“Your health is my business. And I have a professional curiosity about what my players are doing in the weight room.”
He growled at me, then walked over to the dumbbells.
Yeah. I didn’t feel like dealing with him tonight. If he wanted to continue hiding whatever ailment was bothering him, then so be it.
There were only a few cars in the parking lot by the time I left. I was daydreaming about the bag of popcorn I was going to make when I got home, and the episode of Great British Bake Off that was waiting for me on Netflix.
But when I tried to start my car, nothing happened. The engine made a funny noise.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered to myself. This was the cherry on top of a really annoying day.
Yet it was about to get a whole lot better.
13
Cole
Being the captain of the Reapers was an honor that normally filled me with pride, but it had its drawbacks, too. I was expected to set an example for the team, which meant being the first person to show up to practice and one of the last ones off the ice. But my duties didn’t end there. The head of the social media team called me up to her office after practice to go over some of the marketing campaigns we were running in the next month. I was the face of the team, which meant I was required to show up to more events than everyone else.
Sometimes I missed the days where all I had to do was play hockey.
The parking lot was nearly empty when I left. I trudged toward my car, a black Ford Bronco. But when I was about ten feet away, I realized it was someone else’s car. It was nearly identical to mine, but didn’t have the Reaper red trim around the edges.
I spotted my car off to the right, then started walking that way. But I noticed there was someone sitting in the other Bronco. A woman whose profile looked familiar.
Is that… June?
The door opened and she jumped out, waving at me. “Cole! Do you know anything about cars? Mine won’t start.”
I grimaced. “Afraid not. I’m useless when it comes to cars.” I glanced at my watch. It was late. But she was all alone out here. “Want me to wait with you while we call someone?”
June closed her eyes and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t want to wait for a mechanic. I just want to go home.”
“I’ll give you a ride,” I offered.
“Thanks, but I’ll just call an Uber. My apartment’s only half a mile away.”
I smiled at her. “All the more reason to let me drive you. Come on, I owe you for the way you’ve gotten Rhett back up to speed.”
For some reason, her cheeks reddened at the comment. She didn’t think I was flirting with her, did she?
“Okay,” she said. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
“This is me over here,” I said, leading her across the parking lot. “I actually thought your car was mine at first.”
“I was wondering why you were walking toward me,” she said with a chuckle.
I unlocked the doors and slid inside. Yet when I turned the keys in my ignition, nothing happened.
“The fuck…” I muttered, flipping a few switches. The lights came on inside, which meant the battery wasn’t dead.
“I guess it’s a bad day to drive a black Bronco,” she muttered.
“My mechanic says she can be here in an hour,” I said, hanging up the phone. “She’ll look at both our cars while he’s here. Just leave your keys on the front-right wheel. I’ll wait with you while you call an Uber.”
She hid the keys there, then said, “I think I’m just going to walk home. It’s only half a mile.”
I blinked at her. “You sure? It’s eleven o’clock at night.”
