Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ACE
I t was mid-week, and I strolled into the Five Guys burger joint just off campus with Archer. I’d asked him to meet so I could find out any behind-the-scenes intel on Sampson, the current Coyotes goalie.
After ordering the standard cheeseburgers and fries, we grabbed our bags of food and sat at a table by the window. I looked over the diner-style restaurant, all in white with metal chairs and tables, and flicked my gaze to the window. The usual students strode along the sidewalk in midday sunshine with their backpacks, some pushing bikes and scooters.
“How was Halloween? I heard Myles got pretty fucked up.” With a cackle, Archer opened his white paper bag, pulled out his burger, and unwrapped it.
Huffing a chuckle, I said, “Yeah, he sure did. Some guy in a Superman outfit showed him a good time, but we were never able to find the guy after their hookup.” I folded the paper around my burger and took a bite, the greasy meat and cheese filling my mouth. “God, that’s good.” I didn’t eat this stuff often, but when I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“Yeah?” He sucked his iced tea from a straw. “And how are things with Zoma?” He flashed a smirk at me.
“Good.” My heart twinged. Were they though? Something felt off again, like right before he’d ghosted me after our first hookup. I wasn’t going to let him do that to me again. Now that I had my shit at his house, he wasn’t getting rid of me so easily. “I’m not going to be able to see him until next week, but we keep in touch every day.”
“Just good? What are you two going to do if you get a contract with the Red Wings?” He squirted ketchup onto a napkin and dunked a fry into it.
Now this was what we needed to talk about. “I don’t want a contract with the Red Wings.” Planting my elbows on the table, I lowered my burger to look Archer in the eyes. “I want a contract with the Coyotes.”
He stared at me, mid-chew, and swallowed. “Yeah?” As a smile swept over his mouth, he said, “Sure would be awesome to have you playing with me and Mason.” He slipped another fry into his ketchup. “But we have a goalie and even a decent second.”
“But Larson isn’t nearly as good as me, and you know it. Your dad knows it, doesn’t he?” I leaned forward, fixating on him. There had to be a way for him to help me here.
“Is that why you invited me to lunch? To use my family influence to get you a deal?” With a soft chuckle, he shook his head. “I love it.”
“Hell yes. My damn agent doesn’t seem to be able to do anything.” I squirted mustard onto a napkin, swiped some fries through it, and stuffed them into my mouth, thinking on an angle. “Just between you and me, I’d take less money from the ’Yotes just to be on their team.”
With a slow nod, he licked grease off his finger. “I’m going to let you in on something.” His gaze locked on mine. “But you have to promise me not to say a fucking word to anyone. Okay?”
“You have my word.”
I watched him closely as he looked around us for a beat and leaned in. “Sampson is having problems with his right hip. They’ve been giving him cortisone shots. And still, when the guy drops for a puck on that side, you can see he’s in a shit ton of pain.”
“Yeah?” My pulse kicked up a notch. Hip pain was a goalie’s worst nightmare. “So is the coaching staff going to use Larson, or do you think they’ll look around?” I lifted my brows.
“All I know is they’re keeping Sampson’s problems on the down-low right now because they don’t want the other teams using it against us in our games.” He ticked his brows at me. “I could talk to my dad and see if he’ll tell me anything.”
Archer’s dad was the defensive line coach, but he was a pretty close second to catching the ear of the goalie coach.
“Would you do that for me? Maybe put a bug in his ear? Tell him how much I want this.” I choked out a chuckle. “Hell, tell him his son wants this.”
Leaning back in his chair with a snort, he said, “He’s not going help you get signed because I want him to, Ace.” He took a bite of his burger, his gaze dipping to the table. “But he’ll do it because he knows how fucking good you are.” Reaching across the table, he patted my shoulder. “Where’s the cocky son of a bitch I won the championship with?”
“He’s still here.” With a broad grin, I nodded, and my grin fell. “I need this Archer. I…” Should I tell him the truth? “I don’t want to go back east where I’m not close to anyone.” I huffed an exhale. “Hell, some of the best years of my life were playing with you guys here at ASU.” Not to mention how hard it would be if things fell apart with Zoma.
“I feel you, Ace. There’s no one I’d rather have at my goal but you.” His gaze searched my face. “But something else is going on. Tell me.”
I set my half-eaten hamburger down. “Fuck, it’s Zoma. I went and fell in love with him.” I scrubbed my hands over my face and cut my gaze to his. “If I go to Detroit, I think I’ll lose him.”
His jaw fell open. “You don’t think you two could work something out? I mean, if you two are solid, you should be able to figure this out.”
I sighed. “That’s the thing. I don’t think we’re solid. He got his heart broken by a hockey player, and I think he’s afraid of it happening again.” I furrowed my brows. “I try to show him how much he means to me, but I still get the feeling he’s not on the same page as me.” Shit, was I fighting a losing battle?
He wrinkled his brows. “Damn, that sucks.” He pressed his lips together. “Have you talked to him about this at all? He’s got to know you’re up for a contract at the end of the year.”
My gaze fell to my burger, and I sighed. “We haven’t spoken about it. It feels like it’s become a forbidden topic. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
What would happen if I brought it up the next time we saw each other ?
“So you haven’t even told him about you going to Detroit over Thanksgiving?” He stared at me.
“I don’t have the details on that, so no.” I huffed. I had to tell Zoma. It was the only way now, even if it was a few weeks away. But it needed to be in person. “I’m supposed to meet his family in Colorado Springs over the holiday.”
Shifting in his chair, he said, “Jesus Christ, Ace. You need to talk to him. He might be fine with it and support you. How will you know if you don’t talk to him about it?”
My chest ached and I rubbed the heal of my hand over my heart. “What if it scares him away? Shouldn’t I be sure about it before I tell him?”
“If it scares him away, then you two were never going to work out anyway.” He scoffed and ate more fries. “The true test of your relationship isn’t when things are going well. It’s when things aren’t.” He tapped the table between us, focusing on me. “When my dad had his heart attack, and I needed Leo by my side, he didn’t hesitate. He came out to his family that day, even though it was scary as hell for him, and was on a plane to Minnesota with me the next day.” He narrowed his eyes. “That’s the sort of man you need. Not a guy who’s going to cut and run as soon as there’s a problem.”
Nodding, I sipped my iced tea. He was right, and this sucked. I had some hard decisions to make on how and when to talk to Zoma about this. “Okay, after the next away game, I’ll talk to him.” By then, I’d have some solid information from my agent.
“Good. In the meantime, I’ll talk to my dad and see if they’d even consider giving you a contract.” He shrugged a shoulder. “It can’t hurt, right? And having us together would be so awesome.” He held out his fist.
I bumped his fist with my own. If I could tell Zoma there was a chance for me to stay here, then maybe our talk would be easier. But if I told him my only hope was Detroit, what the hell would he do?
After getting home from classes, I strolled through the empty house and set my backpack on my bed. I needed to call my agent and let him know about my conversation with Archer. But hell, I couldn’t tell him about Sampson’s injury. I’d sworn not to. I’d have to be delicate.
I sat on the edge of my bed and called, putting the phone on speaker.
The phone rang a few times and picked up. “Hey, Ace. I’m glad you called. I have the details for your visit to the Red Wings facility.”
My gut knotted. “Yeah? Okay, well, uh, I have some news for you too.” I bent forward, resting my elbows on my knee and threading a hand through my bangs. “I had a talk with Archer Carlson. His dad is?—”
“The defensive line coach for the Coyotes. I know,” he said. “I suppose you thought you could find a way into the organization through your friend?”
He had my number. I should have known. “Yeah.” I frowned. “But it turns out they’re having problems with Sampson and so there’s a chance.”
“Problems? What sort of problems?”
“I’m not at liberty to go into the details. All I can tell you is Archer’s going to let them know I’m willing to work with them if things go south. Okay?” I straightened on my bed. There, that was delicate, right?
“Really? I’ll give them a few days, and then I’ll reach out to my contacts there.” He huffed out a breath. “Ace, I want you to go where you’ll fit best and be the happiest. If it’s the Coyotes, then so be it. But you still need to be serious about this trip to Detroit.”
“I know.” I had to be a professional. I sighed. “I’ll take the trip, and I’ll do my best while I’m there.”
“I have you leaving out of Colorado Springs on Friday afternoon and flying back there on Sunday morning. I figured if you’re driving up with your boyfriend, you’d want to drive home with him. Does that work?”
I inhaled sharply. “Yeah, that works.” Then, at least, I’d have some time with him in the car to talk about the trip. My chest squeezed. Now that I had my plans in place, I needed to tell Zoma about them.
“Okay, I’ll email you the travel details, then I’ll let you know what I hear from the Coyotes…and, Ace?”
“Yeah?” I braced myself.
“Please don’t risk your hockey career for a guy who won’t support you in it. It’s a recipe for disaster. Believe me. I’ve seen more marriages fall apart…”
“Yeah, I get it.” Pain flickered through my heart. I couldn’t stop myself from loving Zoma at this point. I had to do whatever I could to make this work. Hopefully, he’d come through for me the same way Leo had for Archer.