Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Great news babe! Where is it?
That part’s not so great. It’s in Salt Lake City.
“What the fuck?” I set my phone on the bench next to me, frustrated.
“Did the insurance deny your penis enlargement?” Isaac asks with a grin.
I just glare at him and say, “Talia has a job interview in Salt Lake City.”
“Yikes. There might be a high school team there you could play for.”
“You should focus on staying conscious on the crapper,” I say. “We’re too close to the playoffs for you to fuck around over that.”
He pulls his crap cap out of his bag. “I’m wearing it for every shit, don’t worry.”
“At home, too. If you pass out there, the rats might eat your face off before you wake up.”
He rolls his eyes. “I don’t have rats in my house.”
I pick up my phone so he knows I’m done with this conversation. I need to text Talia back, but it’s hard to know what to say.
Okay. When is the interview?
They need someone to start right away, so I’m flying there tomorrow and interviewing Wednesday morning.
Fuck. I stare at the screen for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say. I want her to find a job she loves, but I don’t want it to be at the cost of us being together.
A better man would wish her luck. I’m too selfish for that. But I don’t want to say anything discouraging either, so I pretty much say nothing.
I have to go, let’s talk later.
Good luck tonight. Tell Isaac to wear his helmet, and tell Melina I stashed extra tape in the red bag. She’ll know what it means.
I will. Miss you.
The team is going back to our hotel for a pregame meal, and then I hope to get in a nap since I’ve been sleeping like shit.
It’s hard to sleep when I finally found a woman I can see myself with forever, and I might lose her before we’ve really even gotten started.
Chapter Twenty-One
Talia
* * *
Salt Lake City is sunny and cold today. From what little I’ve seen of it, it seems nice. My interview is over and I’m back at my hotel, packing for my afternoon flight back to Cleveland.
The job sounds perfect. It’s funded privately, and there’s a lot of money available that isn’t even being spent. I could grow the program into something that really makes a difference, not just for the people served by it, but also by giving paid training and internships to college students who want to work with people who have disabilities.
I’d be a four-hour flight away from Cleveland, with a two-hour time difference. A long-distance relationship with Lucien would be possible, but not easy. If he even wanted that.
When I finish packing, I have about half an hour free before I have to leave for the airport. I sit down on the perfectly made bed, looking up clips from last night’s game.
Lucien got an assist on a power play goal. I’ve already watched the clip of the team gathering to celebrate the goal, because his smile in it makes me mushy.
After Kyle broke up with me, I swore I’d be single for at least the next five years. I didn’t want another relationship—especially with a hockey player. But then I met Lucien.
I didn’t text him to tell him how the interview went, because I know he’s secretly hoping this job won’t work out. I like that he wants to be around me so much. If he was excited about the possibility of my moving to Salt Lake City, that would be a major red flag.
A text comes up on my phone screen, and I’m surprised when I see it’s from Audra.
Hey. Can we talk sometime?
I’m shocked. The way we left things, I imagine she just wants to tell me to go fuck myself. But I’m curious, and I have time to kill, so I text back.
Sure. Call me anytime.
Within a minute, my phone rings, the call from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” she says. “Thanks for letting me call.”
A few seconds of silence pass before I say, “Is everything okay?”
She hums with amusement. “I got cussed out in Thai last night at dinner.”
I pinch my brows together. “That’s ... interesting.”
Audra sighs softly. “The honeymoon was at a resort, and it’s pretty secluded. We went to a little town about an hour away last night for dinner, and I guess the people who work there recognized us from all the social media stuff.”
“Oh.”
I could apologize, but I’m not going to. My terrible toast at the reception was the first time I called them both out about what happened. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to do it, but if they had both handled things better before—or maybe, I don’t know, not cheated—it never would have come to that. I didn’t know how much I needed to say what I did until I had time to think about it.