Page 1 of Cole

CHAPTER ONE

Cole stared out the window of his childhood bedroom. Not much had changed beyond the glass.

The same sprawling oak tree dominated the backyard, its branches now heavy with summer leaves. The basketball hoop his dad had installed when Cole was ten remained mounted above the garage, the backboard weathered but sturdy—just like the family that had raised him.

But while his surroundings were familiar, much had changed inside him. The last time he’d stood where he was, he’d been a different person. Not completely different—he was still passionate about basketball—but there were enough differences between then and now that sometimes he didn’t recognize who he’d once been.

His phone chimed in his hand, but Cole didn’t lift it to see who was trying to contact him. If it was his parents or his sister, Skylar, they could come knock on his door.

More than likely, it was his agent, Theo Anderson, wanting to set up a time for them to talk. Except that Cole wasn’t keen to have that conversation just yet. He’d told Theo that, but the man was persistent.

That persistence had paid off in the past, but right then, Cole wished Theo would turn that persistence on someone else.

He’d told Theo that he was going to visit his family and didn’t want to deal with a conversation about the upcoming end of his contract. He had time. With a year left on it, they couldn’t move into serious talks for a while yet anyway, unless his current team was pressuring Theo to get Cole to commit.

When his phone chimed again, reminding him he hadn’t looked at his message yet, Cole sighed and lifted it to glare at the screen.

Jay:You still up for basketball this afternoon?

There had been talk of playing basketball the night before, but that hadn’t worked out. So now they were trying for that afternoon. It would be a nice distraction, so Cole didn’t hesitate to reply.

You know it.

Jay:Good. I’ve got some of my varsity guys coming, but I haven’t told them you’ll be there.

Cole grinned. His brother had been his high school basketball coach, and he’d continued to coach over the years, even after Cole had graduated. A couple of the guys that Jay had coached had gone on to college basketball fame, but none except for him had made it to the professional league yet.

He’d lived and breathed basketball ever since he’d made his first basket as a kid… with Jay’s help. During that time, he’d also been going to Jay’s games, which helped stoke the flame of his passion for the game.

It had helped that Jay had been on track to go pro during those early years. Even back when Cole had been just five years old, he and Cole had practiced daily. The eleven-year age gap between them hadn’t been a big deal.

Cole knew he owed Jay a lot for his current career, and for the fame and fortune that had come his way. If Jay wanted Cole to hang out with some of his players, Cole would do that.

His best friend, Aiden, would also join them, and probably some family members as well. He hadn’t had a casual game in awhile, so he was looking forward to it.

When the time rolled around to leave, Cole was glad his sister, Skylar, and his best friend Aiden were both going. A former couple, Cole was trying to get the two of them to at least be friends again. If not something more.

As he strode down the hallways of the high school a short time later, Cole was thrown back in time. Back to a simpler time, when his world had focused around family, church, friends, and basketball.

There had been no meetings about endorsement opportunities or contract negotiations, or friends who proved they were only with him for one reason.

The sound of bouncing balls and squeaking shoes grew louder as they neared the gym. They found Jay standing just inside the door, arms crossed, as he watched a few guys warm-up on the court. He turned toward them with a smile.

“Hey there.” Jay pulled Cole in for a quick hug, then moved on to Skylar. “Come to cheer us on?”

“As long as all I have to do is yell,” she said, motioning to her orthopedic boot that she’d been confined to after spraining her ankle quite badly.

“If you weren’t in that boot, could you still do all the cartwheels and stuff?”

“Yep. Once a month, I try all of them. If I can’t do them, I practice.”

“Too bad you can’t show us,” Cole said, grinning as he imagined Skylar trying to turn a cartwheel in her boot.

She flipped her hand in the air. “Next time.”

The action on the court had stopped, and Cole could see that the guys’ attention had turned from the balls and hoops to wherehe stood with the others. It had been bound to happen, so Cole wasn’t surprised or annoyed by it.

Being noticed was part of the game—literally—for him. And besides, these kids were different. They were following in his footsteps by playing high school basketball. And they were part of the family Jay built with his players each year. It was a family that Cole was also part of.

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