Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
MATT
“Gather around,” Assistant Coach Willets called from where he stood beside Coach Dunn near the edge of the rink.
We all skated over. A couple of guys took their helmets off, but I kept mine on. My hair was drenched with sweat, and I had no doubt that I’d freeze as soon as it was exposed to the cold air. Right now, it was just kind of gross and damp but not unbearable.
“We have our first preseason game on Monday,” Coach Dunn boomed, rubbing his gloved hands together.
“I know you’ve all been working hard, but there’s a weekend between now and then, and I’d ask that you all lie low.
Work out tomorrow if you feel the need and rest on Sunday so you’re ready to go on Monday. ”
“We don’t want to hear about any wild parties,” Willets added, crossing his arms and doing his best to look intimidating, which would be more effective if he weren’t built like a string bean.
“If you turn up hungover or worse for wear, you’re benched.
No exceptions. If anyone finds themselves in the media for anything other than rescuing kittens from trees, same thing. ”
“What if I want to have a shot of tequila so I’m a beast on the ice?” Jesse asked.
Everyone ignored him. It was a good thing the coaches knew he was joking or he could have been in trouble. Not that I was convinced the prospect of that would have dissuaded him.
Coach Dunn cleared his throat. “Thank you all for your hard work during training camp. I know it can be difficult getting back into it after so long away. Everyone put in their best effort and I appreciate that. We’ll now read out the team configuration.”
I shifted my weight, anxious to find out who I’d be paired with. Hopefully, Gauthier since we were starting to make headway on anticipating each other’s moves.
Coach announced the lines, and sure enough, I was. Thank God.
“We’ll see you back here on Monday. Be ready. Seattle is going to come out hard.”
The team dispersed.
Gauthier clapped me on the shoulder and grinned. “You and me, man. We’ve got this, right?”
“Right,” I agreed, clasping his hand and squeezing it firmly.
Gauthier glanced over my shoulder, his dark eyes locking onto someone beyond me. “Coach?”
“I need a word with Matthews,” Coach Dunn said, flashing Gauthier a reassuring smile. “Nothing to worry about.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Gauthier skated away, heading for the changing rooms.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t heard anything about the documentary since last week. Since our first game is coming up, surely some sort of organization should be happening.”
I nodded. He had a point. I’d expected to have heard from either Chelsey or Kim by now. “I’ll ask Chelsey before I leave.”
His chin dipped in acknowledgment. “I’d appreciate that. We don’t want to be caught off guard when the time comes. Better to be prepared for these things.”
We skated off the ice together, and I went to the changing rooms, undressed, and showered.
All the while, my mind was whirling. Hopefully, the delay in hearing from the doc team was just because they were busy sorting the details out on their end.
I’d hate to think that Chelsey was dragging her feet because she was reluctant to deal with me.
I packed my gear, zipped my bag, and left it on a bench to return to later, then I strode out of the changing rooms and almost had a three-way collision.
Chelsey had been coming down the stairs, looking at her phone, while Delacrue was rushing past for God only knew what reason. I stopped abruptly, halting just short of Chelsey, and Delacrue slammed into me, knocking me off balance. I grabbed him to steady myself.
“What the fuck?” He stepped back, blinking in surprise. His gaze darted from me to Chelsey and narrowed. “Someone let that reporter bitch in the front door,” he snapped. “Was it you? Are you trying to get us booted from the NHL?”
She reeled back, and it was clear from her expression that she had no idea what he was talking about.
Thinking quickly, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you warn the guys who haven’t left yet? Suggest they go out the side door?”
He nodded. “Good thinking.”
As he disappeared into the changing rooms, Chelsey turned her nose up at me. “Not going to say anything about him calling a reporter a bitch?”
“There were more important things.” As it was, we were lucky Delacrue hadn’t confronted her.
If I’d made a fuss when he was already in a bad mood, we might have gotten into the exact kind of PR scrape we were trying to avoid—especially if Rebecca Jansen was somewhere in the building and caught wind of the fight and what had caused it.
The corners of Chelsey’s mouth turned down, and I hated how disappointed she looked. “Same old Matt. I thought you might have changed, but you haven’t.”
I wanted to argue, but I could already tell that it wouldn’t get me anywhere. I’d be better off trying to get this situation back onto professional grounds.
“Coach wants to know what’s going on with the documentary crew. Will they be coming to Washington with us on Monday?”
Her lips parted in a sexy ‘O’, and I got the impression I’d taken her by surprise. “No, unfortunately, they have a conflicting appointment for that game.”
“Okay, I’ll let Coach know.”
“Thanks.” She illuminated her phone screen and glanced down at it.
I followed her gaze, my eyes catching on the image of a waterfall on her screensaver.
It was beautiful, and I couldn’t help wondering if she’d taken the photo and, if so, who’d gone with her.
Was there another man accompanying her on her rambling hikes, like I used to?
My blood heated, and I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm myself. I had no right to be upset if she was dating. We’d been broken up for years, and I’d been the one to blow it. She was allowed to move on.
I gestured toward the phone screen. “Is that one of yours?”
Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. She probably wanted to tell me to get lost. But instead, she nodded.
“It could be on a postcard.” That wasn’t an exaggeration. Chelsey was seriously talented. “Do you still do much landscape photography?”
She was silent for so long that I thought she might not answer, but eventually, she did. “Yeah, but unfortunately, my camera and lenses are better suited to portraits and sports photography rather than landscapes. Those are what I need for my work, so I have to prioritize them.”
I flinched at the unspoken admission that she couldn’t afford the lenses or the camera that would allow her the most freedom to pursue her passion for the outdoors. “I’d think a camera for portrait and sports photography would be a work expense, not a personal cost to you.”
She grimaced. “The team does have cameras, but I prefer to work with my own. I know it better, so I take better photos with it.”
“That makes sense.” I understood, but it was a shame that she wasn’t able to have the best of the best in all regards.
She deserved top-of-the-line landscape photography gear.
I’d rarely seen her more content than when she was photographing waterfalls or mountain ranges. She shouldn’t have to settle for less.
“Have you been on any tours recently?” She’d always dreamed of signing up for one of those multi-day tours of far-flung regions led by experienced landscape photographers. When we were together, that had been out of our budget, but I hoped she’d managed to do at least one or two since then.
She raised her eyebrows. “I think we’ve veered off-topic enough for one day.”
I sighed but didn’t press for an answer. Honestly, I’d already gotten more out of her than I’d expected. “Keep me updated about the documentary.”
“I will.”
I hesitated before leaving. “Is there anything that would be helpful for me to do before filming starts?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
I turned to leave. I recognized a dismissal when I heard one. I dropped by Coach to pass along the news and paused to watch the amateur team that was practicing on the ice.
Someone leaned on the railing beside me.
I looked over, then did a double-take and backed away from Jesse. “Too close, man.”
He grinned. “No such thing. So, are you chasing after a pretty blonde, by any chance?”
I stiffened. “No, I was just talking to her to follow up on something for Coach.”
“Uh-huh.” His grin broadened. “Sure you were. How is Chelsey?”
“She’s a professional,” I snapped, irritated with him for seeing more than I wanted him to. “I hope you’re not spreading gossip about us. She deserves to be treated with respect.”
His grin fell away and his eyebrows knitted together. “Of course I’m not. I’d never want to make life harder for her. I just like to tease.”
I sighed, knowing I’d been too hard on him. “Sorry, Jess. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know.” One side of his mouth hitched up mischievously. “You’re just protective of your boo.”
I snorted. “Seriously, shut up.”
“All right, all right. I’m leaving.”
I pushed away from the boards. “I should get a move on too.”
We were side by side as we left the stadium. I unlocked my car and got in. Unfortunately, school had recently let out, so the roads were clogged as I navigated between rows of traffic to my place in the suburbs.
When I arrived, I was grateful to escape the traffic, but the deafening silence inside made me almost miss the chaos. I knew some people liked having quiet and order at home to counteract how full-on our professional lives were, but the contrast only made me aware of exactly how alone I was.
With a tight chest, I put on a load of laundry, started a podcast over the Bluetooth speaker in the living room, and settled on the sofa. I scrolled through social media on my phone, replying to a few comments and sending memes and funny videos to my friends.
Then, as if drawn by a magnet, I found myself opening the folder where I’d stored all my photos of Chelsey and me together.
The most recent ones—still nearly a decade old—appeared first. We were at a campsite we’d visited during the semester break of our senior year, not long before we’d broken up.
She was smiling at the camera, wearing a tank top with her hair loose and her eyes sparkling.
She looked so happy.
Hell, we both looked happy. While she was focused on the camera, I was looking at her with big, sappy eyes that made it clear just how smitten I was.
My heart squeezed painfully. Back then, I thought we’d be that happy forever.
I kept scrolling, passing over pictures of us at hockey games, parties, and a few of us with our families. Her cheeks had been a bit plumper from the softness of youth. Mine had been too, despite the strict training regimen I’d already been adhering to.
We were touching in almost every photograph.
When I finally reached the very first one, I glanced at Chelsey’s bare hand. I stood as if on autopilot and made my way to the bedroom. I opened the top drawer of the nightstand and withdrew a small, black box.
Dropping my ass on the edge of the bed, I flipped the box open and stared at the ring nestled inside. It wasn’t anything flashy. In fact, it was quite simple. I’d saved for months, and even then, I hadn’t been able to afford much.
I’d been determined to show Chelsey how committed I was before I entered the NHL draft. I didn’t want her to think I’d run off with a puck bunny.
Unfortunately, I’d never had the chance to give it to her.
God, I wished I’d handled things differently. I wished I hadn’t hesitated at such a vital moment. If I hadn’t, we might be married now.
My phone rang and my heart slammed into my ribcage. I shut the ring box and slapped the phone to my ear, half convinced it was Chelsey, even though I knew that was ludicrous.
“This is Matt Matthews,” I said, waiting with my heart in my throat for the response.
“Mr. Matthews?”
It was a tinny female voice. Not Chelsey. My heart sank.
“Who is this?” I asked, pulling the phone back to check the Caller ID. It was an unknown number.
“This is Rebecca Jansen from the Chicago Sports News Online. How do you feel about the Chaos’s first preseason game?”
Fuck. It seemed she was determined to get something out of the team today. I gritted my teeth and reminded myself that I couldn’t hang up on her.
Being polite was harder than it seemed.