The Inside Edge: Chapter Six
Brianne was sitting at
her desk, a half-eaten slice of pizza lying, half-forgotten on its plate, beside
her mouse, checking the inventory list when there was a knock at the door.
Without bothering to turn around, without bothering to take her eyes off the
screen, Brianne called out a brisk, “Come in.”
“Ah, hey girl…”
At the unusually hesitant
sound of Shana’s voice from behind her, Brianne finally pried her eyes away
from the numbers ahead of her. Shifting slightly in her seat, she brought her
eyes up—and stilled uncertainly at the look of bemused curiosity in that
younger woman’s gaze.
“What’s up?” Brianne
was already half out of her chair as the words came out of her mouth. There was
a drunk brawl about to break out, a woman had passed out in the bathroom…the
fears of a restaurant manager swam dizzyingly before her.
“There are people here
who requested to see you?”
“Huh?”
Shana smiled
mysteriously, almost slyly. “I didn’t realize you had family in the area?”
“Family?” Brows
furrowing, Brianne shook her head. “I don’t.”
“You sure?”
“What are you talking about?”
In answer, Shana only
laughed. “Okay, this I’ve got to see. Come with me.” Without a backward glance,
Shana pivoted, her steps retreating smartly from the doorway, her heels
clicking sharply on the polished hardwood floor.
With a last, lingering
look at the computer screen, Brianne did as requested. Her ballet slippers were
almost silent as she followed behind her Service and Beverage Manager. Though
she didn’t want to admit it, Shana’s words had sparked a swell of curiosity in Brianne.
Her mother? But no…if
she’d planned a trip to Idaho, she’d never have been able to keep it to
herself. Brianne knew it wouldn’t be her father. He was at a business
conference in Colorado. She’d spoken to him only that morning…
These thoughts took
her down the back staircase and into a narrow hallway located off to one side
of the main floor. Navigating down the corridor and rounding the corner, her
steps quickly bypassing the bar area, Brianne took herself toward the main dining
room, only to stumble to a hard stop when she saw where Shana was headed.
The table was situated
in the middle of the space, the checkered table-cloth all but disappeared
underneath four pizza pie pans, three pitchers of soda and at least seven
plates—huddled around all of which were hockey players. Familiar hockey
players.
“Brianne!” Turning in
his seat at her approach, Cory raised his hand in the air, waving at her in an
endearingly frantic fashion.
Standing beside his
chair, one eyebrow raised incredulously, was Shana.
“Hey Cory,” Brianne
answered, though her voice was quiet, constrained as she hustled quickly
nearer.
“See, I told you she’d
be here,” Cory said, turning back to the table of boys, which included Charlie,
George, Beau, Fred, and Coach.
“Guess what?” George
asked, before quickly swallowing down a slice of pizza.
Brianne smiled, but
out of the corner of her eye, she noted that Shana hadn’t departed from the
table. Indeed, the younger woman seemed only too comfortable standing there,
observing what was undoubtedly a fascinating turn of events.
Brianne cringed
internally, wondering how many people would hear about this before Shana was
through.
Forcing her
concentration back to the boys, Brianne smiled at George. “What?”
In turn, he looked
from Charlie to Beau and Cory and, in unison, they all shouted: “We won!” This
was accompanied by four fists pounding excitedly on the table.
“Hey, enough of that,”
Coach insisted, but his voice was level, laid-back as he spoke to the boys.
Still, they all
apologized, but the smiles on their faces belied any true remorse.
“You did?” Brianne
asked excitedly. “That’s—that’s amazing! Great job guys!”
“That’s why we’re
here,” Cory informed her, with a quick incline of his head toward his father.
“We thought it deserved a celebratory dinner.”
“And for some reason,
the boys got it completely stuck in their heads that they needed to come here,”
Coach intoned, giving her a dry look. “Guess we know why now, don’t we, Fred?”
The assistant coach chuckled.
“Guess so.”
“We knew Ms. Kelling
would be excited.”
“And I am,” Brianne
was quick to assure the boys. Scrambling, her eyes leveled over the table as a
small smile curved across her lips. “In fact, these pizzas are on the house
tonight.”
“What’s that mean?”
George mouthed to Coach.
“It means they’re
free, idiot,” Beau answered.
“Thanks,” Coach said,
lifting up a hand, his eyes steady on Brianne, “but that’s not necessary.”
“I never said it was,”
she returned. “But it’s certainly within my rights as the general manager.”
Leaning down she gave the boys a conspiratorial wink. “And you guys are
right—this is a celebration!”
Feeling the steady,
unrelenting wide-eyed gaze of Shana behind her, with a sharp turn of her head,
Brianne caught the tail end of that girl’s goofy grin. Raising one eyebrow
pointedly, Brianne stared back at her, refusing to acknowledge the heat rising
up her neck, refusing to acknowledge the embarrassment and conspicuousness clinging
to her body. “Shana? Is there something else you need?”
“No,” Shana assured her.
Still, she didn’t make a move to leave.
The dirty rotten
little eavesdropper. Only, Brianne wasn’t sure how to express that without
admitting that, well, that she didn’t want anyone to overhear her part
in this conversation, her obvious familiarity with this group…
Stemming the thought, refusing
to admit to the guilt of where her admission was headed, Brianne refocused her
intention. Being direct with Shana was out of the question. So Brianne opted
for redirection. “Okay, well, in that case, I’m sure the chefs would love it if
you helped them in the back. Probably they could use an expo right about now,” Brianne
said, turning to look pointedly at the crowded tables. “Considering how busy we
are.”
There was absolutely no
denying the order in that suggestion.
“Of course,” Shana
said, the cheekiness gone from her voice now. “I’ll just head back there now then,
shall I?” But it wasn’t a question.
“Hey, don’t let us
keep you either,” Coach insisted as Shana took her hasty leave. The sound of
his voice brought Brianne’s attention back to the table.
‘No, no, not at all,”
she insisted, turning to make a face at the boys when she grumbled, “You only interrupted
me from boring paperwork.”
“In that case, it’s
too bad you missed our game,” Cory said. “I got a goal.”
“You did?” Brianne
realized she was probably too pleased by the mention of Cory’s success, but it
did little to lessen the rush of happiness at the news.
“Me too.” This came
from Beau.
“You wouldn’t have if
I hadn’t checked that guy…”
“I wish I could have been
there to see all this in person,” Brianne said, her voice rising quickly over
what was fast going to turn into a squabbling match.
As it happened, she
would come to regret that comment.
“Well, we have another
game on Tuesday,” Cory informed her, turning to look up at her with baleful,
innocent eyes.
Brianne’s smile froze
just the tiniest bit on her face. In her mind’s eye, she saw again that mocking
little smile on Shana’s face, heard again her incredulity in Brianne’s office,
her exaggerated amusement when Brianne greeted the table. It was only a matter
of time before she’d be asked to explain this odd little community of hockey
players, until she’d be forced to face the reality of the particularly
mortifying (maybe even creepy) position she currently found herself in. Friends
with a bunch of high-schoolers.
And suddenly, it all
felt a bit…different.
“Oh. Well, geez, guys.
I’m sure I’d love to go…”
“We also have one on
Thursday, as well,” George chimed-in.
Brianne felt her face
heating up once again as she fidgeted from one foot to another, trying to find
the right words, pleading for diplomacy and tact. “Well. I mean, thanks guys. I-I,
look, my schedule is pretty hectic right now though…”
“We typically play
Tuesdays and Thursdays, but sometimes we play on Mondays.” George again.
Cory. “Or Wednesdays.”
Charlie. “We even have
a couple of tournaments.”
“Those are fun. We
stay in hotels,” George notified her.
At the onslaught of
words, Brianne nodded, but her eyes refused to meet those of the boys staring
at her. “Yeah, sure. And like I said, I’m definitely going to try to make a
game but I can’t promise anything right now.”
“Right,” Beau snorted,
the sudden inclusion of his voice, sharply edged and gritty, brought all other
voices to a close. Snapping her gaze over to him, Brianne felt a pang at the
petulant expression she met. “Where have I heard that before?” Looking down at
his plate, Beau stabbed his fork into his slice of pizza. “Listen, if you don’t
want to come, then don’t. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”
The words, so angry
and vehement, landed against Brianne’s ears with the force of a blow. They
landed against the table with a slap, each of the boy’s smiles slowly lessening
as they looked from Beau’s scowl to Brianne’s open-mouthed gap and back again.
“No,” Brianne rushed
to say, “that’s absolutely not––”
“Whatever.”
Brianne’s eyes
swiveled helplessly now in search of the Coach’s gaze, looking for a little reinforcement.
She was unnerved at the look of dismissal she caught there instead. Her voice
lowered, pleading now: “No. No, you’ve got it all wrong. We just, we just had
someone quit a few days ago.” A bold lie. “So I’m just filling in a couple of
extra shifts lately.” Her arms swung out to her sides as Brianne turned back to
the boys, braving their expressions. “But I’m definitely going to catch a game
this season. I just meant, you know, that it might not be in the next week or
so. That’s all.”
Cory smiled up at her
disarmingly. “No problem. Seasons just started.”
“Yeah. Maybe Coach
could give you our team schedule.” This offer came from Charlie. “It’s got all the
games listed on it.”
“She doesn’t want a
damned schedule,” Beau muttered.
Brianne stuck out her chin.
“Yes, she does want one.” In retaliation, she turned to smile at Charlie and
then Cory and George. “I can’t wait to watch you guys kick butt.”
Coach cleared his
throat. “If you want it, I can get you a copy on Sunday.”
Brianne smiled
tightly. “Perfect.” She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea anymore, these Sunday
skates.
Clasping her hands
together, Brianne nodded to no one in particular. “Well, that sounds great.”
Taking a decisive step backward, she gave each of the boys a fleeting smile, or
at least she tried to. Beau still refused to meet her glance, his shoulders
hunched and his head bent low as he scarfed down another slice of pizza.
Waving absently behind
her, Brianne made another move in retreat. “Well, I really should be getting
back to it. Boring paperwork and all…”
“Thanks for coming
over to say ‘hi’,” Coach offered quietly. “And for the pizza, though you really
don’t need to—”
“No, no, I insist,”
Brianne said, her words forestalling the argument she could feel brewing on his
lips. “And hey guys, again, congratulations!”
With those slightly-tuneless
words peppering the air, Brianne turned and walked back the way she’d come, her
feet taking her quickly out of the dining room and into the bar. Giving the
full counter a cursory glance, Brianne took a sharp left, back down the dark
hallway that, at its end, offered a set of stairs up to her office.
She’d just grabbed the
railing with one hand, her left foot already lifting to the first step, when
she heard his voice.
“Ah, Ms. Kelling. Wait
up just a minute.”
Pinning a determined
smile on her face, Brianne turned her head, her eyes narrowing slightly as she
watched Coach lumber toward her. On the one hand, she was glad for the darkened
corridor, which partly shielded the weary lines etched across her face. On the
other, she also couldn’t gauge his facial expressions, either.
“Yes, Coach?”
He grinned at that, the
flash of his straight white teeth clearly visible. “My name is Mitch.”
Brianne swallowed,
feeling her face flush. “Right.” Tugging restlessly at the hem of her shirt,
she squirmed. “Well, actually no, I didn’t know that…”
“Listen,” rubbing a
hand against the side of his neck, Mitched frowned, “don’t lie to them, okay?”
Brianne’s eyebrows
arched. “Excuse me?”
“The kids.”
“Yeah, I mean, I knew who you
were talking about…”
“If you have no
intention of ever going to a game, just say so. They’d rather hear that I
promise. I know you mean well, but––”
Brianne’s lips
puckered. Hands coming to rest on her hips, she jutted out her chin. “Why is it
that everyone just assumes that I’m not going to a game?”
“Maybe because we all
saw your face when the boys mentioned it.”
At the words, a rush
of shame flooded Brianne’s person. “I was just…”
“Trying to be
diplomatic,” Mitch supplied for her.
“It’s not that.”
“Listen, it’s fine. In
fact, I probably owe you an apology.”
Brianne’s eyes
narrowed suspiciously.
“Maybe I was too
encouraging of them helping you learn to skate. It’s just—” sighing again,
Mitch’s fingers were now running through his close-cropped hair. “These kids.
They’ve had a hard year…some more than others.”
“Beau?”
As her eyes grew accustomed
to the dim lighting, Brianne saw Mitch’s shuttered expression at her guess.
With a mental step, she backed off.
“It’s none of my
business, of course…”
“It’s just, with you,
these kids forget it all. The politics and the losses. For the first time, they
started working together.”
“Yes.” Brianne bit
down slightly on her lower lip. “Yes, you said something like that before.”
“And I’m sorry if I
was putting you in a position that you didn’t ask for…”
“Okay, hold up.”
Raising one hand for emphasis, Brianne cut him off. “You’re right, I didn’t ask
to be the boys, I don’t know, mediator on the ice or whatever, but I certainly
didn’t decline the offer once it was made, either.”
Mitch nodded once.
“No, I know.”
Brianne took a deep
breath.
“I’m saying, be
careful. These kids, they need consistency right now. They need reliability.”
Mitch shook his head. “So if you don’t want to go to a game, if you can’t make
a single one, that’s okay. It really is. Just don’t feed them false hope.
They’ve gotten too much of that lately.”
Brianne took in a deep
breath, battling back the urge to deny his charge. “You really love these
kids.”
Mitch smiled. “Yeah. I
do.”
“They’re lucky to have
you.”
Mitch averted his
gaze.
“And look,” reaching
out, Brianne brought her fingers against his forearm. She figured, by this
point, she owned him at least something of the truth. “You’re partly right. I
was being evasive with the boys.”
Mitch snorted.
“But it’s not what
you’re thinking.” Shifting on her feet, Brianne started to have reservations
about her confession. Ducking her head, she mumbled. “It’s just…I’m new in
town. And you know, I don’t know many people. In fact, I don’t really know
anyone.”
Cocking his head to
one side, Mitch clearly wasn’t picking up the thread of her loose ramblings.
“Okay?”
“So. You know, it’s just…I
wouldn’t have anyone to go to a game with.”
His lips jerked into a
smile. “It’s a spectator sport. Not a lot of conversation happens at games. Or at
least, not a lot needs to happen.”
Brianne rolled her
eyes. “Obviously. I know that, but….”
“But?”
“Well, I mean I guess it just
seems weird. You know, that my entire social structure is based on a high
school hockey team.”
Mitch bit back a
laugh. “This is about your ego?”
“No!” Brianne gritted
her teeth. “But it’s just a bit…weird, you know?”
“Too old to be their
friend?”
“No. But…”
“Would it make it less
weird if I said that I wanted you there, too?”
Brianne’s mouth
dropped open a little bit.
“…and Fred and Brian
do, too.”
Smiling quickly,
Brianne nodded inanely, oddly disappointed by those last additions. “Right.”
“So hey, your social
circle is definitely aging. And growing.”
“Great. Mockery.
That’s just what I need.”
“Oh, chill out, Kelling.”
“My name is Brianne.”
Mitch smiled at that.
“Brianne.”
Almost against her
will, Brianne found herself smiling back. “Okay, when you put it like that, it
sounds kind of ridiculous.’
“So? You going catch a game?”
Brianne nodded once. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Nodding toward
the stairs, Mitch took a quick step backward. “Well, I won’t keep you any
longer.”
“Oh,” Brianne followed
the direction of his gaze. Responding in kind, she reached for the handrail
once more. “Yeah. I really should get, ah, back to it,” she ended lamely.
Giving him a last half-smile, she climbed up the first couple of steps only to
twist back around abruptly.
“Mitch?” she called
out.
Slowing to a stop, he turned
back to her, his eyebrows raised in question.
Brianne hated the lie,
but she figured it was the lesser of two evils, really…
“I wasn’t lying
earlier. The next week or so my schedule is crazy here but, but after
that…well, after that, I’ll be more free.”
With a slight incline
of his head, Mitch acknowledged her words. “Sounds good.”
“Okay. Well…see you
Sunday.”
Climbing up the
stairs, Brianne wasn’t sure if she wanted to smile or cry. She couldn’t back
out now. Not on any of it.
She’d be there for
open-skate like always.
And she’d make it to a
game.
No matter what, she
wouldn’t disappoint those boys.
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