AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Two more messages came in on my phone, pulling my thoughts from Eva. Again. Dammit. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted her getting involved with anyone on the team. She fucks with their heads. I shoved the book away and checked my notifications to see a couple of messages from Carter, getting progressively more dramatic.
Carter: I’m in town. Let’s have lunch.
Carter: Stop ignoring me.
Carter: Fine. I’ll eat lunch by myself.
Carter: [sad face emoji]
Me: What are you doing in town?
Carter: Passing through.
Me: Can’t. Studying for a test.
Almost immediately, my phone rang. I rolled my eyes. Carter didn’t give a shit about my grades as long as I was eligible to play. With a sigh, I closed the textbook and answered the phone.
“I can’t study if I’m talking to you either.”
Carter laughed, and the sound of traffic filtered in behind him. “I’ll be quick. Have you heard the latest from Dallas?”
I leaned back against the headboard and ran a hand through my hair. “No. They’ve been hands off for a while.”
He snorted. “Yeah, because they’ve been courting Boilard, a new right winger from the CHL.”
I cursed quietly, trying not to assume the worst.
“Don’t worry, kid. I have it on good authority they still want you, but they also want to have options depending on how this year goes.”
My teeth ground together as my jaw clenched. I’d done everything right, and I still might lose my shot because of a stupid mistake three years ago. None of the other teams showed any interest after the shit hit the fan, so if Dallas passed on me, going undrafted free agent likely wasn’t going to get me anything else.
“What can I do?” I ground out.
“Play the way you did before you got scared.”
I wasn’t scared—I was careful. Carter knew that. I’d earned the bad boy reputation from one incident, and Dallas had been very clear about my supposedly reckless attitude. With their warning in mind, I’d adjusted my playstyle to avoid penalties at all costs. Not good enough apparently.
“I’m the leading scorer on our team, and I have the least penalty minutes. What more do they want?”
“A championship would be nice, but they want more than technical skill. Boilard is creative in making plays happen and taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes. You’re better than him—I’ve seen it—but you need to prove it to Dallas.”
“Sure. No problem,” I muttered.
Carter hesitated. “Gavin, I’m going to tell you this as a friend, not as an agent. You have options outside the team that drafted you. I know it seems like you don’t, but if Dallas passes, your career’s not over.”
Since I was playing in college, I wasn’t allowed to officially have an agent, which meant I couldn’t officially shop around to see if there was interest from another team. Technically, I probably shouldn’t even be talking to Carter, but he’d been friends with my dad before my parents died.
When I didn’t respond, Carter sighed. “If this is about Danny?—”
I cut him off before he could ask me about my brother. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, man.”
He grunted, and I hung up the phone. Another quack came from the bathroom, and I gave up on studying.
I’d been busy with the semester ramping up and trying to get in some extra ice time to prep for the showdown with Easton, so I hadn’t seen Eva or Henry in a few days. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about ducks, but Henry sounded annoyed.
After Carter’s pep talk, I could use a distraction.
When I opened the bathroom door, the duck chattered up at me. She was curled up in a sweatshirt wearing her usual colorful diaper. The rest of the bathroom was empty. I stepped over her and peered through Eva’s open door. Clothes covered her bed and soft music played from somewhere inside.
