Chapter 8 #2
“Because you hadn’t been caught yet. Speak.” I drained my water bottle and reached for another one from the fridge. “Want one?”
“Yeah. Damn, the elevation is ridiculous here.”
“Stay hydrated. You can find an oxygen bar if you need to. They don’t call it the Mile High City just for kicks.”
“And Ashford Creek’s even closer to the skies.”
“Pretty much. And now that we’ve evaded enough, talk to me.”
“You know the assistant trainer, Noah? He keeps sending me all this info I need over the break and while I get it, it’s weird, you know? He wants me to be at my best but I feel like he thinks I can do anything or nothing. It’s just…stressful.”
I frowned. “He doesn’t bother me, but then again, I’ve been at this awhile.
I have a list of things the trainers want from me during the break.
But Noah doesn’t bother with me since he’s newer and I’ve been here awhile.
Do you want me to say something?” I would if I had to.
I trusted the trainers and staff—even with the idea a fan could have gotten through and hurt me—but I cared for my team too.
The kid shook his head, his cheeks pink. “No, I don’t mind. It gives me things to do. You know? To make sure I’m up to my game and all.”
I studied his face and knew that wasn’t the end of it. Something else was bothering him and I might not be captain, but I was a leader of this team. “What else.”
He sighed, his gaze going distant. “My brothers and cousins keep asking for money, my dad wants tickets in order to make his friends happy, and my mom, well. You know my mom.”
I nodded, knowing that his mom had been in and out of rehab throughout his life.
His parents were still together, and his mom was sober, at least she had been last I had heard.
Still, though, it was a lot. The fact that I had grown up in a stable household with parents and siblings who loved me was honestly out of the norm these days.
I was damn grateful for that, and I was damn thankful for my family.
That’s why I still had a touch of guilt every time I avoided coming home.
But I didn’t want to avoid coming home any longer. Not without Lizzie. And that was enough of that train of thought.
“Well, I’m here if you need me. Hell, you’re here, so I guess you did need me.
” I winked as I said it, knowing that Jacob’s family didn’t make things easy for him.
When I had first been signed, there had been people who came out of the woodwork to be my friends and tried to capitalize on my own failures and successes.
My core group had never been one of them. They gave me shit for it like any good friend would, but they didn’t ask for money. Didn’t have any ideas that needed investors.
No, they treated me like a resident of Ashford Creek, and sometimes a visitor, and I needed that more than anything.
“So, since you’re here to stalk me, what can I do for you, Jacob?”
“I wasn’t stalking you.” The younger goalie frowned. “Perhaps I was stalking you a little. I know I should have texted or something, but I just ended up on a plane, and here I am.”
“I don’t mind. I was just working out, and apparently getting scared to death.”
“And shitting your pants.”
I flipped him off and nodded toward the weight bench. “In the mood to work out?”
“Always. Are you sure you’re okay with me staying here and working out with you? I don’t actually mean staying here. I got a room at the B&B. Which apparently was lucky, because it was booked full, and they had a cancellation.”
My lips twitched. “Promise and Keely will take care of you.”
“Oh?” he asked, his eyes wide. “Something I should know?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re as bad as a reporter or someone in this small town.
They’re friends of mine. Well, Promise is a friend of mine from back in school, and Keely is new to town.
But they own the place together, and I’ve heard good things.
” And the last time I’d been there, Lizzie and I had had our single fight.
Not about our relationship, or lack thereof.
But about the rumors. And the stares. It was something so stupid that it didn’t mean anything in the end.
But I had hurt her because I hadn’t thought about her feelings when I had come back to town.
Because this was her place, not mine. At least not yet.
Figuring out what to do with all of that was on my to-do list. Just like figuring out if I was actually going to retire.
“How long are you staying?”
“A week. Then I have to get back to the trainer and the team. His assistant, Noah, will be there as well, getting everything prepped. But if I don’t get there on time, it won’t be Noah who kicks my ass. You know Samuel. He gets wrinkled when you don’t follow his instructions.”
My lips twitched at the thought of the fifty-something-year-old hard-ass who was in charge of our conditioning and strength. “He’s been at it longer than either one of us has been alive.”
“I didn’t realize he was that ancient if he was working there longer than you’ve been alive.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“I can’t help it. I get to sit on the bench and watch you in all your glory, so I need to throw something at you if it’s not going to be a puck.”
“And here I am, training my competition.”
We both sit to lift, keeping up our counts. “As if I’m any competition to you.”
“You are, and we both know it. But I’m not going to just give you my spot.”
“Damn straight. The only way I could take it is if you retire or get traded.”
“Don’t say the T word.” I shuddered, being a little overdramatic because I didn’t want Jacob to dwell on the retirement thing. Yes, I was still young enough to play, but I wanted a future. I wanted something beyond this. I wanted Lizzie.
And while Lizzie had never once asked me to retire, or to stop playing, she hadn’t ever asked me to choose her either.
I wanted a future that consisted of a different life.
One where I wasn’t beating up my body for hours on end and forgetting the people around me.
I loved traveling, but I was exhausted from it.
I wanted a family. And while most of my friends on the team and in the league could do both, I wasn’t sure I could.
I was an all-or-nothing kind of guy, and that was worrisome.
“Hey, I don’t mean to bring this down or anything, but you heard anything from the police?”
I winced. “No. Not recently.” They still think it was a rival fan, but they don’t think there’s any danger beyond that. Crime of opportunity and all that shit.
“Coach is furious, you know.”
“Oh, I know. That’s another group chat that I have to deal with,” I said dryly.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” He gestured towards my knee. “You are okay?”
“Of course I am. I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Here you are, threatening your teammates. Is this how Portland handles things?” Rune said as he walked happily into the gym, Callum and Will on his tail.
“Are you asses just here to admire my beauty as I lift? Callum, I thought you were taken with my sister. How could you?”
“Fuck off,” Callum said before he looked over at Jacob. “Nice to see you again, Jacob.”
“You too. I thought I might head to the brewery tonight, since I know you dropped a new ale.”
“We’ll get you settled, don’t worry about that. I didn’t know you would be here.”
“I sort of just dropped in unannounced,” Jacob said as he blushed.
“And scared me to death,” I said with a laugh. “But seriously, what are you guys doing here?”
“I was working and was dragged here forcefully,” Will said with a grin.
“Oh, so you lament me on how I treat Jacob, and you’re kidnapping Will?” I said to Rune, who flipped me off.
“I didn’t realize you were working out now, because I wanted to kidnap you. Figured it’s time for a hike.”
“It’s summer. It’s hot,” I said, the complaining in my voice evident.
“Get over yourself. We’re going on a hike. That’ll be your workout.”
“I don’t know if I have the lung capacity for that,” Jacob joked, though I wasn’t quite sure if he was actually kidding.
“We’ll take care of you,” Callum said as he squeezed Jacob’s shoulder.
I rolled my eyes but racked my weights. Apparently, we were going on a hike.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down, noticing it was a text from Lizzie that I would have to check later.
There was no use looking now, because my brother would get far too interested.
He already growled when I spent too much time with Lizzie, not for my sake, but for hers.
And I was grateful that somebody was watching out for her, but it didn’t make me feel any better that I was the one they were careful of.
“I should shower.”
“You’re not going to shower before you get sweaty on the hike. Grab some water, and we’re stealing a backpack.”
I glared at my brother. “You’re the older brother, aren’t I supposed to steal from you?”
“I am the local barkeep. You’re the fancy ice dancer.”
“Hey, ice dancing is hard. Have you seen the Twizzles?” I asked, not joking.
“That is true. I remember both of us trying out on a dare and falling flat on our faces.”
“Toe pick!” Rune and I both said at the same time, and Jacob and Will just stared at each other.
“Are they always like this?” Will asked.
“I have no idea, but I’m a little scared,” Jacob said with a laugh.
That’s when it hit me. Will and Jacob were near the same age. Well, hell, I was the old man here. Not as old as Rune, but close enough.
With a sigh, I gathered my things and walked into the house so Rune could steal snacks and a backpack. Because a hike is something we now did.
But I didn’t mind, because I had dinner to think about when I got home. With a certain woman that I couldn’t help but crave.
Oh yes, this was going to be a problem.