by Anna Albo
Will: Running a bit late. Be there soon.
Be there soon! Annoyance was setting in. How could he be late for this?
“Uh, Will is going to be late. Do you think Brad could cover for a bit longer?”
Julie scowled. “Sorry, but we can’t. He has an autograph session in fifteen minutes and he wants to change into dry clothes.”
Allie couldn’t begrudge him that. “Okay. I guess we’ll have to put this game on hold.”
A smile crept up on Julie’s lips. “You could get in there. You wouldn’t want to disappoint the kids. Well, I guess that could be disappointing the kids. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to have a lineup to dunk you. And the kids all miss anyway. That’s if they bother trying at all.”
There were so many insults in there, Allie couldn’t keep track of them.
“Yes, but if I am dunked, I don’t have a change of clothes.”
“Well, then disappoint the kids.”
She made it sound like the kids were going to bed hungry. “Even if I do get into the tank, who is going to man the tickets?”
That evil smile of Julie’s returned. “I can. I don’t need to be with Brad.”
Allie looked around. It couldn’t be that bad. And Julie was right. Who would get in her line? So she rolled up her jeans and took off her shoes and socks. Brad climbed out of the dunk tank and Allie gingerly took his place, wiping all the water from the seat. She tried not to think about the water as she eased onto the seat.
Julie was right about the line. No one knew who she was and didn’t bother to try and dunk her so Julie played on her phone while they waited. Allie watched people mill by and then suddenly Tiffani appeared. She said a few words to Julie then picked up three balls.
“Tiffani, what are you doing?” Allie called out.
“Playing the game. I even made a donation to play. In fact, I gave Julie twenty bucks to play until I dunk you.”
“No, no, NO! I don’t have a change of clothes. Do not get me wet!”
“Well, that’s not the spirit,” Tiffani said with a big smile. “You want this event to make money, and I just made a donation. In fact, I let all the other wives and girlfriends know and they are on their way as we speak. And they all plan to make a huge donation. Think of all the money we are making.”
Tiffani threw the first ball and missed by a mile.
“Okay, I get it, you want to get back at me. But this isn’t playing fair.”
Tiffani laughed. “You’re right. We should bring it up at the next meeting. Could you put it in on the agenda?”
She threw her second ball and missed. Allie was glad she had terrible aim.
“Let’s negotiate. I’m sure there is something I can do that will stop you from throwing any more balls.”
Tiffani brought her hand to her chin and pretended to ponder. “No, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I want from you. Actually, there is. For you to get wet!”
She threw her third ball and it sailed wide.
Where was Will? Allie kept looking around but he was nowhere. She could climb out of the dunk tank, but then everyone would call her a poor sport. As she pondered her options, a few more wives showed up, each handing over some money to Julie. Stephanie Gagnon took Tiffani’s place. She had better aim but still missed.
“Okay, guys,” Allie said, waving her arms. “I get the point. I’m a bit overbearing, but I’m just trying to help. And this isn’t the way to vent your frustrations.”
“I think it’s a great idea.”
Allie looked down at the water. Her feet were barely dangling in and the water was frigid. If she got wet, she’d have to wear the clothes for the rest of the day. Sure, she could find something at the gift shop, but other than a sweat top and maybe a pair of socks, she’d be wet all day.
“If I match your donations, will you stop?”
The assembled ladies looked at each other for a moment then came to a consensus. “Nope!”
Allie looked around for Will again, but it was like he was in hiding and everyone’s aim was getting better and better. And that’s when she saw him. He was about fifty feet away and playing on his phone, oblivious to everything going on. She waved her arms furiously, trying to get his attention when she heard the buzzing sound of the ball hitting its target. The next thing she knew, her body was hitting the ice-cold water. She let out an underwater scream and when she surfaced, she took in a deep breath.
The ladies were cheering, but Allie wasn’t mad. If the roles had been reversed, she likely would have done the same thing. As she pushed hair away from her face, she saw Will running up to the tank, a mixture of shock and amusement on his face.
“Are you okay? What are you doing in there?” He was trying not to laugh.
“I’m fine and I foolishly fell for Julie’s trick.”
Will grabbed a towel off a pile and helped her out of the water. She wrapped it around her as the chill began to set in. Her blue jeans and long-sleeved shirt were stuck to her. At least she had warm socks to look forward to.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
“Where are you going?” she called out after him, but he didn’t stop.
Allie turned to the ladies who were still giggling.
“We’re sort of sorry,” Tiffani said. “You know, sort of.”
“I’m sure you are,” Allie said with an eye roll.
“Just think, you raised two hundred dollars.”
“Funny, but I’ll take it.”
The wives slowly wandered off and Julie handed her the bucket that held the tickets. “You were a good sport about it,” she said.
“And you’re sneaky.”
“You may not thank me now, but you will later.”
“No, I get it. Will everyone like me more now?”
Julie shrugged. “Maybe.”
Will returned with a bag of clothes from the gift shop. “I’m sorry I was late,” he said. “I grabbed some things for you. Give me your wet stuff and I’ll have the staff dry it.”
“Dry it?”
“We have a laundry room here. Where do you think all our post-game gear goes to?”
“Right. I should have known that.”
She went to the nearest washroom and looked through the bag. He’d found a pair of women’s leggings with the Falcons logo, a matching shirt and baggy sweat top that smelled oddly of his cologne. Was it his? She changed into the clothes and looked like a dowdy Falcon cheerleader if they had cheerleaders. She put on her socks and sneakers and handed the bag of wet clothes back to Will.
“I’ll be back in five minutes. Please don’t get into the dunk tank while I’m gone.”
“Hardy, har, har.”
When he returned, he was dressed in his dunk tank gear. It consisted of a pair of Falcons shorts and a T-shirt that hugged every muscle. Allie tried not to stare as he climbed into the dunk tank. She wanted to lecture him about being late, but kids had already lined up to dunk him. Allie took their tickets, wondering how her wet hair was drying. Her hair had a lot of wave to it that she carefully styled. Would she look like a frizz ball? As their hour neared its end, she took a look in the mirror and saw that it actually looked good. She had the beach ‘do going.
She glanced at her watch. With ten minutes to go, no one had dunked him yet. Something about that seemed unfair to her, so she vowed to change that. With a lull in their line, she grabbed a few balls.
“I figure since you were late, I’d get a chance to dunk you.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’m not worried,” he said with a smirk.
She hated his smugness. “I used to play baseball.”
“Really?” His eyebrow arched. “When did you play baseball?”
“You know, in school,” she said, tossing the first ball. It sailed ten feet wide.
“Right. You must have been your team’s star player.”
“I’m rusty, that’s all.”
She threw her second ball and it actually hit the tank near Will’s chest.<
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“Maybe I need to explain it to you,” Will said. “You’re supposed to hit the target. Tell me you weren’t the pitcher on your team.”
“Jerk,” she muttered to herself. She took her time aiming her last shot. A calmer approach was her new strategy. She took a deep breath, aimed and missed by another five feet above the target.
“Tell you what, since I was late, why don’t you try again? I could use the entertainment.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
As she went to retrieve the balls, a thought came to her. “The ball just has to make contact with the target, right?”
“That’s how the game is played, Ms. Troublemaker.”
“Good. I want to be clear on the rules.”
She picked up the last of the balls and headed for the target. “So, this ball, the one in my hand, has to make contact with this,” she said, pointing to the target.
“Wait a second, I know what you’re thinking. You have to throw the ball.”
“See, that’s not what you said the first time I asked.”
“No, that’s splitting hairs.”
“No, that’s me asking a very specific question.”
With that, she pushed the ball into the target and Will plunged into the water. Satisfied with herself, she returned to the small line that had formed. One of the kids was laughing. Will emerged from the water shaking his head.
“You got me, Ms. Stewart,” he called. “I think we’re even now?”
“Yes. I’ll call it even.”
Riley Ducharme and her husband took over the station, giving Allie and Will an hour-long break before their final hour of work. Will went to change and returned with Allie’s dry clothes.
“Mind if I keep the sweater?” she asked. “I’m still a bit cold and now we have ice duty coming up.”
“Sure. I’ve got a million of them. How did you know it was mine?”
“I’m assuming the gift shop clothes don’t come cologne scented.”
“No. Not usually. And you’re still cold? We have time for some shitty, watered down hot chocolate. That should warm you up.”
“You make it sound so attractive, so how could I say no?”
Allie changed into her own clothes and put Will’s sweater back on. She met him at a concession stand selling hot chocolate and they went into the arena to sit down.
“Good turnout,” he said.
“I wish there was a better way to monetize it.”
Will didn’t say anything but turned to stare at her. “When you say things like that, I think of your uncle.”
She turned to meet his intense gaze. “In a good way or bad?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Those words caught her off guard. “Okay. I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“I didn’t mean it as an insult,” he said, looking down to the ice surface. Kids of all ages were skating around with members of the Falcons. Parents were standing along the boards, taking pictures. “It’s just that you’re always looking for ways to make money. Kind of like Eddie.”
She was about to protest, but then it dawned on her. She was doing that, but unlike her uncle, she also saw the value of reinvesting back into the team. “Maybe it’s my background or living with Eddie for most of my life, but I see the team as a business and if the business doesn’t succeed, a lot of people will be out of a job. Unlike my uncle, my view is that the more money you bring in, the more you can do with your business. If I owned the team, I’d be putting a lot of the money I made back into building it up. Unfortunately, this is the one business Eddie doesn’t see the value of that.”
“Maybe he should spend some more time here.”
“I agree. But in the meantime, my job is to change his mind about how he sees the Falcons organization.”
“I hope you’re successful.”
“And the real reason I want to make all this money is so that we have more to donate. Seeing how badly the foundation did last year, I’m determined to make it better. I suppose I’m just a bit too aggressive.”
“Nah, I get where you’re coming from. I want to raise lots of money too.”
They finished up their hot chocolates and made it down to ice level. Allie didn’t participate much, standing near the boards and cheering on the kids. She watched Will and how patient he was, talking and giving tips to very willing participants. Given any other situation, she’d do anything to land a date with him, but while they were both members of the Falcons, she’d have to admire him from afar.
Why was it that the one good guy she’d met and had a crush on was the one guy she couldn’t ever have?
CHAPTER 13
Will was bunking with a new kid this season. A promising forward who was obsessed with an ex-girlfriend who wouldn’t go away. Will could sympathize. While Will could have requested his own room—he had enough years with the league and the Falcons—the team frowned on that unless you were Baker. But if he asked, they’d do it. He just didn’t care about it. A hotel room was a place to sleep and having company wasn’t all that bad, even if he was dispatching relationship advice to a kid who wouldn’t listen to it anyway.
It was the last night of a three-game road trip. They were lying in their beds with sleep coming to neither of them. The Falcons had lost all three games and instead of lamenting a terrible road trip, they were both thinking about women.
“I love Vikki. We’ve been together since my junior days in Guelph. We’ve been through a lot together, good times and bad. Back then she was the sweetest girl, but now, she’s different. Why is she different?”
Will was jolted out of his daydream. He’d been thinking of Allie that day at the carnival. Dripping wet from head to toe, her always perfectly styled hair limp around her face. She’d never been more beautiful. He’d felt terrible being late and the least he could do was buy her a change of clothes from the gift shop, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what she looked like under those wet clothes. He couldn’t get the image of her wet shirt clinging to her body out of his head. And then later, her hair in natural waves around her face. The unguarded Allie was just as beautiful as the constrained one.
“Money changes a person, Jack. Fame does that too. I had my version of Vikki, and we aren’t together anymore. And I’ve never once regretted that decision.”
“I want the old Vikki back.”
“I doubt you’ll ever see that version of her again. She’s changed, and you’ve probably changed. The two of you don’t work together anymore. If you keep pining for the old her, you are going to be very disappointed.”
“But I love her.”
He wanted to shake some sense into the kid, but then he thought of himself at that age. He’d been stupid then too. “A part of me loves Jen too, but I don’t want to be with her anymore.”
“But couldn’t you change together?”
Will smiled sympathetically. The kid was grasping at straws. “You did change together, just in different ways. There are a million girls out there, why do you keep chasing after this one?”
“Why did you keep chasing after Jen?”
The question was an innocent one and Will found himself pondering his answer. “Because a part of me liked having someone around. It sucks being alone all the time. But then I had to reevaluate. Did I want to be alone and find happiness, or be with someone who made me miserable?”
“I get what you’re saying, but . . .” He trailed off. “It’s really hard.”
“I know.”
“She wants to come live here in St. Paul.”
“It’s a huge mistake. Don’t let her move in with you until you know you want to be with her. You’re nowhere near that.”
Jack sighed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Will, but you’re old and single. Why haven’t you found the right girl?”
He chuckled. “Because I’ve found too many wrong girls. From now on, I’m going to be very careful.”
“I want you to find a nice woman.”
; “You will. Can I give you another piece of advice?” Will said.
“Sure.”
“You’ve got to look for a girl in the right place, and I think right now, you’re only looking in all the wrong places. So take your time, she’ll come along.”
“Girls make us crazy.”
“I think we make ourselves crazy.”
“Maybe your girl will come along too.”
“I think I’ve met someone, but I’m not sure.”
“You have?” Jack said, bolting up from his bed. “Where? When?”
“The last few weeks, but I haven’t done anything about it. I don’t think I can.”
“Why not?” Jack’s face looked so young and innocent, like Will had told him they couldn’t celebrate Christmas this year.
“We aren’t right for each other. Or maybe it’s not the right time, but like I’ve told you, I have to wait for the right girl to come along.”
“But what if she’s the right girl and you’re missing your opportunity? You could kick yourself later.”
Now Will understood Jack better. He didn’t want to let go of what ifs.
“But if all the signs are telling you it’s a bad idea, then it’s a bad idea.”
“But what’s your gut telling you?”
Will didn’t want to accept what his gut was telling him. “I’m not sure,” he lied.
A few minutes later Will could hear Jack’s even breathing. He was happy the conversation was over.
CHAPTER 14
The first snowfall came in late November, a lot earlier than Allie was used to. With no proper winter boots, or coat for that matter, she put that on her list of things to buy. It wasn’t like she didn’t have the time. Making friends in St. Paul hadn’t been easy and no one in the Falcons organization had made any attempt to get to know her. With the last name Stewart, no one was exactly clamoring to get her number.
Even her interactions with Cavallo were few and far between. He occasionally texted her, and they met up when they could for a skating lesson, but that had only been six times since her initial session. More and more she was feeling isolated and with Cate thousands of miles away, loneliness was eating away at her.
