Hockey Ring

by Kristen Echo

  He shook her hand. “Deal. We’ll be in touch. And you’re welcome back anytime. It was great meeting you, Westlyn.” He let go of her hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “The driver will take you back to Cherie’s. Good night, Gwen.”

  She left without saying another word. Her lips still tingled from the kiss. If she opened her mouth, the word more would be all she’d say. That wouldn’t be good for either of them.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  T he next morning, Gwen followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee into the kitchen. “Hi,” she yawned. “You’re up early again.”

  Cherie was dressed for another day at the office. “I work,” she replied.

  “Well, you look pretty. I see you got my note.”

  Cherie’s bedroom door had been locked when they’d arrived home. Gwen had left her a note on the kitchen counter, letting her know they were with Spencer for the evening. The crumpled page in was tucked in her sister’s hand.

  “Yeah,” Cherie said, without making eye contact.

  “We hadn’t made plans for dinner and Spencer insisted we get together,” Gwen said, helping herself to a cup of coffee. “You went to bed pretty early cause it wasn’t late when we returned.”

  “Did you have fun?” Cherie’s tone was clipped, and her posture matched. With her hands on her hips, her lips pursed as though she’d sucked something sour.

  A smile tugged at the corner of Gwen’s mouth as she sat at the island, wearing an old tank top and pajama shorts. She traced the outline of her lower lip. The kiss had replayed in her mind all night. “It was an interesting evening. How was your night?” She blew on the hot coffee before taking a sip.

  “I worked past dinner, but came home earlier than usual. You’d seemed interested in talking before I left. I figured we’d have a nightcap, but you obviously had more important things to do than hang out with me.” She tossed the balled paper into the waste basket.

  Gwen set the cup down. “I wished I’d known. We moved to Winnipeg to be close to you. I want to hang out with you.”

  “Sure you do,” she countered. “You came here because you want something. Are you sure it wasn’t to… never mind,” she said, shaking her head and looking down at the floor.

  “Finish your sentence. Why else would we be here if not for you? You’re the reason we’re here.”

  Cherie inhaled, gripped the counter and leaned back. “This isn’t working out.”

  Gwen blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “You can’t stay here. If I’m the only reason you’re here, then you should go.”

  “Where is this coming from? Did we wake you last night? We were extra quiet when we got in so we wouldn’t disturb you. I’m sorry—”

  “You’re always sorry,” she mumbled and then looked her sister right in the eye. “This isn’t a good time for your surprise visit. I don’t need you here. Please, leave the key and be out before I’m home tonight. I’ll go say bye to my niece before I head to the office.”

  “Cherie be reasonable. We have nowhere to go. Please let us stay for a little longer while I figure things out,” she begged.

  Her sister shook her head and walked past her, dismissing her plea. Gwen dropped her forehead onto the cold counter and exhaled. Cursing under her breath, she tried to formulate a plan. They had no family other than Cherie and knew no one in the city other than her and Spencer. Calling him for help was out of the question.

  A massive headache formed at the base of her skull. Gwen rubbed the ache and racked her brain, trying to figure out what she’d done to piss her sister off now. The list was long, but it was all old stuff. Nothing new came to mind that would cause such a severe reaction. With no rhyme or reason, they’d simply worn out their welcome. Shit!

  The front door closed a few minutes later. Cherie left with no further explanation. Gwen knew better than to test her sister. It wasn’t worth shredding the tiny thread of a relationship they had by pushing her luck.

  Wes padded into the room a while later and found her slumped over the counter in the same position. “What did you say to her this time?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me,” she said.

  The relationship between Westlyn and Cherie was good. They weren’t close, but they talked every month. Her sister made an effort to get to know her daughter. It was better than nothing.

  “Well, all I know is that she seemed sad. She apologized to me, and said you’d left her no options. I told you nobody likes surprises,” Wes said, rubbing her mother’s shoulders. “Where are we going to go? Back to BC?”

  “No. We’re staying in Winnipeg,” Gwen replied. “I’m going to fix things with your aunt. We came here to be closer to family. Maybe expecting her to put us up for a few weeks was asking too much. I realize I’m not her favorite person, but I had hoped… it doesn’t matter anymore. We need to find a place to live.”

  Wes sat on the stool next to her and opened the laptop. “What kind of budget have we got?”

  “None,” she joked and sat upright. If she hadn’t trusted her ex, they’d have savings and would have been able to afford an apartment. “I’m sorry I put us in this mess.” She leaned her head on her daughter’s shoulder.

  “It’s okay, Mom. We’ll figure it out together. I’m as much to blame for us being here,” she said, lifting her hands. The bracelets jangled, drawing attention to the marks hidden beneath.

  Gwen’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re in no way responsible.” She grabbed her daughter’s hands and kissed the scars. “We left because it was time to go. A fresh start for both of us. I stand by my decision one hundred percent.”

  Wes gifted her with a weak smile. “Okay. If we don’t have enough for a hotel, we could buy a tent and camp somewhere. It is summer.”

  The idea wasn’t so bad, but she needed to be in the city for interviews. “It might come to that, but first let’s pick a cheap motel. The credit card should carry us for a little while. If I need to, I’ll take a job waiting tables or something. Thanks for being such a great kid,” she added, hugging Wes.

  Before the afternoon turned to night, they checked into a cheap motel. Finding anything for less than one hundred dollars per night proved to be difficult. This place was located in the seedier part of downtown. Even with the cheaper price tag, the cost wouldn’t be something she could sustain for more than a few days. The front of the building was layered with graffiti and grime. The inside was just as dirty. It appeared as if the floors had never seen a vacuum. The carpets lining the hall were black though patches of red poked through. A pungent scent of urine and bleach percolated through the lobby and their room wasn’t much better.

  The worst part of the day, besides getting kicked out of Cherie’s, was no one called about work. Not a single phone call all day. She hadn’t expected to hear much on the weekend, but it left her deflated. Looking around the dark and barren room, Gwen buried her head in her hands.

  Wes sat crossed legged on the queen-sized bed and pulled her headphones off. “Are you okay?”

  Gwen shook her head. “Do you want my honest answer or my optimistic one?”

  “Truth,” she replied.

  “I hate it here,” Gwen said, peeking through her fingers.

  “It’s not so bad. Kinda reminds me of that place on East Hastings Street where we stayed a few years back while the apartment was being fumigated for bed bugs.” Wes picked at something on the covers.

  Gwen cringed and scratched her hair as if the creepy crawlers were all over her. “Gross and that place sucked too. I’m not really acing this mom thing, am I?”

  Her daughter smacked her shoulder. “No pity parties. That’s what you always tell me. You’re usually the happy, silver lining finding person and I’m the doom and gloom girl. The role reversal is throwing me off balance,” Wes joked.

  She pulled her closer, hugging her tight. “Miss Doom-and-Gloom, how are you with all this? Apart from the peeling wallpaper and lack of amenities, how do you f
eel about moving here?”

  A shrug was the answer she received. That wasn’t good enough.

  “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.” She tapped her daughter’s head.

  A loud sigh followed. “You know the first thought I had when we stepped off the bus the other night, was I wonder if he would like Winnipeg. I wondered what he would think of the Northcote’s house. God, he loved to swim and would have totally done a cannonball into that massive pool. It’s stupid, and I hate myself for thinking about him all the time. Cause if he was alive, we wouldn’t be here.”

  So many words ached to be said, but Gwen held her tongue. Westlyn’s boyfriend of two years had lost his battle with drug addiction a few months prior. He hadn’t been a heavy drug user, but he’d enjoyed partying with friends and experimenting. One wrong choice and he was gone. Fentanyl claimed far too many lives.

  His passing had hit Wes hard. The depression crept in almost immediately. Then the bullying from the kids at her school pushed her over the edge. They blamed her for his death. It wasn’t her fault. Her smart decision to say no that night was the only reason she was still alive. Gwen patted her hand, encouraging her to continue. It was important to get these feelings out.

  “I just miss him,” she said, rubbing over her heart. “It’s not fair. It’s June and we should be prom planning and talking about graduation. Instead, I’m skipping all of it.”

  The school had done nothing to stop the kids from tormenting her daughter and making her life hell. Wes’s suicide attempt was the final straw. Gwen had to take action. She refused to lose her daughter. After a brief stint at the hospital, she’d arranged for Wes to take her exams virtually. She’d handed in her notice and bought their bus tickets. Her lack of planning landed them in this decrepit motel. She nodded and blinked away the tears.

  “For the record, I’m okay with leaving Vancouver. I… um… definitely think this place stinks worse than that place on East Hastings did.”

  Gwen burst out laughing. “You’re right. It’s brutal, but it’s temporary. I promise once I find work, we’ll get someplace way better.”

  It wouldn’t take much to upgrade. Between looking for jobs, she’d been apartment hunting as well. The prices were much lower than on the west coast. The cost of living had played a role in her decision to bring them to the prairies.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Wes wrapped her arms around her waist and they sat that way for a long while.

  They feasted on peanut butter and jam sandwiches and watched TV until Wes fell asleep. Gwen checked her daughter’s bag, and the pills were almost out. She tucked the covers under her daughter’s chin and cuddled next to her in bed.

  Gwen couldn’t sleep. She stared at the ceiling, counting the popcorn dots when her phone beeped. A text from Spencer.

  “Thinking of you. Hope you had a good day.”

  She debated answering. It would be best to delete, but her fingers typed a response.

  “Not the greatest. You?”

  The three lines displayed instantly. “Why not so hot?”

  “You first.” Gwen smiled, picturing him growling at her answer.

  “LOL. NHL draft time is close. Busy time. Tell me about your day.”

  “Lots of research and no job.” She typed in, “no place to live,” but deleted it before sending.

  “Good things come to those who wait.”

  His messages were a much-needed distraction. They chatted for over an hour via text message. He was busy traveling, talking to reps, agents and whatever else billionaire moguls had to take care of. It all sounded like big business. She joked that he had the hockey ring already, he should relax. He said there’s more to life than rings and he’d relax one day, but not today. She understood the feeling.

  At one point, he tried to bring up the past, but she shot him down. She was trying to be his friend and let go of the hurt. Cherie had accused her of living in the past, and maybe the best thing to do would be to focus on the future. She told Spencer the same and asked him to let sleeping dogs lie.

  Nothing good would come from rehashing the ugliness. When he mentioned the old arena again, her eyes filled with tears. She’d cried far too much lately. It was obvious he wouldn’t let it go. As much as she wanted to hold onto a grudge and hate him, she needed a friend.

  Gwen typed the final message and hit send. “Good night, friend.”

  “You got away once. I don’t repeat mistakes.”

  Well neither would she. Gwen tucked the phone away and closed her eyes. Spencer had made his intentions clear. His flirting conveyed his desire to see her and kiss her. He hadn’t come out and said those things, but it was implied. Those thoughts floated through her mind as she rolled over on the lumpy mattress and drifted to sleep.

  CHAPTER SIX

  O ver the week, every evening ended the same way. Texting back and forth with Spencer was becoming a habit. Each night he initiated contact. They flirted a little. Mostly, they kept it light-hearted and friendly, which was all Gwen could handle.

  Her life was a mess. Cherie wouldn’t return her calls. She had to make things right but had no idea where to start. Her baby sister was a busy woman but being ignored didn’t sit well with Gwen. She’d picked Winnipeg to be closer to her. But it seemed like their relationship had taken a wrong turn, and they were further apart than ever.

  The motel wasn’t great, but they were making the most of it. Wes slept a lot. When Gwen wasn’t searching for a job, she found creative ways to entertain her teenager. They walked all over downtown and played geo tracking games online to kill time. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was thankful for the phones Spencer had provided. Without them, she knew Wes would have been far more ornery and difficult to live with.

  With each passing day, she wondered how she’d pay for the next. When her phone rang, she expected it to be Spencer. It wasn’t him. She didn’t recognize the number but answered with her fingers crossed.

  “Hello, this is Gwen,” she said in a hushed tone as Wes was still sleeping.

  “Hi. My name is Reba Blackfoot. I’m glad I reached you.” The woman explained she was the Executive Director of a youth drop-in center. They had a position.

  Gwen’s heart soared, and she tried to contain the excitement. This was not one of the places she had applied. Spencer had really come through. They worked closely with inner city gangs, providing a safe space and activities to keep the kids off the streets. The job would be a perfect match with her skill set. The telephone interview went great.

  They made plans for a follow-up interview in person. Reba asked her to drop by the center in an hour with her resume. If things went well, she’d discuss a possible job offer with the board of directors. They wanted to fill the position as soon as possible. Gwen mentioned she’d start whenever they needed her.

  She needed this job to pan out. The position wasn’t hers yet, but it was the first prospect since she’d arrived. If Spencer was in the room, she would have kissed him. She shook those thoughts away and jumped on the bed.

  “Baby, wake up!” Gwen shouted. The covers scrunched and piled under her.

  Wes groaned, searching for the blankets with her eyes closed. “Stop. Mom, you’re worse than a child,” she chastised.

  The mattress springs poked her knees as she continued bouncing up and down. “I have an interview. Get up and help me pick out an outfit.”

  One eye opened. “That’s awesome. Maybe we’ll be out of this dive sooner than later.”

  “I hope so,” she agreed.

  Wes helped her get ready. Gwen wore a sleeveless flower print top and khaki knee-length shorts. Due to the heat, she tied her hair in a low ponytail. The pair walked to the drop-in center, only a few blocks from their motel. Her daughter checked out the facility while Gwen met with Reba.

  The Executive Director was an aboriginal woman in her mid-sixties with long, braided, salt and pepper hair. They wore matching shorts and a similar top, which Reba commented on the moment they walked into t
he back office. They laughed, and it set the tone for the rest of the interview.

  Gwen met several of the board members and learned a lot about the great work their organization did for their community. Her background and experience matched everything they were looking for and the pay was in line with her previous position. They didn’t offer the job, but they said they’d call soon.

  She left in high spirits and they celebrated by buying popsicles from a nearby convenience store. It hardly cooled her down. The sun beat down on them with its full summer force. By the time they returned to the motel, Gwen was dripping with sweat. The air conditioner in their room worked intermittently. Wes tapped the unit a few times. It sputtered and hummed, blasting cold air into the small space for a few minutes before turning off again.

  “We should go back to that wading pool we found the other day,” Wes suggested after flopping onto the bed face down.

  “Great idea,” Gwen replied as her phone rang. Her heart jumped into her throat. It could be Reba. She dove for her purse and answered without checking the number. “Hello.”

  “Hello, Gwen. How are you?” Spencer’s smooth voice wrapped around her like a hug.

  She couldn’t contain the smile. “I’m great. Thanks to you.”

  He chuckled. “What did I do?”

  “Your friend, Reba, called me this morning, and we had a great chat. I’m hoping I’ll be their newest staff member starting Monday.” The woman had gushed about Spencer and his generosity for well over fifteen minutes. “She sang your praises big time.”

  “Reba’s a great woman. I figured the two of you might hit it off,” he said. “Two very passionate women with hearts of gold.”

  The compliment made her blush. Wes eyed her curiously and Gwen turned away. “I don’t have the job, but I feel confident.”

  “If you get the job, it’s because you are qualified.”

  “If I get the job, it’s because you made it happen.” Gwen suspected Spencer may have provided extra funding to the organization. “Thank you for passing my name along.”