Page 46 of Slapshot Baby

“What is a condiment?”

A long sigh comes from the other end of the line. “Don’t tell me you don’t know something that simple.”

I laugh, glancing toward the kitchen. "Mira stocked the fridge. There's stuff in there."

"Stuff. Very specific and nutritious." Her voice turns teasing. "Open the fridge right now. I want an inventory."

"You want me to read you my fridge contents over the phone?"

"I want to know you're not surviving on protein bars."

I get up, walk to the kitchen, and open the fridge.

"Eggs. Some vegetables. Leftover pasta. Orange juice. Something in a container I can't identify."

"Don't eat the mystery container. Throw that out immediately."

"It could be fine."

"It could also be from before your accident. That container has seen things, Kai. Let it go."

I pull it out, sniff it, and put it directly in the trash. "Done."

"Now make the eggs."

"I'm on the phone with you."

"Phones have speakers. Eat something real or I'll call Mira and tell her you're starving yourself two days post-discharge."

"That's a threat."

"That's a promise. I have her number. She gave it to me in the hospital. We text now. We're practically best friends."

"You and my sister text?"

Ava texts my sister, but I don't get a single message?

"Mostly about you. Don't worry, it's very flattering." A pause. "She says you always skip meals when you're fixated on something. She told me about a playoff run where you forgot to eat for a full day and passed out during morning skate."

"That happened once."

"Once is enough. Scramble the eggs, put something green in them. I'll wait."

I crack two eggs into a pan, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder. She stays on the line, quiet while I cook. She fills the silence with small comments about Biscuit, her dog she told me about, trying to eat a sock and a client who wants a bathroom painted the exact color of "the ocean at sunset, but not too blue."

"That's not a color," I say, pushing the eggs around.

"I told her that. She sent me forty-seven Pinterest photos. Forty-seven, Kai. I counted every one."

"Did you find the color?"

"I found six that were close enough and told her they were all the ocean at sunset. She picked the cheapest one. They always pick the cheapest one."

I close my eyes. The tension in my shoulders loosens by a fraction, which is more than anything else has managed today.

"Come to the penthouse."

"Kai."