“Farmer’s market is tomorrow,” West clarifies.
Felix nods and then turns and walks out of the room.
“You’re really all going to come?” I demand.
“Looks like it.” West claps me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We’ll go in separate cars and leave you to it if things are going well. And if not, we can do some shopping. I’ve been meaning to check out the farmer’s market because I eat pretty clean during the season.”
“Okay. Well, I’m going to go jump in the shower.”
It turns out, living with four guys is a lot.
All of them are nice. No one has any bad habits that I’ve noticed, and we get along. It’s just a lot of people in the house, so there’s always someone around. In the kitchen. On the phone. Watching the ninety-inch TV in the great room. I don’t even want to think about what will happen when someone brings a girl home for the night.
We did talk about that, and none of us are planning to bring home one-night stands—that’s just asking for trouble—but if one of us starts dating someone, it’s bound to happen. At some point, we’ll discuss boundaries but for now it’s just busy.
I’m up early on Sundays to get my workout in. In addition to therapy for my mental health, I’ve been diligent about the gym. This summer’s focus has been about speed and agility, as opposed to stamina and weight training. I’ve always tried to compensate for not being a really big guy by being strong, but now that I’m twenty-five (almost twenty-six), I want to level up in other ways too.
West is an early bird so he and I head to the arena together to use the gym. Now that it’s almost time for the season to start, they’ve opened it up and the place is beautiful. The locker and dressing rooms are pristine, showers better than at a hotel, and the virgin ice is just begging for someone to skate on it.
“I’m ready to get back on skates,” I tell West as we start to run.
“Me too.” He nods. “I’m ready for hockey in general. This off-season has been a drag.”
“Did you spend time with family?”
“In the beginning, but then I had to sell my house, pack my shit, move.”
“Didn’t you pay people to do that?”
“The big stuff, but I still had to do personal shit. And I’m kind of anal about my cookware.”
I snicker. “Dude, for real?”
“It’s expensive and I like everything a certain way. If they don’t pack it right, and it gets scratched or damaged, I’ll have to replace it. And I’ve spent thousands on it.”
“Thousands?” I gape at him.
He just smiles. “Look, other guys buy electronics or golf equipment or whatever. I like to cook. And I dare you to tell me it’s emasculating.”
I shake my head quickly. “Hell no. I don’t know how I’m ever going to marry a woman now that you’ve been feeding me—they’ll all pale in comparison.”
He laughs. “I’ll give them some lessons if they want.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m marrying anyone any time soon, but you’ve really spoiled me the last few weeks.”
“It’ll be less intense when the season starts, so try not to get too used to the four-course meals.”
“Noted.” I pick up speed and get my heart rate up. A little cardio to start the day, then weights, and then we’ll do some agility training.
“Look at the overachievers working out.” Coach Morrison comes in with a smirk, holding a travel mug.
I nearly stumble but West seems to take it in stride. “Hey, Coach. You’re here early on a Sunday morning.”
“Busy at the house,” he mutters. “Way too much going on.”
“Yeah? Blaze get moved in okay?”
He nods. “Yeah, he’s in the downstairs in-law suite. My daughter’s already seen him naked, so I guess we’re off to a good start.” He rolls his eyes.
