Page 24 of Cheap Shot
I blink at him, waiting for him to tell me this was all a joke, and he wants to set me up with some supermodel or something, but that never comes. “You think I should be a big brother? To a kid?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Did you hit your head at some point, and I didn’t notice?” I stride toward him, grabbing his chin to check for any bumps or bruises on his head, but he slaps it away. “There’s no way I can do anything to help a kid figure out their life. I can barely put one foot in front of the other at this point.”
“Because you know what it feels like to fight your way back. That’s exactly the kind of person who makes a difference to a kid trying to find his footing.” He pauses, tapping his finger on his chin. “And I think I know just the kid who needs you. Actually, I think you two need each other.”
“I haven’t even said yes.”
“You will. I feel it in my bones.”
“You already told Momma, didn't you?” I groan, throwing my hands up in the air, knowing I’ve already lost this fight.
An unapologetic smile spreads across his face. “Yup, sure did. It's a done deal. You, Cole Hendrix, are about to be the Portland Timberwolves' newest Big Brother.”
“I haven’t even accepted the offer yet. I still need to chat with Remy.”
“Again, we both know it’s a done deal. Remy negotiated you a pretty sweet deal to join the team. Think of it as being mutually exclusive. You can get out of the shitty contract you have with the Wolverines. Cooper can have a chance to make amends. Momma will get to see all her boys more.”
“That’s what everyone else gets, but what about me? What could possibly entice me to say yes to this deal?”
“Besides the millions of dollars you’ll be making while you recuperate?” Beau pauses for a minute, tapping his finger against his chin as he thinks. It takes a few moments, but his eyes widen as if a light bulb went off in his mind. “Ah, I got it—Momma’s cooking. Anytime you want.”
I let out a bark of laughter and double over, hands on my knees. “Momma’s cooking? That’s your big pitch?”
“You’re not denying it’s tempting.”
“You think I’d want to uproot my entire life, move home to a town I swore I’d never step in again after leaving, and play on the one team I swore I’d never be on—for fried chicken and peach cobbler?”
Beau shrugs. “Sure. I would.”
“And that’s why everyone calls you Momma's boy.”
Beau just grins. “Just think about it, Cole. And talk to Remy. Once you hear what he has to say, you’ll know that you won’t get this good a deal from another team.”
I nod slowly, heart twisting in my chest. “But, Cooper…”
I hate that everything still boils down to Cooper. I don’t want to take his handouts. I feel like I'm right back where I started the day I walked out of my childhood home, turning my back on everything and everyone. I’ve tried to fight my way out of my brother's shadow my entire life, and failed miserably. And I’m tired, exhausted from fighting so hard for something that might never happen. But if I take the deal, I have a chance at another one of my dreams, winning a Stanley Cup Championship.
“He asked for a favor. A big one. He got lucky that no one laughed him out of the owner’s office.” Beau places a hand on the back of my neck. “The way I see it, you either take the deal or forget any chance at winning the Stanley Cup because not even a team in Hicksville, US, will touch you with a ten-foot pole.”
Beau is right. Turning down the offer from the Timberwolves without even reading it is insane, especially if it's as lucrative as Beau and Remy have alluded to. The Timberwolves win Stanley Cups. They are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Any player would be living their dream for a chance to be on the team. But I can’t get over the fact that my big brother was the one who got me the job. I went, pitched to the owner myself, but didn’t get even a hint of news that they were interested. Not until Cooper called in a favor.
“Just think of this as a clean slate, Cole. Your chance to become the best hockey player you can be as a part of the best team in the league.”
I swallow hard, my eyes remaining focused on the kids playing on the field in front of us. “I’ll think about it.”
“And joining the Big Brother program? You’re gonna think about that, too, right?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“Are you really going to think about it, or are you just telling me that so I stop bugging you?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and start counting backward from ten. Fuck, I forgot how annoying Beau can be when he wants something. “I’ll really think about it.”
Beau steps around me, holding his hand in the air with his pinky extended in my direction. “Pinky swear.”
“Pinky swear? What are we, freaking teenagers again?” I raise my eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest. “I said I’d think about it. Isn’t that enough?”
