Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Jason
My eyes widen at her question.
Uh, because I promised your brother I’d look out for you, and I’ve apparently failed entirely. The words are right on the tip of my tongue, but I manage to bite them back.
I can tell from the way she carries herself and the way she’s clearly uncomfortable admitting that things aren’t going too well for her, at least as far as finances are concerned, to know she wouldn’t like that answer at all.
She has that, I can do it myself, I don’t need anybody, chip on her shoulder a lot of guys end up with in the hockey world, especially if they get shipped off at sixteen to play in the Juniors for a team hours away from home.
Sure, they have a host family and coaches who are supposed to be looking out for them.
But not all host families are created equal.
I heard some horror stories from teammates who got traded to us from other teams when I was in the Juniors to know that much.
While none of us were little kids, we certainly weren’t ready to fend for ourselves either.
But when you’re expected to, you learn how, no matter what.
What happened to Hailey after Hunter passed? Did her parents stop looking after her?
I’m guessing to some degree they did. I know they curled inward, becoming hermits who eschewed any unnecessary interaction with the outside world. But it didn’t really occur to me, as little more than a kid myself, what that would do to Hailey.
From the way she seems to expect to have to handle everything herself, I’m guessing she’s been doing it a lot longer than most people her age.
“Can your folks help you out with getting your car fixed? Or rent? At least until you can get your car fixed?”
She lets out a soft, humorless chuckle. “They never really recovered from Hunter’s treatment.”
The way she says it makes it sound like she means more than just financially, which only serves to confirm my suspicions.
I grunt, knowing I need to tread carefully.
“Why don’t you let me cover the tow truck, at least?
That way you can save your emergency credit card for whatever it costs to get your car fixed.
” Assuming it’s fixable, and that it doesn’t cost more than the car is worth.
Either way, I plan on dealing with that situation too.
I’m just not going to tell her yet, knowing her knee-jerk reaction will be to say no.
As it is, she’s giving me serious side-eye about just offering to pay for the tow truck.
“Assuming you don’t have some kind of roadside assistance service that’ll cover the tow?” I ask, just to clarify.
She laughs like I told the most hilarious joke, then buries her face in her hands, and then I’m not sure if she’s still laughing or if she’s sobbing. It could honestly go either way.
After a moment, she seems to collect herself, lifting her head and wiping her eyes. So, yeah, definitely tears involved, though she’s still half-laughing and half-sobbing.
“So that’s a no on the roadside assistance, I take it,” I say softly.
Another choked laugh, and she shakes her head. “No. I can’t afford something that fancy.”
I roll my lips between my teeth for a second because I’m not sure I’ve ever considered roadside assistance fancy. It’s included with my car insurance at this point. It’s not like it’s something outside of the reach of normal people. My parents have had it for as long as I can remember too.
So, yeah, the ends aren’t meeting all that well, it seems. I’m definitely going to have to be more involved here if I’m going to keep my promise to Hunter.
I could kick myself for just assuming she’d know I’d help her out if she ever needed it. That thinking a few texts a year were enough. Dammit, I’m an idiot.
Pulling out my phone, I search for tow truck places. Not having any idea of who’s who, I just pick the top result, which has a bunch of reviews and a four-and-a-half-star rating, hit their number, and press the phone to my ear.
Hailey gives me a suspicious look. “What are you doing?”
Confused, I furrow my brow. “Calling the tow truck. I told you I’d take care of it. We’ll need to decide where to have them take your car, too. Do you have a shop you prefer?”
Another laugh like I said something ridiculous. Gonna take that as a no.
I have a brief conversation with the dispatcher, give them the address, and hang up.
“They said it’ll be about half an hour, so you have plenty of time to finish your wings.
” Standing, I take my plate to the trash can, dump the bones, then rinse it before turning to put away the leftovers.
But I stop just before closing the first container. “You gonna want more?”
Hailey’s been watching my every move, and she shakes her head. “No,” she says in a small voice. “This is plenty.”
I’m not entirely sure I believe her. If she’s struggling to make rent, is she eating normally? Or is she skipping meals to save money?
Well, I’ll get her address and order delivery for her later or something. Would she end up getting the order for herself? That would be kinda funny. Of course, it’d have to be after she has her car working again for that to happen.
In the meantime, I’ll definitely order food for her while she’s unable to do what she needs for extra money. What I really need is a way to sneak her extra cash too …
“You really didn’t need to do that,” she says, and I blink, wondering if she’s read my mind.
“Sorry?”
She waves a hand, and I notice she’s eaten more of her wings. Good. “The tow truck. You really didn’t need to pay for it.”
I shrug, putting away the last box of wings. “I don’t mind. I can easily afford it.” More easily than you can, I want to add, but don’t. She doesn’t need me rubbing her nose in the fact that she’s broke.
I remember what it was like when I was still with the Juniors and trying to scramble for extra cash.
I know it’s not the same. I always had what I needed.
My parents could afford to pay for all my hockey gear, the travel teams, and the extra coaching that allowed me to get where I am.
My dad’s an architect, and by the time I was in high school, his firm had landed some major commercial contracts in the Madison area.
My mom handles all the real estate contracts for him, and together, they’re a powerhouse.
We were more lower-middle class when I was younger, and I know the hockey stuff was a bit of a stretch for a while—though I didn’t fully realize it at the time—but eventually it wasn’t such a struggle.
I’ve never been where Hailey is, and I’ve always had a safety net to fall back on if I needed it—not that I do now.
At least not financially. My parents are great, though, and I love coming home to visit them when I can.
They usually come watch my games whenever I’m in Chicago or St. Paul, even though it takes a few hours to get to either of those places from their house.
It makes me sad to know that Hailey doesn’t have that same level of support, and now that I know that, I’m more determined than ever to provide that for her.
It’s what Hunter would’ve wanted.
“Okay, so after they tow your car,” I say, refilling my water and sitting at the table again, “I’ll give you a ride back to your place. Unless you want to stay in the guest room here?”
That makes her chuckle again. “No, that’s fine. I’ll take a ride home, though.”
“Great. Now, let’s pick a shop to get your car towed to.” I scoot my chair around so we can both see my phone screen and search for auto repair shops here. “Any you prefer?”
She lifts both her hands in an exaggerated shrug.
“I don’t know anything about car repairs.
I’ve done my best to avoid them if I can, just going to standard oil change places for that and doing my best to keep up with general maintenance.
” She sighs. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without a car,” she whispers.
“Well, for now, I can give you a ride anywhere you need to go.”
She gives me a doubtful look. “Anywhere?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Do you have somewhere sketchy in mind?”
Laughing, she shakes her head. “It’s just, if I can’t deliver food, I won’t be able to pay you back.”
“Okay, first of all, don’t even worry about that. You obviously know I’m a professional hockey player. You know they pay us well, right?”
“Sure, but that’s not the point.”
“No, that’s exactly the point. That’s the whole entire point. I can afford it. You don’t need to pay me back. End of discussion.”
“So you’ll drive me around so I can keep making money? I’m short fifty bucks on my rent, and while my landlord-slash-roommate isn’t a complete asshole, she’s already annoyed that I haven’t paid her yet. It’s the third. Rent was due two days ago.”
“Right.” I pull out my wallet, count out five twenties, fold them together, and set them on the table in front of her. “There’s that problem solved, plus a little extra because you need more than zero dollars left over after paying rent.”
Holding up her hands, she shakes her head slowly. “Jason, I can’t …”
“You can. Once again, I’m not going to listen to any arguments about this.
I’ll just toss it in the door after you once I take you home if you won’t put it in your pocket.
I guarantee your roommate won’t be too proud to pick it up.
But you want to make sure she knows it’s from you for rent, got it? ”
She stares at me, dark eyes wide and round, and for a second, I worry she might start crying again. Then she blinks, takes a breath, and slumps in a posture that seems like defeat. “Got it.”
Normally I feel good about winning, whether it’s a game, an argument, or anything else. Winning’s awesome. But this? This doesn’t feel like a win. It feels like … bullying.
But what else am I supposed to do? I can’t just let her walk home to god knows where without being able to pay her rent. Her parents won’t help or can’t help, so I’m just supposed to let Hunter’s little sister become homeless and carless all in one night?
Not fucking likely.
“What else do you need?” I ask, pushing forward despite the fact that I fucking hate the way her shoulders sag, like she’s been absolutely beaten by life. Even if she doesn’t realize it, I know that she needs someone in her corner. Someone to help her over this slump.
It’s no different than when one of us gets into a slump on the ice.
Your coaches and teammates are there to get you over it with a mix of tough love, encouragement, and giving you the things you need to get you through.
When Hunter died, I was in a really bad place, and between my teammates and parents giving me space to grieve and my coaches keeping me on track with a mixture of compassion and firmness, I made it through without derailing my whole career.
I had a lot of guilt at the time, but my mom came into my room one night and quietly said, “You have to go on living. That’s the best way you can honor him. ”
It took longer than just that night for me to fully believe that, of course. But I eventually realized she was right.
Did anyone say anything like that to Hailey? From what I can tell, her parents never got that memo. From what I can tell, Hailey’s been holding on out of sheer stubbornness. It’s gotten her this far, but whether she likes it or not, it’s my job to step in and help.