Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Jesse pulls open my door and waits for me to get in, but I stop, leaning on the car to look up at him.
“Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?”
“Don’t you have a life to get back to?”
“I have friends, sure. But only one I’m really close with. She’s the kind of friend where distance isn’t going to keep us from being close, if you know what I mean.”
“What about your parents?”
I shrug. “They can visit. They’ll be happy if they know I’m happy.” I look around again, smiling as the thought starts to really take hold in my chest. “Right now, this place makes me happy.” My eyes linger a beat too long on Jesse, so I drag them back to the mountains.
“After the holidays, it might be best if you had plans to get your own place. The guys are here until Christmas, then they’ll be traveling more for games.”
“Won’t you be with them?” I ask. “Jake got injured once and I remembered he still went to the games and all that.”
“I have a good agent. My contract says I’m free to rehab with my personal trainer and stay home if I choose in the event of an injury.” He hesitates.
“What?” I prompt.
He shakes his head. “I should still be acting like part of the team. I know I should. It’s hard for me right now. Being around the game makes it feel farther away, somehow. It’s easier when I–” he laughs, almost like he said something stupid. “Anyway. Until this rotator cuff heals, I won’t be swinging any hockey sticks. Lucky for me, I can still do pretty much everything else.”
I want to pry for more detail, but I bite back my questions. He didn’t seem to want to go into more detail than he already did. “I’m sorry. That has to be hard. I know how Jake got when he hurt his ankle that one season. He was super cranky and emotional.”
That gets a grin from Jesse. “Is that how I’m coming off? Sorry.”
“No, no!” I take his arm without thinking, then let go. “I just meant I understand how hard it can be on an athlete like you. Hockey is where you put so much of yourself. An injury for you is like if a writer had to put their brain on pause for six months, or something. It would be torture. Anyway,” I say quickly because it suddenly feels awkward. “I’ll be out of your hair by Christmas. Or shortly after. I promise.”
Jesse hesitates, like I said something wrong, but then he closes his mouth and nods. “Alright, then.”
I look down at my feet, which are swimming in his massive snow boots. “You know,” I say. “I wonder if we should go shoe shopping before we head back.”
Jesse looks like I just asked if he wants to swing by the dentist for a root canal. He slowly nods his head. “Yeah. Sure. Let’s get you some shoes, too.”
6
JESSE
After three hours of being around town with Andi, buying her panties, a bra, a dress, shoes, then going back because she forgot she’d need socks, and then her realizing it was December and she should maybe pick up a winter jacket, I’m fucking exhausted.
Exhausted, but fighting the odd impulse to smile as we head back inside the cabin. I’m surprised to see the place is empty. Nolan and Liam’s cars are gone from out front and nobody’s home when we come inside.
“Where are they?” Andi asks. She’s clad in the green dress and gray wool leggings we bought, new boots, and a puffy fur-collared jacket. I’m also unfortunately aware that she’s wearing hot pink panties beneath it all and a white, cotton bra. I know this because the pack of underwear came with three colors. Pink, black, and white. When she came out of the dressing room, the pink ones were missing, because of course they were.
I check the time and set my things down on the stop and drop by the door. It’s a carved wood bear holding a shelf. My dad loved shit like that, and the cabin is full of similar items. “Team meeting, I think. They have a game in two days. Coach was okay with them staying in Frosty Harbor if the guys were willing to travel into the city for meetings with the rest of the team.”
“Oh. I guess that explains why Jake couldn’t make it until later today. He probably had to go to the meeting first.”
“He probably is. He requested this meeting off and the coach already granted it for your…” I trail off, thinking about the crumpled wedding dress Andi didn’t seem to care about fetching from the back seat of my truck when we arrived.
Andi smiles. “It’s okay.” She flops down on one of the big leather armchairs and crosses her thighs. “You can go to the meeting, if you’re supposed to be there.”