I’ve been better.
Oh.
I bit my bottom lip and tried to think of what to say.Want to… Erase.Want to talk about it?Erase.
Are the kids okay?That was safe. Send.
They’re fine.That was it. Three dancing dots and what felt like five minutes, then,How are you?
My fingers worked faster than my brain.Terrible.
Why? What’s wrong?
I’m in the middle of contract BS and it’s stressing me out, I typed.
More dancing dots. I grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge in my home gym and moved through the labyrinth of rooms to the kitchen. I glanced at my cell, my pulse skyrocketing at the new message.
Can you talk?
I pushed Call first and nearly whimpered at the sound of his deep, husky voice.
“Silas.”
“Yeah, hey.” I gave an awkward laugh. “Have we ever talked on the phone? Feels weird.”
“Yeah. You SOS called me just before you turned into a popsicle. Ring any bells?”
“Ah, yes. One of my finest moments.”
He chuckled, and I swore I could feel the warmth of it through the cell connection. “It was, indeed.”
“So, what’s up? Did you have a rough day?”
Cooper hummed. “Just the usual. I’d rather hear about you. Are you signing a new contract?”
“I…maybe.” And I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather talk to about the decision that had been weighing on me for weeks.
So I did. I didn’t mention Alli or her very influential beau. I stuck to football. Did I choose a new city, stay in LA, or stay retired? And if I stayed retired, what was next?
“Huh. That’s a lot to think about,” Cooper said once I’d run out of steam.
“Geez, you sound kind of hot on the phone.”Okay, shut up, Anderson.It was true that I could’ve listened to him all day, but retaining some level of cool would have been nice.
“Thanks.” He laughed, low and sexy. “What does your gut tell you to do?”
“Play. I want to do it, but I don’t think LA is good for me. I need a new team, a new fan base, a change of scenery on the opposite end of the country.”
“Boston is a great town,” he commented.
“Closer to Wood Hollow. I liked that place.”
“And you saw it at its worst.”
True, but at that moment, the ice-laden branches, wicked wind, and snow up to my knees didn’t seem so terrible. I gazed out the window at the hillside and the blue skies above the city of angels and wished I could trade it for another stormy night in Vermont.
“I was thinking of hibernating there for a while,” I blurted, surprising the hell out of myself.
Truthfully, I hadn’t considered Wood Hollow to be a viable option till this very second, and now that the words were out of my mouth, I realized there was nothing I wanted more.
