Simple Kind of Life

Waking up the next morning was no picnic for Avery. Her head was pounding, her mouth rivaled sandpaper, and she was pretty sure vomiting was inevitable. The feeling was fantastic. It brought her back to a simpler time before her life took a turn for the complicated.

Her eyes fluttered open to unfamiliar surroundings, making her jolt upright in the giant bed. The sudden movement sparked a throbbing sting behind her eyes, but she ignored it. Next to her, a blond was sleeping soundly, his broad chest rising and falling with each rhythmic breath.

Oh my god. I did it! I fucking did it!

If it wouldn’t make her dizzy, she’d be jumping up and down with glee. She couldn’t believe she told him what she wanted and grabbed the bull by the horns.

Avery Nanahara just had meaningless sex with a perfect stranger. And now she was quietly gathering her clothes for her escape.

“Hey.” Came his deep voice coated in early morning grogginess. Avery was in mid-bend attempting to collect her bra when she froze. Heat rose to her face as she attempted to cover her naked body with a pile of clothes. Not that it mattered. He had seen it all.

“Hi.” She responded shyly, pushing hair behind her ear.

“You leaving?” He asked though Avery didn’t get the impression he was going to beg her to stay.

“Yeah, I gotta get back.” To the kids. But she didn’t say it. She slipped into the joining bathroom and quickly sorted through last night’s wardrobe. Her top held a stale odor of alcohol and sweat but she slipped it over her head anyway. She reveled in the grimy feeling of her clothes against her clammy skin.

Slowly, the woman exited the bathroom to find Jeff standing in front of his dresser, rummaging through the drawer. Immediately her eyes roamed over his tanned, muscular back and the two dimples above his butt. A smile cracked her lips when she saw how white the area his swim trunks covered and how it clashed with the rest of his dark skin.

“Like what you see?” He asked, looking at her through the mirror with a crooked smile.

“Yeah, I was admiring your neon white ass-cheeks.” The smile disappeared when he wrinkled his nose. He ignored the comment and threw on a pair of boxer briefs and gym shorts that hung loosely from his narrow hips.

“Will I be seeing you soon?” He asked simply, turning around to face her.

She grabbed her purse and slipped into her shoes before heading toward his bedroom door. Turning her head over her shoulder, she gave him a small smirk. “Maybe.”

*************************************************************************************

It was a beautiful day for golf in Kenora, Ontario. The sun was out and a nice breeze hung in the air that July afternoon. Jeff had spent the earlier part of the day mingling and having a couple of beers with some familiar faces. He had managed to catch up with current teammates and a few old ones. It was nice to see Asham and Cote along with Cam Romero, Carcillo, Hartnell, and Briere. He was interviewed a few times, most notably by Cabbie*, a very animated television personality in Canada.

Then the tournament was underway. Initially, Jeff attempted to take it seriously. But after losing his ball to sand traps, ponds, and running out of mulligans halfway through the course, he just clowned around with Cam and Carcillo.

“So how did meeting the family go? Are you the future Mrs. Richards yet?” Jeff asked, trying to hide his grin. He could tell by her sour mood that things weren’t going well with Mike’s family. More specifically, Momma Richards.

“His mother hates me,” The girl responded dryly. “Other than that, things have been just peachy.”

“She just doesn’t know you yet. You’ll grow on her,” He threw an arm around her and gave her a noogie. “Like a deadly fungus.” The girl squealed and twisted out of his grasp before punching him on the shoulder, much to Carcillo’s chagrin.

“Guys! I’m trying to concentrate.” Dan growled at them, placing his hand on his hip. The two apologized and lowered their voices.

“So how’s skanking around Jersey going, Cartsy?” Cam fired at Jeff while she fixed her hair, smoothing it into a high ponytail. “Are you the poster child for Valtrex yet?”

Jeff rolled his eyes at her. “I’m keeping a low profile this summer. Pretty much been hanging out at the house or on the beach.”

The girl narrowed her light eyes at the blond. “Really? Is wittle Jeffy finally gwowing up?” She cooed at him.

He frowned, absentmindedly digging a hole in the turf with his golf club. “Whatever.”

“You still hanging out with the hot momma next door?”

A small grin lingered on his lips when he thought of Avery. “Every now and then.”

Actually, he had been spending quite a bit of time with the woman over the past couple of weeks, mostly in a sexual sense. It was simple and relaxed, just how he liked it.

“That’s good. I was kind of worried you’d actually get involved with her.” Jeff peered over at Cam, trying to act nonchalant.

“Why?” The swift crack of Dan hitting the golf ball echoed around them, followed by a slew of curse words. He had sliced the ball, sending it toward a wooded area. The enforcer sighed and jogged after his wayward ball.

“She seems like she has a lot going on. Ya know, with the kid and her brother.”

Jeff nodded. “She’s married too.”

Cam’s widening gray eyes quickly connected with his blue ones. “No shit? That’s fucked up.”

Jeff thought the same thing at first. Avery quickly explained that the marriage was over; all she needed was for her husband to sign the divorce papers. But he had been dragging his feet, hence why she was still married. Not that it mattered to Jeff. It wasn’t a serious relationship that he planned to pursue, so it was irrelevant.

“She’s getting a divorce. Apparently, they’ve been separated for a while and she’s just looking for a little play.”

Cam sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” Jeff smoothed out his polo shirt with his golf-club-less hand and approached the teeing ground. “Yes.”

“You’re skankosity never ceases to amaze me, Jeffrey.” He laughed as he placed a tee into the ground and balanced a ball on it.

“Don’t hate, appreciate, Cam-a-lama.” He gripped his club and took a swing at the ball. It flew across the course, landing about 90 yards away. It was his best shot of the day, making him grin cockily at Cam.

*************************************************************************************

Jeff rolled over to find the petite woman still in his bed, her long black hair spread out across the pillowcase. It was still bizarre to have her there in the morning, but he decided he didn’t hate it. He was starting to almost get used to it. The soft flesh of her neck called out to him and he began to place feathery kisses on her skin. Maybe he could get some morning sex today.

Avery stirred in her sleep, emitting a soft sigh.

“Good morning.” He whispered prompting her to roll over to face him. He placed his lips against hers.

“Hi.” Her voice was raspy and her dark eyes twinkled at him. He loved how her irises were so black, he couldn’t differentiate between them and her pupils. They reminded him of little pools of ink.

Avery pulled away and sat up, stretching her arms above her head and arching her back. This was the part where she fled the scene of the crime and returned to being mommy. But his hands found their way to her waist and his mouth to her shoulder, keeping her in place. Perhaps it was the reality of summer being over that made him want to get in some more time with her.

“What are we doing today?” He asked, making Avery’s eyebrows rise. She and Jeff’s activities usually didn’t involve daylight and it obviously surprised her.

“Well, I’m going back to my beach house. I’ll probably get the kids ready, hit the beach. Then I’m gonna start packing. Order a pizza. And call it a night.” Jeff frowned. That was not the answer he wanted.

“That sounds lame. I thought we were gonna ride the WaveRunners before you went home.” His scowl softened to a slight pout.

Avery shook her head. “I never agreed to that.”

Actually, he remembered she had agreed to think about it. Jeff had just gotten home from the golf tourney and craved some alone time with the female. Afterwards, he mentioned jet skiing and immediately was met with resistance.

“You said you’d consider it. Ya know, when I got back from Kenora.”

Avery rolled her dark eyes. “That’s not fair. I can’t be held responsible for things I say after sex. And why such an interest in those stupid jet skis anyway?”

“It’ll be fun. I promise.” She sighed and rolled out of bed.

He watched her naked form as she collected her clothing. It had become one of his favorite morning routines. He was definitely going miss that when she went back to her home in Pennsylvania. “I have plans with the kids today.”

Jeff’s frown returned before he reluctantly spouted out his next sentence. “Bring them along. They can ride the WaveRunners too.”

Up until this point, Avery had kept her relationship with Jeff separate from her family, which he greatly appreciated. He wasn’t good with kids, they were usually unfiltered and unpredictable and that scared him.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic.” Came her cold response as she dressed. He could tell the conversation was going south and it was time for a smooth recovery.

“It’s your last full day here before you leave. I just want to spend a little more time with you. And if that means you bring the kiddies, then do it.”

She was quiet for a moment while she rounded up all her possessions, like she was processing what he had said.

“OK. I have three conditions.” She finally said, her face stern.

“Name them.”

“You will not ignore my kids. You will not treat them like shit,” She ticked her conditions off on her fingers, her eyes glued to him. “And you better not fake it. They will call you out. Understood?”

Jeff swallowed and nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“Alright. Come over around 11-ish?”

“I’ll see you then.” She patted his scruffy face and headed out the door.

Anxiety set in. What have I just agreed to?

*************************************************************************************

Just as they agreed, Jeff showed up on Avery’s doorstep around 11 and waited for someone to answer the door. It opened to reveal the littlest of Avery’s brood. She was dressed in a pink bathing suit with ruffles around the hips and oversized flip flops with a gaudy daisy on them. The child’s expression hardened upon eyeing Jeff and she took a step back. What is with this kid?

“Hey there. You remember me?”

She nodded, hiding behind the door and only peeking her head out.

“You’re Jeff.” She said softly, playing with the ruffles on her swimsuit.

“That’s right. And you’re Lili.” She nodded. “You’re bathing suit is pretty. Who’s on it?”

He vaguely remembered seeing the little cartoon girl who spoke Spanish or some shit like that, but couldn’t recall her name.

“Dora the Explorer. She’s my favorite.”

He nodded and smiled at her shyness. “Awesome. So do you think I could come in?”

The little girl pulled the door open wider, allowing him to enter the house. She still watched him carefully as he made his way into the living room.

“So where’s your mom?” He asked, plopping down on the couch. The child climbed onto the arm chair across from him, losing a flip flop along the way. Jeff pulled himself off the couch and retrieved her renegade shoe. He gently placed it on her tiny foot, earning a small twitch of a grin from the child. It was a small gesture, but a huge victory for Jeff.

“Mommy’s upstairs putting our stuff away. We’re going home tomorrow.” Her little voice seemed sad.

“Did you at least have a fun summer?” She nodded. “What was your favorite part?”

A small grin broke through her steely demeanor. “When we would go down to the beach and make sand castles. And I’d always smash Aaron’s. He’d get really mad.” Jeff couldn’t hold back his chuckle. It was hard to picture this angel-faced girl being an instigator.

“Hey Jeff.” Aaron appeared from the kitchen, an apple in hand. He leaned against the arm of the seat Lili was perched in. “Av said we’re riding WaveRunners?”

Jeff nodded proudly.”Yep. You ever ridden before?”

Aaron shook his head. “No. But I’m psyched about it.”

“What are WaveRunners?” Lili piped in, looking from Aaron to Jeff.

“They’re like little boats that you drive in the water.” Aaron fielded the question and it seemed to satisfy the girl’s inquiry.

“You guys ready to go?” Avery entered the living room, clad in tiny jean shorts and a white tank top. He could see the pink bikini top underneath showing through the material of her tank, making him grin inwardly. She had a Little Mermaid themed life vest in one hand and two dark blue ones in the crook of her other arm.

The two kids jumped off the armchair and raced toward the front door, leaving Jeff and Avery to trail after them.

“They’re excited, huh?” He asked, peering down at the woman. She nodded.

“How can you tell?” She replied, a sarcastic smirk on her face. “I know Aaron’s thrilled, but I think Lili is just excited because Aaron’s excited. I don’t think she really knows what jet skiis are.”

“Once she gets out there, she’ll love it.”

Avery scoffed. “Good luck. She’s a cautious kid.”

“So I’ve noticed.” He wondered why she was so timid. Jeff didn’t know a lot of children, but they always seemed so carefree to him. Lili was anything but.

The group gathered around the dock and Jeff gave everyone a quick lesson on the controls on the WaveRunner and safety tips.

With their life vests on, the men hoped onto the jet skis and turned them on. Jeff could tell Avery was nervous for her brother, even if she didn’t voice it.

“Follow me out, we’ll go slow until you get the feel for it.” Aaron nodded and did as he was told. Soon, Avery and Lili were little figures on the far away dock as the two guys circled around. The teenager was careful at first, going slow. But as he grew more comfortable, he began to pick up speed and a big smile crossed his youthful face. It was hard for Jeff not to share the same silly grin.

The wind and water felt good against Jeff’s skin, he only wished summer wasn’t ending. With training camp a few short weeks away, it seemed his time off had slipped out from under him.

After a while, Jeff rode back into shore, carefully gliding the watercraft against the dock.

“Who’s up next?” His eyes shifted between the two girls. The youngest was tugging on her life jacket, avoiding his gaze. “How about you, Lili?”

Her dark eyes met with his, instantly reminding him of Avery’s black irises. “They’re scary.” She admitted, grabbing onto her mother’s calf.

“What are you scared of?” He asked, his voice soft and soothing.

“They go fast. What if I fall?” Came her shaky response.

The grin on Avery’s face wouldn’t let him give up. He wouldn’t give her the opportunity to say “I told you so”.

“You won’t fall, you wanna know why?” She nodded shyly. “Because I got long monkey arms. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Can you trust me?”

The child looked up at her mother with uncertainty then back at Jeff.

“You won’t go fast?” She asked, loosening her grip on Avery’s leg.

“I promise.” The child took slow, small steps toward the end of the dock and inspected the WaveRunner with a harsh glare as if she was looking for something wrong.

“Cross your heart?”

Jeff smirked and made an X over the left side of his chest. Lili’s eyes softened as she reached her arms out, prompting him to pluck her off the dock and situate her in front of him. Worry had accumulated on Avery’s face as she watched them bob in the water on the jet ski. She warned him to be careful with her baby.

“Hold on to the handle bars, OK?” He watched her squeeze the inner part of the handle while Jeff took over the outer portion. “You ready to go?”

She looked over her shoulder at him and nodded. With her permission, he gently pressed the throttle, jutting them forward. Lili let out an eardrum shattering yelp, before dissolving in giggles.

“Go more, Jeff!” She demanded with a high pitched laugh. He obliged, squeezing the throttle and picking up speed as they shot across the bay water. He made the jet ski jump, splashing water around them. Lili loved it and asked for more. Jeff was proud of her for being so brave.

They were out in the water a lot longer than he thought they would be before the child began complaining about being hungry and Jeff took her back to the dock.

“Mommy, did you see me? Did you see how fast we went?” Lili squeaked as Jeff handed her to her mother before he climbed off the WaveRunner and onto the dock. He tied the craft to the side of the pier, assuring it wouldn’t float away.

“I barely saw you, you were going so fast.” Avery placed the chattering girl on the wooden surface.

“I bet I was a blur, huh?” She turned to Jeff, her eyes round. “Thank you! I had so much fun.” She clung to his leg for a hug. Awkwardly, he reached down and patted her on the head. He meant for it to be a sign of affection, but it ended up looking like he was petting an obedient dog instead.

Aaron joined them after pulling the jet ski to the wharf. “Can we get some lunch?” He asked, tying the WaveRunner to the dock.

“I guess a trip to the boardwalk is in order.” Avery began unbuckling Lili’s lifejacket.

“Hold on there, Avery. I recall you saying you’d go for a ride.” Jeff gently grabbed the woman’s arm, making her dark eyes connect with his.

“I gotta feed these two-”

“I’ll take Lil to get some food. You stay and have fun.” Aaron chimed in, sharing a smirk with Jeff. Avery frowned at her brother as he grabbed Lili’s hand and they headed off.

“C’mon, let’s get this over with.” She huffed, pulling a life vest over her head. Jeff grinned and hopped onto the WaveRunner. He helped Avery on the back and she scooted close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jeff untied the jet ski and took off without mercy.

Avery gripped his waist tighter, pressing her cheek against his back. He even thought he heard a stifled laugh or two when he hit a couple small waves.

From the short time he spent with her, Jeff gathered that Avery liked to be in control. She needed everything to be in order and she couldn’t deal with chaos. In contrast, Jeff thrived off of the chaos and spontaneity. Often he found himself in different cities every couple of days, unsure of what the night would bring. Maybe they could learn a few things from each other.

They spent quite a bit of time on the bay before calling it a day. Jeff casually flung his arm around the woman’s shoulder as they headed back to Avery’s beach house.

“I can’t believe you got her on that damn jet ski.” Avery sighed, pinching his stomach.

“You’re impressed, I know.”

“Actually, I am.” She said, authenticity in her voice.

When they got to the beach house, it was empty. A note sat on the kitchen table, most likely revealing everyone’s whereabouts.

“Angie and Hank took the kids mini-golfing.”

Jeff arched an eyebrow at the woman. “Hank?”

She nodded, tossing the note back to the table. “Yeah. Her husband.”

He shook his head. So the cougar who hooked up with Giroux was also married? This situation was getting weirder and weirder.

“You guys are fucked up. You know that, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m aware.”

“Are you also aware that we’re alone?” He closed the space between them and pulled her against him. A grin spread across her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Immediately, he brought his mouth to her plump lips. His hands traveled under her tank top and up her torso to her chest. The feeling of her soft breasts under his palms instantly brought a wave of heat to his lower half.

“My room’s upstairs.” She breathed out as he ran his teeth against her swan-like neck. They hurried up the steps, Avery leading the way.

*************************************************************************************

It was strange to be on the other side of this scenario, watching him gather his clothes and being the one to kick him out after sex. But at least she would have the decency to walk him to the door. The sun had set on the day, giving way to a dark blue sky. Even without him, Jeff’s house was alive and they could hear the party from Avery’s front door.

“They’re waiting for you.” She whispered, running her fingers over the blond, wispy scruff that had formed on his face. She wondered what he looked like freshly shaven.

“Yep.” He nodded and paused for a moment. “I had a lot of fun today.”

“Me too. Thanks for spending time with my rugrats.”

He shrugged. “No problem. Maybe we can do it again sometime. I only live like half an hour from you guys. Just a shot down I-95.”*

Avery grinned. She appreciated the gesture, but she didn’t like him saying things he didn’t mean. They had their fun for the summer and now it was time to go their separate ways.

“How about next Friday at 7?” Her sarcastic tone was unmistakable and Jeff shared her smirk.

“See ya Av.” He kissed her cheek and descended the stairs to her driveway.

Yeah. I highly doubt that.