Brett Todd came around later. He congratulated Kip on the win; they shook hands energetically. "I won't forget what you've done for the club. And I won't leave you out in the cold on it," was all Todd said. Before Kip could ask what he meant by that the man had moved on a new conversation. Kip felt like he was left in the cold right this moment and then his attention was drawn by something else.
It was late when they headed home. Colton was asleep and Kip carried him out to the truck, even though he felt like dropping himself. Mandy sleepily climbed into the passenger seat. Kip rested his head on the steering wheel. "I feel completely spent. But, like I won't sleep for a week."
"I can't believe you did it," Mandy said, not for the first time.
Kip looked at her intently. His eyes shining. "You deserve the moon right now."
She leaned over and kissed him. "All I want is you, babe."
"Let me take you home. Give you something special."
"Do you think you have the energy left?"
"We just won the Ultimate Prize. I feel like I could go forever."
Once they had gotten home, Mandy went to brush her teeth. Kip laid his head down on the soft pillows of his bed. The light on above the bed would surely keep him away, he thought as his struggled to keep his eyes open. Giving in to the feeling he let them close. He didn't hear Mandy come out of the bathroom and laugh when she found him fast asleep.
****
Kip didn't figure out what Todd meant until a week after that final winning game. That's when contract negotiations started with Calgary and his agent and him. Which meant a lot of conference calls, meetings, and thought about his future. It seemed to stretch on for months, but in reality it only took just over a week to come to a deal that suited everyone.
He'd gone out for supper and drinks with his agent after signing the five year deal. They'd negotiated for the whole two weeks. He'd barely seen Mandy in that time, barely talked to her. He'd spent the weekends at her townhouse, but he felt stressed about the whole thing.
The deal was done. He sat in his truck outside his house and called Mandy to tell her. "Congrats," she said, answering the phone.
"About what?" he asked, surprised.
"The deal. I heard about it on the news at supper."