Golden

July 2017-Halifax, NS

Day two of working with Nate, Sid, and Andy was just as interesting as the first day. My day had started out at 6 am, lifting in the gym with Taylor and the boys. All of us were competitive, and the banter between all of us only increased as we lifted. Mostly, it ended up being me and Taylor teaming up to tease the boys. While I couldn’t out squat their hockey legs, I certainly could try. We had ended our session with a pull-up competition that I had won, much to Nate and Sid’s frustration, but Taylor’s elation.

For the whole drive from the gym to Cole Harbor place, Taylor kept repeating the final numbers from our pull up competition. “You guys got beat by a girl. And it wasn’t even close. I’m telling all the kids at camp today that she’s a better athlete than either of you.”

While Nate and the Crosby’s ran the morning ice session, I found myself in a tiny room talking to Mark and Jackson on a conference call. We covered the events I was planning on competing in for World Cup Season, travel accommodations, my schedule and upcoming PR requests. A new Nike ad would be filmed while I was training in Chile in August. They would be following me skiing for a few days to get various clips. By the time my conference call ended, Taylor and the boys were taking the ice for their own session at lunchtime.

I was hanging out on the bench watching Taylor take shots from the boys. She was just as competitive as they were and after any save on her brother, she would shoot him a smirk. I was seriously impressed with her though. It was obvious that she loved the game like both Sid and Nate. As a college athlete, you have to love your sport. Otherwise, there is no way that you would keep playing with all of the hours they put in on top of their school work.

At the end of their session, Nate convinced me to come out with them. I was in a pair of Nikes, but the ice was beat up enough from the boys that I didn’t slide too much. Sid skated over to the bench and came back with a stick for me.

“Your turn to shoot on Taylor, Myers.”

I laughed at him. “There is no way I’m scoring on Taylor. I’m pretty sure my shots wouldn’t even get to the net.”

“Andy told me how much you lifted yesterday afternoon with him. I think you’ve got the muscle to get it there. And you have two of the best NHL players in the league to teach you.”

“Humble guys too, apparently.”

“More humble than you at least… Weren’t you the one that told the media they couldn’t complain about you partying if you were winning races?”

“At least I was enjoying life and partying at 18, unlike some that were living with their boss.”

Nate learned yesterday that the bickering between Sid and I could continue on for a bit if he didn’t cut it off early.

“Do I need to separate you two? You guys bicker like siblings. Myers, we’ll teach you how to shoot without anyone in net.”

Taylor decided to heat up the discussion some more. “Although, she’s probably more likely to score on me than you are Sid.”

Sid took off chasing Taylor around the rink in retaliation while Nate pulled me out in-between the faceoff circles and showing me how to properly shoot. After multiple corrections to my form, I was shooting perfectly. If only I could repay the

When kids started filling out onto the ice again for the next session, I took that as my cue to grab lunch and head back to Nate’s house to spend the afternoon out on the dock tanning.

Beats earbuds in, white bikini on, I laid out on the dock listening to music and letting the sun beat down on me while taking in the view of the lake. The view was stunning. I had been to mountain cities across the world thanks to my ski career, but there was something special about the way Nate was in this place. It was clearly his oasis and the perfect spot to recharge in the offseason. The neighborhood was gated, and his house backed up to a lake. He was only a few houses down from Sid and a short drive from both the rink and his parents’ house.

I had gotten a decent tan going and was getting a nap in when the sun was suddenly gone. Before I could open my eyes, I was picked up and lifted over Nate’s shoulder.

“Nate! Put me down”

“If you insist My.”

And suddenly I was immersed in the cold water. Nate offered a hand to pull me back up onto the dock. Instead of letting him pull me up, I pulled him into the water. He came up spluttering before wrapping me up and dunking me back under. Our play quickly escalated, with Nate pulling me in for a searing kiss as soon as I emerged and his hand sliding under my bikini. It was definitely a good thing that this lake was so private. I teased Nate about he and Sid living their summer in isolation, but it had its perks.

After a little while out on the lake, both of us took our time showering together before walking to Sidney’s house for a get together he was having with some friends.

Most of the people at Sid’s barbeque hadn’t met me before. Kathy and Taylor introduced me to all of the ladies. The start of the night was a little rough. One of the guys had brought a new girlfriend. She started out trying to catch Sid’s attention, but once she realized that wasn’t happening, moved on to Nate.

The first few times, I let Nate handle it. He was clearly uncomfortable and shot down her advances each time. But when she continued, I stepped in. I brought Nate a plate over for us to share, walking right between where she stood and Nate stood. I sat on his lap and picked up a conversation with Taylor about training schedules and how she was enjoying college. The girl scoffed and stomped off.

Later, I overheard a conversation she was having with a friend. According to her, some blonde bitch kept monopolizing Nate’s attention. I considered my work done and walked back outside with a smirk on my face.

By the end of the night, we were enjoying the fire pit. I was sitting on Nate’s lap, curled up and listening to the guys' talk shop. The conversation shifted to golf, and I started throwing my opinions in about bucket list golf courses. Nate wasn’t too surprised, but some of the guys were clearly shocked.

Sid was the one who spoke up “How do you know all of these courses Myers?”

“My best friend did date Tiger Woods for a good year and a half. I followed golf some before that, but once that started he and I talked alot about courses. I went with her to a few different tournaments. Lindsey and I went to the Ryder Cup when he was a captain. We gave his two kids ski lessons and he and I have kept in touch even after Lindsey and he broke up.”

That comment even made Nate glance down at me. He had known I was acquaintances with Tiger but didn’t know the two of us talked consistently. “

“You keep in touch with Tiger Woods? Like the Tiger Woods?” one of the guys asked

“Oh! You mean the one that wears red on Sundays and is one of the winningest golfers ever???” I sarcastically commented. “Yes, that Tiger Woods. Do you know any others?”

That got a laugh out of the group. But Nate was still looking at me curiously. “You guys still talk even after he and Linds broke up? Isn’t that against girl code?”

“We talk probably once a week. He treats me like a little sister, checking up on my progress and how I’m doing. I donate money to his foundation and still go skiing with his kids once a year. We are also both Nike athletes, so we cross paths at some of those events. The both of us might be in an ad together soon actually. I’m really hopeful that he will have a successful comeback after the latest back surgery. He got a bad rap for everything that happened but he’s worked really hard to come back. And in my mind, people are harsh on him. Yes, he made a mistake, but there are pro athletes that have been accused of rape that take less heat than he does. And to answer your question, Lindsey knows we talk. She actually keeps in touch with him too, so it’s not a sore subject.”

Nate’s POV
********

My’s week in Halifax was coming to an end. She would be off to the other half of the world in a few days while I stayed here. Seeing her around my hometown these past few days was incredible. All of the guys loved her, the kids at camp loved her, and Andy definitely loved her. He always said that Sid was his dream client, but after meeting Myers, I’m pretty sure he’d be revising his answer.

Her personality had impressed him, in addition to the work ethic she had. She wasn’t a shy little thing that just took whatever someone gave her. Yes, she could be very sweet, and yes she could be quiet at times. But once she was around people she was comfortable with, or in the heat of competition, she was a firecracker. That meant there was less of a filter verbally, and she pushed herself to the limit each time she worked out.

And I loved that about her. Today was the last day of the Crosby Hockey School. The last few days, she had been going by herself to meet Andy in the morning by herself for a specific workout regimen for skiing session in addition to the conditioning or lifting sessions she had been doing with us in the afternoons. It was 6 am and we were in the car on the way to meet Andy. I would be spotting her today and just hanging out watching her work.

When we walked in, she stripped off her hoodie and began stretching out. Andy came out to meet her and began talking her through his plan for the morning for her. Once she was done stretching, it was on. I spotted her through squats, deadlifts, bosu ball squats, single legged squat and more. Then she moved onto agility and movement. Most of which was done with resistance bands and on various balance boards.

Watching her work was something else. She was flawless. It made me realize just how much I would miss her when she was on the other side of the world. But I also know how worth it all of our time apart will be. She is going to kill it this season. Both of us are going to have career years. I can already tell.