Page 57 of Take Two

“You’ve got three years left on your contract, and unless something changes significantly between now and then, the Vipers are going to want to extend it. You’re one of the leaders in that locker room. You’ve built a career any player would be proud of, and the organization knows exactly what you bring, on the ice and off it.”

I smile to myself. “I figured you’d say that.”

“I’m saying it because it’s true,” he says, his tone easing into something softer. “Don’t talk about yourself like you’re standing at the end of something when you’ve still got a lot of hockey in front of you.”

“I’m not,” I say quickly.

“Then what is it?” I’m sure he already knows but he wants me to be the one to put it out there.

I draw in a slow breath before I answer. “I think, for the first time in my life, hockey isn’t the only thing I’m planning around.” The words spill from my lips before I have a chance to second-guess them.

Marcus doesn’t move to fill the silence. He just holds the line and lets me keep going.

“I’ve always known what the next few years look like. I know when training camp opens. I know when the season ends. I know which city I’ll be living in and what my schedule looks like months before I ever set foot on the ice. There’s a structure to it. I’ve always found that reliable.”

“And now?” It’s a gentle nudge more than a question.

I glance back through the front window. Tazja is still walking the space with the estate agent, pausing every few steps, probably asking a thousand questions at once.

“I don’t know what the next few years are supposed to look like anymore,” I say, getting back to the heart of it.

Marcus stays quiet.

“I know where I’ll be,” I continue. “Training camp starts in September. The season follows. That’s the easy part. That part I can see clearly.”

I pause for a moment, trying to find the exact shape of what I’m trying to say.

“What I don’t know is where Cyaire will be.”

The admission hangs between us, sitting in the open for the first time. Because there it is. The honest center of all of it.

“His life doesn’t work like mine, Marcus. When this film wraps, he could be anywhere. Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, London. That’s not uncertainty on his part, that’s just how his career works. That’s what the life looks like.”

“And you’re trying to figure out where that leaves the two of you,” he says, his voice warm and careful.

“Yeah.” I close my eyes for a second, leaning harder into the brick at my back. “I’ve never had to think beyond the next season before. My whole adult life has been built on a schedule I could see clearly. Now I can’t seem to stop thinking about the things that aren’t on any schedule at all.”

Marcus hums quietly, and the line goes still for a moment.

“I think you already know what I’m going to say,” he finally offers.

“I probably do,” I reply.

“You and Cyaire need to have the conversation.”

I let the words land before I exhale. “I know.”

“You’ve both built careers that don’t run on predictable timelines. That’s either something the two of you figure out together, or it’s something that eventually figures itself out without you. Neither of those is a great option if you’re not the one steering.”

He is not wrong, and he knows I know it.

“I’m not saying it will be easy,” he continues. “I’m saying it’s worth having before the two of you start quietly making assumptions on behalf of each other. That’s where things get complicated.”

I nod even though he can’t see me. “I appreciate it, Marcus.”

“I know you do.” He pauses. “And Jamie?”

“Yeah?”