My words are harsh, but I mean them as a friend. I am honestly worried about this guy. He’s always walked around like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders—I noticed that long before the NHL—but lately it’s like his shoulders are literally sagging from the pressure. He just isn’t handling it well anymore.
I clap a hand on his shoulder as if to prove I’m saying this from a place of love. His eyes are clouded, his brows drawn, his mouth set in a tight line, but I can see he isn’t angry with me. “Yeah. I know what happy is,” he replies, his voice deep as always but not steady. “It’s something other people feel.”
The elevator dings and the doors open on the third floor. He gets off with nothing more than a wave at me as he disappears down the hall. Wow. I actually feel bad for the bastard. Jordan is sprawled across a couch in the lobby staring at his phone when I get there. Chooch is standing next to him. When they see me, they both walk over and we head out the front floors. There are a few fans standing on the sidewalk; we pause long enough to take some photos and sign a few autographs but duck away quickly.
San Francisco feels colder than Seattle, and I zip up the front of my jacket as I tell the guys about my conversation with Avery. They both look grim. Jordan swears under his breath. “I can’t believe he’s really going to leave.”
“Well, if you think about it, he’s not happy anywhere, so what difference does it make?” Chooch says as we wait for a light to change. “I mean, at least if he does what his manager asshole father wants, he’ll have one less thing making him miserable. If he stays, it’s one more thing keeping him from being happy.”
“The only thing keeping him from being happy is himself,” I add.
Jordan gives me a crooked, smartass grin. “Look at you all wise and shit.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, well, I’ve never been one to deny pleasure or happiness.”
We cross the street and Chooch asks, “Speaking of…how’d things go with Bendy McTwisty yoga girl? You never came back last night.”
“Shay. Her name is Shay.” I smile. “Things are good. I think.”
I pull out my phone. Still no response to my text. But that doesn’t mean anything other than that she’s busy. I think.
“So are you two official?” Jordan inquires as we pull open the door to one of our favorite Italian places in the city. “Jessie asked me to ask you if you had ‘the talk’ yet.”
He puts the words “the talk” in air quotes and rolls his eyes. “You tell that nosy woman of yours that I’m so smooth I don’t need a talk.”
“Yeah, she’ll love that.” Jordan smirks. “She’ll call you a dumbass.”
We settle in, pulling off our jackets and taking seats around a round table with a red tablecloth. “We haven’t really had a talk, but she’s in this. It scares the shit out of her, but she’s in it.”
“I’m out of it,” Chooch suddenly mutters, and we both turn back to him. “I broke up with Ainsley. Officially. Completely.”
Jordan and I exchange looks. Chooch runs a hand over his shaggy hair and sighs. “She actually offered to have an open relationship. She thought it was random sex that I was missing, not, you know, a caring, loving partner who doesn’t act like a vicious bitch to everyone I know.”
Jordan’s face darkens. “So is she moving back to Alberta? Back to her family?”
Chooch shrugs. “Eventually. Probably. But until she figures it out, I’m letting her live in the house and I’m at the Four Seasons.”
Jordan and I exchange glances again. Having our goalie’s life in upheaval and living in a hotel during playoffs is a recipe for disaster. Especially when you combine it with the bullshit already happening with Avery. I’m opening my mouth and making the offer without even thinking about it. “When we get back to Seattle, you are moving in with me.”
Chooch looks genuinely surprised. “You don’t have to…” he starts.
“I have a huge three-bedroom house that is pretty fucking spectacular.” I grin immodestly. “It’s better than the Four Seasons and I’ll enjoy the company.”
“What about Yoga Shay?”
“She doesn’t come with the offer,” I joke and he laughs. It’s the first real laugh I’ve heard from him in a while. “We’ll be in lockdown mode anyway and I probably won’t see her all that much. When I do, I promise to try and keep the screaming to a minimum. But it’ll be hard because my mad skills make her vocal.”
Jordan and Chooch both groan; I smile and open my menu. But I can’t help but notice that my phone isn’t buzzing. Why isn’t she getting back to me?
Chapter 37
Shayne
As soon as he walks into the police station my heart clenches. He looks absolutely frightened. The kind of pure, deep-rooted fear that grips every part of you. His shoulders are tense, his eyes are wild, and his jaw is clenched so tightly I’m scared he’ll break his teeth. I stand up from the uncomfortable chair I’m in across from a detective, and when his eyes land on me I can see a wave of relief flood him, relaxing every part of his body from his toes to his face.
He crosses the room in a blur and has me by the shoulders, shoving my face into his chest and crushing me to him. “Are you okay? You look okay, but are you?”
I try to nod but there’s no room against his torso. I place my hands on his chest and push. He gets the hint and stops hugging me, but his hands stay clamped on my shoulders. “I’m fine, Trey. I swear it was no big deal.”
