Page 70 of The Perfect Snipe

“Don’t want to know.” I tilt my head from side to side, stretching out my neck as I survey the chaos around us.

Smitty and Mykyta are bickering over an IKEA bookshelf like an old married couple. Ian and Garrison are hanging pictures, measuring with the precision of brain surgeons. Roan’s muscling a dresser that weighs about as much as he does, and Nora’s organizing Rosa's army of knick-knacks.

My throat starts to tighten a bit. Still can’t believe my teammates are here, that they’re giving up their time to help Cat’s grandmother move in.

Nora turns to Rosa, eyes wide and face red. “Uh, Rosa . . .”

I look over and immediately wish I hadn’t. Nora’s holding up a small, hot pink device. Rosa jumps up and snatches it as Nora makes a gagging sound and races off to the bathroom.

My teammates turn to me, and a second later I realize what the fuck it was.

Wyatt groans, shaking his head. “Dude, you sure about this place? Like maybe she should stay with you . . . where there are no men.”

“Shut it. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Damn, Rosa still getting it.” Mykyta waggles his bushy eyebrows, and I swear I’m going to go punch his face in.

I contemplate watching one of those murder documentaries for a second, because I may, in fact, strangle my teammate to death right now. Luckily, the TV in the corner catches my attention. It's showing the Ravens game, volume low, but it might as well be blaring. Our entire season hinges on this game, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.

Last night's overtime loss sits in my gut like a lead weight. We were so close. But close doesn't win championships. I know I've been off my game, distracted by everything else going on in my life. It's no excuse, but it's the truth.

Swear the universe hates me because to clinch the wildcard spot the Ravens need to lose in regulation. And the kicker is, they’re playing the Blackhawks, the worst team in the league.

"Hey, Sparkles," Wyatt's voice snaps me back to reality. "You gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna help us with this IKEA nightmare?"

I shake my head, pushing thoughts of the game aside. "Yeah, I'm coming. Though I'm not sure I trust your engineering skills after seeing that monstrosity."

Wyatt flips me off, grinning like an idiot. The corners of my mouth twitch upward. These guys . . . they’ve become more than just teammates. They care. They’re here when they don’t have to be.

As I kneel to tackle the bookshelf from hell, I take a moment to check my phone and make sure everything’s okay with the kids. My mother came over to watch them so I can help with Rosa.

Things with my mom have been . . . less shitty. She's making an effort to respect the boundaries I've set, even if she can't help slipping in the occasional passive-aggressive comment. It's not perfect, but it's progress.

"Leo, got a sec?"

I look over my shoulder to find Cat standing in the doorway. I stand, brushing my jeans off, then head over to her. “Yeah, what’s up.”

She walks out into the hallway, clutching a stack of papers and frowning. "You okay? You seem . . . off."

I run a hand through my hair. “Just frustrated and anxious. Last night's game, this whole playoff situation . . . I feel like I’ve let the team down."

Her brow furrows. "Leo, you can't put all of that on yourself. You’re a brand new team. Doesn’t it take a while to iron out the kinks?”

While she’s right, that doesn’t mean any of us accept it. “I’m not the only one. We all want to win. But Iamthe captain. I should’ve done more sooner.”

She places a hand on my arm, giving it a light squeeze. “I’m sure you’re an amazing captain. But you also need to step back and take a look at what’s gone on so far. Look how long it took Wyatt to settle in. And what happened with Jake. The first part of your season had nothing to do with you.”

I pick at the hem of my sweatshirt. “Why do you all never consider that what happened to Jake bothers me?”

“Leo?”

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I take a few seconds to myself before responding. “Nora may not have told Wyatt right away, but he said fuck all to me once he found out. And Jake was my youth player. My son’s friend. I fucking had more of a relationship with Nora’s son than Ian Hudson. But I got left out.”

She reaches up and cups my cheek. “Have you talked to Wyatt about it?”

I grunt, giving a curt nod. “But you do it too. Talk about it like I’ve never met the kid.”

“I’m sorry. I never realized.” Cat wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head against my chest. "And I hope you realize the team knows how much you care, how hard you work. They're not just your teammates, Leo. Many of them are also your friends. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be here.”

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