Page 43 of The Tryout

Never particularly discreet, Avery looks at her, a crooked smile on his face. It’s easy to see why she’d be interested as he runs a hand through his hair, giving her a brief nod.

He turns back to us, draining his beer as he does. Leaning toward me, he puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t wait up, ok?”

And with a smile, he eases out of the booth, heading toward the bar.

CHAPTER TEN

AVERY

Playing at UCLA did nothing to prepare me for how exhausting road trips would be in the AHL. With few nearby hockey programs, we did a lot of traveling by plane, sometimes even on chartered flights. Not so in the AHL – the only time we’re likely to see a plane this year is in the playoffs, if we even make it that far.

Sunday evening, I order pizza to be delivered to the apartment and Finn and I both fall asleep at an obscenely early time. I’m grateful for Poulin’s mattress, which seems to be nice enough to help me work out the kinks from sleeping against a bus window.

On Monday, I don’t wake up until ten and see no evidence of Finn around the apartment. Knowing him, he woke up at the same time as always and is using the day off to squeeze in an extra-long run.

Grabbing my phone, I dial Dad’s number while mixing up my morning protein shake. He answers on the first ring.

“Good morning, kiddo!”

I guess it is morning there – hell, he might not even be out of bed yet.

“Hey, Dad. Sorry, is this too early?”

I hear a rattle in the background.

“Nah, I was up making breakfast for Tony. He’s got a big meeting with the studio about You Know Who’s next movie.”

Off the top of my head, I’m not sure I do know who. Pops has a laundry list of top clients and it could really be any of them. I hear the front door to the apartment click open and find Finn standing there, sweaty from his run. I nod at him and give a little wave, enjoying the smile on his face almost as much as the way the sweat makes his skin glow.

“Cool. We got back last night from our first road trip, thought I’d take care of some errands during our day off today.”

“Good thinking. I’m sure it’s tempting to just stay home, but you’ll be so much more comfortable once you get the last few things taken care of.”

I nod silently, knowing he’s right but simultaneously feeling bone-tired and ready to go back to bed.

“Yeah. Anyway, I figured I’d at least get the car taken care of.”

Almost a month into my time in Des Moines, I’m still driving around the silver hatchback rental that I got at the beginning of camp. I’ve extended the rental two times now, and if I don’t return it today, I’ll have to do a third.

“Okay, you still thinking about a Subaru?”

“Yeah, that’s what Jamie recommended. He said when winter hits, I’ll want something ready for the snow.”

I shudder at the thought. Even after almost a decade and a half of playing a sport on the ice, I can’t really stand the cold.

“You gonna go with the CrossTrek or the Forester?”

I shrug.

“I figure I’ll try out both and see. Maybe the Forester? It’s got a little more cargo space, which would be nice for hauling around both our gear bags.”

“How is Finn?”

Dad’s asked repeatedly for a chance to talk to my new roommate but I’ve been reluctant to give in. Finn gets easily overwhelmed and my dads can be…a lot. I figure I’ll wait until he’s comfortable with me before I make the attempt.

“Good. He scored a beautiful goal yesterday.”