All Things In Good Time

James Neal sat in his car with the engine running and parked on the street alongside the townhouse that Katherine owned. In his hand was the key to the front door of the townhouse, a key that Katherine had given James with the purest of intent. She gave him the key as a friend and if he ever needed a place to crash that he was more than welcome to use her couch. James sat in his car, staring at the key, staring at the front door. James turned the SUV off, instinctually unbuckled the seatbelt and carefully slid out of the vehicle. He walked the few steps from the vehicle to Katherine’s front door.

In a few hours, James and Katherine would be having a phone interview with the NHL’s disciplinary committee to review his hit on Brad Marchand and what is punishment would be for that hit. Ever since the morning meeting with Bylsma, Shero, Guerin and Katherine, James’ mind wouldn’t slow down. Thoughts of a 10-game suspension, not making the Canadian Olympic Team and missing out on the Rocket Richard Trophy this season kept running through his head. He knew that Katherine would be occupied with her Sunday dinner with Rob and Beau and he didn’t want to brother her, so James went about the rest of his afternoon, but he couldn’t stop the wheels in his head from turning. When he finally decided to go to bed, he couldn’t sleep, so he got in his Mercedes SUV and drove around to undetermined locations in Pittsburgh. The city was quiet and the silence in the car made his head spin even more. After about an hour of driving, he ended up in front of Katherine’s house. He wasn’t sure how he got there, but he was sure that Katherine was the only person who knew him well enough to put his mind at ease.

She had decorated the front door for the upcoming holidays with a fresh pine wreath with a huge red bow. James couldn’t help but think that she probably picked the wreath up this weekend when she was with Paul. He looked at the wreath and let a deep sigh out. Was he doing the right thing? He knew that Katherine and Paul were getting close and would the other guys consider this poaching? What would Katherine’s reaction be if she woke up in the morning and he was there? How could he be in the space with her without wanting to crawl and bed with her and just feel her arms around him, telling him that everything would be alright? James slipped the key into the lock and turned the key to unlock the door.

As James entered the foyer, he smelled the fait smell of a delicious meal from earlier in the evening that was undoubtedly inhaled by Rob and Beau. God, he missed Katherine’s cooking. Watching her in the kitchen was like watching Crosby on the ice; both were in their natural element and both always had excellent results. The last time he saw Katherine in a kitchen was at the cabin at Balsam Lake. She was bouncing around the kitchen; singing to a cheesy Luke Bryan song and making a rib rub from the contents of a Whole Foods bag that she had brought with her from Pittsburgh. James smiled at that memory. That week at the lake started off good, but had ended with Katherine moving on with her career and her life because James couldn’t give more of himself. James stood in the foyer, shook off the cold and the memory of that July morning when he standing in the road, watching Katherine drive away.

James took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack on the wall. He kicked off his shoes and turned on a small table lamp so he could navigate from the foyer to the living room. Grabbing a few pillows and a blanket from the loveseat and tried to make himself comfortable on the larger couch. James stared at the ceiling, all the while debating in his head the validly of him even being there. After what seemed like hours of laying on the couch, James threw back the blanket and made his way to Katherine’s kitchen. James was on a mission to raid the refrigerator and like a little kid, he picked up the milk container, looked to his left and right and proceeded to take a big swig. James lifted the lids on a few containers, but found nothing that peaked his interest and after one more swig of milk from the container, he returned it to the refrigerator and made his way back to a now darkened living room.

And there she was. She was wearing an oversized Minnesota Hockey t-shirt, standing in the living room, not really awake, not really sure of what she was seeing. James turned off everything that was going on in his head and with two quick strides; he was in front of Katherine and had captured her lips in a very needy, yet searing kiss.

Notes

Sorry the chapters are short, but my brain is currently on overdrive on multiple avenues! Stay turned for more!