Page 35 of For the Captain
She recognized the shoulder patch on a blue jersey hanging in his closet, obviously a remnant of his minor league hockey stint in Lansing. Charlotte figured he wouldn't mind. He seemed to enjoy when she wore his jerseys. Although this time, she would have to find something to wear underneath. Jordan shared the house with his brother, and she didn't think he would be particularly pleased if she walked into the kitchen like that with Ethan sitting there eating breakfast. Luckily, he left a pair of workout pants with the Pirates logo within reach.
Padding down the stairs in her bare feet, she smiled when she saw the empty mug on his counter waiting for her.
"Morning," she said, pouring herself a warm cup and scooping a spoonful of sugar into it.
"Hello and goodbye," Ethan said as he put his coffee mug in the sink before offering his hand to Charlotte. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
"You're not going to stay and eat with us?"
Ethan looked over wearily at his brother, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his eyes staring at his phone. "I don't think that one is good company right now."
He gave her a warm smile before grabbing a messenger bag from the counter and heading out the door.
Jordan, however, couldn't even be bothered to say anything. Ethan had been right. Something was definitely up with him. Charlotte was expecting a warm smile and a husky response from Jordan's half-awake voice. Today, the only response she got was a ding from Jordan's phone, letting him know he had a text message. And then another ding. And another. He quickly typed up a response in return and tossed it unceremoniously on the table.
Charlotte walked over and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, making him jump in surprise. "Hey," he said with a weak smile. Then he blatantly let his eyes wander down her body before his phone bleated at him again.
"You OK?"
"Yeah." Jordan scowled as he checked his phone again while nervously tapping his pen on the almost empty crossword puzzle in front of him.
Charlotte put her hand on his knee, stopping his leg from the jittery jackhammer moves it was making. "Jordan?"
He looked up at her with his tired blue eyes and gave her a weak smile. "Sorry. The trade deadline is today and I'm a little distracted."
She pulled her hand back and grabbed her coffee to take a sip. "How much of the crossword have you finished?"
"I got three answers so far."
"How long have you been up?"
Jordan gave her a sheepish look. "An hour."
"I would say that's more than a little distracted," she said with a teasing smile just as his phone buzzed again.
He checked it, typed out something with a little bit more force than usual, and threw it back down again.
She gave him a worried look over the rim of her coffee cup. "So what are the texts about?"
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Some guys are worried they're going to get traded. Others are freaking out about who we'll face with players switching teams. Then what are our chances of winning the championship if this team gets the defenseman they need or that team gets the goalie we hate. Then it starts all over again." His phone buzzed again and he ran his hand over his face in frustration. "I didn't have to worry about this when I wasn't the captain."
Charlotte put her hand over his for a brief moment. "Just take a breath for a second and drink some coffee. The phone will still be there."
He did as he was told, and she could immediately see the calming effect the drink had on him — until his phone buzzed again.
"Sorry, Charlotte."
He ducked his head and reached for it, frantically reading and typing and reading and typing.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
"More coffee," he said, sticking his empty mug out without looking up at her. "And did Ethan leave any bagels? I didn't have a chance to check yet."
"Let me see what I can do for you."
Charlotte was more than happy to wait on him like a domestic goddess, if only to show in some small way that she was there if he needed anything. She had never seen him like this. He was so laid back and cool and in control. He always had a way around her. Well, many ways around her if she was being honest. It didn't take much to make him happy, and Charlotte was learning exactly how to do that.
She turned back to see him picking up his phone, a scowl clearly visible on his face. "Dammit."
