Page 21 of Replay

I grabbed two out of the fridge and followed him into the living room. I had a big couch with lots of lounging space, since I often had a bunch of hockey players here, and a couple of recliners. A huge TV and gaming system with killer sound.

I’d re-signed with the Blaze a couple of years ago, for five years and pretty good money. If I kept playing at this level, I could maybe pick what team I wanted to play with next. Right now, I was happy with the Blaze. And if Katie was here in Toronto for another year…

Fitch settled in a recliner and I spread out on the couch after I gave him his beer.

“So what are we watching? James Bond?”

He waggled his brows. “Have you seen Stieg Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?”

I frowned at him. “Never heard of that.”

“As a Swede, I have to correct that gap in your life.”

“That was sick, man.” The movie had definitely been disturbing.

Fitch turned to me, his eyebrows drawn together. “Was it too much?”

“Right on the line.”

“What are you going to inflict on me in return?”

“I have to think about it.”

He smirked at me. “You’ve got time. We have a game tomorrow night.”

Right. Even if we weren’t playing in every preseason game, we needed to watch. See what these newbies were like and how our opponents were looking. Injuries happened, and any of the guys trying out might be playing by season’s end. “Yeah. Any of these new guys in particular you think might make it?”

He shrugged. “You’d know. This has been your team for a couple of years now.”

“Yeah, but you’ve played longer than me.”

“Calling me old?”

I grinned. “If the gray hair fits.”

He threw a pillow at me. Then we talked about the guys who were still battling for a spot. I thought Luke Walker showed a lot of promise on defense. He was Mitchy’s old roommate.

Plus, the name was cool. I could call him Skywalker if he was playing with us.

Then it was time to go to bed. It had been a good day—mending bridges with Katie and getting to know my new teammate. Even if that movie was sick.

“Hey, Ducky, can I say something?”

“Sure.”

“It relates to what we were talking about before—relationships.”

He didn’t look like it was a good thing, but I still wanted to hear it. He did have a lot more experience with women than me, since he’d been married.

“I’m glad you’ve talked to her, cleared the air. But…”

“But what?”

“But there was a reason you two split up.”

“Yeah, our parents.”

“They played a part, yes, but?—”

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