Page 10 of Any Second Now
A vision of Barrett Steele forms in my head.
Basically a kid—maybe twenty-five years old—playing for Utah in the western conference, which is where we are.
“We did. The Blizzard.”
It takes a second for the Aussie’s words to sink in.
Barrett fucking Steele is the one responsible for my groin injury.
I growl at the memory of wanting to kick his ass when I limped off the ice. The game—and the season—was over for me.
“No fucking way.”
“Yeah. They must have paid boatloads for him.” Lachlan lets out a huff and looks up at me. “I wouldn’t worry, though.”
“Why the fuck would I worry?”
“Because he’s first line in Utah? And plays your position?”
My position. Right wing.
“Fuck that.” I shrug and stretch my arms out, but my stomach does a twist that I don’t particularly enjoy.
“I’d be more worried about you and him fighting.” I’m trying way too hard to look casual and unbothered. When I am, in fact, bothered.
“Nah. I only pick fights with the other team.” Lachlan gives me a pitying look. “He won’t be a bad player to have on our side, right?” Lachlan tosses his phone on the bench and picks the free weights back up.
“Can we stop talking about Barrett Steele?”
“Fine. What are you doing tonight?”
“I thought we’d get drinks?” I stand and pick out weights, pushing all thoughts of Barrett Steele out of my head, replaced by the fact that I have nothing to do on my thirtieth birthday.
Pathetic.
“Ah, damn, Atter. I’m going with Melissa to some barbecue.Sorry.” Lachlan sets the weights back down and pulls his arm across his body.
“So you fuck me over and cancel our travel plans this summer, and then can’t even have drinks on my birthday?” I glare at him and he chuckles, but I’m not kidding. He’s been so wrapped up in the woman he started dating a month ago. It’s destined for failure. They’re just too different.
“I’m happy, mate. I think she’s the one.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my wingman?” I scoff.
Lachlan and I are cut out of the same cloth. Or at least I thought we were. We’re the players. The flirts. The fun guys at the bar. Neither of us ever date for real. We just focus on hockey and fun, which includes casually hooking up with women when we feel like it. Especially when traveling with the team, so we can get on the plane and not have to worry about running into them at Deep Roots Cafe or A Good Book or anywhere else around Fort Collins. I almost always follow that rule.
But Lachlan fucked that all up when he started dating a college professor in town.
Now he’s obsessed.
To me, there’s only one way this ends: in disaster. She’ll dump him when she realizes how different they are and the thrill of dating a Blizzard player wears off. She’s got him completely under her control and he’s in way deeper than she is. He cancelled our summer plans to travel in Europe so he could stay close to her, but she cancels plans with him all the time. He’s desperately in love, she’s casually interested.
Between Lachlan being otherwise occupied, my injury, Kellen traveling with my sister, and Harley—my other close friend on the team—back in Maine with his long-term girlfriend, it’s a weird summer.
And now I have a new thing to stress about—Barrett fucking Steele.
“How about tomorrow? Black Diamond? Seven o’clock?” Lach shoves his blond curls off his forehead. Melissa even made him cut his hair. Before her, he had a blond curly man bun we’d mercilessly make fun of him for. Now his hair is above his ears. It’s like he’s trying to get an office job. Shudder.
“Yeah, sure.”
