“Nah, I’m good. I should probably head back to the stands. Don’t want to miss the rest of the game.”
Beau’s fingers tighten on my arms, and a shiver runs through me. Not that again.
“You sure you’re okay? Maybe you should sit down for a minute. I can get the medic to check you for a concussion.”
His concern is kind of cute. “I’m good. But we need to talk about some things. Can we meet up tomorrow?”
“Of course.” His golden brows pull together. “Is something wrong?”
“No, but you’ve been kind of ghosting me, and we’ve got some things to plan out.” Then there’s the whole dating rumor. Need to quash that before it spreads any further. Just in case I happen across a guy in the five minutes between classes. Wouldn’t want to give him the wrong idea. My lips twitch. So not happening. Dating sounds like more work than I’ve got time for.
“Right. I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot going on. We can meet up. Shoot me a text. I promise I’ll reply.”
He reaches up to run a hand through the damp strands of hair falling over his forehead, and I study him again. He looks exhausted. Dark circles shadow his eyes, and his jaw is tight. Now I’m worried about him.
“Will do. See you tomorrow. Bye, JJ.” I wiggle my fingers at him.
“I’m so sorry, Luna. I really am.”
“It’s all good.” But I’m not sure it is. Something has shifted. I don’t know if it was Beau’s concern for me or those blue eyes, but there’s an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like the ground could drop out from under my skates at any moment.
Chapter 14
Fifty Cats Later
Beau
Cole’seyestrackfrommy phone to my face and back. It’s been blowing up, and it’s not the growing social media following I never asked for this time. It’s Harrison, the incompetent son of RMH’s owner. My father is expecting me to liaise with the idiot. I could tell from our one meeting that he has zero interest in his father’s company. He just wants the money and the authority to boss people around. He was half-drunk before the waiter delivered our entrees on Saturday evening.
I may not be eagerly awaiting my future with my father’s company, but when I step in, I will do my best. I’m not capable of any less. Dad was clearly disgusted by the kid too, but he goes way back with the company, and he wants to maintain their partnership. No wonder he’s foisting the job off on me.
My head feels like it’s filled with a smoggy haze, and it’s a struggle to keep my eyelids open. But I push through, finishing my set of curls before dropping my head back against the bench.
“You okay, man?” Cole finally breaks the silence. “You barely made it to the game on time yesterday, and now you look likeyou’re about to fall asleep in the middle of a lift. Don’t want you to crush your toes with a free weight.”
“I’m fine. It’s been a long ass week. Driving to Chicago on Saturday and back Sunday morning was not ideal.” I drag my eyes open. Rest time over, I launch into another set. My heart was pounding as I slid into a spot in the athlete’s parking lot. I’m always the first one to arrive for games. Every minute I sat in traffic on the way felt like a month. A downed power line clogged up the road that’s normally a decent drive on a Sunday.
“Right. Why did you do that again?” He paused his workout to give me his attention.
“Business thing for my dad.”
“Gotcha. Maybe you should take a break. One day off won’t kill you.”
Some days my workouts are the only thing that keep me sane, so there’s no chance I’m skipping. “Nah. Wouldn’t be a stellar example from me as captain.”
Cole pulls his lips in between his teeth with a frown drawing his brows together. He stares at me for a minute, considering his words. “You know you don’t always have to be the best, work the hardest, give a thousand percent. You’re only human.”
He doesn’t understand. His family seems nice. His dad works hard, but he’s supportive of his son’s dreams. The pressure from my father has been a constant weight dragging me down since I was old enough to understand what it meant to be a Whitaker. Don’t bring negative attention to the family. Always show a united front. Don’t let the media get to you, even when they’ve got the story completely wrong.
Although that particular one has always hit my sister harder than me. The press has always treated her worse than me. If I could take the spotlight off her, I would, but they seem determined to paint me as this golden son, and it’s exhausting.But the number one rule that’s been sucking me under this year like quicksand is that hockey is a game for kids, not a career.
But all that is too much to lay on Cole. He’s got Jazz in his life now. His ex has laid off a little, but she’s still lurking. And he has a fantastic chance of a pro career. I’m not going to drag him into this or make him feel sorry for me.
“Thanks, Cole.”
“Seriously. Don’t brush me off. I know something’s going on with you, Beau. And I just want you to know I’m here for you if you’ll let me in. You helped me last semester get through some shit, and I appreciate it. If you’re not comfortable talking to me, I’m sure anyone else on the team would listen to you.”
My shoulders lighten a minuscule amount at the offer. I know he cares. There’s just no way he can possibly understand.
