jimmy. He’s sweet.”
Mrs. Travers huffed. “Yeah, he is that.” She turned back to me. “Well, it’s ready to move in today, if you want. I’ll open the windows and give it some air. Been closed up for a few weeks. I’ll throw the bedding and towels in for a wash too.”
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Guess I’d passed the test. “Thank you. We’ll be over after I pick up Maddy from school. And you don’t have to worry about the towels and stuff. We can do that tonight.”
“I ain’t got nothing to do today anyway.”
My lips parted to protest again, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rain widen her eyes and shake her head just once. I shut my mouth.
Mrs. Travers had already turned to shuffle back to her home, now leaning heavily on her cane. Part of me wanted to offer my arm for her to hold as she walked, but she’d probably bite my head off if I did.
“I expect to hear from the team about rent today,” she said before disappearing back into the house.
“Yes,” Rain said. “I’ll get payment set,” the door slammed behind Mrs. Travers, “up.”
Okay, I guessed we had a place to stay.
I looked at Rain, who looked at me like I might take off screaming. She should know me better than that. I don’t run. Although my past performance with her and Mo might suggest otherwise.
“Well, that went better than I thought it would.” She gave me a thumbs-up and a bright smile that made me want to smile back. “I think she likes you.”
That got a chuckle out of me, and I nodded my head toward my truck. I didn’t say anything until we were back in the cab and pulling away. I didn’t want my new landlady to accidentally hear something she didn’t like and kick us out.
“Oh my god,” Rain said, “I just realized you never went inside. We can go back?—”
“If you say it’s good, I’m sure it’ll be fine for us. I trust your judgment. Besides, we don’t have a lot of options, and this one is pretty perfect location-wise. It’ll be fine. Back to the arena now?”
She nodded, still watching me like she expected me to do something. “You’re going to be early for practice.”
“Haven’t been on the ice for a few months. I figure I can use the extra time.”
A slight pause, but I could practically hear her brain clicking over her thoughts.
“Did you miss it? Playing, I mean.”
She didn’t need to explain her question. I knew what she meant.
Like I’d lost a limb. “Yeah, but I think I needed a break to realize how much I missed it.”
“So you haven’t skated since you left last season?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure I remember how.”
Her quiet huff of laughter made my gut twist. “You always were good on skates.”
“Yep, since I was a kid. Growing up in a small town with an ancient ice rink as the only entertainment, and parents who think the busier you are, the less time you have to get into trouble, kinda seals your fate.”
“Does your sister skate too?”
“She can, but she had other distractions by the time she hit high school. I loved hockey. She loved to party. We didn’t have a lot in common as kids.”
“So she’s always had a…an issue with alcohol?”
“Yeah. She was twenty when she had Maddy. My parents didn’t kick her out or anything. Linny just didn’t want to follow their rules and moved out with Maddy’s dad. They were okay for a year, maybe. And then it all fell apart. The guy skipped out on them, and Linny worked a lot of shit jobs, collected assistance and lived on food stamps for years. It was always a struggle for her, but she was stubborn. Maddy never went without food or clothes. She loves Maddy. I’ve never doubted that. But Lin always had just enough money for alcohol. What I’ve learned about alcoholism is that people can fully function while being alcoholics. But it always catches up to them.”
“I’m glad she’s getting help.”
“Yeah, me too. I just hope it sticks this time.”
“So this isn’t the first time she’s been in rehab?”
I thought back to the three other stints in different facilities, and the promises that this time it was going to be better.
“No, but this is the first time she’s done inpatient.”
“That’s gotta be tough on Maddy.”
“Yeah, it has been.”
Since we weren’t that far from the arena, we were already pulling into the parking lot. There were only a few cars in the lot, but I recognized her tan Subaru Outback, decked out with Devils hockey stickers and magnets. Her car served as a mobile billboard for the team. She probably had the backseat packed with promotional material, ready to hand out in a flash.
She’d always been the team’s most devoted fan.
As I parked next to her car and shut off the engine, I stared at the service entrance, a familiar feeling settling over me.
“Brian?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m glad you’re back. I just…wanted you to know.”
I turned and caught her lopsided smile, which made me feel even more warm and fuzzy. And hot and bothered.
“I’m glad to be back.”
It felt like home.