Chapter 9
Nine
Caleb fucking loved Italy.
He loved how friendly and passionate the people were. He loved the food, north and south. And for the first time in all his Olympic experience, Caleb felt as if he knew the weather conditions, the lay of the land, and the damn time zone since he’d competed here before.
He and his buddy Jamie Meyers were wandering the neighborhood around the Olympic village in Porta Romana, the old railyards in Milan that were experiencing a boom thanks to the Games. There were some great little neighborhoods, and they were hunting a cappuccino and maybe a pastry.
He wasn’t big on the plain panettone stuff, but there was the Veneziana, which was a custard-filled thing that he could gobble up by the dozen. Anti-inflammatory diet be damned.
“Hey, that place looks likely.” Travis pointed to a little corner cafe that seemed busy but not too packed.
Caleb nodded, ready to be inside where it was warm for a few minutes. He stepped inside first, coming up short because the line was almost to the door, but Travis didn’t notice, and ran right up his ass.
“Oof.” He bounced off a tall, solid dude in an expensive wool coat, and he’d immediately started to apologize when the guy turned to look at him.
His brain had to sort through languages to come up with Italian. “Uh. Mi dispiace. Sorry.”
“Caleb?”
He looked up— way up—into the guy’s face, and his eyes widened, his breath whooshing out of his lungs. “Hawk? Holy shit! Hey!”
Hawk Montineau grinned down at him, those bright silver-gray eyes just the same in a face that had a few more lines around the mouth and eyes. “Hey, man. Look at you. All Team USA again.”
“Hat and all.” He bobbed his head, and the pompom on his beanie bounced. “You look great.”
Hawk studied him for a moment, then nodded back. “So do you.”
Jamie cleared his throat, and Caleb snorted. “Sorry. Jamie Meyer, this is Hawk Montineau. Hawk, Jamie. He’s a slopestyle guy.”
“Nice to meet you.” Hawk held out a hand to shake.
“Holy shit. Hockey Hawk Montineau?” Jamie pumped Hawk’s hand. “I saw you win that last cup, man. It was epic.”
The smile stayed on Hawk’s mouth but not in his eyes. “Thanks. It was something special.”
Ouch. Caleb knew that game, and the injury that had come from it, had been a career-ender for Hawk. And, at like, thirty-two, Hawk hadn’t been ready to retire, he would bet.
“Thanks for the gift basket, by the way.” Hawk moved up in the line, getting them out of the danger zone from the door.
“Hey, just returning the favor, like I said.” He’d felt good, being able to send Hawk some cheer just like he’d gotten in Beijing.
Jamie was glancing back and forth between them, his eyes bright with curiosity.
“So, taking another run at the gold, huh?” They hadn’t been texting too much lately, as Caleb had been at the Olympic training center, gearing up for the Games.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m doing well this season. So I’m on the hunt. And you’re— Are you, uh?” How did he ask if Hawk was just in Italy as a spectator?
“Broadcasting. Doing a few sponsor events, too, for my major brands.” Hawk waved a hand. “And a few podcasts, believe it or not. Fully paid working vacay in Milan.”
“Hell, yeah.” He reached out for a fist bump. “Way to go.”
“Thanks.” They moved up again until they were next. “So what do you guys want? I’ll buy you a coffee and… something with custard for you, I bet. Jamie? What do you want?”
“Uh. I love an eclair, man.” Jamie looked at him, eyebrows going up.
“Cappuccino? Americano?”
“Cappuccino for me,” Caleb said.
“Make that two.”
When they got to the counter, Hawk rattled off a string of words in Italian, then paid before leading them to a table. “Might as well sit.”
“You speak Italian?” Jamie asked.
“I speak French. I can order in Italian.” Hawk shrugged. “I’ve been studying.”
Caleb thought maybe Jamie didn’t see the uncertainty that flashed in Hawk’s eyes for a moment, but Caleb was looking hard.
Hawk wasn’t any less socially awkward, he thought.
He was just better at hiding it after eight years.
And since he was a broadcaster now, Caleb would bet he’d had training on how to be confident and shit.
“Neat.” Jamie sat there for a moment, then chuckled. “So are you staying in the village?”
He grinned at Hawk, who smiled right back, and he had a feeling they were both thinking about the no small talk rule.
“No. No, I’m in a hotel. I got my own room, in fact.
The network I’m here with offered, but I wanted someplace closer to the action where I didn’t have to wait for transport every morning.
” Hawk’s expression was telling him all sorts of shit, and he jerked his chin in acknowledgement.
That gray gaze burned when it met his, Hawk asking a very hot question. Like no time had passed.
Yeah, he could revisit his short-lived Olympic romance.
Their number was called, and he got up with Hawk to get their drinks and pastries. Hawk had gotten some kind of iced bun with cream in it, and it was huge. “Still a sweet tooth, huh?”
“Yep. As long as it’s—”
“Not chocolate,” he finished. “I made sure your basket was all like, Twizzlers and Hot Tamales.”
“I noticed. And Slim Jims.”
Caleb felt a laugh bubble up from deep in his chest. “Protein.”
“Yeah. You two, uh…” Hawk jerked his head toward Jamie.
“God no. He’s the one who let me use the single in Korea.”
“Then I owe him.”
They sat back down, and Caleb hoped he wasn’t blushing.
Jamie was, thankfully, oblivious, drumming on the table and humming, making other customers stare at him. He was never still. Never.
“Oh, dude. Eclair.” Jamie took a huge bite.
Hawk chuckled, then lifted his Americano to smell it, and it was his turn to hum. “Espresso is so damn good here.”
“Right?” Caleb realized his leg was bouncing, and he stilled it. Number one, it was bad for his joints. And two, it wasn’t Jamie’s fault he suddenly wanted the guy to leave.
They chatted while they ate, and only the set of Hawk’s wide shoulders gave away how uncomfortable he was with the chitchat, and that was because Caleb knew what he looked like when he relaxed.
Caleb was pretty frustrated when Hawk finally shot his arm out of his coat to check his Apple watch. “Okay, I have meetings in about half an hour, guys. Jamie, it was nice to meet you. Caleb, walk me out?”
“You hang out and keep our table, Jamie. Be right back.”
“Uh-huh.” Jamie waved them off, pulling out his phone. “Nice to meet you too, Hawk.”
Hawk took his cup and plate to the bus tray before stepping outside and waiting for him a few feet up the sidewalk.
“Sorry. He’s—”
“Hey, no. He’s nice. But I wanted to, uh, make the offer.” Hawk pulled out his phone. “You using your personal phone here or an international burner?”
“Mine. My usual one. The one you text.”
Hawk blinked at him.
“Sorry.” He winked. “No small talk.”
“Right.” That got him a real smile. Hawk pulled a key card out of the wallet attached to his phone. “My extra hotel key. I’ll text you the details. In case you want to drop by. I have a dinner meeting, but I’ll be done by nine.”
“Even in Italy, huh?”
“Yeah, we’ve got a reservation at six-thirty. That’s plenty of time with those guys.”
“No doubt. I’m free, so I’ll let myself in.”
“Good deal.” Hawk texted him the hotel name and room number. “Later.” That look… Jesus, he was going to go up in smoke.
“Later.” Caleb watched Hawk walk away before ducking back into the cafe.
“Want another coffee?”
Jamie was all but vibrating with curiosity. “Yes. And then you will tell all.”
Shit. Caleb took a deep breath as he stood at the counter, knowing he was about to get grilled.
He got another coffee, but an Americano for him this time, no milk, and no more sugar. He had to keep his inflammation numbers down. For Jamie, who was disgustingly healthy, he splurged.
By the time he sat again, he was ready for Jamie’s offensive play.
“Dude. So is that the hockey guy from Korea? The one you used my room with for like, a week?” Jamie leaned his arms on the table and stared at him.
Shit. That was a direct shot. “Yep.”
“Dayum. That is one big dude.” Jamie was so straight it hurt, but he was really secure about it and often commented on guys for Caleb. “And hot. And famous.”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “And I’m seeing him tonight.”
“You dawg. I mean, I know you haven’t been celibate or anything, but you’re pretty picky, and here you are, hooking up with someone you haven’t seen for like, eight years.”
Caleb shrugged, staring down into his cup. “Can I tell you something? You have to promise not to be a dick about it.”
“I cross my heart.” Jamie scrunched his nose and crossed his eyes.
“Ha. So, he’s kind of the one I let get away, man.”
Jamie’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I could have been real serious about him, but we agreed we had too much to do in our sports.” God, his neck felt hot, and his palms were sweaty.
“So you want another try?”
“I think I do, yeah. And after this season… Well, I won’t send him off without a plan if I can help it.” No, he was going to make sure Hawk knew Caleb wanted to explore this whole thing this time. Whatever it might be.
“Way to go. Just don’t get distracted from the competition, man.”
“I won’t.” He told Jamie a lot, but he hadn’t told the guy he was going to retire after this year.
His body wasn’t going to do this anymore. Not in any way that wasn’t going to end up with him being badly damaged.
“Okay, cool. Well, we have plenty of time to hang out today if you want to, then.” Jamie sucked down his second eclair.
“Yeah, let’s go get the lay of the land a little more. I want to figure out where to get a cab or an Uber from the village and shit.”
“Caleb’s got a hoooook-up,” Jamie teased, and he rolled his eyes.
But what was he gonna say to that?
It was the truth.