Page 25 of Shootout
“What?” My brother’s shock vibrated through the air all the way from Portland to Seattle. “I have to hear the deets on this.”
I told him the entire thing, starting with Jessie and me competing for rink time, rolling on the floor in the shower together, and being caught. And ending with Jessie using me to prove a point to Wild to digging ourselves deeper by not admitting the truth. I left out the make-out session last night and the aborted attempt at a hotel room. My brother knew me and most likely filled in those blanks, imagining things far more intimate than they were.
“Jason Wilder’s sister. You sure know how to pick ’em, bro. He despises your fucking guts.”
“I don’t know how to get out of this.” Or if I even wanted to get out of it.
“You’d better find a way and fast.”
“If we tell him we were faking it, then he’s going to think I took advantage of her in the showers. He’ll never believe nothing really happened, and it was all a misfortunate accident.”
“And hilariously funny.” Braden snorted with laughter he’d obviously been holding in during the retelling of my woes.
“To everyone but Wild, Jessie, and me.”
“You’re playing with fire. I don’t see how this’ll end well for you.”
“It’s even worse than that.”
“How can it be worse than what you’ve already told me?”
“There’s something about her.” I came clean with Braden and held my breath, waiting for his response. He was quiet for a very long time. I’d probably shocked the hell out of him with my surprising admission.
“There’s something about her?” he repeated. “Like she’ll get you killed or end your hockey career?”
“Maybe.”
“You aren’t falling for her, are you? You never fall for a woman. You’re the love ’em and leave ’em type.”
I fell silent, not knowing how to explain my feelings when I was even more confused than my twin.
“Banks? You’re serious, aren’t you?”
I could imagine the incredulous look on my brother’s face.
“Crazy, right? I’ve only known her a few days. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m attracted to her because she doesn’t fall for my bullshit and grovel at my feet. Not to mention, she has a fucking wicked slap shot.”
“It has to be the slap shot,” Braden joked before continuing. His tone had a lecturing quality that reminded me of our father. “Listen, Banks, there are plenty of fish in the sea, and I’m quoting you on that. You don’t need this one and the problems that she brings. Walk away now before you really are doing the things Wild suspects you’re doing.”
“What if I am?”
“Are you?”
“Came close.”
“She’s not worth it. I don’t care who she is. You have to concentrate on your career and winning over your teammates, not causing more conflict, and she’s conflict in an A-bomb.”
He was right, and I knew it, but I didn’t like it. “We’ve talked about telling him we broke up but haven’t done it yet. That shower incident complicates everything.”
“Tell him.”
“Jessie wants to be the one.”
“Why? He’d respect you more if you walked up to him and said for the good of the team and your careers, the two of you have decided to end it. Do it before he finds out it was all a prank and he thinks you took advantage of his sister. You’ll never be on his good side if he’s humiliated by you. That’s as bad as dating his sister. Don’t you know about the bro code?”
“I fucking do. I’m not really dating her. Remember? She used me to get even with him. I was an innocent bystander.”
“Since when are you ever an innocent bystander?” My brother scoffed, not believing a word I’d said. He might be right. From the second I met Jessie, there’d been something different about her. At first, I thought it was the skating aspect, but later I knew it went beyond that. Regardless, there were plenty of other women in Seattle who wouldn’t cause issues with my teammates if I hooked up with them. Hooking up is all I’d ever done the majority of my adult life. I’d had a few girlfriends here and there, but none lasted more than a few months before I was bored. I craved variety and excitement. A steady girlfriend offered neither. I’d hurt Jessie in the long run and alienate my teammates further. I’d been in the locker room long enough to observe that Wild was a popular guy among the Sockeyes, and he had their loyalty, not some newcomer who’d fucked up their chances in last year’s playoffs and ended the career of one of their alternate captains.
