34. Jamie
Chapter thirty-four
Jamie
More of My World
By the time we pull away from Toby's house, the sun is already beginning its slow descent behind the trees.
Annette laughs softly beside me. "I don't think I've ever been hugged that many times in one evening."
I smile, turning onto the familiar highway leading toward Briar Cove.
"You survived Liam."
"Barely."
"He actually behaved himself."
She turns toward me in mock surprise. "That was Liam behaving?"
"You should see him when he's really trying."
She laughs again, shaking her head. "I don't think my ribs could handle that."
For a few comfortable miles, we simply drive.
The windows are cracked just enough to let the warm summer air drift through the truck. A country song plays quietly on the radio, neither of us paying much attention to it.
I glance over.
Annette is watching the passing fields instead of the road ahead.
She's smiling. Not because anything exciting is happening. Just...smiling.
The kind that reaches all the way to her eyes.
"What?" she asks without looking at me.
"Nothing."
"You've looked at me three times in the last minute."
"I have not."
"You have."
"I was checking traffic."
She laughs. "On my side of the truck?"
"Very dangerous over there."
She reaches across the console until her fingers find mine.
Without thinking, I lace them together.
"I've missed this," she says quietly.
"So have I."
Silence settles between us again. Easy silence. Not the awkward kind that needs filling.
The kind that comes when two people have finally stopped wondering whether the other one is going to stay.
After several minutes she looks over.
"So..."
"So?"
"You promised there were four stops."
"I did."
"We've done one."
"Barely."
Her eyebrows lift. "That wasn't one stop. That was an entire hockey team pretending they weren't crying."
"Liam wasn't crying."
"He absolutely was."
"He had barbecue sauce in his eye."
She gives me a look. "I'm choosing not to argue with that."
I look at her. “The next three matter." Something in my voice must tell her I'm serious.
Her smile softens. "Okay."
"I've wanted to do this for a long time."
"Show me your world?"
I nod.
"I've spent months learning yours."
She squeezes my hand.
"The hospital."
"Your apartment."
"Your favorite coffee shop."
"The lake."
"The cabin."
"The place where you buy cinnamon rolls because apparently, they're worth driving twenty minutes for."
"They are."
"I know."
She smiles toward the windshield. "I realized something today."
"Oh?"
"I kept thinking I was coming back for you." She turns to face me completely. "But that's not true."
"No?"
She slowly shakes her head. "I'm coming back to a life."
The words settle quietly inside me, not because they surprise me, but because they mean more than she knows.
I lift our joined hands and brush a kiss across her knuckles.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
She smiles.
"So..."
"So?"
"Where are we going?"
I glance toward the next turn.
"My favorite building in Briar Cove."
She looks puzzled. "I thought your favorite place was the cabin."
"It is."
"But this..." I slow for the turn. "...is the place that reminds me why I play."
***
A few moments later, a familiar brick building comes into view.
The early evening sun glows against the modest sign near the entrance.
The Walker Family Foundation
Helping Every Child Find a Place to Play.
Annette reads the words quietly, then she looks at me.
"This is where we're going first."
I park near the entrance but don't reach for the door right away.
For reasons I can't quite explain, my pulse has picked up.
Annette notices immediately. "You're nervous."
I let out a quiet laugh. "I've discovered that's becoming a habit around you."
She waits.
"I've brought teammates here."
I continue watching the building.
"Sponsors."
"Owners."
"Media."
I finally turn toward her. "But I've never brought someone whose opinion matters this much."
Her expression softens. "Jamie..."
"I want you to like this place."
"I already do."
"You haven't even gone inside."
She smiles the way only Annette can. "I don't have to."
"Why?"
"Because it matters to you."
She reaches up and gently cups my cheek. "And anything that helped make you the man I fell in love with..."
Her smile grows. "...already matters to me too."
For a moment I simply look at her, then I lean forward and kiss her.
Not because I planned to, because there isn't another response big enough.
When we finally pull apart, I ask: "Ready?"
She smiles. "I think I've been ready for a long time."
Together, we step out into the warm Briar Cove evening.
Here’s one more part of my world to show her.
***
The brick building isn't especially large.
In fact, most people who are driving past probably wouldn't look twice.
The flowerbeds are neat but simple. A faded wooden bench sits beside the entrance beneath a maple tree, and bicycles lean against the rack near the sidewalk where half a dozen children apparently forgot they existed.
Annette studies the building for a long moment.
"I expected..."
I grin. "I know...something bigger."
"So did the architect."
She laughs. "What happened?"
"We discovered hockey equipment costs money."
"So you downsized the building?"
"We decided children wouldn't care if the offices were fancy."
"And did they?"
I shake my head. "They care about the skates."
She smiles. "That sounds exactly like something you'd say."
"It wasn't my idea."
"No?"
"It was my mom's."
I hold the door open for her. The familiar sounds wrap around us immediately.
The building is settling into evening. Someone is vacuuming farther down the hallway. Two volunteers carry folding tables toward the storage room.
The smell of popcorn still lingers in the air, mixed with fresh coffee and floor cleaner.
Most of the younger children have already gone home, but a handful remain, waiting for their parents finishing work.
One little girl sits cross-legged on the floor coloring while her older brother patiently helps her stay inside the lines.
Annette notices everything. I can tell. She always notices people before places.
Mrs. Henderson looks up from the reception desk. The moment she sees me, she smiles. "Well, look who's finally back."
"I was here Tuesday."
"That hardly counts."
Her eyes move toward Annette. Then back to me. A slow smile spreads across her face.
"Oh."
I laugh. "Apparently that's everyone's first word today."
"It seems appropriate."
She walks around the desk and takes Annette's hands. "You must be Annette."
Annette smiles. "I am."
"My goodness..." Mrs. Henderson beams at me. "He's been impossible to live with."
"I don't work here."
"No, but we all hear about you anyway."
Annette laughs. "I seem to be hearing that a lot."
Mrs. Henderson pats my arm. "He pretends he's private."
"I am."
"You are absolutely not."
Before I can defend myself, a familiar voice echoes down the hallway. "Captain Jamie!"
I don't even have time to turn before something small collides with my legs.
"Noah."
He wraps both arms around my waist. "I knew you were coming!"
"You did?"
He points toward Mrs. Henderson.
"She smiled funny."
Mrs. Henderson gasps dramatically. "I most certainly did not."
"You did."
He nods with complete confidence. "You smile like that when somebody brings cookies."
Annette laughs so hard she has to cover her mouth.
I kneel beside him. "How are the new skates?"
His entire face lights up. "They're awesome!"
"Show me."
"I was hoping you'd ask."
Then he notices Annette.
His eyes grow wide.
"Oh."
He straightens his shirt like a tiny gentleman.
"Hi."
She kneels beside me. "Hi."
"I'm Noah."
"I know."
His eyebrows lift. "You do?"
"Jamie talks about you."
He looks at me with obvious satisfaction. "I knew I was important."
"You absolutely are."
He reaches for my hand, then looks at Annette. Without hesitation, he takes hers too.
"Come on."
He starts pulling both of us down the hallway.
"I have to show you something."
Annette looks at me over Noah's head.
I shrug. "We've been recruited."
As we walk, nearly everyone we pass waves.
A volunteer asks if I'll sign next month's equipment request.
Another reminds me that the charity tournament schedule is waiting in my office.
A teenage boy proudly announces he passed algebra.
Someone else thanks me for finding a used goalie stick.
Every conversation lasts only seconds. But every single one ends with a smile.
After a few minutes, Annette leans closer. "They all know your name."
"They know everybody's name."
She shakes her head. "No, they know yours because you know theirs."
I don't answer. I'm not sure she's wrong.
Noah pushes open the equipment room. "My skates!" He proudly lifts a pair that are still almost too shiny to have been used.
I recognize them immediately. We bought them in October after his mother quietly admitted she couldn't afford another season.
"Still fit?"
He nods enthusiastically. "And Mom says I'll get another year out of them because she bought them a little big."
"Your mom's smart."
"I know."
He hugs the skates against his chest. "I skate way faster now."
"I've heard."
"I want to be captain someday."
I smile. "Then remember something."
"What?"
"The best captains help other people shine."
He thinks about that. Then nods. "I can do that."
"I know you can."
He smiles before glancing toward Annette. "I like her."
Annette laughs. "You do?"
He nods matter-of-factly. "Captain Jamie smiles more." The words land harder than he could possibly know. For a moment, neither of us speaks.
Then Noah looks between us. "Are you coming to watch me skate?"
I glance at Annette. "What do you think?"
She smiles. "I don't think we have much choice."
"I'm glad you understand."
Noah takes off running toward the rink.
Annette slips her hand into mine as we follow at a slower pace.
"You know what I love most about this place?"
I glance at her.
"What?"
She watches Noah disappear through the rink doors.
"It isn't teaching children hockey."
"No?"
She shakes her head. "It's teaching them that someone believes in them."
I stop walking and she notices.
"What?"