Page 83 of What Are The Odds?
He was such a softy. Honestly though, I didn’t mind. I was looking forward to having four days without a five-am alarm. That alone was enough for me to get excited about.
“No. I’ll feel sad thinking about you alone on campus. Which is why I want you to spend it with me.”
I didn’t know much about Thanksgiving, but I knew enough to know it was a day you spent with important people. Like your family.
"Will and I are flying to Colorado. Our families celebrate the holiday together.”
My heartrate surged. “You want me to meet your family?”
“I want to spend time with you.” Reaching forward, Levi tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “My family just so happens to be there."
I pressed my lips together, thinking. This seemed like a bigger deal than he was pretending.
“Colorado is amazing. I can show you where I grew up. Where I played hockey.” His lips turned into an amused smile. “And I can teach you how to skate.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”
“Come on, Hughesy. Say yes.”
It wasn’t possible to say no to this guy.
“Okay.”
44. You’re my girl
Levi.
As I stepped out of my last class for the day, my phone rang. It was the Assistant GM for the Colorado Eagles. He called often, checking in on my classes and talking through my stats.
“Levi,” he said in way of greeting. “You got a spare five minutes?”
“Of course.”
Despite being drafted, I sometimes still felt like my future was too good to be true. Like the Eagles would turn around and saywhoops, we meant to pick someone else. It was a stupid thought, I knew that. I was good enough. And that wasn’t an egotistical thing. The stats and game replays showed it. But I'd be kidding if I didn’t think I was watching someone else's life. As a kid, the only future I’d ever imagined was one that happened on the ice. I’d never had a plan B.
“I just watched the tape of your last game.”
Not a great start.
“Your team were off, but you weren’t.” He cleared his throat. “You carried yourself well. You can’t win games on your own.”
He went through the game, dissecting where the team went wrong and things I could improve on. I took his feedback on board. I respected his opinion, just like I’d always been open to feedback from coaches and mentors. I’d always worked to reach the next step. Making the NHL didn’t mean the work stopped. It just changed. Once he signed off, I called Grace. It went straight to voicemail. That made me worry. She hadn’t looked well when she left the barn earlier. Instead of walking to my car I headed to her dorm. I tried calling again once I neared her building, but no luck.
“Levi?”
I searched for the voice. Ava was ahead of me, at the top of the steps that led to the entrance. I jogged to catch up.
“Are you here for Grace?”
I nodded. “I wanted to check on her before I head home.”
“Me too. I thought I’d stop by before my next class.”
She tapped her access pass against the entrance, then held the door open for me to follow.
“She didn’t look well this morning,” Ava said, briefly glancing at me over her shoulder. “She almost fainted during our workout.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I followed Ava through a selection of corridors before we reached their dorm. I hadn’t visited Grace’s room yet. We always hung at my place because I had more space. Not to mention the guys would have something to stay if I stopped bringing Grace around. The room was dark when we walked in. Ava flipped on a switch, which cast everything into a yellow-ish glow. A bed was in each corner of the room, each decorated with different quilts and pillows. Fairy lights were tacked onto the wall, which illuminated different prints and pictures. I couldn’t imagine sharing a room with anyone, though I knew Grace liked it. She mentioned it felt like a constant sleepover. But if that’s all she liked about the setup, I’d happily have that constant sleepover happen in my bed rather than here. Grace was fast asleep. She’d bunched the thick blankets so tightly around her body, all I could make out was her head. I pressed a hand to her forehead. It was burning hot. Grumbling, she began to stir. Her forehead etched when her sleepy eyes landed on me.
