Page 104 of Trade Deadline

Alex

It sucks your schedule is so grueling.

Blaine

Would you like to adopt them all with me when I retire?

Alex

That sounds like an amazing plan <3

“Hey, bud. You got a sec?”Ethan's voice startles me.

I look up from my phone and nod. “Yeah, what's up?”

We introduced Boomer to the rest of the team, and now he’s flat out asleep on the couch in Coach’s office, worn out from all the excitement, and I’m lazing on the couch in the team lounge after finishing up a session with Joe.

“I thought we could have a chat with Colleen about your idea for the bakery.”

“Oh, okay, sounds good,” I say, following Ethan up the stairs to where the offices are located.

“Hey Colleen, are you free for a quick chat?” he asks.

“Of course, come on in!” she says cheerfully.

Following Ethan into her office, I take a seat in one of the black leather chairs in front of her desk and twist my hands in my lap.

Why am I nervous?

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” She smiles.

Ethan gets straight down to business. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Blaine has been dating Alex for some time now, and unfortunately, he’s having a rough time… financially. You know how it sometimes goes for new start-up businesses…”

Colleen goes to open her mouth, but Ethan holds his hand up to stop her. “And before you ask, no, I don’t believe Alex is only dating Blaine for his money, because he’s declined Blaine’s offer to help multiple times.”

Colleen looks over to me, her smile laced with sadness.

“So, Blaine came to me, asking whether there was something we could do to help. I know you’re always trying to come up with new, fun video ideas and thought maybe this could be a good opportunity to inadvertently help Alex and his brother out while making content for the team.”

“They have a bakery in Lincoln Park. I thought maybe we could do something involving baking for the team’s channel?” I suggest.

Ethan reaches into his pocket and retrieves his phone, tapping away on the screen before handing it over to Colleen. “This is it. It’s pretty small, so it would probably only hold maybe six of us, seven at most, but it’s possible.”

Her eyes light up as she takes his phone for a closer look, and then, after a beat, she claps her hands with an excitable squeal. She finds a pen and begins writing frantically in her notebook.

“We could do a Thunder bake off.” She taps her pen on her pad, gnawing on the side of her nail. “You know, this is kinda spooky, as I’ve been binge watching The Great British Baking Show and wondered if we could do something similar.”

I laugh. “I wouldn’t have the first clue on where to start.”

“That’s the whole point!” Colleen throws her hands out. “But no actual baking. I think that might just be asking for disaster to happen, but decorating is safe. I can’t imagine you being delicate with those big mits, so it’d still provide endless entertainment.”

“Great. Will you see this through?” Ethan asks.

Colleen nods. “Of course, leave it with me. I’ll pay them a visit, but don’t mention it to Alex or his brother until I’ve gotten the green light from the powers above. I’d hate to get his hopes up for nothing.”

I nod, unable to stop the wide grin from appearing on my face. “No worries; thanks for your help, both of you.” I look at Ethan. “It really means a lot.”

Thirty-Three

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