Page 98 of Playoff
“My agent is talking to other teams. Unofficially.”
“And you’re not staying in Toronto? Until you know where you’re playing next year?”
“My stuff is still in California. I need to deal with it.”
She sat up and turned to face me. “Let’s approach this in a different way. What do you want to happen in the future?”
The important thing was what she wanted to happen. “You have roots in Toronto. Your job, your home, your brother, your friends.”
“That’s all true. But it doesn’t answer the question.”
“I’m being practical.”
Her eyes sparked. “Practical? Practical? When has anything about us been practical? Was hooking up that first night without exchanging names practical? Was booking that hotel room in Hamilton for two hours or having a quickie in the storage locker practical? We’ve never been practical.”
“But—”
She cut me off. “We don’t make sense, the two of us. We haven’t from the first day!”
“I know, damn it!”
“But we work. At least I thought we did.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what she was saying, but I had to assure her about this. “You’re right. We did. We do. But that doesn’t mean it can continue!”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not going to be here and you are!” Long-distance would be a bitch, and how could we possibly do that indefinitely?
“Is that what you want? For us to be in different cities?”
Frustration made my voice come out in a growl. “Hell no!”
She sat back in her seat. “Good. That was like pulling teeth. Now, what do you want?”
Traffic was clearing and I was able to make better speed. “I think you know. But your turn—what do you want?”
She huffed angrily. “This. Us.”
I drew in a long breath of air, the band around my chest releasing. “But how does that work?”
“I don’t know. I told you I was thinking about changing jobs. I’ve had my resignation letter drafted since I got back. I was going to spend the summer in BC to deal with Grandma’s house and find something after that. But I have savings. I can quit anytime. When do you have to go to LA?”
“Anytime.”
“LA isn’t far from Vancouver.”
But— “If we’re going to end this, I’d rather do it now. Waiting is just going to make it harder later.”
She made a frustrated sound. “I don’t want to end it, now or later.”
“Even if it’s going to be more painful?”
She threw her hands up. “I’d rather work on a way to avoid breaking up. Wouldn’t you?”
I turned my head for a quick look at her. She was serious. Did she have some idea how we could pull this off? “Long-distance?” That would be brutal, but for Jess…
“I don’t think I’d like long-distance.” That bit of hope faded. “But I could move.”
