Breakthrough Read online

  I grumble out a good morning to her and take my first sip.

  “Well don’t you look like sunshine and roses this morning.” She chuckles as she passes by.

  Sipping more coffee, I give her a look, not impressed with her amusement at my expense and decide I’ll talk once I’ve had more coffee.

  The day goes by quietly, now the service is over for grandpa it seems as if everyone that was there previously has scattered. The quiet however is a welcomed. Between playing on the floor with my sweet little girl and jotting down a list of things I need to get done to move, it’s been a productive day. Lunchtime came and went, and we still have so much food we haven’t had to cook. As the early afternoon approaches, Grandma and I get ready to go to the game. We have a car coming to pick us up in thirty minutes. I tug on my skinny jeans and then realize I don’t have any Notes gear to put on.

  Walking into Grandma’s room I ask, “Do you have a Notes shirt I can borrow? I was getting ready and realized I don’t even have a Notes T-shirt.”

  “Sweet girl I have something better you can wear tonight.” Turning towards grandpa’s side of the closet she pulls down the Notes jersey that the team gave him when he retired.

  Tears spring to my eyes at the realization, she’s giving me his jersey. Before handing it to me she hugs me tight whispering softly, “He’d want you to have this, it’s yours now.”

  Hugging her back, I squeak out a thank you and then wipe the tears away before I put it on over my tank top.

  Angie arrives soon after and I give her the rundown on Callie's evening routine. Once I’m done hugging and kissing Callie, the car arrives to take Grandma and me to the arena. The ride is quiet as we both sit in the back seat and think about what this night means to both the Notes and us. This is the end of an era and a remembrance of an amazing man and coach. I mentally prepare myself for the opening ceremonies and puck drop along with the emotions that will come crashing through me reliving Grandpa Jerry’s life as a coach for this hockey team.

  We arrive at the player's door and are met and escorted into the arena by Jason Talbot. Grandma has a tight hold of my arm and I can feel the emotions stirring within her, much like myself.

  “We’re so glad you both could make it tonight. Jerry was a pivotal part of this team. We were saddened to hear about his illness and then his passing. If there is anything this organization can ever do for you ladies, please don’t hesitate to ask. Jerry and your family were a part of this family and always will be.”

  “Thank you for having us and for honoring him tonight, we wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I answer for the both of us because I can see the shimmer of tears starting to form in grandma’s eyes. Jokingly I follow with, “If you’re ever looking for an athletic trainer it seems as if I’m available.”

  “I thought you were with Boston’s baseball team?”

  “I’ve decided to make a change and move here. Boston isn’t the place for Callie and me anymore. My contract ends at the end of this season in a few weeks after the series, then we’re moving back to Nashville.”

  “I see,” is all he says and brings us to the VIP section of the lounge until the game starts and we go out onto the ice for the ceremony.

  “How you are holding up Grandma?”

  “I’m all right. This is a little harder than I thought it was going to be. Being here without Jerry is so abnormal. I’m glad I have you here with me.”

  I lean over and give her a tight squeeze. “Would you like a drink, I hear there is an open bar?” I say with a wink.

  “Exactly what the doctor ordered. I’ll take an amaretto sour please.”

  I make my way to the bar area and along the way, I get stopped a few times by people giving me their condolences. The amount of people who remember me is surprising, since I haven’t been around the team in a long time. But then again, I’ve grown up in this arena and have had my picture taken plenty of times with Coach Hutton. With drinks in hand I walk back to the table and again get stopped a few more times. With a sigh of relief, I take a sip of my own amaretto sour. “Wow, I didn’t think anyone would recognize me but I sure as heck was wrong. I kept getting stopped by people.”

  “Your grandpa was a well-loved coach here. No one will soon forget him or what he’s done for this team.”

  “I know, I just haven’t been around here that often the past few years. I guess I forgot how different it is than baseball. Well at least this team is so much more, it’s always been a family. Baseball is all about pushing out the money and endorsements and let’s not forget to keep that playboy image and denying your kid. Ugh, why does he still get to me?”

  “He gets to you because he’s made both of your lives a living hell. Denying your sweet girl and letting you get a bad reputation with the team. I must admit, I’m glad you’re leaving them and coming here, you don’t need to be treated like that. As long as my girls live a happy life that’s all I care about, and we have lots of love to share to make up for that worthless POS in Boston.”

  Grandma’s words shock me. I don’t know why, she’s always been feisty. I know she’s right though; we have plenty of love to give Callie, we don’t need any part of him.

  Coach Crawford comes out to greet us a little while later, letting us know it’s almost time to hit the ice. Making our way to the opening, we wait off to the side. Since we were in the lounge area earlier, we didn’t notice during warm-ups the boys were all wearing a cancer ribbon embroidered on their jerseys in honor of Grandpa until the lights went out, the music started, and the boys made their way to the ice. The bench is filled, and the starting line makes their way out to the blue line, while the goalie takes his spot in front of the net. I squeeze grandma’s hand as we walk out on the carpet that’s laid so we wouldn’t slip as the announcer starts to speak.

  “Welcome! Tonight, we start our night honoring and amazing coach and friend. Jerry Hutton. During his time with the Notes, he made this organization a family and we continue to be a family and will miss him every day. Fly high Coach Hutton, until we meet on the ice again.”

  A video montage starts to play on the jumbotron above, and tears start to form in my eyes. I casually wipe them away. Grandma leans her head against my shoulder with tears and a smile. Every now and then I’d see my face pop up in one of the pictures and I had to laugh, I really did grow up here, next to grandpa and his boys.

  Once the video is done playing, the national anthem is sung and then Grandma and I are announced as the special guests to drop the puck for the ceremonial puck drop. We walk out to center ice where we meet the captains and pose for the picture before we drop it together. With sad smiles on our faces, we made it through the hard part of the night. The captains both give us a hug, then the Notes captain, Cam Livinsky, hands me his stick and says, “The entire team signed this for you. Jerry was an amazing coach and father to us all. Thank you for sharing him with us.” Then skated away to the bench to get his game stick and meet his teammates.

  Grandma and I make our way back down the carpeted path and are met with a hug from each player as we pass. Some had kind words for us, and some had tears to share alongside us. The starting goalie however gave me a sexy ass smile. I couldn’t let him know it had any effect on me. He’s just another playboy from what I’ve heard and now isn’t the time for that sort of thing anyway. We then exit the ice, it’s time for this game to start. I turn and take a quick look back at the team and smile to myself, thinking what this team did tonight was both heartfelt and amazing and I will never forget it.

  We make our way to Grandma’s regular seats on the glass and one section over from the bench. The puck is dropped, and the first twenty-minute period is started. After the first we were up two to nothing, then when the second period was done and over with, we were tied two-two. We are now minutes to the end of the third and still tied. The buzzer goes off and we end regulation time tied. The overtime period starts, and we are three on three, still ending the period with the same score and tied.
This right here is my kind of hockey game, one that ends in a shoot-out.

  I’ve been watching our goalie all night in the net, and I like what I’ve seen. He seems to be one of the better goalies in the league and maybe even a bit better than my father ever was before he retired a few years back. Doesn’t hurt he isn’t bad looking either. Not that I need another athlete in my life, or any guy for that matter, but he knows what he’s doing in the net.

  Carolina’s first guy grabs the puck and starts towards the net and with quick reflexes our goalie blocks it with ease. Then we have our turn, another miss. Another round and again we block it with a catch in the glove. This time when it’s our turn we hit it right above the goalie’s shoulder and get the goal. One more round and the entire arena is on their feet chanting and screaming. We block the third attempt and so do they. The shoot-out is over, and we win by one. The place is roaring, and the entire team hits center ice with their sticks high in the air to salute the fans.

  Grandma and I are jumping up and down with excitement over the win and the meaning for this night. Grandpa would be so happy. Slowly the fans start to trickle out of the arena, and we sit and wait, we aren’t in any rush. Eventually we make our way back to the lounge while we wait to be escorted to a waiting car, again through the players entrance.

  Before we leave, we are met again by Jason, “Thank you again for coming tonight it meant the world to have you both here. Please don’t be strangers, and Mandy, I might just have an opening for you when you get settled here.” He passes me his card and tells me to use it when I’m settled then hugs us both and walks away.

  “Did that just happen?” I look over to Grandma and she smiles.

  “Did you really think he wouldn’t make a place for you? We are part of this family and always will be. Nashville Notes will have a place for us, no matter what.”

  Still a bit shocked, we get into the car and I feel energized and excited. Hockey is where I wanted to work and now it looks like I’ll get that chance. We arrive home and send Angie on her way with a thank you and a wish for a safe drive home. I go check on Callie and she is fast asleep. When I come back out of our room, Grandma is nowhere to be found so I knock gently on her door and when I don’t get an answer, I crack the door open enough to see she is fast asleep laying across her bed still in her jersey.

  I walk through the house and close everything up and turn off all the lights before making my own way up to bed. Once I get settled under the covers, the exhaustion mixed with the energy from the game keeps me awake a little while longer until the night takes me away to sleep, where I dream of hockey and goalies. Even in my dreams I don’t listen to myself, I don’t stay away from athletes especially goalies.

  4

  Parker

  It’s been a rough week for the Notes with the passing of our old coach, Jerry Hutton. His presence has been missed with his seats sitting empty at every game. Tonight, we honor him and what he’s done for this team. Tonight, his seats will be filled by his wife and his granddaughter who I hear is in town.

  The morale in the locker room is somber as we prepare for the game knowing tonight is as much about Coach Hutton as it is playing the game and getting a win. A few of the guys attended his funeral along with our owner and coach, but I didn’t. I don’t do funerals and I don’t normally do sad. You really can’t help feeling it tonight though, the music isn’t as wild and energetic, and the guys are all in their own heads. Coach Crawford comes in and gives us a short encouraging talk before we hit the ice for warm-ups. Our jerseys were embroidered with a cancer ribbon in coach Hutton’s honor and we wear them proudly. It’s time for the show, and happy faces as we walk out to the ice getting pumped up and having the fans greet us as we exit the locker room and walk through the VIP lounge. Leading the way as the starting goalie I fist bump all the kids and give the ladies, married or not, a sly smile. I have a reputation, and even though sometimes I don’t feel like that persona, I have to keep the image up. The crowd is yelling and cheering as we hit the ice. I take my spot near the bench and start stretching, now is the time to block it all out and concentrate on the game ahead. I make sure to put a little shake in my ass because I know all the puck bunnies are watching warm-ups.

  The team skates our fifteen-minute warm up then retreats off the ice back to the locker room where coach meets us. This time he is more hyped up as we hear the pregame show music sneaking back to us.

  “Guys, this is a big game tonight. I know we have the remembrance montage to get through, but we need to both honor Coach Hutton and at the same time get our heads in the game. We need these points to keep us in the running for playoffs. Our captain will be handing the signed stick over to the Hutton’s after the puck drop. Make sure you greet them as they leave the ice. Hutton was a huge part of this team and he will be greatly missed. His retirement was rough enough but losing him altogether stings a lot more. Now let’s get out there and win, not just for us but for Hutton.”

  We all cheer and get our energy up, our entrance music is about to start playing and the doors to the locker room open. Again, we go through the VIP lounge and fist bump the fans then hit the ice. I take my place at the net and prep my home for the first twenty minutes of the game, while the guys skate a few circles before taking their spots either on the bench or the blue line. The carpet is laid out quickly and the Hutton family emerges from the bench area and take their place on the carpet while the announcer says his bit about Hutton and the montage plays.

  I look over to the side and take notice of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. Hutton’s granddaughter is no longer a young girl hanging around her grandpa and the ice, she’s become a woman. I noticed her before, when I was new to the team, but never noticed her like I do tonight. If my calculations are correct, she is four years younger than me. I look up to the jumbotron and see her young smiling face.

  The anthem is sung next, followed by the ceremonial puck drop where the ladies walk out to center ice with each team’s captain posed for a face off. Mrs. Hutton drops the puck, Cam takes possession of it then hands it to Coach’s wife, followed by a hug. Then he turns to, damn what’s her name? Manda, no, maybe Amy? Hell, if I can remember, and gives her the stick we all signed earlier in the day and gives her a hug too. The blue line follows suit and gives the ladies a hug before taking their place back on the ice for the actual face off. I shake out the thoughts of this beautiful girl and skate over to hug them both as well. When I hug the granddaughter, I give her my classic playboy smile and get no reaction from her. A little shocked, I make my way back to the net to get ready to start the game.

  It’s been a hard game tonight, sixty minutes of blocking shots. I let two go by me in the second period but that was all they were going to get tonight. Ending the night in a shoot-out we won by one goal. During the game I noticed where Coach Hutton’s seats were finally filled, and I loved every moment I caught her smile and her excitement out of the corner of my eye when the boys were at the other end of the ice. I have no idea where any of the thoughts in my head are coming from, or why this girl has any effect on me. Last time I saw her she was a kid getting ready to go to college. That was six years ago.

  After the game, all the post-game interviews and showers, some of the guys and I go out to this local bar we frequent for a couple of celebratory drinks. The puck bunnies have caught on to our post game location and seem to show up, sometimes the same girls and sometimes different ones. Tonight, seems to have a good mix of new and old. Being the man I am, my eyes catch a curvy petite brunette over by the bar. It’s not hard to get her attention and when I do, I buy her a drink, butter her up and end up taking her back to my condo I have in the city, I reserve my home in the suburbs for friends and family.

  I know I’m an asshole but it’s how I work. No attachments, just a fuck and move on. I can’t even remember her name or if I ever got it. Once she is out the door, scowl in place, I remind her to don’t come back here and close the door. I need a shower and I
need one bad. I walk back in and to the master bath, turn the hot water on to an almost scalding temperature, then step in and under the rain showerhead above me. Standing here under the hot stream I can’t help but start thinking about coach’s granddaughter and how I had no effect on her. That never happens, I at least always get a smile back, and for some reason it bothers me.

  Once showered and dressed, I decide to go to my real home, the one that is twenty minutes outside the city. We have the day off today and return tomorrow for morning skate before our next game. I’m seated in my Benz G class SUV and making my way out of the city, when she pops back into my head again out of the blue. I wish I had a clue to why this girl keeps taking over my thoughts. I’ve been a playboy superstar goalie for as long as I can remember, why would I want to stop now? I’m an arrogant bastard too. Pushing thoughts of this girl away, I pull into my long driveway up to a modest size house out of view of the world. Sometimes I need a break and a little peace and quiet. Usually during the season, I spend most of my time in the condo downtown because it’s close to the ice, especially if we only have a daylong break between games.

  I feel off today and in need of a brief reprieve from everything. It’s October in Tennessee, and warm enough still to enjoy the pool so I strip down to my boxer briefs and jump in, swimming laps until I see a shadow at the edge of the pool that shouldn’t be there. Rising up from the water I see our captain and my best friend Cam standing there, shades covering his eyes with his head tilted to the side with a questioning look on his face.