Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
When I reach the table where Danica’s sitting, I have to convince myself it’s only my imagination that her eyes light up. I plop down in the adjacent chair and Tillie immediately rises. “I’m going to the bathroom and getting another drink. Want one?” she asks Danica.
“Sure, thanks.”
Tillie then looks at me. “It’s my turn to buy one for the birthday boy.”
Even though I have a full one in hand, I wink at her in acceptance. I’ve got a nice buzz going and don’t want to lose it. Especially now that I’m committed to hanging out with Danica a bit.
“Having fun?” I ask.
“Yeah… thank you for inviting me. It kind of feels like old times.”
That pleases me to hear because more than anything, I knew she’d appreciate the familial camaraderie that’s inherent within the team dynamic. “I’m glad you came. What did you do with the little man tonight?”
“He’s staying the night at a friend’s house. They’re in youth hockey together and they have practice tomorrow. I’ll pick him up from there.”
“And how’s that going? He finished his first week of practice, right?”
Danica’s face clouds with uncertainty and she lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know. He hasn’t done organized sports before so I’m not sure what’s reasonable.”
“Did something happen?”
“No,” she insists and offers a small smile. “Not at all. It’s just… the coach is a little intense. Travis is used to his dad playing with him one-on-one and it being fun. Even when you did drills with him, it was pretty lighthearted. But now he feels the pressure to perform and it’s mostly from the coach. I watched one of the practices, and he’s pretty tough on the boys. Some of the parents like that, though, so I don’t know if I’m being too overprotective.”
“It runs the gamut when it comes to coaching styles. But the one thing I know, it’s not a one size fits all. Some people are motivated by a highly pressurized environment while it can cripple others. A good coach knows how to tailor his style to fit all.”
Danica nods. “I offered to talk to the coach and Travis was mortified. I’ve been forbidden.”
I chuckle because I can see Travis doing that. “You only want what’s best for him.”
“He knows that, but he also dealt with a mom who was way too overprotective after Mitch died. I was so afraid of something happening to him, I became a bit smothering. I learned how to step back a bit but it’s hard. I want to fix all his problems because he’s had enough bad stuff to last a lifetime.”
My hand itches to take Danica’s and give it a squeeze but I don’t. I would have if we were alone, but with so many eyes on us, I’m not willing to have this look like anything more than an amiable chat.
Doesn’t mean I won’t offer something, though. “He might not want you to talk to the coach, but that doesn’t mean I can’t.” Her eyes flare. “I’ll watch the next practice, and if I see something out of sorts, I can talk to him about it on the sly.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Sure you can. All you have to do is invite me to watch his practice.”
Danica stares at me a long moment and I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. Finally, she smiles. “Okay… I’d like that. And, of course, at your convenience. You’ve got a lot on your plate, so whenever you can—”
“Tomorrow,” I say.
She blinks. “Um… yeah. Tomorrow works.”
“Perfect,” I say, rapping my knuckles on the wooden top. My gaze shifts left and I notice an empty pool table. “Want to play a game?”
“I’m not that great,” she admits candidly. “Not sure I’d be much of a challenge.”
“We’ll play partners with Coen and Tillie. That will be an even matchup.”
The four of us play a few games of pool and I down a few more beers. “Livin’ on a Prayer” comes on the jukebox and somehow, the entire bar ends up singing it at the top of our lungs. Danica and I pretend our pool cue is a microphone.
Stevie brings out a big cake and fuck if she doesn’t almost set it on fire by attempting to light twenty-six candles. It takes me three tries to get them all out but only because I’m laughing so hard as the guys make lewd noises each time I try.
The cake is demolished in short order and I get distracted by a stray piece of frosting on the corner of Danica’s lip. I have to turn away and talk to someone else, and thankfully it’s gone by the time I look back.
Around eleven p.m., I feel a tug on my shirt sleeve and turn to find Danica there. She has her coat on, and while I haven’t spent the entire evening hanging with her, I find myself not wanting her to leave yet.