Behind the Net: a grumpy sunshine hockey romance by Stephanie Archer

Author:Stephanie Archer [Archer, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 38

PIPPA

I sit up straight, worry sobering me. He props the phone against his ear with his shoulder while pulling his pants on.

“What’s going on?” he asks when Donna answers. Concern is etched into his features, which were so relaxed a moment ago.

He pauses, listening, hands faltering on his socks. His eyes widen. I’m already off the bed, getting dressed.

“Okay,” he says before listening more. “I’ll go over to her place to see if she’s okay.” He glances at me. “Can you try those breathing exercises Pippa did with you?”

He listens, but his eyes are locked on me, brows knitted together as I pull my sweater on, goosebumps rising all over my arms.

After promising to call her back, he hangs up before scrolling through his contacts.

“What’s going on?”

“She had her friend Claire over for dinner and asked her to text her when she got home, but she didn’t, and then my mom couldn’t get a hold of her.” His jaw tightens. “And then it turned into a panic attack. She always worries people are going to get hit by a drunk driver.”

Claire came to a hockey game with us recently. She lives in the southern part of the city. It’ll take him an hour and a half to get there and then up to North Vancouver.

I’m buttoning my pants up. “I’ll go to your mom’s place.”

He shakes his head. “No, I can go there after.”

“Jamie, I’ll take an Uber to your mom’s place, and you can pick us up there after, or I can just take an Uber home if she’s fine.”

He stares at me, and something passes through his eyes. “Okay. Thank you, Pippa. I really appreciate this.”

“No problem.” I grab my phone and book a pet-friendly Uber before digging my headphones out of my bag and calling Donna.

“Pippa?” Her voice is high.

“Hey.” I smile at Jamie, and my tone is warm and reassuring. “I’m going to pay you a visit while Jamie drives out to Claire’s, and I’m bringing Daisy. Maybe we can take her for a walk around the neighborhood.”

“Okay.” She sounds hesitant, and her breathing is thin. “I could do that.”

“I’m going to stay on the phone with you until I get there,” I tell her, pulling my hoodie on.

I’ve been reading online about panic attacks. Some people who get them recommended distractions as a way to calm down.

“That would be nice.” She sounds relieved. “I’m so sorry, honey. I just got all worked up and then—” She cuts herself off. “I don’t know what happened.”

“It’s okay. Tell me about your day.”

While Donna talks, Jamie stares at me like he doesn’t know what to make of me, and I gesture at him to go. He nods and stalks out of the room, and moments later, I hear the front door close.

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