Page 50 of Scoring Position

“Are they dragging you in for any more PR stunts?” Jenna Yorkshire asked Ryan a bit later. “I’m surprised Felicia hasn’t gotten the two of you into some nice striped sweaters. ‘Bert and Ernie at Home.’”

Ryan shuddered. “God, don’t give her any ideas. I look terrible in horizontal stripes. They’re making us come in Monday after practice, I think. Somehow I doubt it’s a chess rematch.”

“It won’t matter if it is, since you haven’t gotten any better at it,” Nico said. Though in fairness, it was probably difficult to get better at chess when they couldn’t get through an entire game without jumping each other.

“Maybe this time Grouch can beat you at changing the oil in his car,” Chenner piped up.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Ryan said dryly. “If I catch you saying that where Felicia can hear you, you can forget about that first-goal dinner I promised you.”

“Worth it,” Chenner singsonged, making a grab for Ryan’s beer. Ryan was faster.

When the furor died down, Ryan turned to Katja and said, “It’s always like this, I’m afraid. How are you handling it?”

She smiled. “I have a big family back home. Five brothers, six aunts and uncles on each side. I have lost count of my cousins. This?” She lifted a shoulder in an eloquent shrug. “No problem.”

“Good. Don’t be afraid to put someone in their place, though. Especially a rookie.”

“Ryan knows all about putting guys in their place,” Lefty quipped, just passing by on his way from the bar. “Eh, Grouch?”

Maybe Nico should have asked Yorkie to talk to the team about laying off Ryan. His cheeks were red when he threatened, “You’re next.”

But none of it bothered Nico. They could imply whatever they liked. The merciless teasing meant he was one of them. “Don’t be jealous, Lefty. I’m sure someone out there is desperate enough to give you a chance.”

Jenna held out her hand across the table for a fist bump.

All in all, Nico was really enjoying himself… until he checked his phone while waiting at the bar for drinks and saw he’d missed an email from his mother earlier in the day.

Things between him and his father had been strained ever since Nico hung up on him the other day. Once upon a time, after a fight like that, he’d have vented to his mother. She’d understand. But he couldn’t even bring himself to tell her what was going on. Having an openly gay son who was moderately famous could make things challenging for her if she visited Russia. She always said she’d chosen herself over her country long before Nico came out, but even if she’d left Russia behind, she could have visited. Things would be different for her now, and that was Nico’s fault. He and his dad were the only family she had. She didn’t need to know they were fighting.

On that, he and his dad agreed. Whatever happened between them, they left his mother out of it.

Unfortunately this meant that she’d booked them tickets to visit for Christmas without asking Nico about it.

Nico turned his phone screen off and decided he needed another drink. “Can I get anyone else anything?”

He had enough takers that Katja volunteered to help him carry it all.

He’d have liked to have some time to digest the situation with his parents, but when they returned with the drinks, talk of holiday plans had taken over the table. Yorkie and Jenna were hosting both sets of their parents that year. “What about you?” Yorkie asked Ryan. “Headed home?”

Ryan shook his head. “Vancouver is too far to make it worth the trip for two nights. Besides, there’s not much point. We don’t celebrate, and most of the family are medical professionals—doctor, therapist, genetic counselor. Hard to take time off.”

“I bet,” Jenna agreed. “You must miss them, though.”

He shrugged. “I’ll see them over All-Star break instead. We usually meet up at my parents’ cabin.”

Jenna turned her attention to Nico. “What about you?”

He tried to get out of it by misunderstanding. The last thing he wanted was to spring unexpected holiday plans on Ryan now, in public. “My friend Ella and I are going to Barbados during the All-Stars.” He didn’t get to see her much through the season, so they spent that week together since Nico felt confident he wouldn’t be selected. The trip was his way of thanking her for putting up with him.

Jenna tilted her head, but Ryan intervened. Shit. “I think she meant the Christmas break.”

Shit.But he couldn’t lie about it. “My parents have decided to come visit, so we can do a German Christmas and New Year’s.”

Ryan paled. “Whoa, wait, your parents are coming? Since when?”

Nico pulled a face. “Since this morning—or yesterday, I guess. I just found out. Should’ve checked my email sooner.”

“Uh-oh, meeting the parents,” Chenner said. “Big step.”

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