Page 6 of Rainbow Kisses

Dad just shrugged. “We’ll make it work. I’m sure you’ll figure out something.”

My mouth dropped open again, and my brain replayed his words on a loop.You’ll figure it out.

“Dad—”

“Rain,” Rowdy’s quiet voice cut in, and my gaze shot to him. “Put me on the DL.”

Brian’s head whipped around to Rowdy. “Wait, no. That’s not what we agreed to.”

I’d been no slouch in college. I’d graduated cum laude. And while most people thought I was a spoiled brat who should keep my mouth closed a little more than I did, I knew when to actually do it.

Brian and Rowdy went back years, to college. Brian had joined the Devils a year before Rowdy, and they’d played together for a year before Brian moved to Anderstown for his third year. I’d never learned why Brian had left the Devils, but I knew it had something to do with Rebel. Who had never breathed a word of it to anyone. At least, not to me.

“What exactlydidyou agree to?”

I asked because I was too curious not to. And yeah, it was because I’d had a secret crush on Brian from the first moment he joined the team.

I’d been a senior in high school, working at the arena in the concession stand, because my parents believed it built character to work from the ground up. Of course, they were absolutely right, but I’d bitched because I was seventeen.

Truth was I’d loved being at the arena. Still did. It was my second home, just above my actual home and Crack One Open, the local coffeehouse/radio station/weekly newspaper, where I helped out my friend Erin occasionally.

I’d been at the arena the day Brian had walked in to sign his contract. He was a year older than Rowdy, whom he’d met at Penn State, where they’d both played for the college team.

It’d been August, my senior year about to start, and I’d been in Dad’s office, helping him with his computer, which he always seemed to screw up somehow. Brian and Rowdy had walked in, Rowdy’s mouth going a mile a minute about something and Brian just nodding his head, his lips curved in a half grin.

The bottom had dropped out of my stomach, kinda like it’d done just now, and I’d realized what lust at first sight meant. I was seventeen, and while I wasn’t exactly boy-crazy, I liked guys.Mainly older guys who played hockey and would never give me a second look because they were scared off by my older brothers or my dad, or all three. I’d managed to date a few adventurous local boys, but I knew I was going to college in a year, so I hadn’t been looking for a steady boyfriend.

But I took one look at Brian and thought, “Gimme.” The fact that he’d never done anything other than smile at me and make sure there was always five feet between us still pissed me off.

He’d been older. And quiet, which wasn’t normal for the players who made this league their home. He and Rowdy had been complete opposites, which was probably why they’d been such good friends, along with Rebel. At first. When Brian had left for Anderstown after several years with the Devils, Rowdy had been visibly depressed, something that rarely happened.

But Rebel had been glad to see him go. And I’d never found out why.

Now, Brian and Rowdy exchanged a look, communicating without words. After a few seconds, Rowdy’s brows rose, and Brian sighed.

I knew that sigh. I gave it a lot. Rowdy had won this round of whatever the hell was going on.

When Brian turned to look at me, I honestly thought my knees would give out. That secret crush I’d been nursing for years rushed back with a vengeance, making my blood heat and various parts of my body tingle. He’d always been kind to me, the younger sister of his best friend. And I knew how cliché it sounded, that I’d held on to this crush for a damn long time. But when he looked at me with those beautiful eyes that hid secrets, all I wanted to do was fix whatever he needed fixing.

And I could. I could fix whatever problem he had. He just needed to let me. Everyone let me.

After another couple of seconds, he finally cracked. His gaze dropped to the table. “My sister’s enrolled in a…program for thenext few months, and I have custody of my niece until she’s finished. I couldn’t think of anywhere safer for Maddy than here. I want Maddy to be around people I trust. A place where I know she’ll be safe after school when I’ve got a game or practice. I need to?—”

“Sure. I can make this work. No problem.”

The words were out of my mouth before I realized I was going to say them, but that was okay because I meant every one of them. My brain had already started to work over solutions. Because that’s what I did. I fixed things. And if I couldn’t fix it… Well, I just didn’t have all the facts, and when I did, I would fix it.

From the look on Brian’s face, he didn’t like needing help. I got it. Men hated to ask for help. Especially professional athletes who thought they could handle everything. But I knew, because I’d been an off-ice member of this team for six years, that most of these guys wouldn’t be able to fill out the paperwork needed to join the Devils without me.

Now, I wasn’t saying these men were stupid. I’m just saying some of them didn’t have the smarts god gave a squirrel. Nice guys, but geez, some of them would never be able to comprehend the inner workings of a contract, and in our league, most of the guys did not have an agent looking out for them. They had me.

I didnotcount Brian among those guys. The man had a brain, and a sharp one. He’d been a math major, if I remembered correctly. He’d talked about teaching at some point. High school, I think. But he’d loved hockey more.

Until he’d punched out his former captain and left the league last year. And it’d been my fault. Because I’d been stupid enough to date the asshole.

“I don’t want any special treatment.”

Of course he didn’t. That wasn’t the kind of guy he was.

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