All Things In Good Time

March 2014

After the Olympics, the regular grind of the season came back, along with the push for the playoffs and a game in the Winter Classic against the Blackhawks. A game the majority of the players would love to forget and for Katherine, it was the weekend that she finally let go of the ghosts that had been haunting her since she saw Twitter blow up with pictures of the new woman in James’ life. The exorcism came in the form of an elevator ride with James.

Katherine decided to meet up with college friends at a local steakhouse the night before the game. A few hours, a few cocktails and a belly full of prime Chicago beef, Katherine found herself in the lobby of the hotel that the team was staying. As she checked her phone to see if there were any last minute texts in preparation for the game, Katherine made her way to the elevators.

“What floor?” a man’s voice asked Katherine.

She was so deep in thought while reading of a text from Bill Geurin that it didn’t even register who the voice belonged to.

“Oh, eighteen please.”

“Eighteen use to be a lucky number for you,” the man’s voice said.

Katherine was jolted back to reality. She looked up from her phone and she was greeted by the turquoise blue eyes of James Neal. This was deja-vu in way too many ways for Katherine.

The elevator door open and James and Katherine just stared at each other.

“Get in Kat, I’m not going to bite you,” James said as he held the elevator door open with his arm.

Katherine boarded the car and pressed the button for the eighteenth floor.

“What floor are you guys on?”

“They put us away from their paying customers,” James said as he hit the button for the twentieth floor.

The doors of the elevator shut and the awkwardness began.

Thanks to a heads-up from the folks in PR, Katherine knew that the new woman in James’ life would be there in Chicago that weekend, and that morning she was there for the family skate, camera ready and on James’ side.

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Katherine tried to initiate the conversation.

“Yea, it is going to be like playing pond hockey back home,” James said while trying hard to contain the smile of someone the age of a Timbits player

“I’ll be freezing my ass off while you’re nice and toasty in the luxury box.”

Katherine laughed. “I’m going to be down on the field with you idiots, so don’t give me that luxury box speech.”

“Yea, Mel….” And that was when James stopped.

Katherine looked at James and she knew that he didn’t want to say anything that would hurt her, so she decided to help him out.

“Jay, you can say her name.”

James looked at Katherine in amazement. He couldn’t believe that she would be okay with him talking about her. But then again, Katherine wasn’t like any other woman he met.

“She’s here with her family and with my Mom and Dad.”

Katherine nodded. She had seen her on the ice during the family skate and Katherine couldn’t help but notice how well she and James looked together.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened at the eighteenth floor.

“Kat, are you okay?” James asked as he reached for Katherine’s hand.

“Jay, are you okay?” Katherine asked as she grabbed James’ hand.

Katherine leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on James’s cheek.

“Jay, I think we’re both going to be okay.”

Katherine made her way off the elevator and down the hall to her room. As she walked she pressed the picture of Paul and her that was taken when they were in Sochi. When he answered the phone, Katherine could only smile knowing that she had followed her heart and found the man that she truly loved.

Notes

One last epilogue to tie things up. Thanks for coming along for the ride on this one!