Interfering, page 2
“I’m leaving for three weeks in the Caribbean with some buddies. It’s beautiful there. I’ve never seen water so blue, and the sandy beaches were incredible.”
“That’s nice.”
“Have you ever been there?”
“No.”
“Where would you like to go if money was no object?” He smiled at me in the mirror.
“I don’t know.” I really didn’t. I’d never given much thought other than surviving from day to day. Exotic vacations weren’t something I fantasized about.
“There must be someplace you’ve been dying to go,” he pushed.
“Not really.”
He hesitated and then dropped the subject. I wasn’t a great conversationalist, but I needed to up my game. Hairstylists talked to their clients and built a rapport. I did okay with females, but men, not so much. I had to try harder, even though doing so forced me outside my comfort zone.
What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.
I didn’t know much about hockey, but after spending time with Michella and Aspen, I’d picked up a few tidbits. I’d met many of the players, and I’d become an uneducated hockey fan, watching the team play on TV and sometimes in person. In fact, after their season ended a few nights ago, there was now an empty hole I’d need to fill. Yes, the sport was violent, but it was also exciting and fast-paced with never-ending action.
“The team played better this past month,” I parroted what Michella had told me. “Are you looking forward to next year?”
“We’re going to be far better.” Trent launched into an enthusiastic rundown of what his expectations were for season two. His eyes lit up when he talked about hockey, and his enthusiasm was contagious. I wondered what it felt like to have a passion that made a person so happy. I listened with interest, not because I was a huge hockey fan, but because witnessing his joy did my heart good.
I’d lived in the darkness for most of my life, and I was fascinated by those who basked in the light. I liked Trent, but I didn’t believe a word Aspen and Michella said about him having a thing for me. Most likely he felt sorry for me or was a rescuer of damsels in distress. I was no longer that person. I didn’t need rescuing, and I didn’t need a man in my life, especially not a high-profile one whose presence would cast a spotlight on a not-so-distant past I’d rather keep buried.
As Trent talked, I relaxed somewhat, even though part of me remained wary. He seemed like a genuinely nice man, but appearances were often deceiving. He was well aware of my previous career path and probably thought I’d be more than happy to accommodate his sexual needs and kinks. After all, I’d done some research on the man. He had a rep as a player, and not just on the ice.
* * *
Running out of safe topics, I lapsed into silence, after which Trent resigned himself to my one- or two-word answers. To fill the void, he talked about himself, the Icehawks, and his family. I listened, nodding and smiling when appropriate, and filing away every word he said to be resurrected when I was lonely and feeling bad about myself.
I had a big crush on Trent, which I considered safe as long as I kept him in my fantasy world. I knew better than anyone he was out of my league. Aspen and Michella would chew my ass for thinking so little of myself, but I was a realist. Trent was nice to me because he was a nice guy, and I had connections to some of his teammates’ wives and girlfriends, a.k.a. WAGs. I didn’t want a real relationship, now or maybe ever, but a crush was harmless, like having a crush on a rock singer or a movie star. It’d never come to anything, but that didn’t stop me from engaging in some minor cyberstalking to learn everything about him and drool over new pics.
Watching Trent from a distance was safe entertainment. In my head, I could make him my ultimate boyfriend, change his career to a less violent one, and never put my heart and soul in jeopardy. I’d learned over the years that what a person displayed to the public wasn’t who they were in private.
I wanted Trent to remain the man I’d fantasized about, and I didn’t want reality intruding.
That was some messed-up shit, but a girl did what she had to do, and Trent needed to reside in my made-up world, not my real one.
It was safer that way.
Chapter Three
Save the Animals
~~Trent~~
Three weeks later, I returned from the Caribbean, tanned and relaxed. My days in paradise had been punctuated by swimming, snorkeling, eating, and drinking. My buddies and I discussed multiple ways to make the team better next season, though many of them were under the purview of the GM, and we had no control over what players were added to and subtracted from the team during the off-season.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that as my vacation came to an end, my thoughts centered more and more on Heidi. I wanted to get to know her and eventually ask her out, but I’d have to play it slow and careful with her, or I’d scare her off. Men had traumatized her in ways I could only imagine, and she wouldn’t be trusting anybody with a penis. Not that I blamed her.
Finding ways to be with her this summer wouldn’t be too difficult. I’d snag an invite to any backyard barbecue or event my teammates might be having where she’d be on the guest list. I’d get regular haircuts and beard trims. I found out through Briggs’s fiancée, Michella, that Heidi still worked a few nights at the Portland Puck Bar and Grill. I’d have plenty of opportunities to acclimate her to what a good guy I am and gain her trust, along with an entire summer to initiate my campaign.
I felt damn good about my chances.
Pulling into the driveway of my fixer-upper farm, I parked in front of the house. My sister Evelyn, fondly called Evie, had house-sat while I’d been gone, and her large SUV sat in the driveway. Evie was the oldest of the four siblings and the bossiest. She had green eyes and long red hair with a temper to match. She eviscerated most men on a daily basis.
I started toward the front door and stopped. I sniffed the air and scrunched my nose. I smelled livestock. I’d have to speak to my neighbors about controlling the odor of their goats.
Shrugging off the smell, I bounded up the steps two at a time and pushed through the door. A huge, hairy beast slammed into me, and I crumpled to the floor. He leaped on my chest and licked my face vigorously. I held up my hands to protect myself. A smaller, no less furry whirling dervish grabbed my pant leg in its sharp little teeth and pulled. Still another yipped while dancing triumphantly around my prone body, perhaps doing his version of the last rites. The scene was pure chaos, and I was in the middle of the storm.
With great effort, I pushed the slobbering brute off my chest and extracted my pant leg from the mouth of the smaller demon spawn.
Struggling to my feet, I braced myself as the giant reared up into the air and placed his huge paws on my shoulders. He panted into my face with his horrendous doggy breath. My sister Evie grabbed the monster by his collar and pulled him away.
She hustled him and the other dogs outside while I stared in disbelief at my home. Two cats lay like bookends on either side of the back of my expensive leather couch. A parrot perched on my dining room chandelier cocked his head and regarded me with a disapproving gaze, as if I were responsible for the ruckus.
“Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you,” the parrot squawked.
“Right back at you.” As a guy who wasn’t necessarily fond of messes, animal hair, and drool, I’d walked into my version of hell.
My sister sheepishly slipped into the room and managed to return the bird to its cage, which she covered. The bird didn’t quiet immediately, but his uttering of obscenities lowered to muttering. Olivia and Lillian, my other two sisters, peeked around the corner of the kitchen doorway, saw me, and immediately withdrew.
“Get your asses out here now.” I gritted my teeth in an attempt to control the anger boiling inside me. Only my sisters were capable of driving me to such heights; usually I was a laid-back guy with a long fuse. These three had perfected pushing my buttons, going back to our childhood.
Livy and Lill skittered into the room and flanked Evie, who’d regained her confidence and glared indignantly at me, as if I were being unreasonable.
“What are you two doing here? Don’t you have jobs?” When I’d left for vacation, Evie had been the only occupant of my old farmhouse.
The triad exchanged one of those sisterly glances that always left me out in the cold and irritated me all the more.
“I quit that stupid job. I was overqualified.” Lillian, or Lill, as the youngest, was used to getting whatever she wanted because the entire family doted on her. I acknowledged that we’d created this particular monster, but the other two… Lill shrugged and briefly flashed one of her sweet smiles. I never let that fool me. Lill was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I never underestimated her ability to get what she wanted. She was petite and pretty and had long blond hair with big blue eyes. Guys worshipped her in droves. My old teammates had wrongly assumed that I’d warned them off her because she was my sister. They had no idea I was protecting them from certain heartbreak.
I was at a loss for words that Lill had quit a job that’d been perfect only a month ago and turned to my middle sister. “And you?”
“My job was boring,” Olivia, whom we called Livy or Liv, said by way of explanation. Livy had dark hair she always wore in a ponytail because she couldn’t be bothered styling it. She was the outdoorsy sister who’d rather be hiking in the woods than shopping at Nordstrom.
I swung my attention to Evie. “Please don’t tell me you quit your job, too. I thought you were using vacation time to be here.”
“I never liked that job anyway, and I’m answering a higher calling.” All three giggled as if they had a secret I wasn’t in on, because obviously they did.
“Is someone going to explain what the fuck is going on here?” I roared the last couple words, losing my famous patience.
“Trent, calm down, have a beer, and we’ll explain.” Evie pulled a beer from my fridge, popped the top, and handed it to me. I took it gratefully, knowing I’d need more than one beer to get through the next hour or two. Tilting back my head, I took a long pull and let the cold liquid slide down my throat.
“It’s a nice day. Let’s sit outside.” Livy would rather be outside in a rainstorm than in a cozy, warm house.
“Okay.” I took a couple calming breaths and followed them to my deck. We should’ve stayed inside. The state of my yard brought my anger to the surface. It’d been fenced haphazardly, and several assorted dogs roamed the area. Holes were dug everywhere. And the lawn had yellow patches of dead grass in places.
“Sorry. We haven’t had a chance to build proper kennels and play yards for the kids.”
“Kennels? Not here.” My words had zero effect on them, as expected. I slumped into a lawn chair, noting the teeth marks on several pieces of wooden furniture and a cushion with stuffing coming out of a torn corner.
I guzzled my beer, and Livy was ready with another. They were definitely fattening me up for the kill. The beer gave me a pleasant buzz and alleviated my anger, replacing it with conviction. Whatever these three had planned for my small farm, they’d do so over my dead body. Judging by the size of a few of the holes in my backyard, the dogs were already digging my grave.
After one more secret look among my sisters, the two younger ones took a seat, while Evie leaned against the railing. Something had been gnawing on the railing, too. Evie took a sip of her beer before turning her attention to me, currently stewing and contemplating how to get away with murder.
I finished off my second beer, and Livy was ready with another. They were trying to get me drunk enough that I’d agree to their scheme, whatever that might be.
I crossed my arms over my chest and attempted my best glare, knowing full well all three sisters were immune. The girls were like our mother, pushy and nosy. I was more like my dad. We went with the flow, tried to fly under the radar, and mostly stayed out of the four women's way when they were plotting something.
I tapped my foot to let them know I’d grown tired of this game.
Evie licked her lips and tossed her long red hair over her shoulders. Like Mom, she was a ginger and not to be messed with when she was riled.
No one was talking, and I wasn't playing.
"What the fuck is going on? I left you to house-sit three weeks ago, no sisters, no animals, just you and my house."
"And your ten acres," she reminded me.
"Yeah, my ten acres."
"Going to waste. You have a horse barn, paddocks, and a pasture. Not being used. When they could do so much good."
Why were we talking about my barn and pasture? My concern had been the animals destroying my house and yard, but I might have a bigger problem than I imagined. "I'm not following you. "
"I guess you didn't notice when you drove in." Lill giggled and ducked her head, hiding her eyes behind a curtain of honey-blond hair.
"Notice what?"
"The horses." Livy grinned and pointed toward the barn. Only then did I see the source of the livestock smell from earlier. Three horses grazed in my pasture.
"Are you boarding horses without asking me?"
"No, no, nothing like that. We'd never overstep that far." Evie's declaration only made me more nervous.
"How far would you overstep?" I cast my gaze in the direction of the animals to punctuate my point.
"It's for the animals, Trent."
"What's for the animals? Explain it to me like I haven't a clue what's going on here, which I don't."
"We're living our dream, just like you are."
"And that dream is?"
"Opening an animal rescue. You know that." Evie sighed as if I were too dense to understand.
"You're not doing an animal rescue on my property." I spoke with authority and finality, but all three merely smiled, as if they knew something I didn't, which should've put fear in my heart.
"We're taking care of all of it, the licensing, the permits for the kennel, a new fence. Everything will be done first-class."
"And I'm paying for it?"
"It's a tax write-off. I've seen your finances, and you could use one." Evie always played the financial card. She was a CPA by trade and worked for an accounting firm in Toronto. She earned the majority of her income during tax season and also took care of my finances year-round.
"We wouldn't have spent any of your money without your permission," Lill said with indignation, as though I was the one infringing on their personal property and lives.
"Mom looked into it, and the adjoining ten acres can be bought for a reasonable price. We could move the operation to the other property as soon as it’s ready. There's a decent house with a small barn and good fencing."
"Mom? Mom's involved in this?" I'd lost the game before I'd ever set foot on the ice. Our mother was a larger force to be reckoned with than these three. She didn't take no for an answer either. I was screwed.
"This was her idea. You know how much Mom loves animals and takes in strays."
Did I ever. She was one of the reasons I didn't have animals, because I'd grown up in a house full of them and treasured my neat, tidy existence devoid of dog and cat hair.
"And if I don't buy this property next door, you three and all your animals will be living here?”
"See, you understand," Lill snickered, and I shot her a withering look that only made her snort wine through her nose.
"Let me get this straight. All three of you quit paying jobs to run an animal rescue that doesn't pay shit?"
They nodded. I see this entire plot too clearly now. My sisters and mother would guilt me into doing this rescue thing. I had the means. I had the property, and it appeared I now had three sisters in residence with assorted animals, like it or not.
"Get me the info on the property next door," I grouched with resignation. The girls attacked me, hugging me while all three talked at once. I couldn't make sense of anything they were saying beyond the fact that I was now the major financial supporter of an animal rescue.
Chapter Four
Landing a Punch
~~Trent~~
After spending the prior evening with three women and their menagerie of furry creatures, I needed the company of men. I spent the day in Portland with my real estate agent and financial adviser regarding the property adjacent to mine. We submitted a lowball offer. After which, I worked out and joined some teammates at the Portland Puck. Of course, I hoped Heidi would be working tonight.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Dash laughed so hard, he could barely force the words out. Drakos and Kirby joined in, wiping their eyes and doubling over while holding their stomachs.
I glowered at each of them and shifted my attention to the bar. Heidi was supposed to be on shift tonight, but probably not for another half hour. I ordered a shot of whiskey and ignored my friends. I waited for their laughter to abate before I revealed the rest of my story.
"So now they're living in my house with all these fucking animals. I'm going to have to buy the farm next door just to get them out of the house."
Kirby, usually the serious, introspective one, snorted and broke into uproarious laughter once again. He was a Native American member of the Icehawks who prided himself on his knowledge of herbal remedies and was known for his wise counsel. Rookies on the team often sought him out for nonjudgmental advice, which he kept strictly confidential. I’d spoken to him a time or two myself. Kirby and Drakos were the other two A captains. Dash had the well-deserved C.
"You're killing me, Trent. My stomach can't take much more of this." Kirby shook his head.
"Guys, listen, this is not good. This sucks."
"What sucks? Having your family nearby? I think you're very lucky," Drakos claimed, but his amused expression said otherwise.
"He is fortunate," Kirby agreed.
