A serious tone filled her voice. “Allegedly, Preach claims that he’s in a better place now. He better not slip up again. It was intense watching him spiral and not being able to help.”
“He was definitely all over the place,” I agreed.
“Before the accident, he’d never even had a sip of beer. Literally.” She shook her head. “And then, all of the sudden, he’s slamming shots with Pax.”
“You think he’s really done with all that stuff?” I leaned forward and adjusted the vent to blow on me more.
“I do,” Willow said, nodding. “Or at least, I hope so.”
Hmmm…I wished that I could look into a crystal ball and see if Preach would keep it together or go back to drinking and being a huge asshole.
I needed to change the subject. Get Preach off my mind.
“So, do you, ah, live close by?” I asked Willow.
“Everywhere in Woodhaven is close,” she joked. “But yes. We just moved into a little apartment about ten minutes from here.”
A smile filled her face. “It’s been a while since me, my mom, and dad have all been under one roof together for more than a few days here and there.”
“Wait, huh? I thought you said your mom was a nurse here in town… Is she a traveling nurse?”
“She is now. She used to work at the hospital here, before it shut down. Once it did, she started taking contracts as a traveling nurse for three months at a time. It pays way more, and since I racked up a lot of debt figure skating, they really needed the extra money. All of the money problems, being separated, and a lot of stress nearly caused them to get divorced. But Mom and Dad made it work. We’re mostly happily ever after.”
“That’s cool. I’m glad things worked out,” I said.
She steered the SUV into a parking lot, and I just realized we’d already gone across town. That was fast.
I shifted in my seat to see her more. “I have a question, but if it’s too personal, totally ignore me.”
Willow laughed. “Okay, shoot.”
“Did you choose Brodie over figure skating in Miami?”
“No. I chose hockey…and Brodie.” She winked. “And me.”
“Respect.” I dipped my head toward her, then said, “You’ve told me some about your Achilles injury. But I’m curious. How did it affect you? I mean…I’m not really sure what I’m asking. I just want to hear more about it, if that’s okay.”
“Sure. After I got sent home from the training facility, I got angry. Really angry. I kept trying to jump—which FYI, with a reconstructed Achilles tendon is no easy feat, if not completely impossible—and failing. I actually met Brodie after a particularly nasty wipeout last summer at the ice rink.”
Pulling my hands into my sweater, I asked, “How did you get past it? I mean, not being able to go back to figure skating? I know you started playing hockey, but like, mentally?”
“Honestly, it was like going through the five stages of grief. I definitely had denial, bad, then anger and bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. My friend Jessa helped me through a lot of it. Surprisingly, Brodie, someone I barely knew at the time, played a big part in helping me work through things.”
Digesting the information, I looked out the window, my breath fogging the glass. I’d gone through some of those stages after Emmett died, but I still hadn’t reached acceptance.
Pain pinged in my chest. I blinked hard, trying to keep the tears that formed in the corners of my eyes at bay.Do not cry. Do not cry. Do not cry!
Yeah, I might still be in the angry phase.
I cleared my throat.Change the subject.“Are you excited about playing hockey next year at the University of Boston?”
If Willow thought the change of topic was weird, she didn’t let on. Instead, she nodded excitedly.
“I can’t freaking wait!” she exclaimed. “The coach is amazing. He’s already given me all of these great training exercises and access to videos of our opponents from the past two years.”
“That’s really cool.”
“Now I’ve got a question for you. From what I hear, you’re a total badass on the track. Have you ever thought of waiting to join the Air Force and trying out for a spot on a collegiate track team?”