Page 4 of Snow, Ice, and Spice
“Theo! What are you doing here?”
I almost laugh. “You invited me, remember?”
“Oh. Right.” She flashes a smile that’s far too tight to be genuine. “I just didn’t think you’d show up. I thought you’d be resting for your game tomorrow.”
That sting intensifies. I should have told her.
I swallow back the tightness in my chest and hope my smile is still convincing. “Still recovering from my injury so I’ve gotta sit it out.” I point at my left knee. “Sorry, didn’t mean to crash the party.”
“You didn’t!” My cousin’s smile turns natural this time as she pulls me into a hug. I soften the slightest bit as I squeeze her back. “You’re always welcome. You know that. I just figured my famous hockey player cousin had more important things to do tonight,” she teases.
The bartender drops off a trio of champagne flutes on the bar top for us. I grab one and down it. “I’m off to bed.”
“Do you still have to show up for the game if you’re injured?” Ingrid asks.
“Nah, I get to get my ass kicked by the Bashers team physical therapist instead,” I lie.
“You sure you shouldn’t be resting?”
“That’s professional hockey for you. No rest for the weary.” I give Ingrid another hug and promise to meet up soon before turning to Maya. “Kiss goodbye?”
She flips me off, which makes me want to cackle, but I hold it back.
I hold up my palms. “Fine. Call me whenever you feel lonely, Maya. I’m always down to keep you company.”
I wink at her, relishing that glare she levels me with. As I walk off, I run my tongue along my bottom lip, savoring the taste of her kiss. I smile to myself and realize that this is the first time in weeks that I haven’t ended the night feeling like absolute shit. And it’s all because of Maya.
Chapter3
Theo
As I sit across from my agent Javier in his office in downtown Denver, I take in the slight frown on his face as he stares at his computer screen. He hasn’t said anything in the thirty seconds since he greeted me and told me to have a seat in his office.
Fuck. This isn’t good.
That stab of anxiety in the side of my gut intensifies. I’ve felt it all morning, since the moment I woke up. I should be at the arena with my team, the Denver Bashers, playing against the Detroit Warriors, but because I was a horny dumbass, my knee is messed up and now I’m sitting in my agent’s office waiting to hear if my future as a hockey player is over.
I take a quiet breath and steel myself for the shitty news he’s about to give me.
“Listen, Theo.” He folds his hands on his mahogany desk and sighs, his blazer-clad shoulders sinking with the movement. “I don’t want to beat around the bush. It’s not looking good.”
“What do mean? Is Coach Porter still pissed that I hurt my knee?”
Javier huffs out another sigh. Another long pause. Dread settles at the pit of my stomach. Shit. This is gonna be worse than I thought.
“The Bashers are dropping you, Theo. And no other team in the league is interested in picking you up.”
I grip the arm of the plush chair I’m sitting in as my stomach bottoms out. I let out a chuckle that’s pure shock and disbelief. “Javier, what are you talking about? I wasn’t trying to switch teams. I’ve played for Denver for the past five years. I’m not interested in going anywhere else.”
His brow furrows. Javier’s always been a straightforward, no-nonsense guy. He’s almost always frowning. The permanent wrinkles in his brow and forehead are evidence of that. But I can’t remember the last time he’s looked this…serious. No, serious isn’t the right word. More like defeated.
“Here’s the thing, Theo. When you injured your knee, that was the last straw for Porter. He’s done with you.”
I open my mouth, but I can’t speak for a solid ten seconds. “What the…how? Knee injuries happen all the time in this sport. Players have to take time off to recover constantly.”
Javier tilts his head at me. He raises a single salt-and-pepper eyebrow. “You didn’t injure your knee playing, Theo. You injured it when the Bashers assistant coach took a hockey stick to your leg after he walked in on you in bed with his wife.”
“Y-you know about that?” The entire Bashers coaching staff and my teammates know, and that’s humiliating enough…I was hoping Javier wouldn’t find out too.
