Page 209 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

Because I am not.

Chapter twenty-six

Jamie

The Distance Between Us

By the following Tuesday, I have convinced myself I imagined it.

Everyone has off days. Annette certainly deserves one.

She spends her life helping people through some of the hardest moments they'll ever face. If she seemed distracted or quieter than usual after my last appointment, it probably had nothing to do with me.

That explanation makes perfect sense, right up until I walk into the therapy gym.

She looks up from her computer and smiles. It's warm. Kind. Professional. But somehow, it isn't the same smile I’m used to.

"Good morning, Jamie."

"Morning."

She closes the file she'd been reviewing and walks toward me with the easy confidence that has always made the therapy room feel less intimidating. "How did the shoulder feel after skating?"

"Pretty good."

"Any soreness afterward?"

"The normal kind."

She nods and makes a note on the chart.

"Excellent."

The conversation ends there. It has never ended there before. Normally she asks whether Coach behaved himself or whether Liam has managed to survive another week without being suspended for excessive sarcasm.

Sometimes she asks about Briar Cove. Sometimes we argue over whether motel coffee should be illegal. Today...she simply gestures toward the treatment table.

"Let's begin."

The session moves efficiently. Too efficiently. Every exercise receives the same careful attention it always has. Every measurement is recorded. Every correction is clear and encouraging.

Nothing is wrong. Nothing is missing. Except...something is.

I finish a set of resistance exercises and look at her. "I tried those stretches before bed like you suggested."

"Did they help?"

"I think so."

"Good."

Another note goes onto the chart. I wait for the next question that never comes. Silence settles between us. Emptiness. For the first time since beginning rehabilitation, I find myself wishing she'd tease me about something.

Call me stubborn. Ask if I've been negotiating with my shoulder again. Anything.

Instead, she checks the timer. "Ready for the next exercise?"

"Sure."