Chapter 10 The Re Dinner #2
Fletcher looked a little offended. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Fletcher reached over to Taylor’s beer and took a sip out of it without thinking. He’d done it before. On New Year’s.
His dad noticed. He squinted his eyes for a split second, then went back to normal. He didn’t think that much about it, thank goodness. Not that it was weird to take a sip of his friend’s beer or whatever.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come back after the season,” he told Fletcher.
“Well, I am. Unless you don’t want me to,” he challenged. Fletcher had a tendency of picking fights with his dad. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but sometimes he just couldn’t help himself. “I hope it’s not a problem.”
His dad didn’t take the bait either. He took a sip of his beer and leaned back into his seat comfortably. “You should come out,” he told Taylor casually. “We teach hockey to kids in the city year-round, but in the off-season we have special camps where players come and coach.”
Taylor nodded. “That’d be amazing. I’d love that.” He sounded genuine, but Fletcher couldn’t tell for sure.
Seemingly breaking away from their bubble, Laura’s face brightened as she turned to Taylor. “You need to come for the fourth!”
She placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder as he took another sip of his beer. “Bub and Sean get together with the other retired Manatees and they host this huge barbecue. We do it in our backyard. It backs right up to the St. Johns river and they spend a fortune on fireworks.”
“You should,” Coach agreed. “The girls and I might be coming.”
Taylor had only met Anushka and Devi once or twice at one of their home games, but they were both busy with their own schedules being in the PWHL. They were both hard-headed and strong-willed like their mom, Taylor had said.
“Sounds fantastic,” Taylor told them. “If my schedule allows then I’ll absolutely be there.”
Fletcher wanted to ask him what he was doing after the season ended.
He had never thought about what it would be like to spend so much time away from him.
He honestly had just assumed Taylor would stay in Seattle.
But it would make sense for him to go somewhere else.
Maybe to meet up with old friends. Like Emogen.
Fletcher gulped. He didn’t know if she and Taylor were dating or not.
Taylor told him they were just really good friends, but he always talked with her on the phone and called her “dear.” She came to visit him for New Year’s.
His favorite holiday. They even kissed after the countdown, but Fletcher had noticed they’d actually kissed a couple times through the night.
He didn’t want to admit it bothered seeing him with a girl.
Emogen was the only girl he was sleeping with, he thought.
Whatever. Fletcher had no reason to let it bother him or mess with his head.
“Fletch?” Taylor asked, drawing him from his impending downward spiral. He put his hand back down on his thigh, suddenly feeling like molten lava even through the fabric of his slacks.
“Sorry, what? I got distracted for a minute.”
“Your mom was asking if you were seeing anybody.”
Fletcher choked, which made the corners of Taylor’s mouth turn up into a knowing smile. His thumb rubbed circles on Fletcher’s thigh. It didn’t mean anything. Purely platonic. Just being friendly, Fletcher told himself again. Just a friend who was there to support him.
“Nothing serious,” he managed to cough out. He cleared his throat. “I’m way too busy for that right now.”
His mom laughed. “Well as long as you’re being safe. I’m too young to be a grandma.”
Coach chuckled. “I’ve been keeping my eye on him, Laur. He’s been on his best behavior.”
They finished their dinner and declined dessert. Sean reached to pick up the check, but Coach beat him to it. She slid her gold Amex card into the bill folder and handed it to their waitress.
When she returned the card and receipt to the table, they all stood up and pushed in their chairs before walking out into the lobby.
“God, I’m stuffed,” his mom announced. She wrapped her arm around Coach and gave her a long hug before reaching out to Sean to the key to the car.
He handed it to her and she left after telling the boys goodbye.
She promised she’d be at the next game in Seattle colors this time, which warmed Fletcher’s heart a little.
Or maybe she realized it looked bad not supporting her son.
His dad lingered, meaning he wanted to stay and talk to Fletcher for a moment. Coach and Taylor seemed to catch on. They excused themselves and retreated to their rooms for the night.
“Walk with me for a minute, son.”
Fletcher nodded and followed his dad outside, a wave of nervousness fogging his mind. They took a slow stroll right outside the lobby. Cars passed by them, but there weren’t that many people out on the sidewalk. It was just him and his dad.
“I really like that Piers boy,” he told him. “I’ve been keeping my eye on him. I’d wager he’ll win rookie of the year.”
“Yeah, he’s great,” Fletcher agreed. “He’s a better player than I am,” he said with an edge of insecurity.
“He is,” his dad told him. No reason for him to sugarcoat it. They walked further down the sidewalk silently for a few more minutes before his dad cleared his throat. He stopped walking, so Fletcher did too.
“I’ve been thinking about something long and hard.”
“Thought about what?” Fletcher asked. He told himself to remember to breathe.
“I’ll allow you to finish out your season with Seattle. You can enjoy your year of freedom. But then you’re coming back home.”
No. Not happening. Fletcher scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s not happening, Dad. You’re not in charge of deciding what team I play for.” Was he serious? Did he really think he had that much influence over Fletcher’s career? It was bullshit. He sounded delusional.
“I’ve been praying on this for weeks.” His dad sighed with a self-righteous expression painted on his face. “I spoke to Wanda. Told her we could work something out. I’ve accepted an assistant coaching position for the Manatees and will take over as head coach when Ruddock retires next year.”
Fletcher took a step away from him. “You can’t be serious. You don’t think I have anything in my contract that protects me? It’s ironclad, Dad. I’m done having you try and control my life.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes as he turned around and began walking back to his hotel. His dad kept talking behind him. Probably threatening him or something. But Fletcher tuned him out completely. He wouldn’t listen to any of the bullshit his dad spat out. Not anymore.
* * *
He seethed the entire way back up to his room.
He pulled his key card out and unlocked the door.
He slipped out of his shoes and paused as Taylor popped his head out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth.
He was freshly showered wearing only loose flannel pajama pants.
His hair was brushed back, but a stray piece had fallen and curled in front of his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with a mouth full of toothpaste.
Fletcher groaned and shook his head as he walked towards his bag to find clean clothes to change into. He pushed past Taylor and put his clothes on the bathroom counter before reaching down to unbutton his shirt.
Taylor bent down over the sink to spit and rinse his toothbrush.
“Did he say something?” Taylor pressed.
Fletcher scoffed as he slid out of his shirt. “I need a shower,” was all he said. He pulled back the dewy shower curtain and turned the water on.
Taylor didn’t leave. “We’re going to talk about it after,” he told him. He didn’t leave until Fletcher nodded in agreement. He pulled the door shut behind him as he left.
This was the third shower Fletcher had taken today, and it still failed to help calm him down.
He really needed to blow off some steam, but it was already midnight and he wasn’t in the mood to go out and find a girl to help with that.
Especially a girl from Jacksonville. She could easily go and try to blackmail his parents for money considering Fletcher was the grandson of a pastor.
After brushing his teeth, he toweled his hair off and slid into some old gray sweatpants. He threw on a Seaporters T-shirt and walked out of the bathroom with a huff.
Taylor was sitting on his bed leaning up against the headboard. He was scrolling on his phone but put it down on the nightstand when Fletcher came and plopped down on his own bed.
“My dad thinks he’s going to be able to void my contract and have me traded back to the Manatees,” Fletcher admitted to him finally, voice full of annoyance.
“He can’t do that,” Taylor told him reassuringly. Calmly. “Do you have a trade agreement clause in your contract?”
Fletcher nodded. “It says I can only be traded to select teams. D.C., New York, any of the Canadian teams…” He sighed.
“He told me he spoke to Bedingfield. Apparently, he’s going to take over as head coach for the Manatees when the season ends.
He thinks it’ll give him the power to void my contract. ” Fletcher scoffed.
Taylor slid off his bed and sat on the edge of Fletcher’s bed.
Fletcher sat up and swung his legs over the side, so they were seated next to each other.
Shoulder to shoulder. “I’m sure there’s some rule about not being allowed to play for a team that your parent coaches or something,” Taylor told him.
Fletcher had already looked into it. There wasn’t.
Fletcher shrugged. Taylor reached out and grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers, and squeezed it. His stomach clenched. This wasn’t normal. Friends don’t hold hands. Not even best friends held hands. Not in the privacy of the room they shared. With no one there to watch.
“It’s not going to happen, Armstrong. He can’t have your contract voided. It’s basically impossible.”