Page 104 of Player Misconduct
The drive starts out quiet, the city glowing soft in the early evening light. I lean my head against the window, watching Seattle blur past—coffee shops, bookstores, a dog walker juggling four leashes like a circus act.
Then Aleksi takes a turn I don't recognize.
I frown. "This isn't the way to my apartment."
"I know," he says, far too casual.
"Aleksi."
"Just trust me. Small detour."
I narrow my eyes at him, but he's already grinning, and I know—know—that whatever this is, I'm not going to win.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
Twenty minutes later, we pull through Vivi and Isla’s gated community, but we don’t take the visitor entrance. We take the resident side and instantly the gates open for us.
“We’re going to Trey’s house? Did you get a permanent pass?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
We turn onto a tree-lined street that looks like it was ripped straight out of a home-and-garden magazine. Maples arch overhead, their leaves just starting to turn gold. The houses are all huge with wide porches and actual yards. The kind of things that don't exist in my studio apartment universe.
He slows in front of a soft gray-blue house with white shutters and aFor Salesign out front that readsPENDINGin bold red letters.
My stomach flips. "What are we doing here?"
"Taking a look around." He parks and cuts the engine. "It's a stroller walk from Vivi's and you can practically throw a rock into Isla's backyard from the back fence."
I blink at him. "You want me to look at a house I can't afford?"
"Just humor me." He's already out of the car, heading toward the lockbox on the front door.
I unbuckle slowly, my brain scrambling to catch up. Aleksi punches in a code, retrieves a key, and unlocks the door like he's done this a hundred times.
"I don't understand why we’re going into this house," I say as he pushes the door open to reveal a gorgeous foyer, beautiful hardwood floors, high ceilings. The smell of fresh paint and carpet cleaner reaches my nose. Light pouring through windows makes the whole space feel like a movie. Every room is fully furnished but doesn’t look lived in, as if it’s brand new and staged, but not in an uncomfortable, professional staging way.
We pass by a formal dining room with a table for ten. An office with a desk I would kill to work from home when the baby gets here. A powder room, formal sitting room and a living room.
This is a house far bigger than anything I've ever imagined owning. Even on a team doctor's salary, I could never afford a house in this neighborhood. It's for tech giants and pro athletes with multi-millions. Guys like Trey and Aleksi who can afford this kind of life.
"We're just taking a look around," he says, holding the door wider for me to step through. "Trey knows the realtor. Keep an open mind, okay?"
I step inside, and my breath catches.
I follow him through the last space downstairs, a massive kitchen gleaming with white cabinets and butcher-block counters, and there's a window over the sink that frames the backyard like a painting. And the kind of kitchen and eating nook that’s big enough to host thanksgiving dinners for the entire team.
Even the fridge is stocked with unopened food. Aleksi chuckles to himself and mutters “figures she would…” when he glances over my shoulder inside the state of the art fridge.
"Aleksi…" My voice comes out softer than I mean it to. "This is stunning… and way out of my budget."
"Just look around," he says gently. "No pressure."
I move through the space slowly, taking in every detail. And then I see the stairs.
Aleksi motions for me to go first.
