Page 91 of From Ice to Home
“I didn’t write the article, Harry,” I say, adding coffee beans to the grinder. “Maybe you should take it up withSportNews.”
“I’m taking it up with you,” he says, cool and firm. “Because my player isn’t sleeping, he’s definitely not scoring, and right now? That starts with you.”
Turning on the coffee grinder, I let the hum of it calm me down. There’s no sense in getting into things with Harry Matlock right now. He silently dares me to argue, before he continues.
“You show up to a game with no ring on your finger, freshout of Vegas. You don’t think that looks bad? Half the league is wondering if you’re just some fangirl who trapped him. And now my center can’t see straight enough to find the back of the net.”
I set the coffee beans down, jaw tightening.Breathe Hannah.
“Listen Harry, I want to discuss this with my husband first. Our personal life is our own, despite what you or the media might think—“
“You see that’s where you’re wrong,” he says, his voice pure steel now. “You didn’t enter into a normal marriage, no matter how much you might want it to be true. Whether you like it or not, you marriedLucas Walker. Which means you basically married his team, his manager, and the whole damn New York. This is about more than you. And that showed last night when Lucas couldn’t close a single shift. The team is paying him big money for doing what he’s supposed to do, and if he can’t deliver there will be no renewing his contract.”
I swallow back the words brewing in my throat. My fingers tighten around the phone as I watch the coffee machine sputter to life. The aroma hits me hard, but it does nothing to calm the unease twisting in my stomach. If I bite back now, I’ll be no better than Harry, who’s clearly upset and taking it out on me. Deep down, I can hear this is about more than the team. It’s about Lucas too. Even if he would never admit it to me.
“Harry,” my voice remains calm. “When I first met you, I told you I don’t want to hurt Lucas or his career. That’s still true, and will always be. I’m not here to take anything away from him, or from you. I want to support what he’s building, not stand in the way of it.”
He sighs deeply, silence stretching between us. It feels like I can hear him calming down on the other side of the phone. He said what he needed to say, and I’m ninety-nine percent certainhe’s talking to me because he’s not sure a conversation with Lucas would be the most helpful thing right now.
“Then you’re going to have to make up for it,” he says, finally. “If I know my center, I’m willing to bet he didn’t tell you about the gala.”
It’s a statement rather than a question.
“No,” I ask, pulling the biggest coffee mug from the cupboard. “He didn’t tell me about it.”
“There’s a charity gala right after the playoffs final. Big names, big money, a lot of important people will be attending,” he says, pausing for a second. “I told him about it just when you got back from Vegas.”
Lucas not mentioning the gala isn’t something that worries me. Instead, I think it would be better if I handled things like this with Harry directly, maybe it would help to take some pressure off Lucas. I’m not an extrovert and I’ve never attended charity galas in my life, but if it’s important to Lucas then I’ll figure it out.
“You want us to show up and show everybody that all is well.”
“You want that too, Hannah,” Harry says. “You want the narrative cleaned up as much as I do.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “You’re not wrong,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “I want people to stop speculating. Not because something is wrong, but because there isn’t.”
There’s a beat of silence on his end. All I want is for the people to stop focusing on our lives and move on already. Lucas and I are figuring this out, we’re honest with each other and we want to make this work. We don’t need the pressure of thousands of people watching every step we take.
“Good,” he says. “I’m sure after the gala, the tone will shift.”
“It will keep shifting as we move along, Harry.” I sigh, pouring the milk in the steamer and trying to keep my voice even despite the raging pressure I’m feeling inside of me. “ButI’m guessing you want the pressure off Lucas sooner rather than later. Sooner, meaning before the final.”
This is more difficult than I thought it would be. Yes, we’re sorting through our marriage, in our own time and way. But now it feels like we have to fast-track our emotions in order to please other people. I don’t like it. That’s not how love works.
I want to sort things out with Lucas because of us, not because of Harry Matlock, the Rangers, or @SuzieFans123.
“Yes,” he says, quieter this time. “That’s obviously the ideal.”
“I can’t go to Vancouver, Harry,” I say, pouring myself a cup of coffee and waiting for the milk. “I don’t have a passport yet, we haven’t had time to sort the documentation. I’ll have to do what I can from here.”
He sighs. “I’ll make a few calls. I’m sure we can sort out something temporary.”
“Harry—“
“Look, I know this might seem…drastic or harsh even,” he pauses. “But know that I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.”
Stirring my coffee, I glance out the window, taking in the clear morning sky. “I know.”
“I’ll let you know what I got done,” he says. With that the line goes dead.
