Page 24 of Cade

Ethan gets a look on his face that tells me he’s pissed the fuck off but has an idea. “So, two things. First is we increase security. We also need to let the local police know. There are threats in this letter, and I know there’s not much they can do right now, but they need to be aware of what is going on. This person could escalate quickly if they perceive that they’re either about to win you over or lose you forever.” Coach is nodding along with the plan so far, and I have to admit that it’s probably the smart thing to do to let the cops know. Although if I knew who this person was, I might be tempted to see if my future fathers-in-law and their club could help, but I’ve got fuck all when it comes to who it might be.

I nod my agreement with Ethan’s plan, and he gives me a grin. “Now for the second part. I was already thinking about this, butgiven you don’t want our girl home alone, I’m prepared to send both of you on this trip.”

“What trip are you talkin’ about?”

Ethan looks at Coach, then back at me. “It’s no secret that I’m thinking outside the box about things with this organization, and I plan to continue. There’s a high school tournament in Vegas starting in a couple of days. Several players show some real talent. I’d like you to go and check them out. I want players who have talent but also have the work ethic that we need and the ability to work well on a team. Being focused on being a star rarely works out that well in the end. Why don’t you bring Hanna with you? The tournament isn’t far from the strip, and you guys can make a long weekend out of it.”

“You want me to be a scout?” I never even thought about doing that.

Ethan and Coach both nod, with Coach answering me. “Yeah, we do. You coach high school right now. I know it’s not rugby you coach, but your talent and your eye aren’t something that can really be taught. I see how you work with the guys on the team, and I’ve gone to a couple of the football games you’ve coached. You don’t promote one superstar player. You promote each player to be the best they can be and find the position where they’re most naturally talented. That’s a gift. We wanna see whatyou observe compared to the notes we already have from the scouts who’ve already gone and watched most of the players.”

Ethan also adds to Coach’s points. “Also, none of the parents will know you’re a scout, so they won’t try to kiss your ass a shit ton. Some of the players might recognize you, but you can tell them you were out there for a weekend and decided to drop by and watch them. It’s not totally unbelievable.” I know Hanna would have a good time, and she’s never been to Vegas.

I nod. “Yeah, okay, I’ll do it.” Coach nods and smacks my arm.

“Good deal. Now, I’m gonna go grab one of those premade meals our new caterer brought. Heard it’s some kind of beef stir-fry. Sounds a helluva lot better than what I have at home.” He looks disgusted, and I chuckle.

“That bad?” He looks at me and shudders.

“I love her, but my girl isnota cook. She attempted to make meatloaf last night. I think she literally made a ball of ground turkey and cooked it. No salt, no pepper, no flavor. She couldn’t even at least give me ground beef. It ain’t healthy if I can’t eat it.”

Ethan chuckles as Coach walks off. “The caterer is the same as the one I use for events at the lodge. She only uses beef from Wayne Farms, so it’s excellent quality and tastes the best.” He looks over at me and quickly changes the subject.

“Now that we got it sorted that you’re going to Vegas for us, I’ve got an idea of something I want to do that has nothing really to do with the team, but everything to do with your girl who’s quickly becoming a good friend to me.”

What could he be thinking? “What’s your idea?” He sighs and leans against the doorway, putting his hand in his pocket to take out his phone before he answers.

“You know I asked her to help me come up with some ideas to make our stadium more adaptable to those with different abilities and challenges?” I nod because she’s mentioned it to me a couple of times. Ethan continues explaining his train of thought. “Well, she’s already come up with a few really great ideas that are pretty simple to implement, and a couple that I would have never thought of that are in the works for next season. The problem is she won’t let me pay her for her time. She says she’s happy to help, and that as someone who needs adaptive options daily, this is just her way of giving back. Well, I did a little research myself, and I kinda thought about doing something for her, but I wanted to run it by you first.”

I know I’ve researched a lot of shit since I met Hanna, along with listening to her family about things she needs or might need in the future, so I’m not sure what direction he’s going in till he swipes his phone and shows me a picture.

“I want to get her a service dog, specifically a seeing-eye dog.Thisdog specifically.” He shows me a picture of a golden retriever. “She wouldn’t have to go away to a school for weeks to learn either. I’ve contacted them, and they’re only a couple of hours from here and agreed to come and train here and at your place. He’s available in a week and a half.”

I look at Ethan, struggling to find the words. I know the cost is usually in the training and that people usually have to go to a training facility for several weeks to learn to work with their dog. “I mean…them coming to us…that can’t be cheap at all, and to find one close and that’s already just about ready? I know that has to add a lot to the cost. Neither she nor I have that kind of capital—” Ethan waves his hand and shakes his head to stop me.

“I’m not saying this to give you the opportunity to buy it.Iwant to get it for her as payment, and a thank you for all her work and suggestions she’s given me. With her help, I plan for the Axeman stadium to be the most accommodating sports arena in the league, hell, in the country. I see it as a way to say thank you to someone who didn’t ask for thanks and would’ve kept helping me as long as I asked her with nothing in return. It’s not often in my life that I’ve come across someone as kind and generous with her time like that. This is my small way of saying thank you. Plus, it gives her help when I send you out of town on road trips.”

I look at him. “I don’t have words. That’s beyond generous of you. I was looking into it since I know her sight is getting worse every day, but I was worried about the cost and about her having to be gone so long. You…just…just thank you.” Ethan shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders as he moves off the wall.

“Money is easy to come by, and I can always make more. People like your girl, Hanna, that’s a rarity. Someone so kind, funny, strong, and compassionate… that’s something our world needs more of. No matter what your future holds in this sport, I’d like to believe I’ve made a friend for life in her. That’s something I hold dear to my heart. This is just a small gesture of thanks. Now, off you go to coach the young folk or whatever it is you’ve got planned for today. Tell my friend to pack her bags and get ready for Vegas. I’ll let you know which day I’ll bring the puppy by. Mum's the word till then.”

Well then, I guess it’s Viva Las Vegas.

Hanna

We got to Vegas last night, and today we’ve watched three rugby matches with one more to go. I love watching them with Cade. He explains everything to me and sees things about the guys and the moves they make that I don’t think anyone else notices. He’s got a serious talent for it.

We’ve got plans tonight to go out to a fancy dinner. Cade claims it will be almost our first real date at a fancy restaurant. I think after we’ve moved in together you can hardly call it a first date, but it is the first time we’re gonna get all fancied up. I got a pretty dress and everything. Emma and Amy claimed it was the perfect dress for a night out in Vegas.

Ethan got us a beautiful room with a magnificent view of the strip. Well, the blurry, sparkly lights are pretty. I’ll take Cade’s word for it that it’s stunning. He leans into me and kisses my temple. “I think we can just watch the first half of this one. Both these teams are playing tomorrow, so we can get a good look at them between the two matches. I want us to have plenty of time to go back to the room and take our time to get ready for dinner.” I look up to him and smile.

“I’m along for the ride with you this weekend. Where you go, I go.”

We make it back to our room in plenty of time to get ready. We both shower, and I’m in the bathroom doing my hair and using the lighted magnifying mirror that Mom found for travel to help as I put on my makeup. I curl my hair into loose curls and let them cascade down my back, a very different look than my normal messy bun.

I slip into the dress, and it hugs my curves. It’s not something I normally wear, but both Emma and Amy swear it looks great on me. We might have made a last-minute shopping trip when Cade told me about this trip. He mentioned going out for a nice dinner, and I realized I didn’t own a single fancy dress. Well, unless you count my prom dress from high school.

I decided it’s likely I won’t get to Vegas again in my lifetime, so it was worth splurging on a dress. I love that it’s a deep sapphire color. It’s my favorite color, mainly because I can still see it, but it also reminds me of the summer sky at dusk and watching the stars as a kid. I can’t do that anymore, but the memories are clear.