Page 46 of Offside and Off-Limits
Hannah looks wary.
“It’s a baby grand made in Austria,” Clara adds. “Cade said it’s top of the line. He calls it Bess. Can you believe that, sweetheart?”
Hannah twists her mouth. “Bess?”
“That’s right. Come on. I’ll play something with you.” I flash my eyes to Clara’s, and she shoots me a grateful look.
“That sounds fun, sweetheart,” she encourages.
“I guess,” Hannah replies and together we make our way to the piano, where I pull the stool out for us both to sit down.
“What do you know how to play?”
“‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,’ and‘Chopsticks,’ although Mommy doesn’t like that one.”
“It’s just that you play it a lot, honey,” Clara explains.
“It’s because it’s fun!” Hannah replies.
“I’ve got an idea. How about we play ‘Chopsticks’ together and show Mommy just how good it can be?” I suggest.
Benny laughs from his position by the cabinet, the action figure in his hands. “She’s not your mommy!”
“You’ve got a point there, Benny,” I say, my eyes flashing to Clara’s. Her face is lit up in a smile, and my belly does that somersault thing again. “Right, ‘Chopsticks.’ You know this part, right?” I play the tune and Hannah nods. “All right. You play that and I’ll add to it. Ready, maestro?”
“Ready,” Hannah says and immediately begins to play the tune. Once she’s completed one iteration, I add some harmony, hamming it up like I’m some professional pianist, which makes Benny laugh and Hannah crack a smile. The best bit? I notice Clara is absolutely beaming. So, I add some flourishes, really getting into it as Hannah’s little tongue pokes out in concentration. Yeah, I'm definitely showing off now, but not for the usual reasons.
This isn't about impressing anyone or playing the charming hockey star. This is about being part of something real, something that has nothing to do with the ice or the team or any of the noise that usually fills my world.
It's just us. Just this moment. Clara beaming from the couch as she watches us, Benny giggling at my theatrical flourishes, Hannah proud of holding her own. It's simple and it’s perfect and it’s everything I know I’ve been missing.
This is what a family feels like, and with Clara, I begin to feel I could build something lasting, something solid and real.
For the first time in my adult life, I'm not thinking about the next game, the next season, or what anyone expects from me. I'm just here, in this moment, it feels like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.
CHAPTER 10
CLARA
I snuggle backonto the back of the sofa, Bailey sitting with her legs up on the seat opposite as we sip chamomile tea. I’m thankful that another work week is over. My energy levels have held up well to the demands of my new job so far, but I'm not taking anything for granted. This is too big of an opportunity for me to burn myself out. I need to do exactly what Bernice told us all to do at the last support group meeting and treat myself kindly, allowing myself the space to rest and recuperate.
That's not to say my job isn't going crazy well. The livestream was a runaway success, despite my concerns, and several of the videos I’ve posted have gone viral, garneringmultiple views, likes, and re-posts. Veronica pulled me to the side this afternoon to tell me how well I’m doing and how pleased Management is with my work.
It feels good to know my work is landing the way I had hoped, and Dwayne has come to Maple Falls to see the kids for the weekend, so Bailey and I can sit and chat and I know I can sleep in tomorrow if I need to.
My phone beeps beside me and I lift it to see a message from Warrior.
ChronicWarrior88:
I’ve been thinking about you a lot today.
I smile but notice the flush of pleasure at receiving a message from him is dimmer than usual, and I know I have one person to blame for that.
Cade Lennox. Or rather Cade Lennox with his confusing layers, showing me that he’s not the person I judged him as. He’s managed to eke his way through my defenses and touch my heart in a way I never saw coming.
The way he cares for his mom, concerned that he's far away from her even though he knows his sister is close by; the way he bonded not only with Benny over comic books, but with Hannah, too, playing “Chopsticks” on his piano he calls Bess; the way he wanted to help out a teammate who was struggling, bringing him to the Chronic Warriors Support Group and offering him words of support.
If it wasn’t for the fact he’s so dang flirty, I would never have matched the Cade I’m growing to know with his public persona, the person he leads with, aka Mr. Womanizer, partying hard every day of the week.
