Taylor cozies up to her mother during the third period, leaving me to fend for myself with Troy. Awkward. Part of me thinks he knows exactly what we were up to last night, and his inability to maintain eye contact basically confirms my suspicions. Thankfully, Sid is playing like his usual self, aggressive and determined, so I don't think I'll be taking any heat tonight...if they win. There's still ten minutes to go and we're up by one. Please score babe! I will him from the luxury box, but truthfully, he doesn't seem to need it. His abilities are like a spectacle and we're all mesmerized.
"Kate will be there Mom," I hear Taylor whining softly.
"Your flight is first thing tomorrow morning," Trina says sternly. "You don't need to be out partying tonight."
"It's not a party, it's hanging out with Josh Harper. Do you even know who that is?" she cries.
"No, and I don't care. You're here to watch your brother's game," Trina ends the conversation and Taylor huffs and puffs her way back over to us. I'm actually pretty relieved, I don't really feel like going out tonight. Sid will head straight to the airport after the game, so it's not like I have to race home, but there's something about Josh that I just don't trust. Actors can be professional flirts, and even though I know better, people can sometimes read into things, seeing things that just aren't there.
My attention drifts back to the game as Sid takes the ice and I lean forward slightly, all my focus on him. He skates up the ice, easily protecting the puck and moving quickly past the defenseman. For a second it looks like he's going to shoot, but he drops the puck back to his waiting teammate. My eyes stay glued to Sid, and when he throws his arms up, I know he's done a good thing.
The line stays on the ice, and less than twenty seconds later, Sidney flashes down the ice, and slaps the puck past the goalie. The horn sounds, lights flash throughout the arena, and everyone goes wild. Two goals and an assist, and there's still half a period to go. Maybe our bedroom activities have actually helped his game! Troy finally relaxes, and the tension in the box lifts, giving Taylor hope that maybe her mother will lighten up and change her mind. "If he gets a hat trick, she'll be high on life. I'll ask her then," she whispers conspiratorially. I smile supportively, but I catch myself silently hoping Sid doesn't score.
He does. Twice more, in fact. Troy can't keep a straight face and Trina is practically having kittens. "His best game of the season!" she squeals, hugging me tightly. Her grip is unforgiving, and I can barely breathe, slowly suffocating from her enthusiasm. "We should celebrate!" Trina suggests loudly, giving Taylor the opening she's been waiting for.
"Kate asked if I wanted to go out with her and a friend," Taylor says slyly. Not exactly the truth.
"That sounds like fun!" Trina shrieks, and I see exactly what Taylor meant. Not a drop of alcohol or sniff of elicit drugs running through her, but Trina Crosby is soaring high, riding her son's achievements, thoroughly enjoying herself. She wanders off to throw her arms around an unsuspecting relative of another player, a player who didn't score four goals tonight, sharing her enthusiasm with them whether they welcome it or not. Taylor hurries beside me, beaming at the thought of spending the rest of the evening with the handsome actor, and when I catch the look on her face, I just can disappoint her.
"I'll text Josh," I roll my eyes, and Taylor throws her arms around me. The Crosby women are in a hugging mood tonight. There's only seconds left in the game, the Penguins have tied the series, but Sid sits stone faced on the bench, unwilling to start celebrating before the buzzer sounds.
Hey, still up for a quick drink? Hopefully Josh can read between the lines and figure out I'm not interested in a marathon bar crawl across Pittsburgh.
Want to check out Diesel? He can't be serious.
How about someplace more all-ages? Taylor's coming with me. Killed two birds with one stone. Now he knows we're not going to be alone, and that Taylor is underage.
You love a chaperone, don't you? Hmm, not sure how to reply to that one. I guess I've always thought it was a little inappropriate to spend time alone with another man when I'm in a relationship. Friends are different, but Josh and I aren't exactly friends. Definitely not good enough friends to be going clubbing.
You got me. I send Josh the address of a nearby restaurant that has a nice wine bar. The team skates off the ice and the crowd floods out of the arena. Only once before have I waited for Sid outside the locker room after a game, and that when he texted me asking if he could drive me home. His family however, seem to have a standing invitation and head confidently past security to an area that appears to be for family and friends. Troy continues down the hallway, apparently Sid's agent is in the building and there's something they need to discuss. "Sid doesn't like to plan for the off-season during playoffs, so Troy handles a lot of it for him," Trina explains, and I see another glimpse of superstitious-Sid.
"Your job tonight is to get some good pics of me and Josh," Taylor tells me matter-of-factly, her face glued to her iPhone. "My friends are going to freak when they see my Facebook tonight."
"Taylor," Trina says her name in a tone only a mother can use. "You told me you were off Facebook."
"Don't worry, it's all locked down," Taylor tells her easily, obviously hoping to downplay the situation.
"You think it's locked down, but..."
"Mom, I promise. It's locked down. There's no family stuff on there, it's all school friends," Taylor explains and Trina purses her lips, but decides not to push any further. Okay, it's official, I'm ready to have my life back. Treading carefully around Sid's family, trying to navigate through all the drama, and working to please everyone is exhausting. Taylor is like any typical teenager I guess. Pushing the boundaries her parents have set, and I can't help but feel like I'm her accomplice. It's not like she's lying to them, I remind myself. Yeah. She told Trina what we were doing, and Troy is busy worrying about Sid, and I probably should have a drink with Josh anyway, just to be polite. It's working, slowly I'm convincing myself that it's a good idea to take Taylor out with me. Sid's heading to the airport, so there's nothing but a cold bed waiting for me at home anyway.
I slink down into an overstuffed armchair and realize that in all my internal debating, the room has filled quite substantially. To my immediate right is a woman wrangling three young children, and she looks completely fried. Across from her sits her complete opposite. She's a petite blonde who fidgets anxiously, checking her makeup on her camera-phone, frequently applying lip gloss and smoothing out her designer threads. She catches me looking at her and instead of returning my smile, she gives me a sour look. Okay, steer clear of that one. "She's dating James," Taylor whispers, clearly noticing the small exchange between us. James! I know him...kind of.
"You're dating James?" I venture anxiously, and she nods curtly. "I've met him a few times," I continue. "I'm Kate, I..."
"I know who you are," she says bluntly, then stands and chooses a different seat.
"What the hell was that?" I mutter under my breath.
"She'll pour it on when James gets here," Taylor assures me. "Some of them are just like that," she shrugs.
She's right though. It's not long before some of the players peek their heads in to say goodbye to their loved ones before heading to the bus, and the room starts to thin out. James takes his time, and she waits impatiently, but when he finally does walk through the door, her snotty demeanor becomes noticeably sunnier. "Hey Kate," James gives me a small wave that I return with a smile. We really don't know each other, so that's about the best we can manage, but it's enough to earn me a response from her. "Nice meeting you," she says with false cheer, and I resist the temptation to roll my eyes.
"You too," I grin, not wanting to start any trouble, and hoping that maybe she'll be a little bit warmer the next time we see each other. Just after they leave, Sid walks in, and is smiling from ear to ear. Trina is the first to greet him, and her overzealous bear hug embarrasses him. We lock eyes and I smile and shake my head as he tries to unhook himself from his mother's grip. "Thanks Mom," he replies to whatever compliments she's rattling off into his ear. "I'm just going to say bye to Tay," he explains and Trina finally releases her son. "Taylor," Sid closes the space between them and hugs his sister tight. "Thanks for coming," he tells her sincerely and she says something I can't make out, but it has Sid giggling so I assume it's sweet.
"Do you think you'll make it?" she asks hopefully.
"If I can, I will," he tells her evenly, not wanting to commit and disappoint his little sister. "Do you need anything?" he whispers, obviously trying to keep his voice out of Trina's earshot. Taylor nods immediately, but Sid raises his eyebrows, silently posing the question again.
"I'm good," she insists, but I see Sid's hand tuck some money into her pocket anyway. It's a gesture that reminds me of something my father would do, and my heart warms at the sight.
"Okay you," he smiles at me and wraps me in his arms. "I'll call you as soon as we land," he whispers.
"You were fantastic tonight," I tell him.
"Slow start, but..."
"No Sid, you were great," I interrupt.
"My dad would probably have killed us both if I didn't play well, considering how much noise you made last night," he teases.
"Me?!" I gasp loudly, making Sid giggle.
"Be safe, okay?" he asks, but it's not really a request as much as an order.
"You too babe."
"I love you," he kisses my forehead forcefully, and I feel my cheeks heat. We're not alone, but it's the most privacy we're going to get before he leaves.
"I love you Sid," I whisper, and just then I feel my phone vibrate from inside my jacket. Sid feels it too and fishes it out quickly.
"You're going out?" he asks, reading the text filling my screen.
"Yep, Taylor practically begged me, so we're meeting Josh Harper for a drink," I explain easily, hoping Sid will notice the lack of enthusiasm in my voice.
"Oh," is all he says.
"We're not going to be out late, so if you want to FaceTime goodnight, I'd love that," I ask sweetly and his easy going smile returns.
"Me too," he gives me another tight squeeze and then holds me at arms length. "I'll see you soon."
"I'll be there," I wink and a swift kiss on the lips and he's out the door. I can practically feel Taylor buzzing behind me.
"Okay, let's get out of here already!" she grabs my arm tightly and steers me toward the door.
"We'll see you at home," I call back to Trina who is busy chatting with someone.
"Do you think Josh has a girlfriend?" Taylor asks excitedly. Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?