Page 21 of Playoff
“I thought my family was fucked up.”
“Not sure it’s a contest, but I could probably win.”
His phone buzzed and he flipped it over to look at it. “Okay, one more thing. That was Fitch, getting back to me.” I pushed my plate away. Cooper ran his gaze over me, but he was considering how to express himself, rather than assess me now. “The team has you at a hotel, right?”
I nodded.
“Maybe you like it there, but in my experience, players do better if they have their own space.”
Did he have something to sell? “I’m a playoff rental. Contract done in June. I’m not buying.” But since the hotel was depressing as fuck for a long-term place to stay and not secure, I’d like to find a short-term rental.
“Fitch just moved into a condo.”
“He wants a roommate?” That was unexpected.
“He offered, if you wanted. He’s newly divorced, was rooming with Ducky. Might be easier for the new guys to buddy up."
There was more to it than that. “He’s a problem? Or am I?”
Cooper flashed his megawatt smile. “Neither. But you're both new, single, and I'm assuming you get along okay or he wouldn't have agreed."
So I was the problem. Cooper was handling me.
My first instinct was to say no, but I bit the word back. I could find a short-term lease till I knew what was going on long-term, but those were depressing. Generic furniture, empty-feeling rooms. Having someone around, just to fight off the loneliness, might be nice. Otherwise I might be tempted to ask a hookup to hang around. Maybe that was why the brunette from last night kept intruding in my thoughts. The sex had been next-level, but I’d invited her to stay and eat, so obviously I wanted company.
“We can give it a try. I've had more than enough hotels in my life, and if it doesn't work, no harm, no foul.” As long as we left things open-ended, I could get my own space if I needed to. How soon would he want me to move in? I wanted out of the hotel before I got more letters from victims of my parents.
"There's just one thing."
I narrowed my eyes, fingers rubbing the stubble on my jaw. Cooper had been leading up to something, and this was it.
"The place Fitch bought? It's in the same building as JJ and his sister."
"What?" This was a city of millions of people. Why were they living next door to each other?
He shrugged. "It's close to both arenas, and it's a nice place."
"You're not talking a duplex or semi-detached here, are you?"
"No. It's a fair-sized high-rise, and you wouldn't be on the same floor. If you do run into each other, forced proximity might be good. Because in the locker room, on the jet, on the ice? You can't ignore each other."
Locker room and jet, maybe. On the ice? Not if anyone wanted to win. "I've had teammates before who I didn't like or get along with. I can handle it if he doesn't like me."
His mouth firmed. “I’m committed to taking this team all the way. And that means you and JJ have to do better than handling each other. I’ll talk to him and find out what the issue is, but it’s going to be settled.”
“I have no beef with him.”
“Good. That’s all I can ask.”
Pretty sure he could have pushed for a lot more, but I let it go. Time to lighten up this conversation. "It's been a while since I've been on a team that believed they could do it."
Cooper leaned back, a dreamy look in his eyes. He was going to singlehandedly drag this team to the playoffs by their skate laces. "I hope you're ready to make it happen."
Damn it, now I was. He made me believe he could do it. This man was dangerous.
Chapter 10
One smile at a time
