Page 17 of Behind the Net

I watch her for any sign that she doesn’t want to do this, any fear or repulsion. But instead, she lets out a long breath and her face relaxes like she’s relieved.

My heart lifts.

The corner of her mouth curves up, and her eyes soften. “Okay.” She nods. “Thank you, Jamie.”

Something sparks down my spine. I like the way she says my name, sweet like that. I like the way she’s looking at me right now, like she likes me.

I jerk a nod at her and stand up.

“Tomorrow,” I repeat.

She nods, wiping her smeared mascara off. “Tomorrow.”

As I head upstairs, my pulse races like I’m in the middle of a game. I just threw a wrench into the well-oiled machine that is my life. Pippa is intoxicatingly pretty, and around her, my mind blanks, but I feel a twinge of excited anticipation that I haven’t experienced in a long time.

CHAPTER10

JAMIE

That evening,just before sunset, I park in the driveway of a suburban home in North Vancouver, bag of Greek food sitting in the passenger seat. There’s an informal dinner for the players tonight, a get-to-know-you type of thing for the new guys, but I ignored the invite. From the back seat, Daisy wags her tail, curious and excited. I take a deep breath.

I can’t fucking believe I told Pippa to move in with me. With her watching the dog, though, I’ll have lots of time to keep an eye on my mom.

From the back seat, Daisy leans her head on my shoulder, sniffing me, and I send her a side-long glance. A weird feeling grows in my chest.

Am I… starting to like this dog? I frown at her, and she pants and wags her tail. I snort.

“Come on.” I get out of the car, let Daisy out, and walk up to the small home.

The house is modest—firmly middle class. I tried to buy my mom something bigger when I went pro, but she refused. She said she didn’t want to leave the neighborhood she’d lived in for years. That she liked the neighbors and didn’t want to make new friends.

As I near the front door, movement on the roof catches my eye and my heart stops.

My mom is on the roof, wearing thick gardening gloves. She waves with a big smile. “Hi, honey.”

Blood beats in my ears. She can’t be up there. My mind races, picturing her having a panic attack up on the roof, slipping and falling, cracking her head open on the pavement.

“What are you doing up there?” I demand. Daisy barks up at my mom, wagging her tail.

My mom grins wide at me. “Cleaning the gutters.”

“Get down. Now.” I’m using my firmest voice. “It’s getting dark out.”

“I can see just fine. I’m just finishing up, anyway.” She chuckles and drops a fistful of leaves on me. They flutter down to my feet, and Daisy jumps and tries to bite one.

“Jamie, honey? Whose dog is that?”

I raise an eyebrow at Daisy, who’s sitting with her tail sweeping back and forth on the pavement. The corner of my mouth twitches as her eyes widen. She thinks she’s getting a treat.

Maybe a little part of me is starting to like this dog.

“Mine,” I tell my mom. “I got a dog.”

My mom lights up, clapping. “You did? Oh, Jamie, that’s great. That’s exactly what you need.”

“Can you please get down?” I’m feeling twitchy with her up on the roof, so high. “I’ll hire someone to do this.”

“Stop treating me like a child. I’m not incapable of living my life.”

---