“I’m kidding. God, you should see your face right now. There are some cool places. The mineral hot springs is one. They don’t have that in the city. Or the farmer’s market. Duke’s Tavern. Lots of places.”

“Hmm.” I make a noncommittal sound.

“Even a picnic, if it wasn’t so cold out.”

“Yeah, did Mother Nature just decide to skip fall this year or what?” It’s so chilly out, we can see our breath.

Matt nods beside me. “Yeah, it looks like it.”

We walk in silence for a few minutes longer. I can’t decide if he’s still thinking about Summer, or just opting to stay quiet because we’re getting closer to the deer stand and he doesn’t want to scare away the animals.

When we reach the spot where Matt’s constructed a blind up in an old oak tree, he goes up first, and then I climb up after him. It’s tight quarters—little more than just some elbow room between us as we huddle inside. The plywood sides don’t offer anything in the way of warmth, and I find myself hoping that we can spot a deer and be out of here soon. A great woodsman, I am not.

Matt surprises me by striking up another conversation, this one about Graham’s newest plans with the beer operation.

Jeez, Chatty Cathy over here.

I give him a stern look. “I know I haven’t been hunting in six years, but aren’t we supposed to keep quiet?”

Matt shrugs. “Hunting is more about the bonding time. And I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Feeling a little guilty, I nod. “I know. But Graham will be pissed if we come back without a deer.”

He huffs out a breath. “True story. But Graham’s pissed off about everything these days.”

Matt’s comments aren’t directed at me. I know he doesn’t mean to make me feel guilty about the fact I’ve stayed away, but I do. I haven’t been here to help, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the family has been under a lot of stress. I can’t help but think about the fact that my family seems to need me more than my team does.

Since I left Boston, there’s only been a few halfhearted texting attempts from the guys. Saint reached out the other day, and since I’ve heard from Alex and Reeves.

But while I do miss them, miss being out on the ice, I can’t let myself think about hockey right now. I need to focus on getting a deer to feed my family this winter. Need to focus on being there for Matt. And Graham.