Sloane adjusts the intensity of the machine, waiting for me to signal it’s at a good enough level for my tolerance.
“That’s good,” I say, keeping my eyes closed and voice low.
She walks away from the table and tells Connor she’ll be back in a few minutes. Damn it. I was really hoping they’d get right to work. Now that it’s just the two of us in here, there’s no way Connor will leave me alone.
“How’s the hot new nanny?”
The word “hot” has me opening my eyes and turning my head so fast to glare at my best friend, I nearly launch myself at him.
“I knew that would get your attention.”
“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath and then turn my head back so I’m staring at the ceiling tiles. “I like you much better when you don’t talk.”
I can hear him laugh under his breath before a rhythmicthump, thumpsound begins. I don’t need to look over at him to know he’s tossing a ball up to himself while he waits for Sloane to come back.
He stays quiet for a moment, the sound of the ball hitting his hand over and over the only sound in the room. Just when I start to think he might actually drop it, I’m disappointed to hear him speak again.
“Seriously, man. How did things go this morning? Was Sophia pumped to hang with Sadie?”
Pumped would be an understatement. Sophia slept in her own bed all night which I was extremely grateful for after such a long, shitty night. It didn’t matter, though, I was in too much pain to get any sleep. When she came barreling into my room at seven fifteen, screaming, “Dad! Dad! Miss Sadie is coming over!” I was already wide awake watching videos of my injury online.
“Yeah, she was definitely excited.” My words come out monotone as I try to act unimpressed by both this conversationand the fact that my daughter likes her new nanny more than she likes me.
Connor ignores me and fires another question at me. “How’s this going to work? Doesn’t she need to be at the rink for practices and games? Meaning you’ll both be here. Where will Sophia be?”
I had the same questions for Sadie last night when we were texting. She seemed much more optimistic about everything than I did.
“Sadie mainly works out of her office these days since she transformed it into a meditation room. She created a space for Sophia there. On off days, she said she’ll do her best to schedule individual sessions with the guys around any workouts or appointments I have. She doesn’t travel with us during the playoffs so she’ll be free to be with Sophia while I’m gone.”
The sound of the ball hitting the floor and bouncing away causes me to turn my head to look at Connor.
“Dude. Don’t tell me she’s moving in with you. I thought this was only while you were hurt.”
Where the fuck is Sloane? It’s been a solid five minutes since she left. For some reason, I feel like she’s doing this on purpose. Leaving me here to suffer with Connor.
He’s sitting up with his legs dangling off the edge of the table now. Eyes wide, still looking at me while he waits for a response.
“You know how guilty I feel making my parents watch Sophia for days at a time. This solves that problem and I trust Sadie with Sophia. It’s a win-win.”
Connor stares at me with a cocky smile on his face. “Youtrusther? You don’t trust anybody with Sophia. Not even me.”
I bark out a laugh. “Ha! Can you blame me? The one and only time I asked you to watch her for me, you fell asleep before she did.”
“Valid point. But seriously, Niko. Do you really think hermoving in is such a good idea? I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
Why does Connor have to be so damn perceptive? Sometimes I swear he knows me better than I know myself.
“It won’t be a problem. Besides, she was about to be homeless. I didn’t really have much of a choice.” The words taste like bullshit on the way out of my mouth. Yes, Sadie mentioned needing to find a new place to live, but homeless is a stretch. I was just doing the right thing. Right?
Connor calls, “bullshit,” just as Sloane finally walks back into the training room. She picks up the ball Connor dropped and launches it as his head. He catches it at the last second, grabbing it just before it smacks him in the eye.
“Take care of your shit, Smith. And lie down.”
Connor mutters, “Yes, ma’am,” and lies back on the training table like an obedient puppy.
Sloane is one of the best athletic trainers in the league and not someone we ever mess with if we can help it. She checks in with me before getting to work on Connor, the two of them chatting about tomorrow night’s matchup.
Not wanting to hear about a game I can’t participate in, I lean down and grab my headphones from my bag. I slip them on and grab my phone to turn on a playlist to get me through the last ten minutes of my treatment.
