The Captain Who Ended My Brother's Career Is on My Table novel · Chapter 8 of 24
Chapter 8: Number Four
"Go," I hissed.
Hugo was already out of the bed, hopping into his sweatpants.
"Where?"
"The basement, through the kitchen, behind the furnace. Go."
He grabbed his duffel and went down the stairs on bare feet.
I pulled on my father's old robe, ran my hands through my hair, and opened the front door as Sal's boots hit the porch.
He stood there in his rink jacket with a thermos in his fist.
Behind him, in the grey light, Hugo's black Tahoe sat in the driveway.
Sal looked at it.
Then he looked at me.
"Whose is that?"
My mouth opened and a lie walked out.
"Aili's."
"Who's Aili?"
"The equipment manager. She drove up last night with a casserole. She's asleep on the couch."
"Aili Koski drives a Tahoe?"
"She's sixty-six and she hauls towels for thirty hockey players. She drives what she wants."
His mouth twitched, and I nearly cried with relief.
"Tell her thanks for the food," he said, and kissed the top of my head.
His eyes stayed on the Tahoe the whole time.
I stood on the porch until his taillights turned the corner.
Hugo came up the cellar steps with cobwebs in his beard.
"Aili Koski?" he said.
"She'll love that."
He started to laugh, and I laughed so hard I had to hold the doorframe.
He took my face in his hands and kissed me, and he tasted like coffee and cellar dust.
"I'm going to fix this," he said.
"Don't promise something stupid."
"I'll tell the front office I don't skate without my trainer."
"Hugo."
"They need a captain more than they need a memo."
At noon my phone buzzed.
My suspension was lifted, and I was to report at three.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–6 of The Captain Who Ended My Brother's Career Is on My Table are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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