Chapter 12
I stab the last piece of meat from my plate and shove it in my mouth while Greyson leans back in his chair, rubbing his belly.
The dude is so big, I’m convinced the thing’s going to tip over.
I stand and lift my plate, kicking the front leg as a warning.
“Didn’t Coach warn you about making stupid decisions? ”
Grey bounces back. “Blame Hunter, he’s the one who turned dinner into a carb-loading event.”
I set a few dishes in the sink and scratch behind Ellie’s ears before topping off her water bowl. She lifts her graying muzzle, watching me. “No more treats,” I say, then reach for the bowl of blueberries on the counter. I toss one into the air, which she catches cleanly. Then another.
Hunter glances back from the sink. “A little steak and pasta never hurt anyone.”
“Say that at practice tomorrow,” Grey challenges, pushing off his seat. “And let’s leave the cooking to me from now on? You two conveniently leave off vegetables when you cook.”
“Shit, there’s practice tomorrow?” I ask Hunter. Of the three of us, he’s the only one who ever seems to know where we’re supposed to be and when.
“One o’clock, sharp. Why?”
“I’ve got tutoring.” I’m not ready to share that I think I figured out who Shadow is. For starters, I’m not one hundred percent sure enough to make a declaration like that yet. Second, even if she is—I feel an obligation to respect her privacy.
But hell, I need to tell someone.
If anything, I need that someone to talk me down from the ledge because I’m afraid I’ll scare her away by coming on too strong.
It was nearly impossible to keep a straight face today during that first hour of tutoring. To not stare and bait her into telling me who she is. I knew one wrong move could ruin everything.
Since I didn’t get very far today because I was busy dodging her suspicions, I bought out all her hours for tomorrow too. I’m both excited and a little scared to see the look on her face when I show up again.
“Tutoring?” Hunter shuts off the water. “Hold up. Are you failing something? Because Coach is absolutely not saving your ass—you know his rules.”
I grind the back of my teeth because I’m not failing a class. Least of all Psych 101. I only dropped it two years ago because the class was at an ungodly hour on Mondays.
“Just need help with a paper that’s due before Thanksgiving. Not flunking anything.”
He breathes a sigh of relief, turning back to the dishes. “Any luck tracking down your shadow?” he chuckles.
I freeze because that’s what I called our private locker room chat. Kane’s Shadow. Fletcher assured me private locker rooms are only visible to the users you invite.
“Not yet.”
Greyson grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. “If I were you, I’d track her down quick and take that kinky shit offline.”
“Are you kidding?” Hunter argues. “Fans are going crazy for it. You heard Renee the other day. Come for hockey, stay for the love story.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t listen to Renee. She’s got her eyes set on reality TV after this gig.”
Grey cocks his head, blushing because he’s always had a crush on the schools’ marketing manager. “I don’t know man, she might be onto somethin’.”
“Well, she can get off it,” I snap. “There’s no love story. It’s…”
Hunter’s dimples deepen as he watches me, arms crossed in front of his chest.
I run my hand through my hair. “Shit.”
Until now, Shadow’s been a faceless existence in the crowd. A fantasy that lived in my head. Her messages a live wire beneath my skin. Sure, I imagined doing all the things she’d asked me for. Especially in return for helping me score each night she shows up. But what’s my fucking end goal now?
I showed up to that tutoring session today with zero clue as to what I’d do if I found out Isla is in fact Shadow.
I went from needing to find out who she is to protecting her—to being completely clueless to what I’d do once I knew.
But I know one thing for sure. I need Shadow to keep sending love.
Because I’m afraid of what happens when she stops.