Page 47 of Home Game

“Two nights.”

Krista was the most glamorous person I had ever met. I had been super nervous when she had appeared at Ryan’s place, but she had been so nice. She had ordered dinner both times for us. And she kicked off her heels and sat on Ryan’s couch like she owned it. She explained the game and didn’t ask too many questions.

“She came by two nights?” Ryan repeated.

“Yeah, Wednesday and last night.” She had also helped me retrieve my official ID from the Department of Child Protection Services so I could apply for a passport. When I asked her why I needed a passport, she told me that everyone needed one — just in case someone wanted to elope to Vegas.

He looked intrigued. “What did you guys talk about?”

“She yelled at the refs a lot. Explained the game. We just talked.”

“About what?”

“She recently broke up with her boyfriend.”

“Krista had a boyfriend?”

“They lived together for two years.”

“They did?” Ryan looked stunned. “Who was he?”

“A lawyer. He had a son.”

“Krista dated a guy with a son?”

“She said she misses the kid more than the guy.”

He sat back. “She told you all this?”

I squinted at Ryan. I could totally see Ryan being with someone like Krista. She was both beautiful and smart. “She’s single now.”

I watched his face to see what he thought, but he looked more confused than anything. “What else did she say?”

“She said you needed to get your head in the game and stop fighting so much.”

His mouth parted. “Seriously?”

I shrugged. “Just because someone picks a fight doesn’t mean you have to fight back.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“Why not?”

“If someone wants to fight, you need to be ready to go.”

“Krista said that Vancouver was a different team, and you needed to learn to skate it off.”

“You sound like my coach.”

“Do you like your new team?”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but someone walked by our table. He turned his face, looking out the window. When they passed, he looked at me. “Ready to go?”

The market hall,where IKEA sold everything from dishes to lamps, felt like Christmas. Even though I wasn’t buying this for myself, itwas still wildly exciting. I had all but memorized what I needed to make the room look perfect for any of Ryan’s guests.

The more I loaded into the cart, the more nervous I got, but he seemed unfazed by it. When I needed something lifted into the cart, he helped. I watched him closely, but he never once checked the price. He simply pushed the cart around and waited for me.

We were almost at the end. I wanted to find a couple candles.

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