Page 26 of Much Ado About Hockey

“And if they get up?” Jett prompted softly, looking at the scrawny boy who looked so much like him – more than Karen realized, making her wonder if he’d dealt with this as a child.

“Get my phone out and call 9-1-1 before they land a punch,” E.J. replied with a frown. “I don’t like that part, but it’s good to know.”

“The police will stop anything that is happening – or the ambulance will be there. Kids are mean, and it can be tough sometimes. There is always a leader in the crowd who is afraid to be taken down by another, which is why that guy is usually the bully. He’s afraid to lose face, but by standing up to him and making a stand for yourself, they will usually make some smart remark and brush it off so they can save face. You never hit someone unless it’s the last option.”

“I know… I know…”

“I’m only going to be a phone call away – and you can still tell me anything, even if I’m at work.”

Karen stood just a few feet away, watching the exchange unfold between the two brothers. Something about Jett's voice made her chest tighten—it was steady, but there was a weightbehind the words, a kind of quiet insistence that went deeper than just reassurance. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, not really, but when she saw Jett leaning toward E.J., his broad frame slightly hunched as he tried to make his younger brother understand… it had stopped her in her tracks.

And then, all at once, everything began to slide into place.

The offhand comment Jett had made outside before they came into the house. His insistence that they include a guest room in the new place. The way Joy had spoken about Jett as a boy—older than his years, a little rough around the edges but always with that fierce heart. Karen could see it now, clearer than ever. Jett had stepped into a role he was never asked to play, but one he refused to ignore. He didn’t have a father growing up, and that absence had shaped him in quiet, resolute ways. He'd learned hard lessons on his own, and now he was trying to hand those pieces down to his little brother like heirlooms carved out of love and necessity.

Roger might have been E.J.’s biological father and Joy his mother, but Jett… Jett had been something else entirely. He had a role in this family that he obviously cherished. A steady presence. A protector. A guide. And now, that steady presence was being uprooted—shifted into the background of a life he had helped hold together.

It was all making sense now.

Karen felt a lump in her throat, thick and unexpected. She didn’t want the moment to fall into silence, to fade without something more. She needed to be part of it—not to intrude, but to stand beside him.

“Annnd,” she drew out, softening her tone as she crossed the room. There was a quiet tug in her chest, something instinctive and aching, as she lowered herself beside him on the floor. Her knees brushed gently against Jett’s shoulders, her presence closebut not overwhelming. She wasn’t trying to take over. She just wanted him to know he wasn’t alone in this.

She looked down at E.J., her voice warm and full of gentle resolve. “If you can’t get a hold of him, you can also call me – and I can help you or find theBig Twerp.”

E.J. grinned just as Jett groaned beside her with a loud, exaggerated “Hey!” The laugh that followed between the brothers was quick and easy like it had always lived in the space between them. But when Jett looked up at her, something shifted in his expression. His eyes met hers—soft, warm, and filled with something unspoken.

Approval.

Gratitude.

The first steps of friendship, a bond between them. She reached out without thinking and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. The connection was brief and felt awkward, but slightly grounding too. She nodded once, silently reinforcing everything he’d said. She saw the way Jett turned back to E.J., his voice still teasing but gentle.

“See? I told you she was pretty cool.”

“She’s a girl,” E.J. said matter-of-factly, his tone unimpressed.

Karen smirked, and Jett gave an exasperated little laugh.

“Girls can be cool.”

“Girls are nerds.” E.J. countered with the supreme confidence of an eight-year-old convinced of his worldview.

“Because you are eight,” Jett shot back, shaking his head. “When you get to be my age, nerdy girls are very much what you are looking for.”

Karen blinked at that, her mouth parting slightly in surprise. She hadn’t expected that comment—not from him. Her heart stuttered once in her chest, her brain catching up with themeaning behind his words. She opened her mouth to speak, to tease him or play along, but E.J. beat her to it.

“Ugh, since when did you start liking nerdy girls? You never bring a girl here to say ‘hello’ and meet everyone.”

“I’ve never been married,” Jett said simply.

“You could have married one of your other girlfriends.”

Karen watched the way Jett hesitated—just a breath, just a flicker in his expression. And then his voice dropped a little, softer, more sincere.

“But none of them were Karen.”

The words landed like a stone in the middle of her chest, rippling outward in waves that caught her completely off guard. She stared at him, stunned into silence, her breath caught somewhere between disbelief and something frighteningly tender. He wasn’t just being kind. There was meaning there—intention. And coming from a man who still felt like a stranger in many ways, it held a weight she wasn’t sure she was ready for… but also didn’t want to ignore.

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