Chapter 18 #2
I shrug. “I usually work with the coaches on strategy. Who to put on the ice, which plays to set up, and any adjustments we need to make. That sort of thing.”
“Impressive, Captain Berrett,” she comments with a smile.
“You know…” I lean in close, my forearm resting on the table. “I can work my magic and get you picked to be on the ice for one of the intermission games. You may even win a Bobcats stuffed animal or something equally amazing.”
Maya frantically shakes her head. “Nope. No, thank you.”
“You don’t want thousands of people cheering you on?”
Her eyes widen in horror. “Absolutely not. Some of us have this thing called stage fright.”
“She’s not kidding.” Elliott breaks into a smart-ass smile. “Remember how you threw up during auditions for your school play, Yaya?”
Her blush darkens to a deep red. “I don’t enjoy being the center of attention.”
“You love being the center of my attention,” I tease with a wink. “It’s honestly shocking you haven’t admitted that you’re in love with me yet.”
“The day I admit to being in love with you is the day I willingly subject myself to one of those publicly humiliating intermission games.” Blinking rapidly, she untucks her hair from behind her ears so it curtains her cheeks.
“And I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to ever get near a skating rink again, anyway. ”
Elliott tilts his head, frowning at his sister. “Why not?”
When Maya tenses at the question, it hits me. She didn’t tell her brother what happened. Of course she didn’t. She’d rather suffer in silence than worry him.
Completely oblivious to the tension, Jake rests his forearms on the table and angles forward. “She got a concussion while learning how to skate.”
Elliott, who’s been spinning his glass in circles on the table, goes lethally still. “You had a concussion?”
With a dismissive wave, Maya takes a slow sip of her drink. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Wasn’t a big deal,” he repeats incredulously. “You’re kidding me, right? Why didn’t you call me?”
With a sigh, she leans closer to me, a move that I’m pretty certain is unconscious. “I’m fine now, Elliott.”
“Yeah, now being the operative word. Clearly, you weren’t fine when it happened.”
I angle closer to Maya and place my hand on her nape in silent support. I may not agree with her decision to not tell her brother, but what’s done is done. And based on the flush creeping up Elliott’s neck, he’s not letting this go anytime soon.
“I took her to the doctor immediately after it happened,” I tell him. “He reassured me it was a mild concussion, and she had no worrisome symptoms after the first few hours.”
It’s ironic that I’m the one acting cool, calm, and collected about the concussion when I was anything but when it happened.
“See, babe? She’s fine now,” Logan placates Elliott in a soft tone. In any other situation, I’d revel in his reaction. Because, for once in his life, Logan is soothing instead of starting shit.
“She was concussed.” Elliott huffs. “And didn’t deem it important enough to tell me.”
“Because it wasn’t.” Maya straightens, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not like you could make it go away, Elliott. And if I’d told you, it would have distracted you from studying.”
He mirrors her movements to a T. “So my studying for a stupid accounting test is more important than your health? Don’t bullshit me, Maya.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I cut in, using my captain’s voice. “You have every right to be concerned, but why don’t we all take a breather?”
“I’m going to get another drink,” Maya says, pushing away from the table.
Sophie quickly follows after her while Jake and Cam mumble excuses about needing refills as well. That leaves just Elliott, Logan, and me—as well as a lot of tension—at the table.
So much for getting on Elliott’s good side tonight.
“So,” Logan says, breaking the silence. “Do you guys want to hug it out?”
Ignoring him, I meet Elliott’s icy stare head-on.
“She should’ve told me,” he reiterates, daring me to disagree.
I exhale loudly. “You know why she didn’t.”
His shoulders slump, his body deflating a little. “I’m not a kid anymore. She doesn’t have to pretend everything’s perfect all the time.”
“You’ll always be her kid brother. She’s never going to want you to worry.”
“I know that all too well.” He takes a deep breath, his chest expanding, his shoulders straightening, and levels me with another glare. “I’ve only seen my sister cry twice, and both instances were because of the book she was reading. Don’t be the third reason.”
A bolt of surprise flashes through me. I admire him for being protective of his sister, but I could beat the hell out of him with one hand tied behind my back. He may have the build of an athlete, but he doesn’t have the muscle to match.
Logan claps and shoots Elliott a rakish wink. “Threatening Berrett is my favorite pastime, so let me know if you need any assistance.”
I flash him a brief disapproving look but quickly return my focus to Elliott. My respect for him grows when he doesn’t flinch away from my assessing gaze.
If anything, my scrutiny emboldens him. “I like you, Berrett. I think you’re good for my sister. But if you do anything to hurt her, intentionally or not, I’ll use your skates to slice your balls clean off.”
“And use them as Christmas ornaments,” Logan adds with a devilish grin. Asshole. “Or fuzzy dice for his car.”
Despite my inexperience with real relationships, I know full well I’d never purposefully hurt Maya. “She’s safe with me.”
Elliott nods, holding eye contact. “Will you make sure she’s okay?”
“You don’t want to go talk to her?”
“I need some time to cool off,” he admits with a shrug. “And cornering Maya when she’s done talking about something is riskier than skydiving with a faulty parachute.”
Logan snorts loudly. “What I think he’s saying is good luck, buddy.”
Maya’s ire tonight is set on Elliott, so I figure my safety isn’t at risk. Still, I approach her slowly, taking in her tense shoulders and clenched jaw as I slide onto the barstool next to her. With a long exhale, I rest my elbows on the table and give her an expectant look. “Well?”
She swirls the remaining drops of her drink around the glass. “Well, what?”
“Are you done sulking? Or do you need a few more minutes?”
She snaps her head to the side, her face twisting into a scowl. “I don’t sulk.”
I pinch her chin between my fingers and move her head around like I’m examining her. “Yep. Just as I thought. The symptoms are all there. I’m sorry to say, ma’am, but you have a major case of sulking.”
Jaw clenched, she tries to fight off a smile, but a loud laugh breaks free. “Fine. Maybe I was sulking a little. But there was no need for Elliott to freak out like that.”
“He’s your brother. I get that you don’t want him to worry, but I also get why he’s upset.”
She opens her mouth, ready to argue, but I hold up a hand to stop her.
“No, no, no. Don’t get mad at me. Imagine if Elliott got hurt and you found out on accident, in front of a group of people.” I lift my brows and lean in closer, giving her a second to consider. “You’d be pissed.”
She nibbles on her lower lip, her eyes darting around. “Well, yeah, but it’s different.”
“No, it’s not. You forget that Elliott’s an adult.
You don’t have to hide stuff from him like you did when he was a kid.
” I turn, my knee bumping her thigh. “As a brother myself, I can guarantee that he worries about you nonstop. Whether or not there’s a legitimate reason to.
Cut the kid some slack. He loves you, yeah? ”
Maya’s lips twitch into a frown. “It’s really annoying when you make sense and give good advice.”
“You also think it’s annoying that I look really good all the time,” I point out with a teasing smile.
She hits me with an eye roll, but her body relaxes against mine. “Now’s when you offer to buy me a drink.”
“Shouldn’t you be buying me a drink?” I ask, leaning against the bar. “I did score the winning goal tonight.”
Her lips twitch. “Yeah, but Cameron did block about thirteen—”
I let out a deep grumble, and she erupts in a fit of giggles. The sound is so sweet that any annoyance at Cameron’s begrudgingly amazing saves dissipates.
Before Maya, my favorite sound was the buzzer announcing a goal. Now? It’s her carefree, unadulterated laugh.
And until Mark called to tell me about his conversation with the Devils’ assistant coach, igniting the flame of possibility, I assumed I’d take the opportunity without hesitation.
Now I have questions.
Like: Would Maya take a chance on a guy who might not stick around?