Page 50 of That Thing You Brew
“Don’t regret time lost, son. Regret timewasted.”
I looked out at the bay, wishing it was summer and that Penny and I could be married here. “What’s the difference? It’s all time I can’t get back.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the same. Time lost is unintentional. Time wasted is when you intentionally pass the time with things that do not matter. For me, I wasted time playing hockey when my heart was somewhere else. The game was always a means for me to leave Europe. That life—it wasn’t for me. I wanted to pave my own path, build my own castle and little kingdom, not be bound by medieval rules and traditions or my parents’ expectations. But that is me. And we—you and I—are different. Just as my father didn’t understand me, I am afraid I have failed in trying to understand you.”
“Dad, I?—”
“Let me finish. You have never done anything with less than one hundred percent effort, or unintentionally. I know that in my heart. I also know that I must let you set your own course, and support it, or you will resent me like I resented my father. I don’t want that for us. I don’t want you to ever dread coming home. So you and Penny have my blessing. And if you still want us at your wedding, we would be honored to be there.”
“Wow … yes.” I was stunned and thrilled and couldn’t wait to tell Penny. “Will you be my best man?”
“I would be honored. But—” He sighed dramatically. “I have one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Can you please tell Edyta and Karina they canbothbe your flower girls? They’ve been pestering me for days, and I can’t take it any longer.”
I laughed. “Of course.”
He pulled me in for a hug and patted my back. “Congratulations, my son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
* * *
I wasglad to get back to Colorado. The producers of the player spotlight sensed the chemistry between Penny and I, so they asked her if she’d be all right with them filming me arriving for my pregame coffee before our next home game. To my delight, she’d agreed, and we ran through some possible questions they might ask her. Neither of us wanted a repeat of that first time.
The renovation of the Coffee Loft took a few days longer than expected, so we didn’t get to film until the eighth of February. The producer thought it would be sweet for me to ask her to be my Valentine, so I’d asked her in advance if that would be okay. We hadn’t gone public with our relationship. She wasn’t ready to be put in the spotlight, but I didn’t want to hide her anymore, either. A Valentine was sweet and common and low-key enough. She’d agreed to that as well.
The day of the filming, I was so giddy I couldn’t stand it. Wearing a new suit with a pink tie and armed with a bouquet of pink roses and baby’s breath from the flower shop on Main, I pushed open the door to the Coffee Loft and sauntered in.
The place was crowded, but the line wasn’t long. The new space on the second level was full. From what I could see below, it looked cozy. Penny said they were taking donations of books, Little Free Library-style. I loved that concept.
I fist-bumped a few kids as I stood in line, catching Penny’s eye only about every other blink. By the time I reached the counter, her cheeks were as pink as the roses, which I made a show of dramatically “hiding” behind my back before the camera started rolling.
“Hi,” she said, giving the camera and the producer a side glance. “Your usual?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
She grinned. “Coming right up!”
Gabby rang up my order, and I dropped a twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar. I wanted to leave more, but that’s what I’d left that first time, so I couldn’t alter the ritual.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from Penny as she wrote on the cup. It dawned on me that I might not want to share the message with the camera crew.Coffee ice cream, butterscotch chips, light roast, whipped cream, sea salt caramel drizzle, toffee crunch bites.
“Here you go.” Penny always handed me the coffee instead of setting it on the counter in the pickup area.
“Thanks.” I took the cup, arranging my palm over the message, and held it up to my nose, breathing in the subtle aroma of coffee beans softened by a cloud of sugar. “Perfect. And—” I paused, pulling out the flowers from behind my back with a flourish. “I wanted to thank you for traveling to Seattle to bring me luck there. As you know, I won the Breakaway Challenge and scored twice in each of the games my team played.”
“You were amazing,” she agreed.
“You’re the amazing one.” I held up the flowers. “Will you be my Valentine?”
Penny accepted the flowers. “I’d love to.”
A cheer went up around us, making Penny jump. I think we both forgot there were people around.
“Here, let’s get a quick selfie.” I leaned backward over the counter. “For us,” I added.
