by Smith, Mary
“Katie?” Andrew looked at me questioningly. “Are you okay?”
I had so many emotions running through me, I didn’t know which one was going to spring forth first. “I Googled,” I said harshly.
“Oh.” Andrew looked down at the ground as he sat on his bed.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I figured you needed to see it for yourself. That way my opinion wouldn’t sway you from your decision.”
“Will you answer some questions that I have now?”
He nodded.
I set my bag down on the floor, and sat next to him on his bed. “Why Sweden? I mean, is it like you just try out for a team or something?’
Andrew shook his head. “Nope, you play for your home country.”
“Wes is Swedish?” I couldn’t believe I didn’t know this detail about him.
“Yep, he was born there, and I think he was around five when his family moved to the US.”
“Wow, it must have been so hard on his mom to move here after his dad left them.” I felt so bad for her, having two small children, and uprooting their lives.
“Katie, what are you talking about?” Andrew stared at me in confusion.
“Wes told me that his dad left him when he was young, and he didn’t remember him. His mom had to work nights as a nurse to support them.”
Andrew roared with laughter. He was actually holding his side, from the pain. It lasted for a full minute. “Are you fucking kidding me, Katie? Is that what he told you?”
I nodded as he got up and went over to his desk. He disconnected the laptop from its charger and brought it over to me. He logged on and pulled up a website. He turned it around for me to see. Standing there was the lawyer I had seen earlier, and Wes.
“That guy,” Andrew pointed to the lawyer, “is Douglas Crown, Wes’ father. He’s a well-known plastic surgeon. He works on celebrities, and all kinds of big name people. He’s a millionaire. His dad never left him. Douglas has been to every one of Wes' games since he was a kid. The only reason he isn’t coming around now is to punish Wes.”
My face dropped, and my heart pounded. He lied to me. Everything he had told me had been lie. “So, his mom isn’t a nurse?”
“Oh, hell no. I don’t think she’s ever worked a day in her life. Every time I saw her, she was sipping on an alcoholic drink, hitting on the players.”
“Well, um . . .” My mind was trying process so many pieces of information, I couldn’t think straight. “Does he even have a sister?”
“He does. I believe she’s several years younger than him,” he confirmed.
“How do you know all this?” Not that I thought Andrew would lie, but I had to be sure.
“Wes and I attended the same school for a while. As we both became more involved in the hockey world, we went to the same training camps and functions. I’ve known him since I was a young kid.” Andrew gave me a sad smile.
“Was he always a liar?” Anger was getting the best of me.
“Well, he liked to elaborate on some stories, but the last few years, his tall tales have become taller and taller.” He shrugged.
“So, let me see if I understand this: Wes’ father is a Swedish, multimillionaire plastic surgeon, his mother is a Swedish party girl, and he’s a liar.” I counted each point on my fingers.
“Yep, that pretty much sums it up.” Andrew nodded at me. “And if you don’t believe me, ask Franks. All three of us went to school together.”
I sat on his bed for a moment, trying to understand everything I had just heard. “But I don’t get it; why would he lie to me?”
“Because he’s a liar.” Andrew sighed. “I’m sorry. I should have told you before you slept with him.”
“What?! I didn’t sleep with him. Why would you think that?”
“He told the whole team. It was that first night you stayed over at his house.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. I was in complete shock. He told people I had sex with him?
“So, you didn’t have sex with him?” Andrew asked me.
“Hell no, I didn’t have sex with him!” That was the last straw. I knew what I needed to do.
I shot up from the bed, grabbed my bag, and jetted out of the room. I heard Andrew yell my name, but I didn’t stop. I got into the car and flew down the street, heading towards Wes’ apartment. How dare he tell the team that I slept with him? How dare he lie to me?
I made it to his place in record time. I parked beside his truck, and I had the urge to slash his tires. I knew that was immature, but it would have made me feel better. I stomped up the stairs and pounded on his door.
“Katie, thank God you came over.” He answered the door, and I could see relieve on his face.
“You’re nothing but a liar. You have some nerve telling people I slept with you when I didn’t. Oh, and I know the truth about the Juniors. You’re nothing but a bigass phony!” I shouted at him. I couldn’t stand the sight of him. I had said my piece, so I turned to leave. But before I reached the door, he grabbed my arm and jerked me towards him.
“Who the fuck do you think you are talking to me like that? You’re nothing but a poor farm girl.” His eyes flashed with rage.
“This poor farm girl is about to break your jaw if you don’t unhand me,” I hissed at him. There was no way I was going to let him think he could intimidate me.
“Let her go, Wes.” I heard Andrew’s voice from behind me. “Now,” he growled.
We didn’t look away from each other. Neither one of us was going to back down.
“I said now.” Andrew’s voice sounded deadly, and Wes finally let go of me.
“This is your doing, isn’t it, Andrew?” Wes went nose to nose with Andrew.
“No, your lies are just catching up with you,” he barked back at him.
I felt a soft hand touch my shoulder and gently pull me back—it was Lindsay. Just then as Franks came around me and broke up Andrew and Wes. “No fighting, guys, you know the rules,” he reminded them.
The three of them stood there, and no one moved. Finally, Wes stepped back into his apartment and slammed the door. Andrew stood there for a few minutes, his stare so intense I half expected him to bore a hole through the apartment door.
“Come on, Andrew,” Franks said as he slapped Andrew on the shoulder, trying to defuse his friend’s anger.
He looked over at me. “Are you okay?”
“Damn skippy I’m fine. I've never felt better,” I said boldly. I shrugged it off, because if I didn’t, I might actually cry because that jerk lied about me. I was stronger than that.
Chapter 10 – Andrew
That girl was something else. The moment she raced out of my room, I knew exactly where she was going.
As we climbed down the stairs, I followed her closely. I wanted to protect her, to make sure she was okay.
When we got to the parking lot, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards me. “Hey, Katie, I’ll drive your car. Franks, take mine.” I threw him my keys. No one argued; we just went our separate ways. Katie handed me the keys, and I opened the door for her.
I assumed she was going to chew me out for taking charge of the situation, but she didn’t say a word. I watched Franks, with Lindsay, turn right, heading back to our house. I sat at the stop sign a moment longer. I didn’t want to take Katie home, so I turned left.
“Where are you going?” she asked, looking out the window.
“I think we need a drive, to calm down,” I explained, and I headed to the one spot where I liked to go to think, and enjoy the quiet.
I pulled onto campus and headed straight for the rink. I parked the car in Coach’s spot, and got out. After I opened the car door for her, I held her hand and led her down the hall and into the student section. The ice rink was bright white, and the St. Paul Bear gleamed in the middle of it. We sat down, still holding hands, as we both stared out on the ice.
After several moments of silence, Katie finally asked, “Why are we here?�
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“It’s where I come for quiet and clarity. I figured you needed it, too.”
“We should be studying. We both have tests tomorrow.”
“I think we can hold off for a little bit, and focus on the now,” I leaned over and whispered to her.
She looked unconvinced, her back rigid, but didn’t let go of my hand. She crossed her legs and began to shake her ankle.
“You need to relax and enjoy the quiet,” he said quietly.
“No, I need to get the study materials finished so we can get ready for that test tomorrow,” she growled back at me. I watch her twist her charm around in her fingers.
“Why can’t you just do this?” She was so hung up on studying that she couldn’t focus on letting her adrenaline die down. She was so damn stubborn. I shook my head at her. “Fine,” I said, letting go of her hand as I stood up. “Let’s go study.”
“Good.” She jumped up and turned toward the door.
As we made our way to the car, the cold autumn air danced around us. Her light brown hair shone brightly, as the sun shined on it. I looked down at her hips as she swayed up to the passenger door. What the hell was wrong with me? The only other time I ever cared about a girl’s hips was when she was naked and I needed something to hold onto.
I drove to her apartment so she could grab her bag, and then we headed back to my house. I tried to open the car door for her, but she jumped out before I got a chance, and stomped into the house.
I went to my room without saying a word, and grabbed my laptop, along with my books. I almost ran into Franks when I got back into the hall.
“You like her,” he said teasingly.
“What?”
“Katie. You like Katie,” he clarified.
“She’s my tutor, and I guess a friend, but that’s all.”
“Andrew, I have been your friend since the day you laced up your first pair of skates. You might be able to fool everyone else into thinking you’re just a badass hockey player, but I know you,” he said as he pointed his finger right in my face. “You’re a good guy, and I think you’re in love.”
“Oh, come on,” I laughed at him. “Love? Me? I don’t fall in love with girls. I fall into bed with them. There’s a huge difference.”
Franks smirked at me. “Liar.”
I rolled my eyes at him, and headed down the stairs. I’m not in love with Katie. No way. I don’t fall in love. It doesn’t happen to me. I like Katie, she is a friend. Okay, maybe I felt something the other day, but it was nothing. It might have been all the alcohol that was still in my system from the party. I slammed my stuff onto the dining room table, trying to forget the conversation I just had with Franks.
The moment I sat down, Katie went into tutor mode. She went over everything that was going to be on the history exam tomorrow. It was a lot of information to retain, and I hoped I could remember even half of it.
It seemed like a lifetime of studying, but it had only been a few hours. Nonetheless, my head felt like it was about to explode.
“I can’t read another word. Not going to happen.” I shut the large book and pushed it away from me.
“Yeah, I think a break is needed.” She got up and went into the kitchen. I heard Franks and Lindsay coming downstairs.
“Hey, wanna order some pizza?” Franks asked, sitting at the table with me.
I nodded. Katie came back in with two beers. She tried to hand me one, but I didn't take it. She looked at me, confused. “I swear I didn’t put anything in it,” she teased.
“Um . . .” I didn’t know how to explain it to her.
“You know what, I’ll take that.” Franks came to my rescue and took the bottle from her hand.
Katie sat down, still looking at me. “Is there a reason you didn’t want it?”
“Um . . .” was all I could manage to say.
“Katie, what do you like on your pizza?” Franks asked, distracting Katie from her question.. “Hawaiian,” Katie and Lindsay answered in unison, and then laughed.
I looked at my watch. “Hey, I need to run out for a bit.” I stood, slapped Franks appreciatively on the shoulder, and headed towards the door.
“Do you have a hot date, or just a quick lay?” Katie’s teased me.
“Katie,” Franks said, shaking his head.
“What?” She looked at Franks, then me, confused. I didn't say a word. I just grabbed my keys, and left.
The drive to the church wasn’t long, but the traffic was starting to pick up, and it seemed longer. I thought about what Franks said, again. Did I love Katie? That was impossible. I didn’t fall in love,.
I parked the car out front, and walked up the stone stairs to the large oak doors. I tugged on them, and the smell hit me. Church, like the ice rink, was somewhere that I could think, and get clarity. I wasn’t a religious person, but coming here brought back memories, memories of a happier time.
“Andrew, you missed morning mass,” Father Michael said as he walked up the aisle to me.
“My apologies. I had another matter to take care of.” I shook his hand. “Do you have a moment?”
“Always.” He points, with an outstretched arm, to a pew near the back of the church.
“I know you’re getting ready for evening mass, so I won’t take up very much your time.”
“Take all the time you need, Andrew. What’s the problem?” Father Michael looked at me intently, with concern in his eyes. His steel gray hair, cut short, reminded me of how old he had gotten over the years.
“Is it possible for me to fall in love?”
“Of course. Love is an amazing and wonderful thing. You’re a great man, and I have no doubt that you could be in love. Why are you asking? Is there someone special in your life?”
I looked away from him, and over to the stained glass windows that depicted the stories of the Bible. I shrugged.
“Andrew,” he pushed after a moment of silence. “Talk to me as if this collar wasn’t around my neck, and as the uncle that I am to you.”
I turned back to my Uncle Mike, the one person I could tell everything to. “I miss Mom,” I told him honestly.
“It has been a rough couple years for you. Is that why you came to St. Paul?”
I slouched down in the pew and looked up at the ceiling. “I came here for a new start, but it started off just like everything else, with Dad bailing me out again. Then this stuff with Wes, and let’s not forget, every NHL scout is looking at me just waiting for me to make a mistake. And then there's Katie.”
“Who is Katie?” Uncle Mike asked.
“My tutor that Dad paid for.”
“Is she the one who has you questioning whether or not you can fall in love?”
“Yes. She has me working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life. And I want to do well—for her, for myself. She makes me feel like just because I’ve screwed up in the past doesn’t mean I can’t get it right this time. And she’s beautiful and sweet and sassy and . . . and . . .”
“And you’ve fallen for her.”
“I’ve only known her a few weeks.”
“I seem to remember a time when a fiery blonde fell for a hockey-playing chemist. She swore she would never fall in love, but it happened, and they were so madly in love.” He smiled at the memory.
“I’m not Dad, and she isn’t Mom.” I crossed my arms.
“Andrew, the first time you saw her, what did you think?”
“I thought she was hot,” I said candidly.
Uncle Mike smiled. “Anything else?”
I paused. “Her eyes. I thought I saw a sadness in her eyes that I recognized. I feel like it’s the same look I have when I think about Mom.”
For a moment neither of us said anything. We had all a hard time with my mom’s sudden passing. None of us could comprehend the car accident, because Mom was such a good driver. The police report ruled that weather was a factor, but it didn’t matter how, she was still gone.
“Andrew.” Uncle Mike’s voice pulled
me from my thoughts of Mom and her accident. “Stop hiding behind your goalie mask, and just be you.”
“What does that mean?”
“You are not some hockey bad boy. You are Andrew Moore, and I know what a great young man you are. You put people’s needs before yours all the time. And yes, you are slacking in the school department, but that’s because you feel like you need to keep up this image that isn’t you.”
“It’s not an image. I am a goalie. I like to have sex with girls and drink an abundance of alcohol. That all equals up to a bad boy.”
“My baby sister raised you right, Andrew, and you’re a great kid. You’ve just made some not-so-great choices lately.”
“You think I’m a great kid? Wow, I have you fooled,” I said, grinning at him.
“I doubt that. How many drinks have you had today?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.
“None,” I groaned.
“Because?”
“Because Mom didn’t think it was appropriate to drink on Sundays,” I grumbled.
Uncle Mike laughed again. “Oh, that sister of mine.” We sat there in the silence of the church, reflecting on memories of my mom. She was very religious, but never pushed it on anyone. She treated everyone the same way, and that’s what she taught me. I wish there were some way I knew she was proud of me.
“Thank you, Uncle Mike. I can always count on you,” I said sincerely.
“You can count on your dad, too. You know, he misses you.”
My father and I had been inseparable, until Mom died. It was so much harder for me to be around him. Seeing his pain just reminded me of losing her, and I couldn’t take that. When I was first offered the position in Boston, I took it. Then Juniors happened, and it seemed to spiral from there. I really wanted St. Paul to be different.
“Thanks again.” I stood to leave, but I had one more question. “Hey, Father Michael,” I said formally. “Why did you come to St. Paul?”
He stood up and grabbed my biceps. “Because my nephew needed me.” He smiled at me, and I knew that he was right.