Page 7 of Before the Fire
"Mm-hm."
"What?"
"Nothing. Tell me about the tapas."
The food is good and I tell him about it because I tell him about everything. That's how Marco and I work. He's the only person in my life who isn't hockey, who has no stake in trades or rosters or playoff brackets, and that gap between our worlds is the thing that makes the friendship breathe. When I talk to Marco, I'm not Ash the player, I'm just Ryan, which is a version of myself that exists in a surprisingly small number of places.
I catch him up on everything. The apartment's mostly packed. I fly out next week. The real estate agent in Atlanta, Denise, who I've already befriended because that's what happens when you spend four hours in a car with me looking at apartments. I've narrowed it to two neighborhoods. I have opinions about both.
"Have you heard from Jess?" he asks, the way he always does. Light. No pressure.
"Texted her last week. She's good."
He nods. Doesn't push. We both know there's nothing to push on. The divorce is a closed door that neither of us rattles anymore.
I'm describing the Atlanta facility, which I've only seen in renderings but already have feelings about, when my phone buzzes on the table. I glance at it.
Good choice on Buckhead. Avoid the traffic on Peachtree.
Marco watches me read it. "Ikonen?"
"Yeah. I told him I was looking at apartments and he..." I look up. "What?"
"You're smiling."
"I'm a smiley person, Marco. This is not news."
"You're smiling at a text that says, and I'm reading upside down here, something about traffic?"
"He's being helpful. He's looked into the city more than I expected."
"Uh-huh." Marco leans back. "So tell me about this guy. You've mentioned him, what, four times tonight?"
"I've mentioned a lot of people tonight."
"You mentioned Denise the realtor once, and mentioned your strength coach once. You've mentioned Ikonen four times, and we haven't ordered dessert yet."
I take a sip of my drink and consider this. He's not wrong. I have been talking about Avi, but that's because the Atlanta situation is all connected and Avi is the center of it. He was one of the first named acquisitions and being two of the most senior people on the team it makes sense that we chat a lot…He's interesting," I say. "Not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"The reputation, I guess. Big, quiet, intense Finnish guy. Doesn't say much." I spin my glass on the table. "And that's alltrue. He doesn't say much. But when he does it's, like, the exact right thing? Or the funniest thing? And you don't see it coming because he's been silent for twenty minutes."
Marco is giving me the look. The one I've seen him use at fundraisers when a donor is revealing more than they realize.
"What," I say.
"You seem pretty enamored with this guy. Is he like a hockey legend?"
"He's a great player. Two-time All-Star. His dad played fourteen NHL seasons."
"That's not what I asked."
"I'm not enamored, Marco. I'm building a professional relationship with my captain."
"Captain? I didn’t think that was decided yet."
"He's most likely going to be the captain and I'll probably be one of the alternate captains, which means we run the room together. It's a partnership. I'm doing my homework."
