Page 54 of Delay of Game

“Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

I shrug, “It’s an assistant coaching position for the Manticores. It’s not like I’ll be running drills and getting hip checked. I’ll mostly be on the sidelines.”

“Still. You’re more important than this job. Okay?”

My eyes fall closed and I take a deep breath. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

Before I can offer Ash anything to drink or ask him to stay for dinner, he says, “I need to head over to that open house.”

“You weren’t kidding?”

Ash laughs, and his dark blue eyes twinkle with mischief. “You really think I would pass on the opportunity to be Robbie’s neighbor? It will annoy the shit out of him, so you bet your ass I’m making an offer on that house.”

I laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, it will.”

“All right, I’ll see you at Thanksgiving most likely, unless we get a day or two before then and decide to come visit. You know how schedules can be.”

“Yeah. Tell Eli I say hi. Oh, and—“ I break off, biting the inside of my cheek. Why is it so hard to ask for help? “Can you give me your therapist’s number?”

“Marge? Hell yeah. She’s the best. She does video calls now, so you don’t even have to go into her office.”

I shake my head at Ash, knowing I’ll miss him until Thanksgiving. “Sounds great, man.”

Alice

I takemy third attempt at parallel parking in front of my apartment building, but the angle is all wrong. Again.Whoever invented parallel parking deserves a spot in the darkest, deepest parts of hell.

“Ugh,” I groan, frustrated. My hands smack the wheel, and I look closer at the car parked behind me. The damn SUV is overhanging into my spot, which means I definitely won’t fit in the tight space.

I turn the volume up on my favorite Taylor Swift song and take a lap around the building, trying not to think of all the papers I have to grade tonight. By the time I get back, there’s an open spot across the street and I take another four tries to park the Jeep that my brother, Robbie, sold to me last year when his daughter was born and he needed to upgrade to a minivan.

The traffic slows down enough for me to jaywalk across the street, and I sneer at the Texas-plated red SUV. I balance the new potted plant I bought in one hand and open the door to the apartment building with the other.

I’m mentally chewing out the owner of the SUV when I run into a brick wall.

“Al, I’m so glad I caught you on my way out.”

“Ash?” I ask, looking up at one of my favorite people in the world—after my brothers and Eli of course.

“Hey, I need to tell you something,” he says, pulling me to the side of the lobby and sitting me down on one of the chairs. Ash sits on the coffee table, facing me, and the poor thing creaks under his weight.

“Damn, look at you all sexy and fit,” I say, and wink.

“Yes, yes, I look amazing?—“

“And your hair is longer?—”

“I know, I’m hot. Listen?—“

“What’s the rush? Come up to my place and we can chat for a bit. Sorry I didn’t come see you at training camp this year.”

“Al, listen to me?—“

“Ooh, I need to send you a manuscript of my book too?—“

“Jordan’s back.”

My smile instantly falls.Fuck.I knew he was coming back because his sister told me a few weeks ago, but I thought I had more time to come to terms with the fact that he’d be back. Here, in my life. The place he ran away from and left me heartbroken.

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