Page 150 of Cheap Shot

And what about O’Neill’s Pub being up for sale? Clearly, Liam wasn’t hunting for a buyer right this second, but would he be willing to wait two whole years?

The more Luke thought about owning not just a bar, but the place where he and the team had gathered for decades … the more right it felt. All his spare time lately had been spent with Sebastian or reworking his business plan and tailoring it to the idea of buying O’Neill’s.

He could picture flipping the sign on the old wooden door fromclosedtoopenevery day. He could imagine expanding the kitchen a little to offer more than the basic fried snacks that Liam had. Luke could see himself offering good, hearty food—nothing fancy, but the kind of stuff that would draw people in for more than just the great atmosphere and drinks.

He’d be behind the bar, nodding as his former teammates came in, laughing and joking around with them as he made drinks.

Luke could even picture Sebastian ducking in the door after work.

Coaxing Sebastian to take a seat on a stool by the bar, then sliding a dish of something delicious across the bar top to him. He could imagine Sebastian leaning over to give him a quick kiss hello and the way Tanner and the other guys would chirp him about it.

And … he wanted that. He wanted all it so much it took him by surprise.

The question was, did he want it more than he wanted to keep playing hockey?

“Give me a year,” Luke said roughly, glancing up at Gavin again. “If you’re willing, let me see how I feel at the end of this postseason and where my body and the team are at and I’ll decide if I want to sign for one more year.”

Gavin frowned. “Are you still hoping for two? Because I still can’t think of a scenario where I’d be able to offer you that …”

Luke shook his head and took a deep breath as he realized what choice he needed to make. “No. I get why you can’t offer me that. But let me see how I feel and how the team does. If we somehow manage to pull it off”—Luke knocked on Gavin’s wooden desk at eventemptingthe hockey gods by thinking about a Cup win—“I may be ready for retirement. If not, I’ll probably ask for one more year.”

Surprise crossed Gavin’s face. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“It helps knowing your reasoning for not giving me two years,” Luke admitted. “And lately … well, I’ve been starting to think about what I might do after hockey.”

“It’s great that you’re thinking about the future. Too many guys my age didn’t,” Gavin said with a smile. He wiped his fingers on a napkin, then held out a hand. “You have a deal. Tell Mac what we discussed, and we’ll revisit this in the off-season once we see where the team is at.”

Luke shook, another of the tight bands that had felt like they were strangling the air from his lungs falling away.

It was starting to feel like he might just have some kind of life after hockey.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

“Could you watch Harper tomorrow?”

Sebastian pinched the phone between his ear and his shoulder and kept fiddling with the bouquet he was working on.

“Sure,” he told his sister. “Anything in particular going on?”

“Just work stuff. There’s rumors that Jayco will be visiting soon and the higher-ups want everyone there in person.”

Jayco? he thought, momentarily perplexed.Oh, JCAHO.The joint commission that evaluated hospitals’ safety and performance standards and ultimately gave them accreditation was something that always seemed to stress out Brie’s bosses and, thus, Brie every time they rolled around.

Their visits were supposed to be unannounced, but someone always seemed to get a heads-up about it. For a few days, everyone would be on high alert and doing their best to make sure everything appeared perfect.

“Yeah, I should be able to watch Harper tomorrow,” Sebastian said. “She has PT in the afternoon, right?”

They had a shared calendar that he tried to stay on top of.

“Yes. That would begreat,” Brie said with a relieved sigh. “I really appreciate it. Could I ask for one more thing though?”

“Sure. I’ll probably even say yes,” Sebastian teased. “What’s up?”

“Krista invited me out for a dinner and drinks tomorrow evening. Could you keep Harper until I get back from that?”

“Uhh, how late?” Sebastian asked, wincing. “I had plans.”

“Let me guess?” Brie said drily. “You have a hookup planned.”