He pulls a pan from the rack hanging on the wall and sets it on the stove, then picks up the olive oil dispenser next to it to coat the pan while it heats. When it’s ready, he uses his knife to slide the tomato chunks into the pan, and they sizzle to life. He adds good amounts of garlic powder and onion flakes, fills up a pot with water and starts it boiling, then turns to me and leans against the counter while he has a break.

“So I got an offer to give a speech at one of the high schools here,” he says. “Bear River High.”

“What, really? That’s amazing. What do they want you to talk about?”

“I think they just want me to give something motivational. You know, show the kids they can do anything if they put their minds to it. But I don’t really want to do it.”

That surprises me because it sounds exactly like the kind of thing he’d enjoy and be good at. “Why not?”

Declan laughs and shakes his head. “I fucking suck at public speaking thanks to my dyslexia. I don’t know how I’m supposed to inspire these kids by struggling to read a speech I wrote,” he says and my heart clenches in my chest. I hate hearing him talk about himself like this.

“That’s not true. You’re amazing. I mean, you’re the newest player on the best team in the NHL. That’s not nothing.”

Declan stares at me for a second like he wants to say something smart back, but the words won’t come. Instead, he turns to stir the sizzling tomatoes and check on the water. I don’t want to press him if he’s feeling uncomfortable, so I decide to change the subject.

“You’re not the only one getting extra work. The owner of the yoga studio, Patricia, wants me to take on even more classes, but there’s no way I can. I’m way too busy with school.”

“Then you should tell her that. Or maybe make a compromise that you’ll do more when the semester is over?”

“That’s not a bad idea, but I don’t know if she’ll go for it. Ugh, I wish I could just open up my own studio, then I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. I could just do classes at times that work for me.”

Even as the words come out of my mouth, I feel silly for saying them. Whatever else happens for me, owning a yoga business isn’t likely to be in my future. It’s not like a yoga business is going to pay anywhere near as much as being a lawyer will. But even if that wasn’t the case, starting a business feels so far away, so out of reach.