Jamie would drag me along with them and I’d watch his face light up every time the team made a goal.
When his dad died, his drive to play grew. He’d practice day and night. I saw less and less of him, until eventually, I stopped seeing him at all. He wasn’t the Jamie I knew anymore. He was someone I didn’t recognize, but I loved him. I thought I was going to marry him. Imagine my shock when he fell off the face of the earth. He could have at least had the decency to break up with me to my face.Lainey threatened to hunt him down and chop off his dick on numerous occasions. She couldn’t stand seeing me so depressed. It took months for me to finally feel like myself again.
I vowed to never watch hockey again in fear that I’d one day see Jamie on TV and completely lose it again. I had no idea if he went off to college or if he ended up in the NHL like he’d always dreamt of. I told Lainey and Holland to keep their mouths shut if they ever found out anything about Jamie and what he was doing. Of course, my idiot brother can’t keep a secret and let it slip that Jamie was drafted to the Storm. That was the last time I thought about Jamie Patterson.
When I got to college, I focused on my classes and my friends, living my life and having fun like a college girl is supposed to. Yet, every time a guy would flirt with me or try to get intimate, I’d freeze up. I’d think about Jamie and how much I loved him. How badly he hurt me. I did end up dating a guy for a while though.
Ty was an asshole, but he was attractive, and it pissed Holland off that I was with him. We only dated for a few months before he cheated on me with the next best thing. I honestly think he was only with me because he wanted to piss off my brother, so it worked for both of us. I wasn’t heartbroken over the loss of Ty Manning. Not like I was over Jamie.
Running my hands through my hair, I take a deep, shaking breath and press the Facetime button on my phone. It rings twice before Lainey’s face lights up my screen.
“Bitch, you never called me last night. I thought you died,” she squeals.
Rolling my eyes, I say, “You’re so dramatic. I’m alive, I just… got distracted.”
Lainey’s eyes narrow, and her expression turns suspicious.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?” she demands.
“What do you mean? Like what?” I ask, feigning innocence.
“Like you’ve seen the ghost of Christmas past. What happened?” How does she know everything? I seriously don’t get how she can tell that by just looking at me. I mean, we have known each other since we were kids, but still. She can read people better than anyone I’ve ever met.
“Nothing happened,” I lie.
“Ellie Morgan Monroe. Tell me what’s going on.”
I deflate, lying back on my pillow and deciding it’s better to tell her now than her showing up and finding out that way.
“He’s here,” I say ominously, not wanting to say his name out loud, as if it’ll change the fact that he’s here. Lainey moves closer to the phone, looking intrigued.
“Who’s there?” I cringe inwardly, knowing what her reaction is going to be.
“Jamie…”
Her eyes practically bug out of her head in shock. I’m betting that’s the last name she thought I’d say.
“Jamie Patterson? Like, from high school?” she asks, and I nod.
“That would be the one.”
“What the fuck is he doing there?” Shrugging, I play with the ends of my hair, a nervous habit I’ve had for years. That’s one of the reasons I kept it so short most of my life. I’ve let it grow out recently, not only because I actually like the way it looks, but because I haven’t had the time to go to the salon.
“He’s the new hockey coach. But that’s not all,” I pause, taking in a breath before continuing. “We’re housemates.”
“You’re WHAT?” she yells into the camera. Yep, there’s the reaction I was expecting.
“Shhh!” I shush her, looking around my room as if Jamie’s going to pop in any second. “He could hear you!”
“What happened?” I hear a male voice ask before my brothers face pops into view next to Lainey’s.
“Jamie’s there. They’re living together,” she explains.
I watch as Holland’s face turns red and turn the volume down on my phone, hoping it’s low enough so Jamie can’t hear what he’s about to say.
“Jamie fucking Patterson?! What the hell do you mean you’re living together?!” Holland seethes. He’s hated him ever since we broke up, naturally.
“It’s not like that!” I defend quickly. “You know how Dean Ashby promised housing if I took the job? Well, apparently there was a mix up and there was only one available. Apparently, Ashby hired Jamie around the same time, and he obviously offered him a place to stay too.”
