Chapter Forty-Nine

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd start by saying I'm sorry for the wait. I've been back a full week now and aware that I haven't posted in a month. For those of you wondering, I absolutely loved Pittsburgh. The vacation itself was fun and tiring. I believe that we drove 12 175km - I don't know how much that is in miles, sorry. Thanks for putting up with me though.

Anyway, today seemed like a good day to update because this Sunday is my birthday! Yay!


So here's my present to you... Enjoy!

***



Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Nine

“You can put your things in the guest room,” Sidney told his long time pal, Jack Johnson. “It’s the third door on the left.”


Jack’s flight into Nova Scotia had gotten in that morning and Sidney offered to pick him up at the airport. They had talked non-stop from the minute they spotted each other until they had gotten back to the house. They were old friends and always enjoyed being in the company of the other.

“So, I totally forgot how much I loved this place,” Jack stated from the top of the staircase.

Sidney laughed as Jack slid down the handrail after he’d dumped his suitcase in the spare room. He laughed even harder when his friend failed miserably at it. “You would, Jack.”

“Yeah, yeah. What do you wanna do?”

Sidney shrugged. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “What do you want to do?”

“How about we hit the beach.” Jack gave him a sly grin. “We can swim and check out hot girls. Two birds, one stone.”

Okay, so checking out girls wasn’t exactly number one on Sidney’s list of summer activities, but Jack seemed stoked about it so he obliged. “Yeah, sure.”


They spent a few hours at the beach and even though they had a blast Jack could tell something was up with Sidney. He had noticed it a bit on their drive from the airport to the house, but decided against saying something. But at the beach Sidney hadn’t so much as spared any of the young pretty girls a glance when they flaunted themselves in front of him. Not that Sidney had been the type of guy to check out anything remotely female, Jack rationalized, but he did look every now and then.

He hoped to get to the bottom of his pal’s distraction, and in a subtle manner, he added, before it was time to head back to L.A. Jack walked down the stairs intending on making a beeline for the kitchen, but stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted a pair of pink Converse sitting next to wear he’d carelessly tossed his shoes. Had they been there the whole time?

Jack heard Sidney behind him and spoke without thinking. “Dude, pink is not your colour.”

Sidney gave Jack a baffled expression. “What?”

“And I doubt that’s the right size for you.”

“Jack, what the hell are you talking about?”

“The shoes,” he said, never taking his eyes off them. “I never pictured you as the Converse type.”

Sidney looked down at the shoes and felt like the fist that had been wrapped around his heart for three weeks tighten. “I’m not; they’re not mine.” He hoped that he didn’t have to tell him whose they were.

But he knew his friend better and sighed when Jack’s eyes popped open wide. “You have a chick over? Why didn’t you say so.”

“Because I don’t.” It came out sharper than he had meant it to, but seeing those shoes for the first time in weeks threw him off balance.

“All right,” Jack said at length. He was carefully watching Sidney’s face and noticed all the emotions that passed over it. Bewilderment, shock, anger, sadness, then regret. “Whose are they?”

He didn’t want to say it, really didn’t. He had been trying to forget… and that was bullshit. He thought about her every day, every second of every bloody day. “They are Riley’s.”

Confusion came first for Jack. He watched the expression on Sidney’s face and pieced it together. Why would a summer fling give him this look of remorse? “Riley who? Is she hot? I bet she is. I mean, you’re Sidney Crosby, you could date whoever you…” he trailed off as realization kicked in. It all made sense now. “Jacobs? Riley Jacobs? You’re dating Riley Jacobs from like five years ago?”

Sidney closed his eyes in defeat; there was no way to keep a personal problem personal with Jack. “Yes, Riley Jacobs from five years ago. Yes, she’s hot. And I don’t know if we’re dating.”

Pleased to have gotten to the root of it all, Jack relaxed a bit. They could work from here. “The first brings back memories, the second I knew, but the third shocks me. How do you not know if you’re dating?”

“It’s a long story,” Sidney warned.

Jack sat down in the living room. “I’ve got time.”

“Okay.” Sidney sat down and decided that it would be best if he quickly summarized the beginning. “So we started dating in mid September when she was assigned to write about our season after losing the Cup. Things were great at first, I didn’t recognize her and she didn’t remember me or our previous relationship.”

“Why?”

“Apparently while she was in Australia she went surfing and whacked her head off the board when the wave got too powerful. She spent two weeks in the hospital with a serious concussion and a bit of amnesia.”

Jack actually laughed. “That’s Riley for you, always a glutton for misadventure.”

“Right,” Sidney laughed. “Anyway, we discussed it—my dad made a deal about it—but continued on with our relationship. We had our share of spats and longer-lasting fights, but resolved it in the end.

“A few months ago she received a promotion and was given the summer off. I asked her to come spend the summer here with me and she happily agreed,” he continued. “Everything was going great until this one night. I believe it was Canada Day and my family was over and we were all having a fun time. Then while I’m talking with my mom and sister, Riley was in the house getting a drink. After a while I was a little worried because she’d been in there a while. I was just about to go in and see what was up when she came back outside. She was a bit pale but I didn’t question her on it. I should have because before I know it she’s telling me that she has to leave because she’s got to find herself.”

Jack waited a beat. “You just let her leave?”

A little offended by the way he’d phrased it, Sidney scowled. “It’s not like I had another choice. Once Riley makes her mind up, it’s nearly impossible to go against her.” That thought alone made him smile.

“Okay, so you let her leave, then what?” Jack wanted to know more. He needed to know more to get the whole picture.

“Then that’s it. That brings us here.”

“You didn’t call her? E-mail? Fly out to see her?” His jaw dropped a bit.

“I thought it would be best to give her some space,” Sidney answered after a slight pause.

Jack scoffed. “What little you know.”



Back in Pittsburgh, Riley was rounding the corner of the underground parking of Brett’s apartment when she spotted Kris leaning against her car. The thought to turn right around and go back up to the apartment and wait him out passed through her mind. She dismissed it almost as quickly.

His head shot up, and he let his gaze stare her up and down. “We need to talk,” he said immediately the moment she was within hearing distance, that French-Canadian tone brisk.

“Uh-oh,” Riley said in a sarcastic worrisome tone. “Are we about to have a marital spat, dear?”

“Riley.”

She rolled her eyes behind his back. Ever since he had found out about her split with Sidney he’d been on her derrière about it. “Sorry.”

“I want you to call Sid.”

It took every ounce of her strength to keep her face blank. She was a journalist and trained to keep her face from registering any type of emotion, especially shock. “No.”

“You are so damn stubborn on being independent,” he exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

“You’re so damn hell-bent on me be dependent,” she retorted. She didn’t have time for this… this altercation. “Kris,” she said, cutting him off before he spoke, “I have work.”

“We’re going to talk about this,” he insisted.

“Yeah, yeah.”

And without another word she drove off.

Beyond frustration, Kris quickly dialled up Sidney’s summer home. He, too, didn’t have time for this anymore.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Dear Readers,
I haven't been the best about updating lately and I apologize for that. To make up for that, I tried to make this chapter as satisfying as possible, and you'll notice it's longer than what I normally post. The reason for that is because this will be the last chapter I post before I go on vacation. I leave Sunday, July 26 and return late on Sunday, August 16. I'll be spending three weeks touring some of the southern states and unfortunately won't be able to get to a computer often let alone update.
I super stoked because our first stop is Pittsburgh--it'll be my first time in Pittsburgh. =)
Alas, I thank you all for reading my story and I pinky-swear to post as soon as I can once I get back. I'm nowhere near done this story so expect some interesting updates when I return.
Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy chapter forty-eight.
Oh, and I encourage you to leave a comment letting me know how you felt about it. I love reading them!
-Sam. =)

***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Eight

She didn’t respond right away; her brain couldn’t seem to function as it normally would. Riley was confused as never before. She was passed back and forth between the two concerned men, with each of them murmuring words of assurance in her ear.

While they stared at her, she worked on processing a single sentence.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She eased back and looked at Jordan, Kris and Brett who stood at her side just as confused. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We were just hanging out around my place when we heard them talking about you on the news,” Jordan said, a hint of anger edging into his voice. “So, we started to watch it. At first it was just talking about your career and stuff, then…”

“Then one of the reporters started talking about how you and Sid had supposedly broken up,” Kris told her, picking up from where Jordan had trailed off. “We didn’t believe it until they started to show this footage—recent footage—of Sid still in Nova Scotia and you here.” He aimed a questioning glare at her.

“So, as we’re watching,” Jordan continued after a short, awkward pause, “some guy starts saying how you’ve been here for a few weeks with another man—sorry,” he said to Brett. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“No. No, I don’t think we have. I’m Brett Sharpe, a friend and former colleague of Riley’s.” Brett extended his hand to the two men.

“Well, I’m Jordan Staal and he’s Kris Letang,” he said in friendly tones. “Anyway, so they cut to this live feed where we see you standing at your front door talking to someone. We then see that it’s Cooper—son of a bitch—and that’s more than enough reason for us to come over.”

Riley was well aware of Kris’ eyes watching her the entire time Jordan spoke and pretended not to notice. He was pissed and she could tell. She reluctantly shifted her gaze to him when he began to speak.

“Then, as luck would have it, the camera turns and we catch a glimpse of the crowd on your front lawn.” He sneered as he said it.

“So then we’re really hurrying,” Jordan said. “We get here and see mostly everyone leaving and we run up and, well, here we are.”

While Riley absorbed, Brett questioned. “How did you get in? I locked the door.”

“Oh, Kris has a key,” Jordan said easily.

Brow raised, Riley was confused yet again. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, you see, a few months ago Sid gave me a key to your place. When I asked him what it was about, he told me that it was in case you needed help and he wasn’t around for you. He worries, a lot.” Kris smiled sheepishly.

Overwhelmed with shock and confusion, Riley took a moment to process it all. Sidney had given his friend a key to her home in case she was in trouble. She didn’t know if she was angry or appreciative about it.

“Oh,” was all she mustered.

“So, you’re fine, right? That freak didn’t touch you or hurt you, because if he did we’ll kick his ass so bad he’ll feel it for years.” Jordan smiled and laid a comforting arm around her.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m all right.” She nodded and sat down on the couch. “You guys don’t have to stay if you’ve got other plans.”

“No,” Kris said, “we’re staying.”

“Yeah, Rye, you’re like our little sister,” Jordan added.

“I’m older than both of you.”

“Yeah, well… you’re smaller,” Jordan laughed.

She laughed, truly laughed, for the first time since she had left Sidney three weeks before. These guys were like family to her and she was grateful for that. Sidney had picked these two to be the ones he trusted so deeply to look after her. Mario probably had a key, too, she mused, Hell, the entire team probably did.

Somehow just knowing that warmed her.

Riley took a deep breath and prepared to say what had been on her mind over the past three weeks. “Guys,” she said, “I can’t live here anymore.”

For several moments there was complete silence. All three of them looked at her with faces covered in shock. They looked at her, she thought, as if she’d just informed them that the world was going to end.

“What?” Jordan asked, still gaping at her.

“I don’t want to live here anymore, it just doesn’t feel like home, you know?”

“In Pittsburgh?” This time it was Brett who asked.

“No. No, just this house,” she said and saw some relief flood over their faces. “I don’t feel safe here, especially with Cooper living across the street."

“You can’t just pick up and leave,” Kris told her.

“Why not?” She wasn’t going to give in, she had to get out.

“Because it’s not only you living here,” he stated. “Sid lives here, too. Sure, he’s in another country right now but he spends most of his time here. You can’t just move everything out of here—his stuff is here, too—because you don’t want to live here.”

“Yeah Rye, where would you stay?” Jordan looked concerned.

“I don’t know,” she said, a sob escaping. “I don’t know, okay? I’ll stay in a bloody hotel if I have to. But I don’t—can’t—live here anymore. Don’t you understand?”

“Okay. Riley, shh.” Brett came and sat next to her and rubbed soothingly up and down her back. “Okay,” he said again. “You can live with me.”

“What about—”

“You can live with me,” he said again in a soft yet affirmative tone. “Come on, we’ll pack up some of your things.”

Riley looked up at him with teary eyes. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” He smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug.

She felt stupid for acting like a child but was grateful that Brett would understand her decision. “I’ll go pack my clothes; can you get the stuff from my den?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I’ll help you, Riley,” Kris said in a brisk tone that told her he was going to do more than just help pack clothes.

They had barely made it out of the living room when Kris grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?”

“Kris, please. I can’t live here.”

“Yeah, I got that.” His impatience was starting to leak through. “What’s going on between you and Sid? One minute you guys are lovey-dovey, the next you’re broken up?”

Oh crap. She hadn’t told him or anyone other than Brett and Kay that she had broken things off with Sidney. Apparently Sidney had done the same. “Not here, okay? I’ll tell you later.”

“No, Riley, tell me right now.”

“Pas ici. Je vous dirai plus tard,” she repeated in quick French. She was frustrated all right. She only used French now when she was on the verge of snapping.

She bounded up the stairs and was well aware of him following suit. She didn’t have time for this. Didn’t she have a hard enough time explaining this to Sidney? How much harder would it be to explain it to someone who wouldn’t let her just walk away?

“Tell me now, Riley,” he demanded. When she kept walking he repeated it again in quick, harsh French. “Dites-moi maintenant, Riley.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “But you have to help me pack up my clothes.” She wandered over to her closet and swung open the doors violently. “You do the closet and I’ll take the drawers.”

Downstairs, Jordan and Brett packed up her writing materials and other objects they thought she’d want. Both of them had agreed to come back and pack up the rest of Riley’s belongings when she was safe at Brett’s.

“So,” Jordan began, “why does she get to stay with you?”

Brett looked over his shoulder at Jordan, and gave him a puzzled expression. “I’m sorry?”

“You know, I mean she was more than willing to stay in a hotel, and any guy on the team would be willing to have her stay with them. So why did you offer?”

Brett stopped gathering papers and turned to face Jordan. “Riley and I are friends. I offered my place because I thought that’s where she’d be most comfortable. She may have insisted on getting a hotel room, but I read right through her.” He turned and lifted her laptop, placed it gently into a box. “She doesn’t want to be alone. She misses Sid more than anything but she’s so damn determined to succeed on her own that she won’t go back to him. And,” he added quietly, “she’s going to need someone there when she breaks down.”

Jordan walked over to put some more papers and binders into the box next to Brett. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“Yes. Riley is a very sweet girl. She’s been nothing but understanding and accepting towards me.” He smiled as he picked up a picture of her and Sidney. “That says a lot about someone.”

Jordan glanced over at the man he’d just met that morning. He was tall, slim, and attractive. His hair, a dark blonde, looked about a week overdue for a trimming. HIs eyes were as blue as the ocean, his strong jaw looked as if it could take a punch and the man wouldn’t flinch. It was obvious that the guy worked out. He wondered, even though Riley and Brett had denied it, if there was something more than a friendship going on between the two of them. “So, ah, have you met Sid?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “He seems like a nice guy. I’ve only talked to him briefly.”

“I see,” Jordan said. “Do you work TV?”

Brett smiled, showing off perfectly straight white teeth. “Yes, I do.”

An hour later, Riley and Kris walked down the stairs carrying boxes full of clothes. Luckily, Riley thought, she had gotten the boxes a few days earlier when she was tossing the idea about moving out around in her head.

She was relieved to see that Jordan and Brett had packed up most of her things and were sitting on the couch talking with each other like old buddies. They looked up at her when she walked into the room. Nerves were dancing in her belly.

“You ready?” Brett asked her.

“Yeah, Kris is just bringing down the rest of the boxes.”

“Okay. So we’re going to see if we can do this in one trip. While you were upstairs, Jordan and I went by his place to pick up his truck. With my truck, his, Kris’ and yours we should be able to do this.” He grabbed her arm and led her to the front door where she saw all four vehicles in her driveway. “You think everything will fit?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “Brett, I owe you one.”

He shook his head. “No you don’t. What are friends for, right? Anyway, you lead them to my place, I’m just going to finish loading my truck and I’ll lock up, okay?”

“Yes.” She walked into the living room where Kris and Jordan were. “Follow me boys!”

When they had left, Brett walked around the place that was now mostly empty. A few more trips, he estimated, and everything would be gone. Jordan had assured him that he’d get some of the guys on the team to help him load it all into storage.

He realized as he shut the lights off just how much that team cared for her. He walked around his truck once more to make sure everything was secured in its place. When the inventory was done, Brett got into his truck and made his way to his house where he was sure Riley and the guys were starting to unpack.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Seven

The visions of white sand and crystal clear waters were interrupted by the shocking sound of the doorbell. It was nine o’clock on a Sunday morning and Riley’s day off. She grumbled and muttered oaths in French as she rolled out of bed. Seeing her reflection started only another round of cursing.

“Merde,” she muttered, raking a hand through her hair, violently.

She opened the door without looking through the window to see who it was. After all, she thought, it was probably just some girl guides selling cookies. So it was a surprise to her when she was blinded by a flash of light.

“Goddamn it! What the hell?” She jerked back and blinked rapidly a dozen times.

“Okay, let’s get a shot of the bedroom and everything else you possibly can,” Cooper ordered from the door.

The cameraman was denied entrance when Riley shot her arm out, blocking him. He whined some but she tuned it out. She had her sights set on the leader and planned for him to be the victim of her wrath. “Cooper, what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m doing my job. Actually, I’m ahead of the pack.” He gestured behind him where there was a small crowd forming on her front lawn. Everyone there seemed to have a camera with them. All the colour drained from Riley’s face when she counted thirty-four people.

She lost her focus just long enough to have her arm fall limply at her side, and have the man with the camera run inside the house. She thought about going after him, she'd have fun causing him bodily harm, but pushed that idea away when she realized that if she left the spot where she was now it would only allow the others the chance to sneak a peek inside her home.

Riley felt some relief when she saw Brett’s truck pull up in her driveway. She watched him get out and scan the crowd with a scowl. Their eyes locked and she could see the heat in them as he rushed to her.

“What the hell?”

“There’s one inside,” Riley told him quickly. “Go in and don’t be afraid to hurt him if no other choice prevails.”

He nodded, and made sure to give Cooper a decent shove on his way in.

“You’ve got one minute to get off this property,” Riley told Cooper once Brett ran up the stairs, “before I call the cops and have your ass taken in for harassment and trespassing.”

“That’s not fair,” he debated. “You of all people would know these are my journalistic obligations.”

She let out a humourless laugh. “Don’t bullshit me, Orson. Now get off my property. Oh, and tell your little posse there to do the same.”

“Gee, not having Sid around puts you in a sour mood.”

“No, having a lousy journalist in my face on a Sunday morning puts me in a sour mood.”

“Did he leave you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“No, it is,” he said matter-of-factly. “You see, people like drama—it’s a known fact. Who wants to read about a nice happy couple having a nice lunch? No one. Hockey’s superstar having relationship problems is what they want to and will read. And,” he added at her bland stare, “you can be sure that I’ll be the one to spread the word about Sidney’s precious Riley being in Pittsburgh alone –no, spending all her time with another man—while he’s back home with Mom and Dad.”

With her face blank, Riley responded in a calm, clear voice. “Go ahead and print your story. But you can be sure that if and when I get wind of it I’ll destroy you. Say goodbye to your cushy job, you kiss ass, because I have that power and I’m not afraid to smear your reputation and crush your reliability.”

“Is that a threat? Is Riley Jacobs threatening me?”

“You can take it however you want,” she said still smoothly. “I’m simply informing you of what can and will happen if you publish a story based on lies about me and my personal life.” She smiled, slow and feral and watched fear flash in his eyes. Oh yeah, she thought, you are done.

“God, you disgust me,” Brett stated as held the cameraman by the collar of his shirt, then threw him out the front door.

The cameraman made a beeline for his car while Cooper rushed after him. The rest of the media crowd on Riley’s front lawn concluded that there was nothing else to see and left.

Brett slammed the door shut and pulled Riley into a hug. Even though she was still riding on seething anger, she wrapped her arms around him. She could feel tears threatening to spill over, but pushed them back. Riley preferred the red rim of anger outline her vision rather than the blur of tears.

He led her over to the living room and told her to sit while he went to get a glass of water. He didn’t even make it to the kitchen when they heard the front door open. Shock and confusion spread over both their faces when they saw Jordan Staal and Kris Letang rush in the house and pull Riley up and into their arms.

“Are you ok?” they both asked simultaneously.

Chapter Forty-Six

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Six

“Hey, man. What’s up? It’s been a little while, huh?” Jack Johnson said, picking up after the second ring.

Jack and Sidney had met in 2002 when they both attended Shattuck-Saint Mary’s Boarding School in Minnesota. They were both a part of the school’s hockey team that won the U.S. National Championship that year. Jack and Sidney had become good friends that year and continued to keep in touch over the years.

“Hey,” Sidney said. “I’m not up to much, what about you?”

“I’m bored as ever. Like, it’s LA, right? I should be out partying and stuff but I’m not. Something must be wrong with me,” Jack said with a short laugh. “What about you, you out in your summer mansion?”

“I’m in my summer house, yes.” Sidney sat back in his chair in the living room. “We should hang out sometimes, you know, catch up some.”

“Are you inviting me over to your palace?”

“Cut it out. But we should hang out sometimes, whenever you’re free,” Sidney replied.

“When do you want me?”

“When are you free?”

“I can probably catch a flight tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.”

“Tomorrow’s good.”

“Sweet. I’ve been bored out of my mind this week. It’ll be good to hang out with a friend.” Jack opened a closet and pulled out a suitcase and some clothes.

“Yeah,” Sidney said and smiled. “Yeah, it’ll be good.”


Several blocks away, Troy sat reading the newspaper in the family room with the TV on low in the background. He glanced up when Trina walked in from the kitchen. When she sat in the chair across from him and looked at him with questioning eyes, he carefully put the paper down.

“What?” He tensed as she unleashed the full power of her eyes.

“Nothing. Well, I just got off the phone with Sid. He said that Jack is coming down tomorrow.” Trina sat back in the chair, crossed her legs.

“Oh, well that’s good. Jack’s a good kid,” Troy said easily.

“Yeah, he is,” she said with a sigh. “I just wonder, you know?”

Uh-oh, Troy thought. Touchy subject. “It will be good to have Jack here. How long is he going to stay for?”

“Sidney didn’t say,” she said absently. “I wonder what happened between him and Riley. They were so happy, then wham she leaves.”

“Some things just aren’t meant to be,” he said carefully.

“They are, though. They are perfect for each other.”

"They’re over, Trina. They broke up – what is it?—three weeks ago. She left him.”

“It won’t last long. They will be back together before we know it. They are in love. This is just a little bump in the road.”

“Trina, he’s here and she’s in Pittsburgh. They are not going to get back together when they’re in different countries. Both of them are going to move on with their lives and forget about each other.”

“That’s not going to happen, Troy,” she said firmly. Do you know what he told me on the phone just now? He told me that he wanted to marry her. Marry her, Troy. Sidney wanted to spend the rest of his life with that girl.”

He sat there, shocked. Sidney hadn’t told him that or anything like it. Wasn’t that what a son was supposed to tell the father first? He didn’t understand why Sidney had told his mother before him. “Oh,” was all he said.

“Wait.” She shot up a hand. “Didn’t you talk to Riley last?”

“No,” he answered quickly. Technically he wasn’t the last one to speak with her.

Chapter Forty-Five

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Five

The walls were a dull grey; everything in the office was the exact same colour. There was one light in the entire room and there wasn’t a doubt in Riley’s mind that the light hadn’t been changed in quite a while. She shifted in her chair noting that even the furniture wasn’t inviting.

“How do you work in this? It’s so depressing,” Riley said as she crossed her legs for the third time.

“Are you here for an interview or to critique my designing style?” The woman who sat across the Riley was known for her dull tastes. She had about an inch on Riley’s five-seven and wasn’t afraid to use her size for power. Her hair was a light blonde pulled back so tightly in a bun that it gave Riley a headache just looking at it.

“Sorry,” Riley muttered. “Now, Mrs. Norman, what are your thoughts on this upcoming project?”

“Well, I’ve always believed in the well being of our elders. They are always the ones who are targeted first you know. So, after witnessing some elder abuse, I decided to take a stand. My partner, Rodney, and I discussed this topic one time over brunch,” Mrs. Norman smiled politely. “We agreed that the elderly are capable of defending themselves – I mean have you seen them at their bingo?”

Forty-five minutes later, Riley walked out of the building rubbing her temples. She was going to need a tanker-load of Tylenol when she got back home. She tried a smile when she spotted Brett leaning casually against his car but it only came out as a wince.

“How’d it go?” He had an amused look on his face.

“I’ve got the mother of all headaches right now.”

“Oh come on. It couldn’t have been that bad,” he said with a small laugh.

“It could have and it was,” Riley said as she climbed into the passenger seat of his car. “First, I had to stare at her face for an hour. I know that sounds mean, but the woman wears her hair so tightly tied back her eyes were practically popping out of her head. Then she made these jokes,” she said, her voice going up an octave, “it was about as funny as watching a cat die.

“The room,” her voice was pleading now. “It just screams boring. Everything is this dull grey, it’s like prison. No, it’s worse than prison.”

“Maybe some lunch will brighten your spirits,” Brett said in a hopeful voice as he pulled into his parking space at his condo.

“Brett, you don’t have to do this for me. I can take care of myself.”

No, he thought. He had to do this. He had to make sure that she stayed healthy. It had been two weeks since she had left Sidney in Nova Scotia and he’d left her alone for the first week and that was a mistake.

He’d gone over to see her one day and she looked horrible. It was obvious that she hadn’t eaten and had cried out all of the water her body had saved. From then on Brett was sure to keep an eye on her. “It’s no problem, really. Besides, Jamie made it so it will be well worth it.”

Jamie was Brett’s main squeeze. Riley had never seen Brett happier than when he was with Jamie. With Jamie around the food was amazing, the house was clean, and everything was in order.

“I love Jamie,” Riley said as they stepped into the elevator.

“So do I,” Brett said as he pushed the button for his floor.

“Are you going to pop the question?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” He led her off the elevator and to his door. “Now let’s get some food into us.”


The waves crashed against the rocks as the boats whizzed by. People were smiling as the soaked up the sun. It was the summer he was supposed to be happy. He was supposed to be relaxed. But he wasn’t. No he hadn’t been happy since she had walked out of his life… again.

Just thinking about it angered him. Anger was better than sadness, Sidney thought as he tossed another rock into the blue water. Everyday he’d come out in his backyard and sit on the dock, just as Riley had done. He’d think things over, contemplate whether or not he should go back to Pittsburgh and find her.

But he knew that was wrong. Sidney knew deep down that he and Riley belonged together and that they would eventually come back together. He needed her. She was the love of his life. But he would let her do what she thought she needed to do. He’d let her find herself if she really needed to. Sidney wasn’t about to make a move that could mess everything up.

“Sid, it’s time to go.”

“I’ll be right there, Dad. Just give me a minute.”

Sidney and his family were going out to dinner, as they had for the past two weeks. They had made sure to stay away from the topic of his relationship. As a matter of fact, Try Crosby hadn’t spoken a word about Riley since she left.

Sidney stood and made his way back into his summer house. Somehow it felt empty to him now. Silly. He’d bought the house before they were together and it had felt fine to him. Come to think of it, Riley had only spent a few weeks in that house and now that she was gone if felt hollow.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Trina Crosby asked. Sidney knew that she missed Riley. She had always treated her like another daughter.

“Mom, do you really need to ask?”

“I don’t suppose I do, no.” She scrunched her face up in her ‘thinking expression’ and said, “I think you should invite some friends over. What about Jack? He always used to visit you. Call him up.”

He pondered over that for about a minute before responding. “That’s actually a good idea. I’ll do that when we get home from dinner.”

For the first time in two weeks Trina saw her son smile.

Chapter Forty-Four

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Four

Riley Jacobs sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the deck, the water barely touching her toes. She’d come out here to try and reach some serenity. Her head had been pounding, her brain fuzzy for the past two days. Not to mentions she’d been in a sour mood since Troy Crosby had brought up the topic of her career.

At what was intended to be a fun family gathering, Troy had told Riley that he believed that she was only successful in her career as a broadcasting journalist because of the man whom she’d fallen deeply in love with, Sidney Crosby.

Sidney, being the captain of the city’s much loved hockey team, was always a topic in the media. The media, the field Riley had chosen to be employed in. In September she’d be working for a well-known news station and had had her doubts when offered a position at KDKA. At twenty-two – almost twenty-three – years of age, Riley was considered and known as one of the city’s top reporters. She was young and fresh, determined and competitive. She also had the looks and the skills to work TV.

But even with all of that she still questioned her sudden popularity in the city. Would she have made it this far if she wasn’t dating a hockey superstar? She didn’t know and never really thought about it – until someone who she was close with brought it up. Now, two days later, the question was still buzzing around in her brain.

Sidney had been careful around her. He was almost positive that his dad and Riley had gotten into an acrimonious dispute. He had come to this conclusion at their gathering when his dad had come back with an angry expression and Riley with a distant one. Not wanting to make things worse, Sidney had kept quiet about it.

But now he’d had enough. He and Riley had fought continually since then. He would try to be kind to her – he always was – but she would brush him off. When he’d comment about her attitude, she’s send him an acidic glare. Underneath it all, he was jealous. He was jealous because he knew that when she brushed him off she went and emailed Brett Sharpe. He didn’t like the fact that Riley, his own girlfriend, told Brett more than she told him. He couldn’t say anything, though, because every single time he did she rushed to Brett’s side, defending him immensely.

Riley felt safe with Brett. She felt as if she could tell him anything and know he wouldn’t judge her. He would only listen and give advice when he knew she needed it. She felt that she needed him. One of the first friends she had ever made in Pittsburgh was moving away. Kaylan Penton was moving to Berlin with her fiancé that summer. They had promised to stay in touch but Riley could tell they were drifting.

After all, she’d done something similar five years ago, hadn’t she? She had left the place she had grown up in to move to Australia for four years to get an education. She had left Sidney all those years ago so she could start a life for herself.

Maybe that’s what she needed to do now; she needed to find herself. But she couldn’t just pick up her things and travel the world. No, she had her family and friends to think about now. She had a career now.

But what if it was based on a false talent? Did she really have a journalistic talent, or were people just tuning in to get a good look at Sidney Crosby’s girlfriend?

Just thinking about it had her blood boiling. She thought rancorously about the comments Troy had made, but still couldn’t put them out of her mind. No, she couldn’t put them away until she proved to him, to herself that they were untrue.

With her mind made up, Riley strolled into the house. She made it all the way upstairs without running into Sidney. Satisfied with her sneakiness, she blew out the breath she’d been holding as she walked into the master bedroom. She sucked it back in as a surprised gasp when she nearly ran head-on into Sidney.

“Where were you?” He studied her face and noticed that she had calmed down a bit.

“Outside, I needed a minute to think by myself.” She walked past him and to her closet.

“Rye,” he began. “We need to talk.”

Without turning to face him, she responded. “Yeah, we do.”

“Look, we’ve been arguing a lot since—” he broke off when she pulled out her suitcase. “What are you doing?”

“I’m packing up my things.” This time she turned to him. “Sid, when I was sitting outside I thought it all over. I need some space, some time to… find myself. I don’t want us to break up, and it pains me to say this, but I think it would be best if we did take a little break from our relationship.”

“No.” He crossed to her, held her. “No, I need you. Riley, no, you are everything to me.”

She ordered her voice not to quiver, for her heart not to break. “Sidney, I’m sorry but it’s for the best. I love you, you know that. And you know I hate this but I need it, we need it.”

While he stood there silently, she packed. She fought back the tears that threatened to spill over and ignored the burn in her throat that felt like an untamed fire. When her suitcase was full she turned to him.

“Should I call a cab?”

“No,” he said, swallowed hard. “I’ll drive you.”

“I’ll be in the car,” she said as she walked past him.

He couldn’t believe what was happening, didn’t want to believe it. He was letting the only girl he’d ever loved walk right out of his life without an explanation. He would get one, he’d damn well get one if it killed him.

He sat in the driver’s seat next to Riley who was picking at her nails. A sign of nervousness, he thought as he stuck the key in the ignition.

They rode in silence. The only things that they could hear were internally. The rapid beating of their hearts was drowned out by the sound of their hearts breaking.

“Why are you doing this, Rye?” Sidney asked as he pulled up in front of the airport.

“It’s just something I need to do.” She pulled her suitcase out of the back seat. “I need to find myself.”

“This is a mistake.” His voice broke.

“Then it’s one I need to make on my own. Goodbye, Sidney. I love you more than anything.” She kissed him once, lightly on the cheek.

“Take care of yourself,” he said as he watched her walk into the airport. And out of his life.

Chapter Forty-Three

Okay, so I am so, so, so sorry about the lack of updates lately. School is over in about four days - on Tuesday - and tomorrow we start our exams. Life has been crazy but it will calm down soon. Good news though, somehow I found a ton of inspiration for this story. I've already got the next ten, fifteen, chapter planned. And trust me, it will be good.

Anyway, I'm a little late on this, but hey, we still love to hear it. I was super excited that the Pens won the Stanley Cup. They deserved it. Oh, and I cried when Sidney lifted the Cup. I think it's love. =)
***

Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Forty-Three

The sun was out and shining which meant that most of the entertainment would be outside. Over the past three weeks they’d been at Sidney’s summer house, it had only rained three or four times which was staggering because usually out in the Maritimes it rained a lot.

Ben and Kim had arrived first, much to Riley’s delight. They had gawked over the house, easing the tension building in Riley’s neck considerably. The four of them talked on the front lawn for several minutes until Ben could no longer wait for a tour. Sensing some of his girlfriend’s uneasiness, Sidney sent Riley off with her brother and soon to be sister-in-law for a tour. As Riley led them into the house she cast one last glance Sidney’s way and her stomach clutched as she saw the Crosby’s car pull into the driveway.

She had given them a tour, trying to remember what all of the rooms were used for, and was making her way down the stairs when her Ben stopped her.

“Rye, what’s wrong?”

She was about to shrug it off as nothing but knew deep down that her brother could help her. He always had. “Ben,” she started. “I’ve got a little dilemma.”

He grabbed her arm and steered her into a room. “Go on,” he urged as he sat on a chair. Riley noticed that they were in the master bedroom.

“Okay.” She took a deep, relaxing breath. “So, you know Sid’s dad, Troy, right?” He nodded as she took a seat on the bed. “Well, normally we’re cool with each other but lately…” Riley trailed off as she walked away from the bed. She found that there were too many nerves bubbling in her stomach for her to sit patiently.

“Lately,” she continued. “He’s been cold and distant towards me and me only. Like, I don’t know if I did anything to upset him or something. Sid told me that he’d talk to him but that I’d have to face him and all.” She turned to stare hard out at the backyard. “I don’t know. I don’t know,” she repeated. “Maybe he just doesn’t like me.”

Ben stared at her for several long, gruelling moments. When she didn’t turn around he started to speak. He knew his sister too well to go and approach her when she was in this mood. “You think he doesn’t like you. Riley, I think you’re an idiot.”

She turned quickly, with an expression that could kill frozen on her face. “What?” The word came out quick and harsh. Her green eyes were turning a shade lighter. Her eyes always did that when she was angry. They’d go this light, insane green that could burn holes through the toughest of walls.

Ben smiled but kept his tone flat. “I said I think you’re an idiot.” Her eyes got lighter, her nostrils flared. “You’re an idiot, Rye, for thinking that he doesn’t like you. The Riley that I know would never think it, she’d go right up to them, look them straight in the eye, and demand why they were treating her the way they were. The Riley I know would never put up with anyone trying to belittle her.

“So, why have you let him?” Ben questioned as he watched the light shade her eyes had turned dim a bit.

Her expression had gone from seething to stupefy. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it firmly. “I haven’t, have I? Goddamn it. He just caught me off guard, that’s all. I’ve still got my attitude. I’ve still got my spine, damn it.” She paced around the room, and Ben knew that he’d given her all the advice she’d need.

“Then now would be a good time to put it to use because I think they’re coming in here.” Her expression changed again. This time she looked slightly nervous and scared, but before Ben could say anything, she pulled herself together. She replaced a vulnerable expression with a determined one. “Go kick some ass, Rye.”

And as she strode out of the bedroom and down the stairs, he knew she would.

Sidney’s parents had arrived just as Riley had gone off with her brother and his fiancée to give them a tour. His dad had no real expression on his face but that wasn’t much of a surprise. His dad never did.

“Hey Sid,” Troy, his dad, said.

“Hi Dad, Mom, and Taylor,” Sidney said, hugging each of them.

“Hi honey,” his mom cooed. “Where’s Riley?”

Sidney watched out of the corner of his eye his dad tense up and look around. “She’s inside with Ben and Kim. She should be out soon.”

“Oh, why don’t we just go in? Taylor and I have something to tell her anyway.”

Great, Sidney thought, my mother and little sister love her, but my dad’s got something against her. So much for a simple summer…

Riley was in the kitchen getting a drink for herself when she heard the steady footsteps behind her halt. She froze as she heard someone clear their throat. She blanked her face as she turned around to face Troy Crosby.

“Would you like a drink?” Her voice was polite, her eyes were empty.

Troy merely grunted at her, watching her with his cool, calculating eyes. When he turned his back to her to walk off, Riley spoke up.

“You know, that’s no way to talk to someone.”

He turned around with a look of sheer amusement lighting up his face. “Does it bother you?”

“No, not really,” she answered nonchalantly. “I couldn’t care less if you like me or not.”

“Who said I didn’t like you?”

She thought about sitting but couldn’t. Her blood was boiling; she was ready for a fight. “Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Crosby.”

“I don’t recall demonstrating in any way that I didn’t care for you.” He went to the fridge to get a drink.

“Oh, shut up.” Riley slammed the fridge door closed before his hands could reach in. “You’ve been cold and distant from me for the past month. So here’s your chance, tell me what I did to upset you.”

Troy took a minute for himself so he could calm down. He wasn’t expecting her to react the way she had. It surprised him. “You should know very well why I treat you the way I do.”

“What?” She was angry. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that you’ve no real reason to question me on my actions, seeing as the answer should be quite evident to you.”

“I’ve said it before and goddamn it I’ll say it again, what the hell does that mean?” Riley could see red now. “And don’t get all grammatically correct on me; remember who the English major is here.”

“Riley, why are you here with Sid?”

“I’m on vacation with him,” she said. “Don’t try to change the subject.”

“I’m not. Why did you get a two month vacation?”

“I got one because I received a promotion. In September I’ll be working for KDKA instead of Sports Guide.” She finished off her drink. “Mr. Crosby, I fail to see what this has to do with anything.”

“It has everything to do with this particular topic. Haven’t you ever wondered why you received that promotion?”

She looked him dead in the eye, and responded. “They told me it was because I’m a good journalist and TV reporter.”

He lifted a brow. “And did you believe them?”

“Yeah,” she said at length. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe you’re as far as you are in career not because of your talent, but because of who you’re dating?

“Think about it, Riley,” Troy continued. “Sidney is a very important person in Pittsburgh – which just so happens to be the city in which you work.”

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving Riley sitting there with an expression of complete shock.

When she heard the door close, she dropped her head in her hands.