Page 8 of The Roommate Remodel

“Ah, Granny’s old place. Very nice family.” She glances at Vale’s cake, which is nearly half gone. “Enjoy the sweets.”

Vale smiles sheepishly. “Don’t mind if I do.”

I tip my cup to my lips too quickly and nearly burn my tongue on the first sip. Hockey has taught me to move fast before I think about the consequences. Problem is, that doesn’t always work in life.Or with people.

“I knew we should have found our own place.” Vale shakes his head skeptically as he takes his drink. “Letting Lucian set us up was a bad idea. He probably arranged for the worst place just to test us.”

I wipe my mouth and hope the sting on my tongue doesn’t last. “From what I’ve heard, Lucian’s a good guy. What do we have to prove? It’s no secret that the Crushers have one of the worst team records in the league. The question iswhy.”

I roll my shoulder to stretch out the ache that’s settled there.

Vale narrows his eyes. “Your shoulder hurting again?”

I shrug. “What doesn’t hurt these days?”

“I thought you’d be over that injury by now.” Vale frowns in concern.

“Me too,” I chuckle, trying not to act worried. “I’ll have the trainer tape me up for games. It’ll be okay.”

Vale tilts his head. “And if it isn’t?”

I drag my hand through my hair. “Then I play through the pain.” I walk out of the coffee shop ahead of him.

Vale tags at my heels. “Brax, you can’t play in pain all season.”

“Never stopped me before,” I say, crawling into the driver’s seat. “Hockey is a lot like dating. You take a chance even when you don’t know how things will turn out.”

A face flashes through my mind from last New Year’s. Black waves falling across her shoulders, impossibly dark eyes. Her laugh was like a glass of champagne, bubbly and shimmering with light.Man, I miss it.

I took a chance on her back then, and look where it got me. Longing for something I can’t have. Kind of like this shoulder pain. Some aches just don’t go away.

Vale stares at me as I back out the jeep. “You don’t think Coach will notice? Or the team?”

“I’m not planning on telling anyone. Which means you can’t let it slip either. I’m not letting anyone baby me because I’m injured.”

Vale stares at me for a second before muttering under his breath. “Next time I see Felipe on the ice, he is going to pay.”

“You willnot.” I glare at him.

“The dude hates you,” Vale reminds me, as if I don’t already know. “He injured you in a game, and now you’re still dealing with the fallout.”

Vale only knows half of it. He’s done way worse than body-checking me in a game. “We’ll deal with Felipe the way we do everyone: by beating him on the ice. I won’t see him until mid-season, anyway.”

“You’re seriously not going to let me tell the team?” Vale looks at me like I’m crazy.

“I don’t need you or anyone else getting thrown out of a game. Leave Felipe to me.” But even as I say it, I know Vale would have my back, no matter what. “We need to focus on other things. Like how to win over a new team who might not be thrilled we’re here.”

We drive through town and notice a string of quaint shops and restaurants boasting home-cooked food orbest breakfast in town. Snaking through a charming neighborhood on the outskirts of town, I pull up to the address Lucian sent for the house. A wooden sign above the porch swing shows that we’re at the right place:Rose & Thorn.

Vale nods toward the sign. “Who do you think the rose is and who is the thorn?”

“We’re the thorn,” I say, studying our new place. “Renters always are.”

The house is a classic white farmhouse that’s been built off the ground to avoid flooding during hurricanes. The wraparound porch is inviting, but from the looks of it, it’s pretty old. The porch railing has some broken slats, and the paint is peeling in a few places, but it’s got boatloads of character that you only find in old homes.

Vale lifts an eyebrow. “I hope these women know what they’re in for.”

“If they don’t, they will soon,” I mutter as I look over the white, two-story house with the wraparound porch and aFor Rentsign on the door. “Lucian said two other guys from the team will move in later. He wants to make sure all four of us are settled in.”

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