Page 66 of The Sweet Spot

“My brother or sister will tell me.”

“All right,” she said reluctantly.

She took my phone, deleted the texts, and handed it back. I had thirty-nine less text messages to read. I could only imagine all the vitriol in them. Oh well, I’d never know now. I scrolled through what was left. A few from Tangi with a time for dinner and thanking me for coming. A couple from a few friends backhome that I kept in touch with, and the rest were from Bailey and Brooke.

What the hell did you say to mom and dad? They are pissed and on their way here two days early.

I looked at Bailey’s text. Poor kid was going to have to deal with the fallout. I felt a need to warn him.

First, Merry Christmas. As for mom and dad, I’m done with them. Don’t take their shit when they get there. Fight back. If they give you trouble, ask your billet family to throw them out.

HOLY SHIT. You need to tell me what happened.

I’ll call you later.

Next up were a few texts from Brooke.

Merry Christmas, big brother. I love you! Thank you for ruining mom and dad’s Xmas.

I often wondered if Brooke loathed them more than I did. While she didn’t endure as much of the physical abuse, the mental abuse they put her through was horrible. She was never pretty enough, thin enough, or smart enough. What they didn’t see was that Brooke was a gorgeous and brilliant woman who hated them.

Merry Christmas. Love you too! Can’t wait for you to meet Wolseley.

Neither can I!

She was planning a trip at the end of January for a work conference. A few days to hang out and meet Wolseley. She also wanted tickets to a Kodiaks game. She loved sports as much as I did.

I set down my phone, pulled Wolseley close, and let out a contented breath before drifting off to sleep.

Tangi tasked Wolseley with dessert, so she spent most of the afternoon making shortbread cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, my favorite, and gingerbread men and women. She put me to work, mixing and sifting, but took care of all the actual cookie construction. We both felt revived after our naps, and even a few cookie samples didn’t make me sleepy. I was looking forward to a normal dinner, with normal people, even if Ethan was there.

Tangi and Ethan’s place was within walking distance to the beach in a gorgeous part of the city I hadn’t visited much. According to Wolseley, Tangi and Ethan had done a lot of work updating the house, and it looked great and in a nice neighborhood. The perfect place to start a family.

After all the merry Christmases were said, Ethan begrudgingly offered me a beer. I accepted and hung out with the guys while the ladies chatted. At first, I felt like an outsider in this tight-knit group. Jeremy, Ryan, and Ethan had been friends for years, and I had always been the guy they couldn’t stand, but things were changing. I was finally being accepted.

“Did you hear what’s going on in Edmonton? Krueger told me that there’s a whole bunch of infighting going on, especially after that losing streak started. Foxgrove and Harvey were throwing fists in practice,” Jeremy said. He and Krueger had played Juniors together, and I guess they were still friends.

“That team is a mess,” Ryan said. “When they hired Davis, we all knew shit was going to fly.”

Davis had a checkered coaching history. He liked to push guys to the limit, kind of like my dad.

“How long before Demchuk asks for a trade?”

“He already has,” I said.

Three pairs of eyes turned to face me.

“How do you know?” Jeremy asked.

“My little brother plays Junior in Lethbridge with Demchuk’s little brother.”

“There you have it,” Ryan said.

Slowly, the guys were letting me in, and before I knew it, we were laughing, joking, and gossiping about other teams. When was the last time Ethan and I shared a laugh? Never.

Tangi served a feast for dinner. Not nearly as good as Wolseley’s food, but I wasn’t about to insult the chef. Afterward, I helped with the dishes, mostly because it settled me and was something I could do on my feet. I was finishing up when Tangi cornered me. Wolseley was putting out dessert, and everyone had gathered around to grab some treats.

“I meant what I said in the text,” she said quietly so no one would overhear. “You two are good for each other, and I’m a terrible person.”