Chapter 15
Ioften wondered if trading Lex to Vegas was a good idea. His gambling problem was no secret, at least to everyone on the team, and obviously Orla knew. It didn’t take long for rumors to start that he was hanging out at casinos, getting to practice late, and playing like crap. Somehow, that became my fault. I had friends on other teams, including one in Vegas. He’d heard the rumblings that I drove Lex to gamble. Josh, my buddy, made it clear to his teammates that Lex’s gambling troubles started long before I got mixed up with Orla, but that didn’t suit anyone’s narrative, so of course I was blamed.
I thought to tell Jill about it, but what I wanted to do was enjoy our evening. I’d planned a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant followed by a walk along the Stanley Park seawall, since the weather was holding up. It would be a great opportunity to take some nice pictures. And that was what we did. After dinner, we took a walk along the seawall.
“After stuffing my face with pakora, butter chicken, rice, samosas, and palak paneer, it is definitely a good time to walk it off,” she said, her cheeks still rosy from the spicy food.
We drove through Stanley Park, and I picked a good spot to park. As we walked toward the seawall, I grabbed hold of her soft hand, and she didn’t flinch or try to pull it away. We were making some progress. Progress on what? I had no idea.
“How do you like Vancouver so far?” I asked.
“It’s scenic. I could do without the traffic, but I’m glad I don’t own a car. But that also prevents me from seeing more than I’d like to. How long have you been here?”
“My whole career. They drafted me. I showed some leadership—probably because I’m used to bossing my little brother around and getting bossed around by my sister—and when the team went into their ‘rebuilding phase’ three years ago, I was named captain.”
“Do you find that stressful?”
“Nah. I was a born leader,” I said with a wink.
We got to the seawall walkway, and Jill stopped and gasped. She took in the ocean and mountains in the distance. I couldn’t help but take a long look at her. She had on skinny jeans that showed off her long and toned legs. She was wearing an oversized gray-and-white wool sweater that suited her. She’s styled her blonde hair in long waves that blew gently in the breeze. When she turned, she caught me staring, but didn’t call me on it.
“A selfie?”
“Sure.”
We got in the last of dusk, and the walkway lights set off a perfect picture. Jill looked it over and nodded. “Yup. Perfect for Instagram.”
I grabbed her hand again, and we walked. Part of me didn’t want to delve into what happened before we got to Mainland Pantry, but a leader wouldn’t shy away, and I wasn’t about to let it go. If she didn’t like it, she had no choice. I had a feeling Jill got what she wanted by putting the fear of god into people. Little did she know, that kind of shit didn’t bother me.
“You feeling better? After what happened before we went to the food bank?”
She went rigid, but if she thought she was going to battle her way out of it by launching some barbs my way, that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, she walked for a bit, then let out a heavy sigh.
“I hate my mother. There, I said it. I hate her. I hate her for abandoning me, for being a shitty human, for never giving me love and support. For never being proud of me. And when you pointed out that Mainland Pantry was for your gain, and I didn’t get it, it was like this horrible revelation. I felt the same way I did when Tangi pointed out that I was profiting from your situation. And that’s something my narcissistic mother would think was okay. That she’d cheer me on for.”
I squeezed her hand because I think she needed some kind of reassurance. “Like I said, you’re not your mother, but you seem to be hyper aware of her. You’re not a narcissist. But I think if you start to look at some situations more deeply, you’ll see where you’re going wrong. Sometimes you just need someone to point that out.”
“You’re right. You should stop giving Brandon Warde a hard time.”
Now that threw me for a loop, and she seemed quite satisfied with herself. “Warde? How did that guy come up in conversation?”
“When you mentioned something needing to be pointed out. I know that you, Ethan, Ryan, and some of the other guys give him a hard time. I don’t know him, but from what Tangi said and from what I’m hearing from upper management, he’s doing an amazing job as the alternate captain. And he’s being good to the guys without putting pressure on them. So why can’t you cut him some slack? That day at the pizza joint. You and Ethan were going on about his work ethic. He’s trying hard, so why not give him credit for that?”
“Hmm. See, a narcissist wouldn’t give a shit about Brandon Warde. You’re making progress.”
She elbowed my side. “I’m serious. I know the team is doing okay, but it’s still early days. Wouldn’t you want better unity? Especially if you all got along.”
“I thought we were talking about you?”
“We will once you say you’ll try.”
I’d been thinking about Warde for a while. When Coach Anthony had told me he would be named alternate captain, a part of me wanted to tell Coach all the reasons why that was a shitty idea. I was so sure the A would go to his head and he’d drive the guys nuts, but watching Warde work with Ethan to lead the team had been surprising to see. In fact, I’d never tell Ethan this, but Warde was the natural leader of the two. Ethan could be more easily swayed by the other guys when Warde would dig in, but be fair about it.
Warde had changed, and I was pretty sure his time with Tangi had a hand in that. She’d worked with him during his knee injury, and he’d mellowed when he’d returned to the Kodiaks. And maybe, just maybe, some of the guys were intimidated by him. Warde was one of the few players I knew who came to the rink to play hard. I had to wonder if guys who weren’t so committed resented that, which would be pretty much the whole team.
“Fair enough. I’ll try. So back to you.”
“I’ve thought about therapy,” she said. “My friend Wolseley swears by it. Have I ever mentioned her? She’s a vegetarian chef who also specializes in vegan food.”
“Sounds delicious,” I said sarcastically.
“You should try it. And it is delicious. Anyway, she swears by therapy, but I always thought I was fine. I’m not fine. I’m bitter.”
For so long she hadn’t shown any vulnerability, and it made me feel good that she could trust me. “Look, we are all fucked up in our own way, so don’t feel bad. And I think therapy is a great idea.”
We walked a mile or so, but it was getting dark, so we headed back to the car. I drove her home and as usual, walked her to her door.
“Do you want to come up for a bit?” she asked. Her blue eyes looked hopeful, but by the way my cock was reacting to the invitation, it was probably a bad idea.
“How about next time?”
“Sure,” she said, trying not to look disappointed. I felt like a shit, so I did the only thing I could think of and pulled her in for a kiss. She smelled of citrus and jasmine, and I wanted to kiss her forever. When she returned the kiss, I knew I’d made up for my screwup just a little.
I broke off the kiss and touched her lips. “We’ll talk later.”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
I waited for her to get into her building before heading back to my car. I checked my phone for the first time. I’d had it on vibrate while I was on my date with Jill. I scanned some texts and saw one from Taylor asking me to call him no matter the time. I phoned him on my short ride home.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing good, I’m afraid. I talked to Lex’s agent today. We know each other pretty well. Turns out the league is about to suspend him indefinitely. Something about gambling.”
“Oh shit. Well, that’s no secret. But what’s the big deal? Tons of guys gamble.” I thought of Ethan’s epic Rummy game. The winner got five grand. Was the league going to come down on him and my teammates for that?
“It’s not just gambling at the casino or on cards. They think he’s betting on games.”
Fuck. That was serious. “I knew he liked to gamble, but I would have never guessed he’d bet on games. I feel bad for the guy.”
Taylor cleared his throat, and I knew more was about to come, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it. “People are blaming you and his wife.”
My jaw dropped. “What!”
“It’s nuts, I know, but people need someone to blame, and everyone wants to see Lex as the good guy. The news of his suspension isn’t coming out until tomorrow, so I’m working on a statement. Obviously, it’s ridiculous to think that you would have anything to do with him betting on games, but that’s where we are. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m going to let Dave know tomorrow. The Kodiaks should know about this.”
Just what the team needed. A distraction and something else to blame me about.