29. Thought I’d Be Able To Ease Into It
29
THOUGHT I’D BE ABLE TO EASE INTO IT
SETH
Although Kylie has said that she understands, I can sense her unease. Linc must have noticed as well, because he’s been glancing over at her every few minutes with a concerned look while we chat to Ben and Adele. Kylie has been uncharacteristically quiet throughout. As the night grows later, I know I need to put her mind at ease somehow.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask, and she shrugs.
“I don’t really have a lot of plans in general. I don’t know anyone outside of my family yet. Why?”
“We are going to the Children’s Hospital tomorrow for the morning. It’s something we try to do every few months to visit the kids and spend time in the community. Would you want to come along?”
She considers my words for a moment before nodding. “That sounds really sweet. Are you sure it’s okay for me to come along?”
Linc pipes up. “There are usually a few partners who come along to these events. It adds to the family friendly vibe. And bonus… the professional husband chasers don’t show up for those events.” He nods towards Victoria’s little group while they shoot dark looks over at our table.
“I like that term. Although, let's be real, they’re puck bunnies,” Adele says, glaring over at the women.
“Yeah. I’ve always avoided that term in public, though,” Linc says with a shrug.
“I guess… You’re more honourable than me though.”
They continue discussing whether or not the term is offensive, but I focus on the troubled look on Kylie’s face. “What are you thinking?”
She’s quiet for a moment, and I can feel my nerves rising.
This is it. This is when she’s going to say she can’t handle this side of my life.
“I just find it sad that they have so little self worth that instead of trying to go out and make it on their own, they would rather find a man to support them not having a job… Cause that’s what they want, right? To have rich husbands so they don’t have to work?”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “I guess. I know that quite a few of the partners of our team mates have jobs though. A few of them ended up with those kinds of women. It happens, but mostly, they have families and it’s quite nice when we all get together.”
She still looks troubled though and I wish there was something I could say to make her feel better. I just have to hope that tomorrow goes well and she see’s that there are positives to this world as well.
“So, what are your plans now that you’re living here?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Well, I’m still doing admin work for Will, but I’m meeting with my aunt this week about potentially working for her.” Kylie nods towards her cousin. “They have a tour company and apparently she thinks I’d be a good fit as one of their tour guides.”
I nod. That seems like something she’d enjoy. I always had trouble picturing her sitting behind a desk all day, her vibrant personality being held hostage by mind numbingly boring work.
“It will be so great. You’ll love it, Kylie. I only do the occasional tour, but you’re perfect for leading the groups. We get all different types of people through, and you get along with everyone,” Adele says, bouncing in her seat a little.
“We’ll see. It definitely won’t hurt for me to give it a try, at the very least. And I’m only here for three months anyway, so it’s not like it’s forever.”
At those words, I feel my stomach drop a little. Only three months? That doesn’t feel long enough.
The next morning, I pull up outside the address that Kylie gave me and nervously wipe my hands on my jeans. I feel like a teenager taking his crush out on a first date.
Navigating the frozen path, I make it to the front door and ring the doorbell.
The man that I saw with Adele last night, who I assume is their grandfather, opens the door and does a double take, his mouth dropping open.
“Hi, sir. I’m Seth. I’m here to pick up Kylie.” I put my hand out, and he takes it slowly, still staring at me.
He finally catches himself and steps aside, waving me in. “When Kylie said she had a gentleman coming to collect her, she failed to mention it was Seth Davidson.” He waves at my jersey.
“I was looking forward to the look on your face, and it was worth it.” Kylie skips down the stairs with a grin. “Seth, this is my grandpa, John. Grandpa, this is Seth.”
“I can see that, young lady. Care to explain how you came to know the captain of the Mounties? Joy, get down here!” he hollers up the stairs, and an older woman appears, her reaction to my appearance similar to his.
“We met in Europe. He may have failed to fill me in on what he does for a living though.” Kylie is still grinning, enjoying the dramatics far too much. I am not doing great with all the attention, and she finally takes pity on me when she looks at my face. “I’m sorry, I should have told them.”
“It’s okay, I deserved that.” I help her with her jacket while her grandparents hover nearby.
“I’ll see you guys later,” she says, moving towards the door.
“What time will you be home?” John asks, and Kylie squints back at him.
“Not sure. I can grab my own dinner, though.”
I can see him itching to ask more questions, but Kylie shoots him a warning glance, and he keeps his mouth clamped shut.
“Don’t worry sir, I’ll take good care of her,” I say, nodding while I guide her past me with a hand on her lower back.
“You’d better.”
“Grandpa! Sorry Seth.” Kylie looks horrified, but I just smile.
“It’s okay. We’re going to a family event at the Children’s Hospital. All above board, I promise.”
He still doesn’t look entirely convinced, but says nothing further.
I follow Kylie to my car and open the door for her. She looks at the car for a moment before looking back at me.
“Fancy wheels,” she says, her eyebrows raised.
I look back at my Porsche Cayenne, trying to see it from her point of view. I’ve honestly never given a lot of thought to how much money I make, but it would most likely be daunting for her.
“It has heated seats,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck while I shrug.
She practically dives in while I laugh. “Thank god. Seriously, I really wasn’t ready for how cold this country is.”
Once I’m back in the driver’s seat, I show her how to use the seat warmers, and she nestles in while I pull away from the curb.
“I thought you’ve been here in winter before?” I ask, navigating the snowy streets .
She reaches forward to scroll through the music options on the sound system, and I smile when she picks one of our mutual favourites. Lightning Crashes by Live plays quietly while she settles back into her seat.
“Yeah, winter. It’s still only October! I thought I’d be able to ease into it.” She’s rubbing her hands together, and it’s adorable seeing her all bundled up.
“Sorry, Calgary doesn’t really do the easing thing. I’ve seen snow in pretty much every month of the year since I’ve lived here. It takes some adjusting. But then, I spend most of my life in cold arenas, so it’s probably not as bad for me.”
“No kidding. You would melt in Brisbane.” She pauses for a moment. “Wait, you’ve been there, right? Lincoln mentioned that.”
“Yeah. We had an exhibition game a few years ago, Canada vs USA.” It had been a lot of fun, but I remember how warm it had been there, considering it was during their winter months.
We continue to chat about the weather and the differences between Australia and Canada for the rest of the drive, keeping the conversation on surface level, but the closer we get to the arena, the more I notice her leg jiggling. By the time I pull up in the car park, she’s gone very quiet.
I reach across the centre console and take her hand in mine, squeezing gently.
“Hey. It’s really fine. Nothing to be nervous about.”
She squeezes back. “Sure. This is all normal for you. I’ve never even seen a celebrity in real life, and now I’m spending time with someone who the entire city basically worships… Nothing to be nervous about at all,” she replies, swallowing hard while surveying the small crowd gathered near the team bus.
I kiss the back of her hand. “Come on. I promise, once you meet the others, you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.”
I get out of the car, intending to walk around to open her door, but she’s already out by the time I get there. She pulls on her gloves and tugs her toque down over her ears, her nose already beginning to turn red in the icy breeze. I take her hand and lead her towards my teammates.
Our media relations manager, Sarah, nods at me when I approach. “Seth, nice of you to join us.”
“I’m not late,” I protest, and she tsks.
“No, but you were close. Hi, I’m Sarah,” she says, putting her hand out to Kylie.
“Kylie. Nice to meet you,” Kylie replies, shaking her hand.
“Is that an accent I detect?” Sarah cocks her head to the side.
“Yeah. I’m Australian. Well, Australian Canadian technically.”
“Oh, an Aussie! We don’t get many of you around the NHL.” Sarah smiles, and I can feel Kylie relax a little at my side.
“Yeah, it’s not a sport we play much. I only went to my first game last night.”
“Well, what a game for your first one! Seth must have scored that hat-trick just for you,” Sarah jokes, elbowing me lightly in the ribs.
“Ha. Given that he didn’t know I was there until the end of the first period, I seriously doubt that.”
Before the topic can wander too far into my stuff up, I jump into the conversation again. “Sarah is the wife of one of our defencemen, Oliver.” I wave towards Ollie, who wanders over with Dean close behind.
“Yep, it’s my job to keep these boys in line in the public eye. It’s a tough gig, but someone’s gotta do it.” Sarah continues smiling, which seems to help Kylie relax a little more.
Once everyone arrives, we climb onto the bus, and I introduce Kylie to a few more people. By the time we reach the hospital, she seems far more comfortable, which is a huge relief.
Maybe this will all work out after all.