The sound of my phone buzzing on the side table wakes me up. Each vibration sends it skittering along the dark wooden surface. I snatch for it one-handed. I don’t even pause to read the caller ID.
“Hello,” I grunt, my voice hoarse with sleep.
“Good morning! How’s it going, Langley?” comes the way too chipper voice of Shelby O’Sullivan.
“Morning,” I reply.
“Oh, did I wake you?”
“S’fine,” I mutter. “I should be up anyway.”
On the other end of the line, she laughs. “Sounds like someone had a long night.”
Her words kickstart my brain. The events of the previous night come rushing back to me, and I almost give myself whiplash with how quickly I turn to look at the other side of the bed.
Tess is gone.
Of course she is. Did I really expect her to spend the night with me? Still, it was so nice to fall asleep to the sound of her voice, the feel of her gentle touch. I don’t like how much I’m frustrated not waking up next to her too. I’ve gotta deal with this crush before I do something truly embarrassing like beg her to hold me. Maybe Doc will let me sweat it out in a brutal PT session today.
Fuck, Shelby is still talking at me a mile a minute. She’s been talking this whole time.
“—about ten minutes out from the house, and I just thought I’d call ahead to make sure you had time to get yourself ready to open the door.”
I sit up, feeling stiff all over. “Ten minutes,” I echo.
“I’ve got all the goodies here for you, and some of them are even nutritionist-approved.”
“Sounds good.”
Outside in the hall, I hear a door shut. Tess is up and moving around. I don’t want to miss her if she’s about to leave. I jerk the blanket off me and swing my legs off the side of the bed, reaching for my crutches.
“—and Josh arranged to have Lauren Gerard come pick you up for your PT at 9:00 a.m.—”
“Yeah—hey, Shelbs,” I say, raising my voice. “I need to hop off here and go ask my roommate something really quick.”
“Oh, I’m sorry—wait—roommate? Is Mars staying at the house still? Did he move back in? Ohmygod, is something wrong between them already?”
The speed at which this woman flips from unbothered to unhinged is truly astounding. One whiff of gossip, and all the WAGs pounce like a pack of feral hyenas. It would be easy to complain, but we all know the actual players are even worse.
“No,” I say, wobbling on one foot like a drunk flamingo. “It’s not Mars, Shelbs. The Prices are fine. More than fine. They were here last night. You’ll meet her when you get here—”
“Wait—her?”
Shit.
“Ryan Langley, do you have a puck bunny in that house?”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“—can’t believe you. Don’t think I won’t tell Josh. Your first priority should be your recovery, not adding notches to your bedpost—”
“Okay, byeeee,” I say, drawing out the “e” as I hang up on her.
I tuck my phone into my pocket and swing forward on my crutches, not bothering to get a shirt. I hurry into the main room and look around. She’s not out here, but she was. The kitchen smells like fresh coffee, and there’s a few new dishes drying on the rack. Her laptop and legal pad are stacked beside a leather backpack on the table.
From back down the hall, I hear the unmistakable sound of a hair dryer and I breathe a little sigh of relief. She’s still here.
I peer into this fridge, taking note of the items Tess purchased—yogurt, salad stuff, fresh pineapple, a pack of turkey, and some cheddar cheese. What I don’t see is a pale blue pitcher of freshly brewed iced tea.
My housekeeper Yolanda knows just how I like it. She’s this awesome Cuban woman I met at the practice rink. She was one of the janitors there, and she was always so nice to me. I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, and now she works for me two days a week, stocking my fridge with the most amazing food. She makes me iced tea each week too. I don’t know what magic she puts in it, but it’s delicious—not too sweet, with just a hint of lemon.
The doorbell rings, and I close the fridge, swinging over to the front door. I see Shelby’s outline through the fogged glass. “Who is it?” I call out, just to be a dick.
“Open the door, Langley. The ice cream is melting!”
That has me on the move, twisting the bolt on the lock to let Shelby in.
She sweeps past me, her hands full of bags, big sunglasses framing her face. She’s tall and skinny, built like a volleyball player. In fact, I think she may have played in college. Her long, dark ponytail swishes as she walks.
I follow behind her, turning the corner just as she sets all her reusable shopping bags down on the counter. Immediately she turns, flicking her sunglasses up to the top of her head. “You look like shit, Ryan,” she says in greeting. “Have you even showered since the Classic?”
I just shrug. “I’ll get around to it eventually.”
She squares off at me, hands on her hips. “You’ll do it today, or I’m gonna hose you down in the front yard. Don’t think I won’t. And if you’re entertaining bunnies in here, I’ll do the sheets at the same time.”
“Nice to see you too, Shelbs.”
Remembering her manners, she sweeps forward and wraps me in a hug. “Oh—” she stiffens in my arms.
“I’m sorry,” comes Tess’s voice from behind me.
Shelby pulls away and peers around me.
I glance over my shoulder, my gaze feasting on Tess wearing curve-hugging black leggings and a cropped Ferrymen top. She’s layered it with an open fleece zip-up in a soft grey color. Her red curls frame her face, her freckles on full display.
“Well, you don’t look like a bunny,” says Shelby in greeting.
“Excuse me?” says Tess.
“You’re Doc Price’s friend.” Shelby steps around me, holding out a hand. “It’s Tess, right? Hi, I’m Shelby O’Sullivan.”
“The team captain’s wife,” Tess replies, looking at the hand but not taking it.
“‘Til death do us part,” Shelby says with a laugh, dropping her hand back to her side. “Langley here was just telling me about you. He says you’re roommates now?”
“I wasn’t,” I say, leveling my gaze at Tess. I don’t want her to think I’m gossiping about her. “I didn’t say anything about you.”
“It’s temporary,” Tess replies, her gaze still on Shelby. “I’m only in town to help Mars with his nonprofit.”
“Oh, that’s right,” says Shelby, making herself at home as she starts unloading all the groceries. “Sea turtles or something like that, right? Josh told me a bit about it.”
Tess nods. “Rachel offered me use of this place while I’m in town. Seeing as they’re all newlyweds, I thought it best I not be underfoot.”
Shelby laughs. “Yeah, I can imagine it’s a bit chaotic over there.”
“And I’m only here because of this,” I add, gesturing down at my braced knee.
“Well, then it’s kismet,” Shelby replies. “You’re welcome to any of this food by the way,” she calls over to Tess.
“I’m fine,” Tess says, moving towards the coffee maker. Her phone on the kitchen table lights up.
“Tess, your phone is ringing,” I say.
She ignores me…and the phone.
“You don’t like me,” Shelby presses, leaning her hip against the fridge, her gaze following Tess.
“Shelbs…” I say in warning.
“You don’t know me,” she goes on. “But you don’t like me.”
“I’m just having an off day,” Tess replies, closing the lid on the coffee maker. “An off decade,” she adds under her breath.
Her phone lights up again with another call.
“Tess, your phone—”
“Leave it,” she snaps at me.
“It’s fine,” Shelby says. “Most women tend not to like the WAGs. They usually have a lot of ideas about us. We’re all silly bimbos looking for a sugar daddy or we trapped our men with babies and now they’re stuck with us. Trust me, I’ve heard it all.”
“I don’t have any ideas about you, Shelby,” Tess says. “I’m just having a bad day.”
Shelby glances at the clock over the stove. “It’s barely 8:00 a.m.”
Tess slips her fresh cup of coffee out from under the drip spout and transfers it to a travel mug. “Yeah, and I’m already this level of done. So, trust me when I say that it’s not you, it’s me.”
Damn, where is the fun flirty Tess from last night? The Tess that teased me and laughed as she held my hand? What’s wrong with her? Why is she so on edge this morning? There’s something she’s not saying.
“Tess, your phone,” I say for a third time.
“Fuck’s sake, Ryan,” she cries, snatching it off the table. “If I wanted to answer it, don’t you think I would?”
A chill seeps down my spine as I take in the haunted look on Tess’s face. Her sudden appearance here in Jax is making more sense by the minute. “Who’s calling you so many times?” I need her to say it. I need her to confirm my suspicions.
“Mars is almost here,” she says. “I gotta go.” She slips the phone in her pocket unanswered and tucks her laptop and legal pad into the leather backpack. “You two have a good day.” Not waiting for either of us to say another word, she ducks around me. I hear the front door shut with a snap.
It only takes a few seconds before Shelby lets out a whistle. “Jeez, she’s kind of a capital B bitch, huh?”
My gaze lingers on the window as I watch Tess climb into the passenger seat of Ilmari’s big silver truck. “No,” I hear myself say. “She’s just going through some tough shit right now—and no, I won’t elaborate,” I add, giving her a glare.
The corner of Shelby’s mouth twitches with a smile. “You like her.”
“I don’t know her,” I admit, and fuck if that’s not the truth. Tess hasn’t told me a damn thing about what’s happening to her and why.
“Be careful with that one, Ryan” Shelby warns.
“Why?” I hear myself say.
“Because she’s not a bunny,” Shelby replies.
“You think I don’t know that? Women like Tess don’t end up with guys like me.”
Shelby tips her head to the side, appraising me. “Why do you say that?”
I go still, not realizing I said that out loud. “Come on,” I say, forcing a laugh. “Tess Owens is a total ten. She’s gorgeous and so fucking smart. She’s a high-powered corporate lawyer, Shelbs. She runs non-profits and saves endangered animals, and I’m…me,” I finish with a shrug.
Now Shelby is laughing. “Yeah, and you’re just an NHL superstar. You’re smart and funny and handsome as heck. Oh, and in your free time, don’t you volunteer to coach youth hockey?”
“Sometimes.” I feel my cheeks heat at her praise. “I mean, when I can, I do.”
“Tess may be a ten,” Shelby goes on. “But I’m not convinced she’s WAG material.”
I glance sharply her way. “Well, if she’s not a bunny and she’s not a WAG, what is she?”
Shelby just gives me a knowing look. “She’s a cataclysm.”
I blink. “A catawhat?”
“Chaos walking,” she replies. “I have a feeling your Tess is a runner. She’s the kind of woman who loves you and leaves you in the same breath.”
“How do you know that?”
“I see the signs,” she replies. “You want my advice?”
I just shrug, knowing she’ll give it either way.
“Stay away from her, Ryan…unless you’re ready to suffer an epically broken heart.”
