Chapter 18

Fraser

Scores are tied at two-all in the third round of the divisional playoffs, a best-out-of-seven series, with the winning team advancing to the conference championships.

We"ve lost two games and won once.

If we lose tonight, we"re staring down the barrel of the next game being our last one this season, but honestly, my heart"s not in it the way it usually is.

Don"t get me wrong. I want to win.

The team and I have had a bumpy rollercoaster of a season. We"ve worked hard just to make it here, and as it stands, we barely scraped into the playoffs.

Culver has fully recovered from his injury and is playing some of the best hockey of his career, proving that age ain"t nothing but a number, and Evie and Hannah are watching the home game from the family lounge.

It"s been two weeks since I took Evie to visit Dawn and Oakey. We had a Zoom family meeting a few days beforehand to discuss things. Dawn took the lead and repeated what she had said to me. That she was done being hidden away. That while she wouldn"t be deliberately seeking out attention, she also wouldn"t be hiding anymore, either. We all agreed that if that"s what she wanted, then that"s what we"d do.

That gave me the all-clear to take Evie to see her, which I was relieved about. I didn"t like keeping this part of my life from her.

I"ve been more honest, more open, with her than I have with anyone else in my life. And it feels right.

Like a missing piece of me has slotted back into place.

Like I"m finally becoming the man I want to be.

She now knows everything about me.

Well…except for my last remaining secret.

My virginity.

As well as a surprise I"m working on.

But I"ll tell her about both things. In due course.

I intercept a pass near the blue line, then explode down the ice, leaving the defender in my wake. The roar of the crowd grows deafening as I propel myself through the neutral zone.

Suddenly, a shadow materializes from the periphery. I should have been on it, catching out the opposing player before he got the chance to cut across my path.

But my head, much like my heart, is otherwise occupied.

I miss Pietrowski"s lunge with his stick, and I"m too slow in my response. There"s a clash of steel on rubber, then the puck spins free from my control and into the air.

With the reflexes of a predator, Pietrowski pounces on the loose puck. The cheers of the home crowd die, replaced by a stunned silence, as he takes off toward our goal.

Our goalie, Milo, does his best to block the incoming puck, but it"s no use. The net ripples, the scorelight flashes, and with my head hung low, I skate toward the face-off circle, bearing the full weight of the missed opportunity on my shoulders.

"Hey, cheer up, man. It ain"t over. We still got a shot."

"Yeah, I know," I say to Culver who"s sitting across the booth from me.

Technically, he"s right. There is still a path for us to progress past the divisional playoffs.

But it"s a very narrow one.

We"re down three games, which means we need to win the next three to advance.

My lack of concentration and the silly mistakes I"m making aren"t helping us.

"If it"s any consolation, your stats for the game weren"t that bad," Evie says consolingly before taking a massive bite of her burger. "Could be better, obviously, but don"t beat yourself up about it. That"s my job."

I turn to face her, sitting next to me, and manage a small smile. "Thanks."

I munch on my cheeseburger, determined to leave my abysmal performance tonight in the past. I need to regroup and focus for our upcoming games, and more importantly, I need to regroup and focus on what"s happening right here, right now.

Evie, Culver, Hannah, and I are at one of my favorite diners in LA. It"s one of those old-timey ones that looks exactly like it probably did back in the 1950s when these sorts of places were all the rage.

I seem to like it, for some reason. It"s got greasy burgers and thick-cut fries that Evie loves, for all the usual reasons.

Someone looking at us might assume we"re on a double date, which is only one-quarter true since technically, Evie and I are still fake dating—subtract half a point—and Culver and Hannah have been friends their whole lives, so they are firmly in the friend zone—minus one full point.

I shove a few fries into my mouth and chomp down on them as irritation paws inside my chest. I don"t like thinking about Evie and me as fake dating because, apart from how it started, nothing about this relationship has felt fake.

I realize we agreed to keep things going the way they are and stick with fake dating, but it"s not enough for me.

I want Evie to be my girlfriend. For real.

She and Hannah are talking at their usual breakneck speed, and Culver and I have broken off into our plans for the summer. After his injury earlier in the season, he says he wants to keep the vibe chill and might even visit his family in Comfort Bay.

Overhearing this, Hannah drops her conversation with Evie and turns to Culver, her eyes brimming with excitement. "You are?"

"Yeah, maybe," Culver answers with a noncommittal shrug. "We"ll see. Gonna play it by ear."

"If you do, let me know so we can hang out."

That"s an innocent statement, right?

A friend excited by the prospect of a friend being close by so they can spend some time together.

Evie certainly doesn"t make anything of it, judging by how she"s listening while eating her burger.

And Culver is as clueless as ever as he demolishes his.

But me?

I spot it.

The way Hannah looks at Culver. The way she keeps one ear open to his conversations. The thrill she gets at the mere prospect of spending some time with him.

I"ve always had my suspicions that there was something between them, and now I see it, clear as day. Hannah"s got feelings for Culver, feelings that extend way past the boundaries of friendship.

I recognize myself in her, in the way I"ve felt about Evie for so long, in how I tried to hide my feelings.

"I"m going to get another soda," Hannah says, getting up. "Anyone else want one?"

We"re all good.

"I need to use the bathroom," I say to Evie. "Will you excuse me?"

"Sure."

She lets me out of the booth, and I follow Hannah to the counter.

We"ve gotten closer these past few months since I spend a lot of time either at her flower shop, ordering flowers from her online, or emailing her about flowers I"d like to order, but that doesn"t mean I"m about to confront her with my suspicions.

Besides, I have another matter to raise with her.

A much more important one.

"You feeling all right?" she asks me after placing her order with the server.

"Yeah. Just have to put this game behind me and focus on what"s next."

"That"s a good attitude."

"Easier said than done, but I"m trying. Hey, listen, I need your help with something. Something big."

She smiles mischievously. "Okay. Is it about you-know-who?"

"Well, if by you-know-who you mean Oprah, then no. Although, I am a fan of hers, and I admire how she uses her platform to empower women and advocate for social justice. However, if by you-know-who you mean…" I lower my voice. "Evie? Then yes. You"re correct."

Her smile deepens. "She"s really rubbing off on you," she teases, taking a jibe at my babbling.

"She is." I look over my shoulder, double checking that Evie hasn"t snuck up behind us, but nope, she"s got her phone out, and judging by the look on Culver"s face, I"d say she"s going through a play-by-play dissection of tonight"s game with him.

Good.

I mean, not good for Culver—the guy looks like he"d rather be getting a root canal—but good for me.

This has to remain a secret.

I turn back to Hannah. "This stays between us."

"As always."

"I want Evie to be completely and utterly surprised."

"Of course."

"The something big I have in mind is…Are you able to procure one thousand yellow roses?"

She lets out a gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my gosh, Fraser! Are you going to propo?—?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your horses," I cut in.

I haven"t even asked Evie to be my girlfriend; it"s way too early to ask her to be my wife. That"s definitely on my radar, but not just yet.

"What I have in mind is something different."

"Okay, okay," she says, recovering. "Different how?"

"Well, it"s more of a business thing."

"A business thing?"

"Yeah. As you know, Evie"s in a tricky place with the network."

Hannah"s face falls. "I don"t get why people aren"t obsessed with her segments. I am."

"Same. They"re the best thing about that show."

"One hundred percent agree."

"Since Evie doesn"t know what her future holds, I have an idea for something else she might like to do. It"s something she"d be great at and she"s wanted to do but has never taken the risk. I"m hoping this might help her."

"Ahhh." Hannah grins knowingly. "I think I know what you"re referring to. I think it"s a great idea. She makes the best bracelets."

"Yeah, she does."

Before I can say anything else, Hannah rubs her hands together excitedly. "I love this for Evie, and to answer your question, yes, I can get the flowers shipped in. When do you need them?"

"My schedule depends on what happens in the next few games, so I was thinking anywhere from a few weeks to a month or so. Does that give you enough time?"

"It does. That"s perfect. I"ll place the order with my supplier first thing tomorrow."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Hannah returns to the table with her soda, while I go use the restroom. When I return, Culver and Hannah are pitching story ideas to Evie.

"Ma was telling me about this friendship bench that"s popped up in Starlight Cove," Culver suggests.

Beside him, Hannah nods. "That"s a great idea. Or Beth mentioned that some Comfort Bay residents have started a free library. I think it"s on Peach Street. Someone"s placed a box there for people to swap books."

"Guys, thank you," Evie cuts in, resting her burger onto her plate. "I appreciate what you"re trying to do, but I think the writing is on the wall. Good news simply doesn"t sell."

"So what are you going to do, then?" I ask as I slide into the booth and she scooches in next to me.

"I have a couple of options."

I grab her hand under the table. "Care to fill us in?"

She visibly tenses. "Uh, no. It"s way too early. Wouldn"t want to jinx it."

Her hazel eyes are awash with sadness…and an emotion I can"t quite pinpoint. Evie"s being unusually guarded—maybe I"m rubbing off on her, too?—but I don"t push, despite my curiosity. I"m sure she"ll tell us whenever she"s ready.

The conversation moves on, but in my head, all I"m picturing is the moment I bring Evie into the locker room filled with one thousand yellow roses and reveal my big idea to her.

I hope everything works out for her at the network, I really do. But if it doesn"t, or if she decides she wants to pursue something else, there"s one other thing I know she"s passionate about and loves. It could be the perfect second career for her.

I think back to those nights when I"d sneak into her bedroom and we"d hang out, talk, eat, watch games, and she"d make her bracelets, and I grin to myself.

Yeah, I think I"ve come up with a really awesome idea.