Page 19 of Cole

Cole set his plate and cup down on the table next to one of the lounge chairs, then sank down onto it and stretched out his legs. Though the view in front of him should have been calming, his thoughts moved like tumbleweeds through his mind.

When he’d gone to the doctor with a suspicious lump just before the end of the last season, it felt like his whole focus shifted. The duration from biopsy to results had seemed to stretch out like an eternity, and during that interval, he’d had lots of opportunity to think about his priorities in life.

And even when he had other things he needed to focus on—like a game or a meeting—his brain had still insisted on bringing it to the forefront of his thoughts. So by the time he eventually ended up with a clean bill of health, he’d already realized he needed to consider making some changes in his life.

Learning that Shiloh—Aiden and Skylar’s daughter, who had been adopted by his other sister, Charli and her husband Blake—hadn’t been as fortunate in her diagnosis, had been another wake-up call for him. And then he’d found out that he would have the chance to help her beat her cancer if it recurred.

His visit home had also made him aware that his folks were getting older. Everyone was. Gareth even had streaks of gray in his hair now that he was in his forties.

And then there were his nieces and nephews… Layla’s change was the most shocking, mostly because he remembered her as an eight-year-old, and now she was a teenager, soon to be a young adult.

He’d gained everything he set out in search of. Fame. Money. Accolades for his basketball skill. He’d won titles and championships.

It hadn’t been all self-centered. He’d volunteered at a children’s hospital and helped with fundraisers the teamhad done. He had also put on free basketball clinics for underprivileged kids.

What was left?

As he ate his sandwiches, he once again contemplated if it was time to step off his current path. Leave while he was at the top.

He was set for life, financially, as long as he didn’t develop a gambling habit. Retiring didn’t necessarily mean losing an income. His name would still open doors that would give him the opportunity to earn money if he wanted to.

He had almost a year before he had to officially make his decision. However, his current team could begin to discuss things with him well before that. And his agent was constantly hounding him, trying to get him cornered for a meeting.

As with every other stretch of thinking he’d done, Cole still had no answers when the chiming of his phone interrupted his thoughts. He set down his glass and picked up his phone, grimacing when he saw his agent’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Theo,” Cole said.

“Cole? Cole, is that you?” Theo responded, his voice laced with irony. “Did you finally find your phone?”

“Whatever, man,” Cole said with a huff of laughter. “You’re constantly calling.”

“And you’re constantly not answering.”

“Because I know what you want, and I still have nothing to say.”

“We can’t put this off forever,” Theo said. “I’ve already had a call from the assistant general manager.”

“What did he say?”

“He was putting out feelers about an extension,” Theo said. “Which is why we need to have a conversation about it.”

“I don’t know what I want to do,” Cole confessed.

“Do you want to consider offers from other teams?” Theo asked. “Do you have one in mind?”

“No. I’m not interested in a trade.”

There was a long pause before Theo said, “So, are we talking… retirement here?”

Cole also paused, just because he had yet to share the idea of retirement with anyone. “Possibly.”

“Really?” Theo’s voice held a boatload of skepticism. “We haven’t talked about that. In our last conversation, you were still interested in a new contract. What happened?”

Cole hadn’t shared anything about his health scare with Theo, nor what was going on with Shiloh. What if she needed him for a stem cell transplant, but he couldn’t get away because of his game schedule?

But even more than that, he hadn’t shared with Theo that he felt he’d reached the pinnacle of his career, and it would only be downhill from there.

“You’re at the top of your game,” Theo said. “You could ask your price, and any team would make room on their roster for you.”

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