I nod my agreement. “Yeah, it’s good you have that. I have something that helps me too, which is lucky because yoga apparently isn’t in the cards for me.”

Hannah smirks as she lifts her glass to her mouth. “You did fine. But if it’s not yoga for you, then what is it, if I can ask?” She tips her glass back for another sip of whiskey.

“Crocheting,” I tell her, and she almost chokes on her drink. She sets her glass down with a clatter and looks at me with wide eyes as she struggles to get the liquid down, then takes a sputtering breath. When she’s gotten herself back together, she shakes her head and grins.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, I’m just shocked. That’s the last thing I would’ve guessed.”

I shrug. “It’s okay, I’m used to it. Most people are surprised when I tell them.”

Hannah hesitates, biting her lower lip like she’s afraid to say what’s on the tip of her tongue. “Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t blame them. That’s an unusual hobby for a professional hockey player. How did you get into it?”

“It was something my grandma used to love doing, and I loved spending time with her, so she offered to teach me when I was a kid. Turns out I’m pretty good at it, so it kind of became our thing. Before I knew it, I was totally hooked—pun intended. She passed away a while back, so now it’s my way of keeping that connection going. Every time I pick up my crochet hook and get to work, it feels like she’s giving me a big hug.”

I don’t usually share all of that with people, but something about Hannah makes me want to let her see the parts of me I typically keep private.

She gives me a sad smile. “I’m sorry to hear she passed, but that’s really sweet. What kind of stuff do you like to make?”

I shrug. “I’ll try anything, honestly, but most of what I end up doing is basic stuff like blankets and scarves. I tried making a pair of mittens for myself once when I was a kid, but it didn’t go very well. I ended up almost getting frostbite because I insisted on wearing them to school in the middle of the winter, but I had no idea what I was doing with the measurements so there were a ton of gaps and holes in them.”

Hannah chuckles. “Aw, that’s kind of cute.”

“The frostbite?” I ask, and she laughs.

“No, I meant making your own mittens and wearing them even though you probably shouldn’t have. Sounds like you’ve always been headstrong.”