Chapter 22
I n the three years since opening Cupcake, I’d only taken eight days off. So, when I called Seb to ask if he could cover the next two days, he knew I really needed his help.
I told him I was sick, and I was. I was heartbroken.
I’d been a living, breathing cliché for the past forty-eight hours and that was fine by me.
I’d eaten hardly anything, cried myself to sleep every few hours, and watched the worst that daytime and late-night TV had to offer.
And I missed Scott so much it hurt. Someone was trying to ruin me, too, because it seemed like he’d had more callouts this past shift than ever before and I’d stood in that window every damn time.
A knock at the door pulled me out of another replay of the best night and worst morning of my life.
I didn’t answer. The knock came again, this time followed by the sound of Kate.
“Think I know a fireman or two that would get me through this door without much persuasion.”
Ugh. I padded across to the door, my blanket dragging behind me.
I swung the door open and headed back to my seat on the couch.
“You were right,” Kate said. I looked up at who might be right, it was Wren.
“See, told you. Something has happened.”
“Nothing has happened, I just don’t feel very well,” I muttered half-heartedly.
“That is a lie. Know how I know?” Kate said, folding her arms across her chest.
I shrugged and headed back to the couch. I’d been curled up on it for so long there was a big-ass dent in the couch cushions.
“Because Scott hasn’t been hovering around bringing you soup and medicine and tampons.”
I screwed my face up at her.
“Please. You telling me he hasn’t made a late-night dash to the store for you a time or thirty.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You’re testy today,” Wren said to Kate as Kate dumped her boney butt down next to me.
She threw up her hands. “I don’t like this. Whatever is going on is messing with our little corner of the world. It’s changed the wind or something. It’s too freaky. Birds are gonna start dropping out of the sky and dogs are going to start howling for no reason.”
I huffed out a sigh and Wren sat down on my other side.
“I think what she’s trying to say is that it’s clear as day that something has happened and we’re here to help in whatever way we can before tonight.”
“Tonight?”
Both Wren and Kate leaned forward and looked at each other.
“Only the fiftieth anniversary of the first hockey game between the bravest and finest.”
“No!” I shrieked.
“Yes!”
I sank down further into the couch. “Please tell me this is just a dress rehearsal and it’s actually Friday and I have over a day to prepare.”
Wren shook her head, pity in her eyes. “No, love. It’s Saturday and we have five hours.”
“I don’t think I can go.”
Kate’s face fell. “Things are that bad?”
“They’re worse.”
I placed my elbows on my knees and cried into my hands.
I felt two warm hands land on my back. It helped. Once I could get myself under control I pulled my hands away.
“I can’t not go.”
Wren shook her head. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“I’d agree wholeheartedly, but I kind of get the feeling you’re his good luck charm, and I don’t wanna know what would happen if you weren’t there. What if a parallel universe collapses or something?”
“Will you quit it? I thought you wanted to help,” Wren chided Kate.
“Listen, you’re new around here.” Wren shook her head, and I cracked a tiny smile at that. “A Scott without a Jenna is like a cream puff without the cream. It’s just a puff, Wren. It’s an anomaly.”
“Oh my God.” Wren rolled her eyes.
“What? I’m just saying all the compasses are going haywire as we speak.”
“I hate to say this, but she’s kind of right. Can you just give us something to go on here? How mad are we?”
“That’s just it. We’re not mad. We’re sad.”
Kate looked forlorn again.
“Jenna, we’ll support you however we can. We just need to know if we’re boycotting the game completely, or if we’re going but wearing blue?”
Kate gasped.
I shook my head. “No, Kate’s right. What’s going on can be put aside for the length of one hockey game plus any overtime played, but that’s it. That’s all I’ve got to give at the minute.”
“We’ll be there the whole time,” Kate promised, burrowing into the side of me.
“Now, tell us everything that happened and then we’ll make a plan for tonight.”
I made a noise. “Nice try. I’m not ready to talk about it.”
“Okay, but I really love him. I don’t want to hate him.”
“Me too,” I said into her hair.
And I felt Wren’s arms come around the two of us.
I’d managed to pull myself together enough to shower and get dressed. I was wearing skinny jeans and a simple turtleneck, then I’d put my brAVEST jersey on, which of course had “Madden” emblazoned across the back and the number 01.
If you stood Scott and his brothers in a line. They’d make out 9 11 01 and 51.
Jason wore 51—the number of the house where his uncle was stationed.
And the other boys, well, you can see it plain as day.
USB arena was already packed, and we’d gotten here early.
Knox, Wren, Kate, and I had ride-shared and as we trudged through security I spotted more of our people, all arriving at the same time.
Once those around us had realized Knox was standing there, a commotion had ensued, but mostly people were respectful of line etiquette. Although, most everyone had made way for some of Knox’s shorter fans, and he had a gaggle of kids around him.
A couple gave him a little smack talk, obviously fans of the other teams in New York, but it was all in good fun.
It got a little crazy when it became clear that not one, but seven Wolves were dutifully standing in line to enter, but eventually we were escorted out of the way.
I’m sure Casey or whoever could have sorted out a box, but it wasn’t really how they rolled at this game.
They wanted Scott to know they were there for him and wanted to be in the mix with the rest of the supporters.
En masse, every person in, and attached to the Madden family was present.
The matriarchs of the family—the mamas—placed themselves in the middle of the block, and then we all filtered in around them.
And we took up a large portion of the area we were seated in. Our view was perfect to be closer to Scott. NYPD would shoot this way twice and that’s the action we cared about.
And I did care. I cared a whole lot. So, I lifted my bag onto my lap and pulled my phone from the pocket inside.
Me: Eat some pucks
I was upset, not cruel, and there hadn’t been a game since we were twelve that I hadn’t texted him. It was always something corny, but he’d told me once how important they were to his pregame ritual.
He was pragmatic in his thinking, but he was still a hockey player and a goalie . Liked his game day rituals and how he organized himself. I wasn’t going to let him psych himself out when he had a game to win. He’d waited all year for this game.
It was only five minutes later when the arena was thrown into darkness and strobe and flashing lights sent a chill through my spine. This was it. Bragging rights for a year, and a collective pride that reverberated through the entire department.
The teams came out, the announcer introducing each of the players one by one.
I was practically deaf, and our group was screaming and cheering so loud, my voice was hoarse by the time Scott had taken to the ice.
The national anthem seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and then it was just pure carnage straight out of the gate.
“Oh my God,” Kate gasped about five minutes in.
“What?” My head jerked to see where she was looking.
“Jenna!”
“What, Kate?” Sometimes she was exasperating.
“Look at the left side of his mask,” she said in a daze.
Both Wren and I leaned forward. It took a few times for the angle to be right, but once it was I couldn’t believe my eyes, and by the sound of the gasp Wren made, she couldn’t either.
There, painted on the right-hand side of his brand-new helmet, was a cupcake.