Crossing Center Ice

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “Well, I would appreciate it if you would be realistic with Benjie if he expresses an interest in playing professionally. I really don’t want him to pursue that.”

  Kenton was quiet for a moment then said, “I can do that, but if he’s really got a lot of natural talent, it will be hard to not want to help him cultivate that.”

  “He is good, but I do think he lacks the focus for it.”

  “Regardless, I do look forward to seeing him play. Will be nice to be a fan for a change.”

  Avery smiled at the idea that Kenton would be a fan of Benjie, and she knew that would thrill her son to no end.

  “Well, I’d better go.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  After she ended the call, Avery flipped back the small blanket covering her legs and got up. She appreciated the warmth from the gas fireplace on the one wall as she began to go through the process of getting ready for bed.

  When the cold weather moved in, she always made good use of the fireplaces that her father had included in the remodeling of the basement. It tended to be colder in the basement, so she used the fireplaces to warm the rooms when she was down there. There was no other way she liked to end her day more than to curl up under her covers and watch the flames flicker in the fireplace opposite her bed, secure in the knowledge that her family was safe in their rooms above her.

  It was what allowed her to fall asleep without fear and anxiety gripping her.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  When he heard the door to the gym room open, Kenton looked up from where he’d been rubbing his scar. Avery walked in, bundled up with her bag over her shoulder. He got to his feet as she approached, frowning as he got a look at her face. Though the bruises had faded some, right then, it was the exhaustion on her face that grabbed his attention.

  “You okay?” he asked as she took her coat off.

  Avery let out a sigh and gave him a weary look. “Sometimes I have trouble sleeping.”

  “Insomnia?”

  She gave a shake of her head. “Nightmares. The clinic attack kind of triggered them again. Some nights I have them, some nights I don’t. Last night, I did.”

  Not really surprising since it was likely she had some form of PTSD from the attack. But what did she mean that the nightmares had been triggered again? What had she been through to cause her to have nightmares in the first place? Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to find out right then as Hunter and Gabe joined them to start the workout.

  After the initial therapy part with Avery, he moved onto the workout with Hunter, still under Avery’s watchful eye. Between her and Hunter, there was little chance of him overdoing things. At any given time, one of them was correcting him if he dared to push things too far. He alternated between feeling frustrated and grateful.

  Sometimes he wanted to remind them that he had been in training longer than either of them likely had. He was a professional athlete, after all. He’d spent years being trained by the best of the best, and he knew what to do to get his body back to where it needed to be. It seemed, however, that his team trainers and medical staff had given specific instructions that Avery and Hunter were determined to carry out to the letter.

  After grousing at Hunter again for something he kept making him repeat that was stupidly easy—Benjie probably would have even scoffed at it—the man simply said, “This is an exercise that your trainers have given us. If you don’t like it, take it up with them.”

  Kenton rolled his eyes as he did the movement again, knowing that Hunter was well aware that he wasn’t going to buck what his trainers had told them to do. Trying to curb his impatience and frustration, Kenton kept his head down for the remainder of the session and did as he was asked by both Hunter and Avery.

  Though he would have liked to talk more with Avery, she took off as soon as they were done. He stood at the entrance to the building, watching as she hurried to her car and climbed in. She sat for a few minutes before backing out and leaving the parking lot.

  Kenton frowned as he rested his hands on his hips. He really didn’t like how worried he was about her. Aside from his family and a couple of friends like Vlad, he didn’t allow himself to become emotionally involved with anyone. He considered Vlad one of his best friends, so of course, he’d be worried if things were bothering the man. He’d care if there were things worrying him.

  But Avery?

  He’d wanted friendship with her, but his growing concern for her proved that she was coming to mean more to him. And he wasn’t even sure how that had happened.

  Initially, she’d been prickly, at best, downright cold, at worst. So how had it come to this? Was it because of Benjie and Elliot, or because of what he knew of her story with her mom and dad? Was it how she met him head-on even when he was being stubborn, totally not intimidated at all by who he was? Or was it because he’d seen her struggling to continue on with her responsibilities even after some guy, strung out on drugs and alcohol, had used her as a punching bag?

  Kenton rubbed his forehead, sighing as he realized that it was probably a little of all of that. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, and Kenton turned to see Hunter standing behind him.

  “Everything okay?” he asked as his hand dropped back down to his side. He looked out at the parking lot then back to Kenton. “Avery alright?”

  Kenton shrugged. “She said she was.”

  “But you don’t believe her?”

  “I don’t know her well enough to say for sure one way or another.” Although, even as he said the words, Kenton realized that he actually did know her better than he’d thought.

  “I think your instincts are correct because even though I know her less than you do, I could sense something was off with her today,” Hunter said. He nodded back to the office. “Why don’t you come back and have a coffee? I think Gabe was going to start a pot.”

  Kenton followed the man back into the office then settled into one of the easy chairs in the room. The guys might work hard, but they also surrounded themselves with luxury for the times they weren’t in the gym. He was grateful for the comfort of the chair as his body was feeling the workout already.

  Hunter and Gabe were discussing business things when another man came through the door. Kenton recognized him as Gabe’s other business partner in the climbing wall gym. He gave Kenton a nod as he grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee.

  Then it was the three of them talking business, but Kenton didn’t mind not having to talk since his thoughts remained on Avery. No doubt she would still head over to work with his mom even though she most likely would rather have had a nap. He had to admire her work ethic. It was just one more thing he appreciated about her.

  That, and her love and devotion to her son, brother, and mom.

  Her patience and understanding with his mom.

  Her patience with him and not letting him get away with anything.

  The way she smiled and even laughed if he caught her off-guard with something funny.

  Kenton scowled down into his coffee. What on earth was wrong with him? Listing all the ways he appreciated Avery? That was definitely going down a road to a destination that would not be good for either of them.

  “What did my coffee ever do to you to rate such a look?” Gabe asked.

  He looked up and met his brother’s gaze. “Well, it is no fancy coffee, that’s for sure.”

  “And you should be thanking me for that,” Gabe told him. “I saved you seven bucks right there, and you even get a free refill.”

  “So were you at the game the other night?” Hunter asked.

  As the conversation turned to hockey, Kenton was glad for a distraction from his thoughts considering the turn they’d taken. He was also glad that these men were willing to just treat him like one of the guys instead of his public persona. No doubt Gabe had told them enough stories to keep him human and less of a professional athlete in their minds. His siblings were always good at keeping him humble.

  Since Gabe had dri
ven him to the gym, Kenton had to wait until he was ready to go. He had an appointment early in the coming week with the local orthopedic surgeon who had agreed to keep an eye on him while he was in Winnipeg. He hoped the man would give him permission to drive because it was beginning to get a bit tiresome having to wait around for people to drive him places. Especially now that he was coming to the gym every day.

  Once at the house, he found his dad in the kitchen. He and Gabe sat down with the takeout they’d picked up on the way home since neither had felt like having to put together something to eat after their workout that morning.

  “Mom working with Avery?” Kenton asked. He had spent the ride home debating if he should try to talk with her more or not.

  “Yep. I think it will be a good day for her. She was super focused with Rowena, and she even ate a good lunch.” His dad sat down on the chair next to him. “You never did tell me what you said to her to get her to decide to work harder.”

  Kenton swallowed the bite he’d taken of the burger. “I told her that one of the first things that went through my head after I heard I’d have to go through surgery was her voice telling me not to give up. That even though I didn’t know for sure if the surgery would work one hundred percent, I had to at least try.” Kenton shrugged. “From there it was just reminding her that she was never going to get back to where she’d been if she didn’t at least try. That’s what you always taught us, right? That failure was only guaranteed if we didn’t try.”

  His dad reached out to rest his hand on Kenton’s arm. “Thank you. I was at a loss as to what to do. It felt…wrong to be too harsh with her myself. Not that you were harsh, but I didn’t want her to feel like I didn’t love her just as she was. I would love her even if she never got any better, but I knew she’d never be happy that way.”

  “It was good that Rowena and Avery had the patience to stick with her even during the times she wasn’t interested in working with them.”

  “All of the people Max has set up to work with her have been God sent. Truly. I am beyond grateful for all they’ve done for Emily. And for you too.”

  Kenton nodded as he continued to eat. He wondered how much more his dad might know about Avery. Though he wanted to ask, something kept him from doing so. He wanted to know more about her, but, strangely enough, he found that he wanted to hear about it from her.

  Because they were friends.

  Right…

  When Friday night rolled around, Kenton ended up with Gabe, Mitch, Tristan, and Dalton tagging along to Benjie’s game. It had surprised him when Dalton had agreed to come, but Kenton had invited him thinking he might get along with Elliot. Dalton was a year older than Avery’s brother, but they still might enjoy hanging out together.

  Tristan was driving Kenton’s Land Rover again, and he took a roundabout way to the community center where the game was going to be held so they could pick up some coffee. Arenas at community centers were notorious for being cold. Having a hot drink would be good. He got a hot chocolate for both Elliot and Avery since he had no idea if Avery drank coffee. Everyone—well, most everyone—liked hot chocolate. The rest of them got a coffee.

  Though he was braced for someone to recognize him, Kenton hoped they didn’t since he wanted the focus to be on Benjie. He was once again wearing a ball cap, and bringing his brothers with him would hopefully keep the attention on the group as a whole and not just on him, which is what would have happened if he’d been on his own. He assumed that showing up to sit with Avery would draw some looks, regardless. From what he remembered of his own time in this league, most people at the games were regulars and were either friends or family.

  Kenton was assailed by memories as he walked into the arena. Years ago, he’d played here. He’d practiced here. He’d honed his craft on the ice that his dad and a couple of other parents would rent there for private lessons for their kids. This had been his home arena. It was a weird coincidence that Benjie now played for the same team he had so many years earlier.

  It didn’t take them long to find Avery and Elliot. There were plenty of seats around them, so he took the seat next to Avery while Tristan, the twins, and Dalton settled into the row right in front of them. He made quick introductions of Avery and Elliot even though it was pretty much only Dalton who didn’t know them yet.

  “Not sure if you wanted coffee, so I got you and Elliot hot chocolate. Hope that works,” Kenton said as he handed her the tray with the drinks.

  “That’s great. Thank you.” She waited as Elliot worked one drink out of the cardboard tray before taking the other. “Hot chocolate and tea are my usual drinks.”

  “Not coffee?” Kenton asked.

  “Well, occasionally I have a cup. Usually when I need the caffeine in the morning.”

  “So is Benjie ready for his game?”

  Avery nodded before she took a sip of her hot chocolate. “I hope he’s not too distracted. I told him at supper that you might be here. I wanted to make sure he knew to not get too vocal when he saw you. Figured I’d let you decide if you wanted to be recognized or not.”

  Kenton tugged on the bill of his ball cap. “For Benjie’s sake, I’d rather the focus stay on the game. Afterwards…well, whatever happens, happens.”

  “What’s the team he’s playing for?” Tristan asked as he turned around in his seat. “Is this his home arena?”

  “Yep. He’s on the home team tonight.”

  “That’s great,” Tristan said with a grin. “This is the team Kenton used to play for back in the day.”

  Avery glanced over at him and smiled. “Yes. Benjie was excited when he found that out the first time he tried out for the team. I think it reinforced his desire to play for this team. Not that it would have mattered since this was the team he had to play for based on where we live.”

  “I’m sure my mom still has my uniform somewhere. She doesn’t throw away too much stuff like that.”

  Avery nodded. “Yeah. I’ve kept Benjie’s first uniforms too. He needs a new one pretty much every year. Skates too. It’s not a cheap sport, that’s for sure.”

  “You could have let him play football,” Kenton suggested.

  He didn’t miss the look Elliot shot his sister over the top of his cup. Avery’s brows drew together as she shook her head. “That was never going to happen. I have to say that even though hockey is a more expensive sport, I prefer him to play that than football.”

  “Have you met Keenan?” Kenton asked.

  “Keenan? I don’t think so,” Avery said. “The name doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “Keenan Miller?” Elliot asked. When Kenton nodded, he turned to his sister. “He plays for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.”

  “Oh. I’m not familiar with the team members.”

  “He’s a family friend,” Kenton said. “If the boys are fans of football, I know he’d love to meet them.”

  Avery shook her head as she looked back out at the ice, not even waiting for Elliot to reply. “They’re not really into football.”

  Kenton met Elliot’s gaze, and the teen gave his head a subtle shake. That definitely peaked Kenton’s curiosity. Obviously, Avery wasn’t anti-sport since her son was involved in hockey, and she’d arranged for them to meet, so she wasn’t against professional athletes—or at least not ones who played hockey. Which meant that she possibly had something against football players.

  But heeding Elliot’s warning, he didn’t push for more information. It just became one more thing he wanted to hear about from Avery. The list was getting long. Thankfully, the kids were streaming out onto the ice for a short warm-up before the game started, distracting him from his thoughts. He saw a kid raise a hand and wave frantically in their direction.

  “Number 48 is Benjie?” Kenton asked, a grin forming on his face.

  “Yep. He was excited when he had the chance to get the number,” Avery said. “I’m sure you can figure out why.”

  He could indeed. All the merch he’d had Vlad bring from LA that had Ken
ton’s name on it, also had the number 48. His jersey number. The boy’s hero worship of him was both flattering and humbling. It was for kids like him that Kenton was working hard to get back to the ice.

  Once Kenton had waved back, Benjie turned his focus to his warmup. Kenton’s first look at the young boy’s skating and stick handling skills impressed him. The boy knew what he was doing on the ice, there was no doubt about that. Did Avery see how good her son was? He thought of her words, her request that he not encourage Benjie to pursue the sport professionally and wondered if he’d be able to do that.

  As the game got started, there was loud cheering from the crowd gathered in the small arena. As he had at the Jets-Kings game, Kenton planned to cheer for every good play, but he’d cheer especially loud for Benjie. He was glad that the coach was letting him play because it definitely increased the excitement of the game.

  At one point, Benjie gained control of the puck and began to skate down the ice towards the opponents’ goalie. Kenton jumped to his feet, cheering Benjie on, but he quickly recognized what was unfolding before them. There was another player on the opposite side of the ice, level with Benjie. The goalie—from his body position—seemed entirely focused on Benjie. Kenton held his breath. He knew what the play should be. How he would play it out. But would Benjie?

  “Pass it, Benjie!” he called out. It wasn’t likely the boy heard his call over the cheers filling the arena, but after a moment’s hesitation, Benjie shot the puck over to his teammate who went on to score the first goal of the game.

  “Good call, Benjie!” Kenton yelled, wanting the boy to know that not taking the shot himself was a great decision. He felt proud of Benjie and how he’d handled that play. Kenton knew the psychological draw to try for the shot—to get the goal and not the assist—but the sooner the boy learned that he was on a team, and they were all working toward the same goal, the better player he would be.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t much longer before Benjie got another chance to score and this time, he made the decision to keep the puck, and he got the goal. Another good decision. The kid’s decision making impressed Kenton as much as his skills. What would Avery say if Kenton told her what he thought about Benjie’s talent and where it might take him if he worked hard at it?