Page 64 of What Are the Chances
Levi didn’t slack. Even in the games when he’d been distracted while Grace was gone, he was still a weapon on the ice. If anything, his emotions had made him better. More lethal.
“Hey Coach,” I called out once he was halfway off the ice.
Coach Hall stopped, turning back over his shoulder.
“Are you married?”
I’m not sure where the question had come from, but suddenly I wanted to know. Tripp had mentioned seeing an attractive girl hanging around him, but I liked to hope he wasn’t still stuck in the attention of puck bunnies all these years later.
He shook his head. “Never got around to it.”
“Do you have kids?”
“A son and a daughter.”
That surprised me. He’d never mentioned kids. Didn’t have pictures up of them in his office either.
“Are you close?” I pressed.
Coach shifted so he was facing me properly. The age lines around his eyes seemed deeper today, like time was weighing him down. Had he always looked this old?
“I’ll be honest, Caufield. Playing in the league makes the family stuff harder. Between the travelling and job, there’s not much time leftover until the off-season. Then it becomes all about development and training programs.” He stroked his chin, combing through the thin layer of stubble. “It’s a tough lifestyle to expect of a girlfriend or wife, which is why I never went down that path. They have to want it as much as you do. And in my experience, they never fully understand.”
I fell silent, absorbing the weight of his words. That was a sad reality. There were plenty of guys in the league who were married and had big families and seemed happy. I wasn’t saying it was easy, but it had to be possible.
Coach reached into his pocket, partially pulling out his phone before his gaze whipped back to me. “Stay focussed, Caufield. The hockey life is the best life there is. Nothing comes close. You know that.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Hello to you too, peach
RILEY
“Where are you?” dad said in way of greeting.
Hello to you too, peach.I’d had a missed call from him for every mile I’d run. Six so far.
“Running,” I answered.
“Where?”
“Past campus.”
I was doing a ten-mile round loop which involved passing campus.
“Stop by,” he said.
It was an order if ever there was one. Dad had never learnt to ask nicely.
I slowed, reaching out to rest against a light pole. “Why are you on campus?”
“Wanted to get some work done while it was quiet.”
How depressing, spending your Sunday morning working. Then again, I found a lot of things about his life depressing. The guy was a workaholic. The only thing he had going on for him outside of work was his girlfriend, but I couldn’t imagine them spending quality time together. They had barely anything in common. The girl was closer in age to Tanner and me.
“You’re alone?” I cautiously checked.
“Yes. See you soon.”
