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He grinned wryly. “Thanks for the help. Sorry about your eye. Let me get the first aid kit for you.”

“Carter Cook,” I said as we went back into the building. Raine and Bennie went back to the team table and encouraged them to head home. I saw a couple of the young players had their phones out. Terrific. Not the best impression to make on them. Bar fights were definitely against team rules.

Kevin laughed. “Everyone in here knows who you are. And that you’ve moved in with my sister. No one except Chad cares, so don’t worry about him. Around here, people love Jane. Chad, not so much.”

Huh. Chad had never talked about Red Rock with nostalgia, but any time he had, he had painted himself as a town golden boy. It was nice to know Red Rock had seen through his ego too.

Kevin cracked an ice pack and handed it to me for my face. I hoped it would be enough to keep the swelling down and let me play tomorrow.

“Wally’s going to be pissed,” I mumbled as I probed my teeth with my tongue, making sure Chad’s punch hadn’t loosened any. “I promised him no problems. A bar brawl is a problem.”

Kevin snorted. “Wally is a pussycat. If he gives you a hard time, ask him why my father knocked out two of his teeth once. That’ll shut him up quick.”

“Thanks.” I filed that little tidbit of information away for a day when I could use a get-out-of-jail-free card, and pressed the pack against my face.

“Happy to help. Anyone who can piss Chad off that much can’t be all bad. Even if he is living with my sister.” Kevin punched my shoulder lightly. “Now let me get you a drink, on the house.”

Chapter 10

Jane

Traffic was crawling, and I resisted the urge to curse as yet another driver honked their horn. Honking didn’t help; construction combined with rush hour had turned the road I was on into a parking lot. I was anxious to get to the restaurant where I was meeting Brooke. I wanted to tell her about Carter moving in.

I didn’t think she would care, she knew the room was for rent. The bigger piece of the conversation was telling her Chad was back in town. Brooke was not going to be happy. I didn’t want to upset her right before her finals, but I also didn’t want her to hear about it from someone else. She deserved to know. I hated that Brooke was done with Chad, but he’d made his choices.

I checked the time and swore under my breath as I arrived at the restaurant. I was more than fifteen minutes late. Brooke wouldn’t care, but I resented losing any time with her. We didn’t get to see each other as much as I would like, and tonight was a treat.

The restaurant Brooke had chosen was a newer vegetarian restaurant, close to the university. It was almost full, and I was glad to see Brooke had claimed a table for us. I paused when I saw her, taking time to really look at her before she noticed me. She was technically a grown-up now. I was so proud of who she was turning into, but it was hard to let her go. She was poring over a textbook when I slid into the booth across from her.

“You’re late. Did you get stuck on the Deerfoot again?” Her lips tilted up as she teased me. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her hazel eyes danced with laughter.

“Where else?” I reached for the water in front of me and downed half the glass. The air-conditioning in my truck was busted, and it was hot for late March.

Brooke pushed a plate of pita chips with hummus and dips at me. “I ordered this to snack on until you got here. They make the pita chips fresh. Tell me they aren’t the best you’ve ever had.”

I scooped up a bit of dip and popped a chip into my mouth. The explosion of flavours, the fresh, salty crunch of the chip, all meshed to create a fantastic bite. I tried a different dip with the next chip as Brooke started telling me about her upcoming exams. She had a summer job as a clerk lined up at the hospital in Red Rock, and would be home at the end of the month once her exams were over.

I was about to tell Brooke about Carter and Chad when I was given a reprieve by the server who came to take our order. Once she was gone, I had no excuses left. “I have news.”

Brooke looked at me curiously. “You already told me you landed the contract with the Fliers. In fact, I have something for you.”

She picked up a gift bag from under the table and thrust it at me with a grin.

Telling her about Carter could wait. I pulled out the red-and-blue tissue, then reached inside and withdrew a red fabric bundle. When I shook it out, it unfurled to reveal a red apron with blue straps, and my bakery logo embroidered on the front. I stroked the logo lightly, almost afraid to touch it. My eyes were misty and my throat thick with tears. “It’s beautiful. Thank you. I can’t believe you had it done in the Fliers colours. There’s no way you had this made since I told you I got the contract this morning.”

Brooke grinned. “I had this custom-made weeks ago, as soon as you told me you were competing for it. I knew that once they tasted your stuff, you’d get it. No one bakes like you do. I expect you to wear that on opening day.”

I nodded and admired the stitching one more time before folding it carefully and nestling it back in the tissue. Brooke had a special talent for finding ways to make the people she loved feel special. I was lucky to have her for my daughter.

“Now what was your other news?” Brooke asked as our food was set in front of us.

“Do you remember Carter Cook?”

“Sure. He stayed with us for a bit in Dallas. He played with Chad. He had a bad accident a few years ago, right?” Brooke bit into the falafel she’d ordered and looked at me expectantly.

I winced inwardly when she referred to her father as Chad, but I couldn’t blame her. He’d always favoured Ethan, and after the divorce, he’d pretty much ignored Brooke. At least she wasn’t still calling him her sperm donor. That phase had come right after the viral video and separation, and it had not gone over well with Chad.

I nodded. “Carter is back playing ball. He’s been assigned to the Fliers this season, and he’s renting the spare room for a while.”