Page 53 of He Has Game (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
She laughs, uneasy with the compliment.
“I have my moments, but,” she pauses and lets out a big sigh, “look, I’m no saint, I admit. I’ve made some big bad mistakes. I doubt a girl like you would understand.” She shakes her head and smiles. “I can’t believe he found you. He’s so lucky. You’re like a unicorn, the one girl in the universe he can trust not to use him, and I know that’s the number-one thing he considered in choosing you. Your honesty, your genuine decency. There’s not a single fucking fake thing about you. No pretense.”
“Stop—I’m not a saint either.” I feel like my soul is going to explode if I have to hear her call me genuine and real and honest anymore because I’ve done nothing but lie and pretend to her.
But there’s no way I can tell her the truth, because I owe Finn more than I owe his mother. That calms me.
“Okay, don’t sweat it, darlin’. I know no one is perfect. I’m just saying.” She coughs and it goes on and on and I come to her and pat her back.
“You okay?”
“Sure. But I probably should have quit smoking years ago.”
“You smoke?” She has that course voice of a smoker but I haven’t smelled smoke on her.
“Nah. Gave it up two years ago. But . . . never mind.” She waves a hand. “Who does your eyelashes? They’re top notch.”
“I . . . the salon at Lord & Taylor at the Chestnut Hill Mall.”
“I’ll make a mental note. Since tomorrow is the last game and I’m having so much fun getting to know you, I’ve decided to stay for the playoffs. My man back home is coming to join me after he finishes up a job—he’s in construction.” She gives a sharp smile. “He does well for himself. Likes bragging about Finn. Might even be setting the wedding date soon.”
“That’s wonderful to hear. You deserve to be happy. Losing your first husband must have been so horrible for you. Especially when you had a baby.” I touch her arm because her face goes tragic and I hope I’m not making her cry by bringing up her sad past.
“Yes. It was. I was so . . . lonely. For so long.” She waves her hand. “But that’s water under the bridge. Let’s work on dealing with that bitch Sherry Boylston. There must be an Achilles’ heel we can attack.”
She puts an arm around me and reminds me of Finn the way she holds me and I realize he got his affectionate tendencies from his mother. I doubt he knows it. I doubt he would welcome the observation given the . . . incident he witnessed.
My phone alarm goes off and I realize I need to get going, but I so want to keep talking with Caroline.
“What’s that for? You need to be somewhere?”
“Yes. Finn and I are visiting a boy he knows—a cousin of one of the stick boys. He’s in the hospital for cancer treatment but we’re going to do our best to cheer him up.”
“That’s fucking decent of you—and Finn.” She lifts her chin with pride.
“How would you like to come with us?”
She laughs. “I may be optimistic, Vivvie, but I’m not a fool. There’s no way in hell Finn would want me along. I’m pressing my luck with him and I need to pick my spots.”
“I’d like you to come along. We can talk about Sherry Boylston’s Achilles’ heel on the way. Finn’s going to be a little late, so I’m holding down the fort until he and a few other team members can get there.”
“Is that right?” She gives me a speculative look and a nod. “I’m with you, girl.” She wraps her arm around me, the same way her son does it, only she’s much smaller and not nearly as strong though she makes up for it in genuine affection. Finn apparently got his sensuality from his mom. I feel like a voyeur into his past, into his soul and what makes him tick. And finding all these nuggets of where he came from is intoxicating.
* * *
On the wayto the hospital, Caroline drives and I tells her about Sherry’s reputation for fooling around with young men, including several guys from the team over the years, and her husband’s blind eye.
“I’ve been told it’s a rookie right of passage.” Grace told me and her mother told her, so I’m pretty sure there’s at least a grain of truth to it, but I haven’t had the nerve to ask Finn for confirmation.
“She likes them young,” Caroline says. It’s not a question and I try to beat down the rush of discomfort, taking a deep breath, remembering the story about Caroline’s indiscretion with Finn’s young teammate.Concentrate on Sherry.
“One of these days she’s going to go too far and he’s not going to be able to ignore it,” I say.
“Bingo,” she says. “You just came up with our plan.”
I’m confused, of course, like all people who come up with great ideas that other people can see. I have no idea what she’s talking about, but I’m glad she has a touch of deviousness in her mind because I’m sure that’s what’s needed here.
“Sherry is going to end up in a terribly compromising situation and not only is her husband going to find out, but the one thing that any man can’t ignore is going to happen.”
