Page 4 of The Rebound Plan

GROUP CHAT

Max Tilman: Marshie, are you back from your honeymoon yet?

Kieran Marsh: Just flew back this morning. What’s up?

Max: We need to start training

Kieran: Did you ever stop?

Max: Never

Kieran: I’m getting back to it, don’t worry - Rusty’s booked us some ice time next week up at his new cottage

Max: New cottage? Armstrong, WTF, you holding out on us? You secured some real estate?

I groan and shoot Kieran a private WTF message of my own. I did buy a cottage, a right place, right time opportunity that landed in my lap right after Kieran’s wedding, when I was having a personal crisis of confidence in some of my choices over the last year. The property is my commitment to myself, that I’m going to earn the performance bonuses due to come my way if we are better this year.

If I’m not distracted.

Kieran: Sorry, bud, jet lag got the better of me.

GROUP CHAT

Max: Dude, we need to have a team retreat immediately.

Max: How many people can this place sleep?

Even as I’m sighing, I have to admit Max has the right idea. And my cottageisbig enough for this.

Russ: At least fifteen.

Max: Excellent.

Max: The girls, too? You know Marshie’s not going to be separated from his new bride. I’d be down for guys only, of course.

Russ: Better halves are welcome.

And then a string of individual texts come in as he spreads the word. Some I like.

Hayden Calhoun: Congrats on the new cottage, man! Tiller says I need to work with you on my defense, so count me in on a retreat.

And some I don’t know how to respond to.

Shannon Tilman: Hey, so… Max says you bought a new place and everyone in town is invited? That’s really generous of you.

Dots appear on the screen, then disappear. A minute goes by and I just grip my phone. Other text messages from teammates come in and I ignore them, waiting for those dots again.

This is exactly the problem. I need to move on from these feelings that trap me in moments exactly like this.

Shannon Tilman: Whatever you need, I’m yours.

Fuck. Me.

I drop my phone on the flower-laden table in front of me. I’m ready for the hockey wedding season to be over.

I need a far less romantic setting for my first attempt to get back into the dating space. Because Idoneed to get back on that horse.

Can you call it a rebound relationship if there wasn’t a break up before it? I need an emotionless, physical fling to get over my nothing-but-one-sided-feelings obsession.

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