Chapter 6
6
Stellan
"This has been the longest week ever," I groan over breakfast the Friday after our day on the lake with Bailey.
Duke grins. "I assume you're referring to Bailey and not the stormwater management permits we're still waiting on."
"Of course I'm talking about Bailey. I couldn't give a shit about the permits."
That's not entirely true. Of course I want to get started on our project to build affordable housing. It's just that since last weekend, I've been unable to focus on anything other than the man who is stealing our hearts. Being with him on the lake and then falling asleep in his bed has only cemented my feelings. I'm hooked on the guy, and I am convinced he's the one for us.
"It sucks that he works so far away," I add, sailing my spoon absently through my bowl of cereal. "I miss him. Is that weird?"
Duke puts down his toast and comes over to sit next to me. "It's not weird. I miss him, too."
"This is all happening so fast."
He breathes out through his nose. "It really is."
"Is that okay? I know we agreed to going slow. Treading carefully."
"We did, but I can't help the way I feel, and it's clear as day how you feel. Now all that's left is?—"
"To find out how Bailey feels," I finish for him.
"Exactly. He should be back tonight, and hopefully he'll want to spend the weekend with us again."
"You realize the second I see him pull up, I'm running over to his place?"
Duke chuckles. "Can I remind you you are a grown, forty-three-year-old man?"
"Fine. I'll walk. Briskly."
"I'll take it." He smiles his sexy smile at me. "Now hurry up. We need to get a move on. We're meeting with the civil engineer, and we're running late."
The meeting with the engineer goes well… I think. To be honest, all this talk of plans for grading, stormwater management, and foundation stability goes over my head. Duke's, too. We're doing our best, and our intentions are good, but I think we severely underestimated all the planning involved in undertaking a massive project like this. And we haven’t even broken ground yet. We're former athletes. We're not equipped to deal with project management and spreadsheets for chrissakes.
After the meeting, the day still dragged on forever. Grabbing some lunch in the diner, working out when we got home, even blowing a load in the shower did nothing to diminish all this pent-up energy I have.
The desire to see Bailey again has coiled its way into my mind and body so thoroughly that there's no way to shake it. I'm a live wire. I've been on edge ever since I watched him drive away through our front window Monday morning and have been desperately counting down the days until he returns for the weekend.
Where do we stand? Is he okay with what we did? Does he regret it, or does he want to do it again? Is he open to a relationship, or does he just want to keep things casual?
The only other time I've felt this frazzled, been this off-kilter, was when I skated onto the rink and circled around a certain dark-haired defenseman almost two decades ago. I had zero chill then, so I'll be damned if I start now.
"You're feeling this, too, right?" I ask Duke when I'm staring out the front window, waiting for Bailey to arrive. "I mean, it's not just me getting ahead of myself?"
"Yes on both counts," he replies with a sly grin from the couch, sipping on a scotch with his bare feet crossed at the ankles and resting on the coffee table. "Yes, I feel it, too, and yes, you are getting ahead of yourself. But that's just how you are. I wouldn't expect anything less. I've just mastered the vital art of practicing restraint."
"Pfftt. Restraint is overrated."
"Restraint is a way to ensure we don't move too fast before all three of us are ready. Bailey's just coming out of a relationship. We still don't know him that well, and the opposite is true, too. He doesn't know us, either."
"Yeah, well, I plan on changing that this weekend." Before I can fill Duke in on what I have in mind, I spot Bailey's car and tear out of the house.
* * *
"This was a great idea," Bailey says, smiling over his shoulder. "I've had the week from hell at work, and I love hiking."
"Glad you're having a good time," I reply, flicking his shorts playfully.
When I raced out to greet Bailey yesterday, the first thing I noticed was the dark circles under his eyes and his slumped posture. I figured some sunshine and fresh air might be just the thing he needs to regain some energy.
The three of us walk in silence. Duke's out front, leading us to a spot he and I uncovered on our first hike after we bought our house here. It's a pretty clearing with an awesome view of the lake.
I unfurl the blanket on the grass when we get there as Duke begins unpacking the picnic basket. Five minutes later, we're sipping on some of Duke's freshly made this morning berry hibiscus iced tea, munching on turkey and cheese sandwiches, and enjoying the beautiful day.
And the even more beautiful company.
"Tell us about your workweek from hell," I say.
"Or not. If you'd rather not talk about it," Duke offers, his mouth half full.
"Or not," I agree. "No pressure."
"It's just…people, you know?" Bailey says with a sigh. "Everyone's out for themselves. All they care about is looking good to advance their own careers. No one cares about the customer. No one cares about the actual outcome we're trying to achieve."
"That sounds frustrating," Duke says, and Bailey nods heartily.
"It is. I've even started looking for a job closer to here."
I lean forward. "Really?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, the demand for project managers in Cumcircle isn't very high. Too bad because I would gladly end the lease on my tiny apartment and move here permanently."
An idea clicks into place, and when I look past Bailey to Duke, I see the cogs in his head spinning, too. He gives me a subtle nod, as if to say, We'll talk about this later.
"Were you close to your grandmother?" I ask, changing the subject.
Bailey mentioned last week that he inherited the house from her when she passed, and I'd like to know more.
He stops eating his sandwich and stares out into the lake, his face stoic before a wistful smile emerges. "I used to come here every summer to visit her. My dad left when I was three, and my mom basically hates me. No, wait. That's not right. She did and does hate me. Blamed me for my father walking out and for ruining her life. Mimi was my saving grace. She'd take me out canoeing and hiking, and in the evenings, we'd play canasta on the back porch." He swings his eyes to Duke then to me. "You guys ever played?"
"Can't say that I have," Duke replies.
"Neither have I."
"We should do it sometime."
"We'd love that," I reply, looking at Duke whose massive smile matches my own. So much for his usual restraint. I can tell he's just as happy as I am that Bailey wants to spend more time with us.
"Enough about me." Bailey takes the last bite of his sandwich and wipes his hands on his shorts. "I want to know more about you guys. What's your story?"
Duke takes him back right to the very beginning, starting with how we met playing for the Thunderhawks. Turns out Bailey knew we were former hockey players since his ex stalked us online. My jaw clenches instantly when he mentions that asshole.
Moving on, I pick up the story, telling him about some good financial advice Duke and I received during our playing days. "We basically squirreled away everything we could from our salaries, as well as any money we made from endorsements and licensing deals, into real estate."
"And as you know," Duke says, taking a sip of tea. "Real estate has gone through the roof."
"Tell me about it," Bailey says. "If I hadn't inherited Mimi's house, I don't know how I'd have gotten into the housing market. The prices just keep going up and up. Even the property taxes on this place are killer."
"It really sucks," I say. "And we hate that while we've benefited, so many people struggle."
"So we came up with an idea a couple of years ago," Duke takes over. "We want to create some low-cost housing options."
"That's how we stumbled upon Cumcircle."
"We found a reasonably priced massive block of land about fifteen minutes out of town. While checking it out, we stopped for lunch one day, went for a walk by the lake, and fell in love with the place."
"Not only is it beautiful here," I say, "but we were also attracted to the fact that people seem to mind their own damn business. We want to settle down somewhere where people let us live in peace."
We may not be playing anymore, and we were never in the same league as big players like, say, Sidney Crosby or Patrick Kane, but we do get recognized quite often. We'll always take the time to chat and take selfies with fans, but we wanted to find a place where we could blend in and just be regular citizens living their private, somewhat unconventional lives.
"The land sale went through," Duke continues.
"And then we saw the listing for the house next to yours."
"We came to look at it and bought it on the spot."
"Everything slotted into place perfectly," I say, reaching over to take Bailey's hand in mine. "And then we got the best bonus of all."
Bailey's hazel eyes stare at me with wonder. "Wh-what's that?"
I smile as I lean in. "We met you."