Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Lucien
I take a picture of my plate and send it to Talia with a text.
Missing you. This is the hotel restaurant’s idea of over medium eggs. They’re still clucking.
It’s early, so I doubt she’s up yet. We landed in Tampa around five hours ago, got a little sleep, and now we’re having breakfast before we go to the Tampa arena to prepare for a game tonight.
I’m tired. I haven’t been sleeping well on this trip because I miss Talia, and I’m wondering what’s going to happen with us.
I got a taste of having her around all the time when she was working with the team. Working for free isn’t really working, I guess, and I can’t expect her to volunteer forever. Not even if the fringe benefits are worth it.
Deception isn’t part of good relationships, but if I didn’t care about that, I’d anonymously fund a position for her at a school in Cleveland with the stipulation that they have to hire her.
It’s a perfect solution, and probably even tax-deductible, which my accountant would love. But Talia would never trust me again if she found out. I can’t risk that.
Bash looks at my plate from the other side of the table and says, “You gonna eat that bacon?”
“Yep.”
“What about the eggs?” Isaac says from next to me.
“Help yourself.”
He reaches over to my plate and cuts a bite from the eggs. I glare at him.
“Move the fucking eggs to your plate, dipshit. We’re not sharing mine.”
“Is it that time of the month, you cranky bitch?”
Bash huffs a laugh. “Reasons why Isaac doesn’t have a girlfriend, exhibit eighty-seven.”
Isaac arches his brows. “Shit, man. I’d never say that to a woman.”
“You wouldn’t have to say a word to make a woman bolt,” I say. “Just take her to your shithole house. There’s piss on your bathroom floor and dirty socks everywhere. It smells like a high school boys’ locker room.”
“That’s a weird way to say thanks for letting me crash at your house for a few days, Isaac.”
I glare at him. “You know I appreciate it, but hire someone to clean for you. It’s not that hard.”
He shrugs. “I don’t care if my house is spotless.”
“Do you care if it gets taken over by rats? That’s what happens when you leave food out to rot.”
Bash interjects. “Random science fact brought to you by my wife—did you know a group of rats is called a mischief?”
“A better question is, Do I care?”
“Isaac’s right, you are a cranky bitch.”
Silas laughs from his spot next to Bash. “He’s missing his personal assistant.”
“Talia’s not my personal assistant, she’s my girlfriend.”
“I know what he’s missing, because I had to listen to them going at it for two days straight.”
“Seriously?” Preston asks, leaning forward from a few seats over so he can see me. “You and Talia?”
“Me and Talia.”
He grins. “Good for you. Don’t fuck it up.”
When we finish breakfast, we all load onto a bus to go to the arena. This is the grind of pro hockey. There are eighty-two regular-season games every season. This is a quick road trip, and then we’ll be home for eight days of home games and practices.
It’s sunny and around seventy degrees in Tampa today, but we only get to enjoy it for the walk from the bus into the arena. We start out with our morning skate, and then we have a light practice to run through a few things.
Coach Turner is taking the social media storm over his daughters in stride. He told all of us not to watch any videos about it unless we’re on our own time, not to comment about any of it and not to ask him about it.
He doesn’t like drama. From what teammates have told me, not only has the attention on Talia over the video not died down, but it’s gotten more intense.
Now I’m in the mix. With online content creators explaining that Talia was with Kyle until he dumped her for her sister and then she got another hockey player. Like we’re all on some soap opera.
When we get back to the visiting team locker room, I check my phone and see that Talia texted me back.
Those eggs are so runny they could win a marathon. Also, I applied for a job and they called me two hours later asking me to interview. Progress!
I frown at my screen as I type out a response.
Great news babe! Where is it?
That part’s not so great. It’s in Salt Lake City.
“What the fuck?” I set my phone on the bench next to me, frustrated.
“Did the insurance deny your penis enlargement?” Isaac asks with a grin.
I just glare at him and say, “Talia has a job interview in Salt Lake City.”
“Yikes. There might be a high school team there you could play for.”
“You should focus on staying conscious on the crapper,” I say. “We’re too close to the playoffs for you to fuck around over that.”
He pulls his crap cap out of his bag. “I’m wearing it for every shit, don’t worry.”
“At home, too. If you pass out there, the rats might eat your face off before you wake up.”
He rolls his eyes. “I don’t have rats in my house.”
I pick up my phone so he knows I’m done with this conversation. I need to text Talia back, but it’s hard to know what to say.
Okay. When is the interview?
They need someone to start right away, so I’m flying there tomorrow and interviewing Wednesday morning.
Fuck. I stare at the screen for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say. I want her to find a job she loves, but I don’t want it to be at the cost of us being together.
A better man would wish her luck. I’m too selfish for that. But I don’t want to say anything discouraging either, so I pretty much say nothing.
I have to go, let’s talk later.
Good luck tonight. Tell Isaac to wear his helmet, and tell Melina I stashed extra tape in the red bag. She’ll know what it means.
I will. Miss you.
The team is going back to our hotel for a pregame meal, and then I hope to get in a nap since I’ve been sleeping like shit.
It’s hard to sleep when I finally found a woman I can see myself with forever, and I might lose her before we’ve really even gotten started.