Page 8 of Drop the Mitts

Grace’s lips pressed together. “That wasn’t conflict resolution. That was two idiots giving each other concussions for no reason.”

André turned. ”There’s always a reason.”

“There isn’t.”

Hilarious. He doubted Grace had played a day of hockey in her life, and here she was, lecturing him. “There is. It’s about respect.”

Grace let out a small, incredulous laugh. “Respect? Earned by punching a guy in the face?”

“There’s an order to it. You don’t fight because you’re pissed off. You fight because someone has to answer for a dirty hit, or a guy’s been running his mouth all game, or the boys need a momentum shift. It’s part of the game.”

Grace shook her head. “Part of the game. Right. And I suppose brain damage is just a fun little side effect?”

And just like that, everything inside him went still. The noise of the crowd dulled, faded into the background.

Brain damage. The words spun like a top in his head. He should answer. Should laugh it off, chirp back, keep it light. Instead, his throat locked up.

“Hey, speaking of which, I had something I wanted to talk with you about.” Country leaned forward, snagging Grace’s attention. He gave André a small nod, then smiled wide. “There’s a charity game our team is putting on. To raise money for Heads Up Alberta. They support kids and families dealing with traumatic brain injuries.”

Grace straightened in her seat, if that was possible. Considering she already seemed to be sitting on a metal rod. “Oh. That’s amazing.”

Country nodded. “Yeah, it’s something we’ve been trying to get off the ground for a while now. We’ve got a lot of guys backing it, but we need help on the legal side.”

Grace pursed her lips. “I’m not sure that’s my area of expertise.” She crossed her legs, curling into herself. She crossed her arms like she was trying to hold herself together.

Something twinged in André’s middle. He cleared his throat, his breathing beginning to normalize. He owed Country for the distraction. And for what was about to come next.

Country continued, “It’s just contracts, sponsorship agreements, liability waivers.”

Grace nodded but didn’t bite. André silently willed her to ask more questions, to seem even the least bit interested, but she was buttoned up.

Country leaned back, forced into straight-up asking. “I wondered if you’d be interested. It would only be a few hours a week, and while we don’t have much of a payroll budget?—”

Grace turned, that pinch back in her brows. André wanted to reach out and smooth it with his thumb. “I wish I could, but I’m already overcommitted.” She uncrossed her legs and stood. “Excuse me.” She scooted past the two of them and climbed the stairs, exiting the suite.

Chapter

Three

Grace

The final buzzerscreamed through the Saddledome, and the crowd roared in response. She’d half planned on leaving when she left the suite to go to the washroom, but didn’t want to explain that to Jenna and Country. They probably would’ve blamed André, which could’ve been worth it.

She was glad she’d stayed. Not only because of the baby cuddling and conversation with Jenna, but the game was a barn burner. The Blizzard scored a last-minute goal, sealing the win against Winnipeg, and everyone in the arena lost their ever-loving minds.

Grace stood with them, clapping and shouting. It felt good to get lost in the energy of it for a moment, even if it didn’t last.

She tried. She really did. But even as she smiled at Jenna, even as she acknowledged the deafening excitement around her, the weight in her chest hadn’t budged or lessened all night.

The email sat over her heart like a lead brick. After Country brought up the charity game, it seemed to crush her spine.

It would be a miracle if she went back to work in the morning, let alone take on more projects. If she screwed this up, what else was she overlooking?

All night, it felt like she was playing a part. She spent the last two hours forcing herself to stay present, nodding in the right places, laughing and cheering when appropriate. Had she done well enough? Had she seemed normal?

The whole game was a blur. At least her snark had been on point with André, which made her a teensy bit proud. For most of the third period, she’d played with Hope. That’s what she needed. A baby at all times so she had an excuse to avoid any adult social interactions.

"Warren should’ve buried that five minutes ago. Never should’ve come down to the wire." Country threw himself back into his seat, shaking his head.

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