Page 8 of Broken As Puck

Hopefully, Chelsey would be pleased by the gesture. I knew I couldn’t buy her forgiveness, but doing something thoughtful surely wouldn’t hurt. If nothing else, it could serve as a peace offering. I didn’t want this to be any more awkward than it had to be, and I doubted she did either.

I sipped the water, finally noticing the cutting board and assorted vegetables on the countertop behind us. “Sorry, did I interrupt meal prep?”

She tilted her hand from one side to the other. “Not really. I was just getting started.” She checked the time on her phone. “Actually, would you like to stay? There will be plenty to go around.”

I blinked, caught off guard by the offer. “No, that’s fine. I don’t want to be a hassle.”

“You won’t be. Unless you already have plans?”

“I don’t.”

She smiled and got to her feet. “It’s settled, then. I’m making chicken with rice and vegetables. Why don’t you peel and chop the carrots while I wash the broccoli?”

Stammering, I trotted after her, unsure how a brief stop-in had turned into a dinner invitation, especially from someone who seemed as timid as Jane. But then, she’d been an excellent assistant to Austin before they’d gotten together, so I supposed it made sense that she was organized and efficient. I’d just never seen it firsthand.

I found the carrots and a small box beside them that I assumed was for the scraps. There was already a peeler out, so I picked it up and got to work. I peeled, sliced, and diced carrots and put them in a bowl for Jane to add to the pan that was sizzling on the stovetop.

She added the broccoli and directed me to a rice cooker in the corner with orders to empty the rice into the pan and add a couple of sauces. Meanwhile, she was preparing the chicken. She’d just added it to the stir-fry when Austin walked into the kitchen, a sweat towel slung around his neck.

He went straight to her side and kissed her cheek.

“Good workout?” she asked.

He stole another kiss and backed up to mop the sweat from his forehead. “Not bad. I’m feeling as ready as I ever will for training tomorrow.” His gaze lifted to me. “Hey, man. How are you?”

I was tempted to say, a bit of a mess, really, but instead, I shrugged a shoulder and made a noncommittal noise. “I hope you don’t mind that Jane invited me to stay for dinner.”

“Not at all.”

He sent Jane a look filled with so much love that I felt like I ought to leave the kitchen. My gut cramped with envy. I wanted that. I wanted an easy relationship with someone I loved, where both people knew where they stood and there was never any doubt that they were stronger together.

I’d had that once. With Chelsey. And then I lost it. More than anything, I wanted it back.

“Did you drop by because you need something?” Austin asked, starting to sling his arm around Jane’s shoulder before stopping when she narrowed her eyes.

Yeah, I wouldn’t want someone that sweaty hugging me either—not unless I was equally sweaty.

“I was just hoping Jane could get her dad and uncle to autograph a puck for me as a gift to a friend,” I explained, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Austin grinned. “I’m sure she could get Alec to sign it as well if you wanted all three Wrights at once.”

I laughed. “No need for that. I’m not sure what my friend thinks of Alec as a player, but I know she loves Pete and Wayne.”

Alec, Jane’s brother, was a couple years younger than me, and he played for Colorado. He’d joined the NHL after Chelsey and I had broken up, so I wasn’t sure what her opinion of him was.

Austin smirked. “She?”

“She,” I confirmed with a nod.

I didn’t say anything else. He didn’t ask. We weren’t exactly two guys who enjoyed having heart-to-hearts.

“I’ll shower and then join you for dinner,” Austin said before heading out of the kitchen and disappearing around the corner.

A short time later, we served up three plates of rice, chicken, and veggies at the dining table. The room had a curved wall with five sets of double windows that overlooked the street. It was probably a nice view during summer, but at the moment, it was too dark for us to see much.

“How are you feeling about this season?” I asked Austin as I scooped rice into my mouth. It was good. Jane could cook.

Austin finished a mouthful before replying, “I think we have the opportunity to go further than we did last year. We’ve got strong players and we worked together better toward the end of last season than we did earlier on. If we can get into a good stride, then we could go all the way.”