Chapter Eleven
JAMES
“ Y ou’re different,” Casey says as he sits at the table across from me.
“Well, hello to you, too.” I glance up from my menu to see him smirking. “What’s up with you?”
I’ve only been back in Vancouver for a day after rejoining the boys on a quick road trip to the Prairies. I’d rather be sleeping and trying to get rid of the jet lag, having been in three time zones in a period of four days, but instead, I’m at Casey’s favourite restaurant, meeting him for brunch.
“The real question is, what’s up with you? You’re here before me; you didn’t complain when I asked you to meet me before noon on your day off. Like I said, you’re different.”
“I’m sorry?” I say more as a question, not a statement. “Should I go back to bed and tell you I won’t meet you until this afternoon?”
“I know,” he says, snapping his fingers. “It’s Victoria. You’re still seeing her, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I pick up my menu again, studying the items I’ve looked at about a thousand times while sitting at the table.
It’s not that I want to keep whatever’s going on between Victoria and me a secret. I really don’t, but it almost feels too new to talk about, as if I would jinx it somehow.
“Fine, don’t tell me, but whatever it is, keep it up. It’s a good look on you and I’m not the only one that’s noticing.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, putting the menu down.
“I mean, Jeffrey called wanting to talk about contract negotiations.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, sitting up straighter in my seat.
He’s got my attention, that’s for sure. When Casey texted to say he wanted to meet today, I hoped he’d had good news. Since getting back with the team, I’ve been worrying that this might be my last season as a Lumberjack because of something I did when I wasn’t thinking.
“You know I never kid about contracts,” he says.
The server comes over and takes our orders. I try to be polite and let Casey do his usual small talk, but I can’t stop my hands from clenching under the table or my pulse rising into my throat.
I’ve been hoping for a contract extension with the Lumberjacks. They’re the only team I’ve ever wanted to be a part of. So much so the thought of being traded or picked up by another team would break my heart.
There’s also Victoria. The distance between Vancouver and Gingerbread Grove is long enough as it is. If we really are going to try to make this relationship work, I can’t imagine how that would play out if I were farther away.
I know it’s not rational to think of it, considering I’ve only known her for a matter of days, but something about her tells me she’s different.
“Okay, what was I saying?” Casey asks as the server walks away.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You didn’t purposely tell me you have any news and then spend forever talking about the weather with our server.”
“You have to admit, it has been unusually warm for spring in Vancouver…”
“Casey,” I groan, closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers.
“Fine. He wants to extend yours by five years for a considerable amount of money.”
I stare blankly at him, not saying a word.
Five years. They’re offering me five years. That’s huge. The money is an added bonus. I would take less to stay in Vancouver, but this…
“I mean, if you want me to turn it down and negotiate…”
“No!” I say louder than I intended, gaining attention from the tables around us. I lower my voice and continue. “No, whatever they’re offering, I’ll take it.”
“You don’t even want to hear the best part?” He smirks.
“You had me at five years, but go on.” I lean back, letting my back sink into my chair. I didn’t realize how much stress I was holding about my contract ending until the wave of relief hit me.
“I got you a no-trade clause.”
“You…they…I…” I don’t know what to say. My brain is trying to process and ask a million questions all at once.
“I think the appropriate thing to say here would be ‘Thank you, Casey.’ ‘You’re the best agent any player could ever ask for, Casey.’ ‘I’m going to name my first child after you.’”
I drop my smile. “Too far.”
“Says that guy who used a chocolate bunny head as a puck for a laugh.”
“I mean, it was funny,” I chuckle before seeing that look on his face again and dropping my smile. “Sorry. Not funny. Extremely not funny. I’ll never do anything like that again.”
“You’d better not, or I will raise my rates on you. You’re the reason I’m considering putting in a ‘difficult client’ surcharge.”
“You wouldn’t,” I gasp.
“I would.” He smirks. “Now, what are you going to do about a certain elf?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I twist the corner of my fabric napkin between my fingers, avoiding his gaze.
“Don’t lie to me. I was in Gingerbread Grove with you, remember?”
“Is it weird that it’s been less than a week, and I can’t stop thinking about her?’
“No,” he says flatly.
“And that we live far away from each other?”
“Happens all the time.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why are you saying this like you know from experience?”
“Because maybe I do.”
It dawns on me that while I’ve known Casey as my agent for years, I don’t know much about him personally. He keeps his private life very private, and I’m starting to wonder if he’s been in my shoes before.
“All right, Mystery Man. Any suggestions on what I should do, then?”
“Do whatever you can to hold on to your little elf.”
“ My elf? Isn’t it a little too early to call her that?”
He rolls his eyes. “All I’m going to say is, don’t waste time. If she is what you want, you hold on to her. Take it from me: if you don’t, you’ll regret it.”
I want to ask more, but our food comes out, and Casey starts his usual chat with the server, leaving me to be distracted by my own thoughts.
What has he gone through? Who did he lose?
Most importantly, what am I going to do to make sure I don’t do the same?