Authors: Jecca Bartlett
"What?" she said as she saw their faces.
"I think you need to sit down," Justus said as he pulled out a chair.
"No, no, I'm fine, tell me, what is it?"
"Well, apparently we made the news.
"You blew up the Internet is what you did," corrected Rosie.
Eva fell heavily into her chair and spun the computer they were looking at toward her. Wow! Blew up the Internet was right. She clicked through the browser tabs for each gossip website that Rosie had pulled up for them.
Someone had taken cell phone stills of them together at the bar. It was a story in pictures. Him buying beer. His beer spilling and flying into the air. Her removing him from the place and walking him to the truck. Them in a clinch. Them kissing. It was all there for the world to see.
"God damn it!" Eva said as she put her head down on her arms. "Damn."
"It will be ok," Justus said.
"No, no, it won't. You don't understand, my boss wanted me to keep you out of the papers, not star in them with you. I guarantee she's gonna call me within the hour and send me on my way."
"What? NO!" Justus tried to take her in his arms, but she shook him off.
"I should never have done this, never should have taken up with you. God damn it," she said as she wriggled away from him.
It all seemed so far away now, the comfort she had felt with him, the pleasure, the fun. Reality had hit her in the head with its hammer and she was hurting. As if on cue her cell phone began to ring. Her display told her it was Colette, her boss.
"I have to take this, excuse me. Hello?" she said as she left and walked toward her bedroom.
"Well, good morning sunshine!" Colette announced. "I guess you know why I'm calling?"
"Yes," Eva said.
"This is the exact opposite of what we asked you to do, you know that right? Keep him sober and on the straight and narrow does not translate to these headlines. Let's see here, Hot for his Babysitter, Minding the Minder, or my favorite, Fondling his Fake Fiancée."
"I know God. I'm so sorry."
"I know you are. I shouldn't have sent you, ultimately it's my responsibility. I knew what Greg had done to you and that you were vulnerable."
"No, no, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known."
"Known what?"
"You'll be reading about it by noon, I'm sure so I might as well tell you. We, well, we used to be brother and sister."
"WHAT? That's a hell of a thing to keep from me. You mean step siblings, I hope, please tell me you mean steps."
"Yeah, oh yeah. Yes, of course, and it was only for a hot minute. My mom, well you know her, she tries on marriages the way some people try on shoes. It was just for a couple of years in high school, and I was really crushing on him, and he was on me I guess and last night it just got..."
"Out of hand," Colette finished for her. "I can see that," she added drily. "Look, your RV will be ready in a day or two, I can't pay you as much as I would have, but I'll pay you for time worked. You need to take some time away, a break, get out of town. Any town. Come back here and I'll have the keys ready for you."
Eva sighed, "Okay," because what else could she do?
Now she just had to tell Justus.
The kitchen lights seemed harsh, and Eva's stomach felt sick. The food that had seemed so inviting made her feel slightly ill now. She told Justus she had been fired.
"And what? You're leaving?" He asked.
"I have to, I have to go. The whole idea was to help you focus, and the whole country, hell, the whole world, can see that I didn't accomplish that."
"But you just came back, you just..."
"Yes, and now the whole world knows, and they'll know more soon. The marriage, our relationship, it's going to be a shit storm. The best thing for me to do now is pack and go. Get out of your hair, let you practice and win," don't cry, she commanded herself, don't cry.
"And what about us?" Justus asked. "What about what we want? What do you want? Do you want me still?"
Eva's heart commanded her to say yes, just say yes, but her head insisted she had to leave.
"It doesn't matter what I want right now, this championship is worth millions to you and to your team, that trumps this any day of the week. I'm going to get my stuff, Colette is sending a car for me, they'll be here any minute."
Justus turned without another word and stalked to his room and slammed the door shut.
"Bye," Eva whispered, and she turned to pack.
The championships would be starting in a few hours. Justus began his ritual. It was different every season, but as soon as they were on a streak, he didn't deviate from his pre-game routine.
Just a few miles away, in an RV park outside of town, Eva tuned in online to see the final game. She had been traveling as they played but wanted to be close for the final. She had no idea why, he wouldn't know she was there. But she would, and that was enough. They hadn't had any contact since she had packed and left the house.
The ride back to her mom's house was long and quiet, and the meeting the next day with Colette could be described the same way. They had agreed on a leave of absence, and her savings would carry her for a little while. Not having a house payment, or having to worry about anything but gas and a place to sleep for the night had suited her just fine.
She spun the passenger side captain's chair around to see the TV, then went to make some popcorn and grab a beer. Hockey food, she told herself.
As she settled in the game began and her breath caught as she saw him skate to center ice and wave to the crowd. That face. She missed him more than she had dared admit, but for tonight she had given herself permission to wallow.
The game was tense, the teams well matched, and the referees were tough. They called everything it seemed to her, and it she couldn't believe no one had thrown a punch yet as the buzzer sounded for the end of the first period.
Eva got up and paced back and forth, the game was scoreless and she shook out the tension in her arms. She didn't even have anything riding on this and it was killing her. She couldn't imagine how he must feel.
During the second period, the CoyWolves pulled it out, scoring not once, but three times over their opponents. By the third goal, she could see their confidence building, and in the third period they scored once more for a win.
Justus had two assists, and one goal and as the final buzzer sounded the crowd went wild. They were screaming and cheering, someone had a bottle of champagne and were dousing Justus in it.
The reporter had made her way to the edge of the rink and tapped Justus for an interview. After she congratulated him, she asked what he was going to do next.
Justus turned to face the camera and said simply "I won this not only for my team, the management, all my teammates but also for Eva. And Eva if you're listening, I'm coming for you." And with that, he blew her a kiss and the screen faded to dark.
***************
"Are you sure," she asked him for the millionth time.
"Yes, I've never been more sure," he said as they welcomed their 4th of July guests.
"Well then, let's do it," she grinned at him, then she turned and slipped away to the house they had rented by the lake.
Justus walked to the center of the backyard where they were holding their 4th of July party. Many of his teammates and their families were there, along with Rosie, Colette, and even Eva's mom and Justus's dad. Although they had staked out separate corners of the yard. Chad was back and Danny was running around with some of the hockey player's kids. Justus clapped his friend Nate on the shoulder as he stepped back so Justus could get everyone's attention.
He cleared his throat "Welcome everyone! It's great to see you here. Eva and I would like to thank you for coming to celebrate the 4th of July with us. As you know, it's been a long crazy road for us, with an unexpected reunion of sorts," everyone laughed as he rolled his eyes, "then a forced separation," he said as he pretended to glare at Colette, "then yet another reunion. Every moment has been a wonderful surprise, and we can't thank each of you enough for being a part of it. So, in the spirit of surprises, we'd like you to know that today isn't just a 4th of July party. It's going to be our wedding as well, we've asked Judge Thorn to preside, Judge will you please join me?"
The judge emerged from the small crowd and took his place by Justus.
"And now, if you would, please welcome my lovely bride Eva," and with that Eva emerged from the house in a diaphanous summer dress of cream and gold.
As she walked to meet him, surrounded by friends and family, the smile on her face gave away her joy and placing her hand in his, they turned to the judge and joyfully said their vows.