"A fan doesn't spend $61,000 to have dinner with you."
He shrugged. "It's not a romantic dinner. It's just for charity."
"Am I invited?"
"Why would you be invited?"
Ethan rolled his eyes. "That's the point. I'm not invited. It's a romantic dinner."
"I'm pretty sure there will be other people there. Just because you're not coming doesn't mean it's romantic."
"Eight ball, corner pocket," Ethan called before sinking the shot. Jordan grimaced. Yep, Ethan definitely had an unfair advantage with the extra practice. "Food?"
The pair headed back to the kitchen and Jordan grabbed a box of cold leftover pizza from the fridge. A silence fell over them as they started eating, but he knew it wouldn't be long before Ethan felt the need to say something.
"There's nothing wrong with hooking up with Charlotte if that's what you want."
And there it was. "As I have mentioned before, I have a lot of responsibility now. I don't have time for dating someone."
Ethan laughed loudly. "I wasn't suggesting you date her. I was just saying it wouldn't be a bad thing if you were interested in her." He stood up straighter and gave Jordan a curious look. "Wait, are you interested in Charlotte enough that you'd want to actually date her?"
"No," he insisted. "I mean, not that I, you know, it's just that—"
"You actually like her." Ethan shot him a teasing smile before taking another bite.
"I don't," he insisted. "It's just a charity dinner."
"You said that already."
"Because it is."
Ethan huffed and dropped his slice back in the box. "Kitchen table."
Jordan rolled his eyes. "Ethan, there's nothing more to say."
"Kitchen table."
His voice was more forceful this time, and Jordan knew exactly what that meant. He needed to sit.
The brothers had a stash of well-aged scotch in a cupboard above the fridge for emergency situations. Rough days at work. Problems with women. Talking about their parents. It was a routine they had developed after their mother left them, one that involved ginger ale until Jordan got older and they switched to the good stuff. Ethan had come up with it after he decided to take the saying, "Put it all on the table," literally. When Jordan was a teenager, it worked wonders as he tried to navigate the drastic changes in their lives. Now that he was an adult, it gave him a person who was honest with him, not some "yes" man, even if he was stubborn about it.
He just didn't want to talk about Charlotte. Not yet. But this conversation with Ethan had been brewing for a while. It was time he faced it.
Jordan watched as Ethan opened the cupboard and pulled out the scotch before grabbing two tumblers and filling them with ice and liquor.
"Take your glass," Ethan instructed.
He did as he was told and followed his brother to the table, pulling out the chair across from him.
"I know you're trying to change and be more mature now that you're the captain of the team," Ethan stated. "I don't blame you for that. But I know when you're trying to hide something, and I'm telling you that you don't need to hide your feelings for this girl if you have them."
Jordan grabbed his glass and took a long drink, hoping it would give him some courage to put his feelings into words. "This is the best team I've played for, Ethan. We have a chance to win it all this year. A good chance. And we have that chance because I'm focused on hockey."
"I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's a good thing, a very good thing," Ethan said. "But I know you and this long dry spell of yours is not your typical M.O."
"Because I've changed."
"But are you completely shutting yourself off to something that could be good?"
