Page 82 of Rainbow Kisses

Reb blew out a breath and rolled his eyes to look at the ceiling, while Rocky leaned forward, his gaze narrowing.

“Why?” Rocky asked. “Is there something specific you don’t like about the terms?”

I glanced at Rowdy then back to Rebel. “It’s not the terms of the contract. I think it’s everything that’s not in the contract. Financial concerns we need to consider. And I think it’ll change the entire culture we’ve built here, not to mention what it will do to our league. And…some of our guys won’t make an ECHL team.”

“Sounds like you’re selling our guys short.” Rebel’s voice held an edge that put my back up.

“That’s not true. I’m just saying our league is built differently than the ECHL. Not better. Just different. Dad and the other owners have created something here to be proud of. And bigger isn’t always better.”

Rebel stared at me for a few long seconds. “True, but I still think most of our guys would make the cut.”

“And what about the ones who don’t?” Frustration started to bubble up and I had to work to shove it down. It wouldn’t help. “Wellar and Denny? We give guys like them a home in the game. They feel safe here. We give guys like Bonesaw and Brian a second chance.”

“Is that a good enough reason to turn down what could be a one-time offer?” Rebel stared at me, his eyes narrowed and his expression tense. “To stifle everyone because of a couple of players?”

Did he know about Brian and me? At that moment, I swore he did. But now definitely wasn’t the time to address that.

“There’s also the financial concerns.”

“The team makes money, right?” Looking between Rebel and me, Rocky ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. The damn kid had prettier hair than I did. “I mean, the ECHL wouldn’t have wanted us if we didn’t make money, right?”

“True,” I nodded, “but we’d also be putting out more money than we are now. We might get more butts in seats, but it also means more concession workers, more food, more maintenance, and that’s just the start of the list. I know this seems like a great opportunity, but I don’t think it’s the right one at this time. We’ve got to look at staffing concerns. Can we hire enough staff to handle bigger crowds? We have trouble hiring enough people to maintain the place now.”

Rebel and Rocky exchanged a look, as if asking each other if they’d known that. I didn’t want to be snarky and tell them they didn’t know because they didn’t give a shit. But they didn’t. Rebel had made it clear he just wanted to play. He left the running of the team and the arena to Rowdy and me. Rocky got a pass because he was still in school.

“Why didn’t I know about this?” Rocky said.

Rebel actually answered before I could.

“Because we didn’t ask.”

“Hey, we’re not playing a blame game.” Rowdy put his hands up like he was negotiating a treaty. “We’ve all had our roles to play. What we need to figure out now is how to move forward.”

I looked at Rowdy, knowing that if he voted with our brothers, I would go along with their decision. Not because they would steamroll me, but because I wouldn’t be the one to tank this deal if they wanted it. And then I’d do my damnedest to make sure it worked.

Rebel and Rocky turned their attention to our oldest brother, as well. Rowdy looked at each of us in turn, his expression serious. He looked like a grown-ass adult. Impressive.

“Guess it’s a good thing I made pulled pork for lunch because we’ve got more talking to do.” He shot me a glance. “I’m with Rainy on this. I think there’s more to consider than just the prestige of moving up a league.”

Holy shit. I honestly hadn’t expected him to say that. My mouth hung open for a couple of seconds before I snapped it shut.

“Then I guess you should know.” Rebel sighed and dropped an atom bomb. “I got a player tryout offer from the Redtails a couple days ago.”

I drove homefrom Rowdy’s after the meeting with my brothers, still reeling from Rebel’s announcement. Happiness warred with the sense that change was coming and maybe I wasn’t equipped to deal with it.

For so long, my brothers and I had been a team. I always knew Rowdy would be here for me. And when I said “here,” I meant right here, in St. David, working for the Devils. With me.And for all the sniping Rebel and I did at each other, I thought he’d be here too.

I’d been prepared to lose Rocky, though it would hurt my heart when he moved away to work at some impressive research facility. The kid’s brain was way too smart to use in any capacity other than curing cancer or ending world hunger. Yes, he loved hockey just like the rest of us, but personally, I thought the world needed him more than we did.

But Rebel leaving hit me harder than I’d thought it would. I guess because it was a surprise I hadn’t been expecting. And when I say surprise, I mean it was a fucking heart-stopping shock.

Not because I didn’t believe he could do it but because I just didn’t think he’d everwantto leave. Maybe I didn’t know my brother as well as I thought I did.

After Rowdy and Rocky congratulated Rebel and peppered him with questions for the next ten minutes, I’d given him a hug and told him I was so happy for him, that he absolutely deserved it. Then I’d left to go home, but not before I stopped at the arena to grab a few files I’d forgotten. I walked to the window that looked out over the empty ice. In a few hours, the youth hockey club would have practice, and later tonight, the ice skating classes given by the Y would start.

The knock on my office door made me jump and gasp. I turned to see Rebel standing there.

“Hey.”

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