Page 39 of Off Limits PUCK
“No, I don’t think that I do. I learned through you not trying to contact me that you don’t value me. And I’m not okay with a man using me, Jake. I was told to leave the Eagles or that Coach would not be able to protect me or keep my reputation intact. So I left. What punishment did you get from our tryst? Why didn’t you care enough to reach out to me?”
I feel like each word is a slap, and I don’t know what is true and what is not true right now. I shake my head again, feeling my shoulder throb.
“This is why I want to talk, Allie. There is so much miscommunication.” I shake my arm out, my shoulder hurting me.
She scoffs. “You want to talk about four months too late, buddy.” She starts to get into her car and then stops. “Put some heat on it, then ice. It looks like your shoulder has locked up.”
With that, she’s gone. She drives away and I stand there like a mute fool, not sure how to process my mental anguish at herrunning away and thinking so many bad things about me along with the physical pain that I feel.
“What a damn mess,” I say with anger in my voice. “And there’s one person who can verify her story.”
I turn and stomp my way into Kenzie’s place. I pull out my phone and wince, my shoulder on fire. I plop down on my sister’s couch, my arm resting on the armrest. I give it a minute or two to calm down. Once the throbbing pain has subsided, I take a deep breath and make a phone call.
I don’t care if we have a few days off for the holidays. I don’t care if the person I’m calling is with their family. I just don’t care. My life has been messed with by a higher power and I feel like Allie and I were puppets to a puppet master who had no business making arrangements in secret like this.
The phone rings a few times and then goes to voice mail. Undeterred, I call again. On my third phone call, the man answers.
“Jake, how can I help you?” Coach’s deep voice sounds out. “You do know I’m with my family. Are you in some kind of trouble?”
The happy sounds of laughter and music fill his background, a stark contrast to my silent backdrop. I feel betrayal claw its way through my mind. How dare he tell Allie and me different things that he knew would motivate us to stay apart? How dare he.
“Coach, I am in trouble.” My eyes narrow. I’m angry.
“Really? Should I call Dr. Jones?”
“No. It’s not trouble of my making.”
I can hear him walking and then a door closing. All is quiet on his end. “Go on. I’m in my home office. You can speak freely and so can I.”
“It’s trouble of your making, Coach. And it involves the way in which our PT, Allie, was let go from working with the Eagles.”
A long silence greets my ears. Then he says, “I see.”
Chapter twenty-three
Allie
“Iwas out withthe girls on the team. I’m just tired, that’s all, Kenz. I decided to go home.” Kenzie’s voice fills my car’s speakers as I pull up to my cozy little home. I can’t wait to go inside, shut the door and block out everything about the real world for a little while.
“Is there some way that you know Jake is here? I call bullshit on your whole ‘I was out tonight’ thing. I literally just flew back from working a flight to London, Allie. If anyone should be too tired, it’s me.” Kenzie’s voice has that whiny quality it gets whenever she feels something is unfair.
“Then it’s good that we’re going to hang out tomorrow and not tonight. You need some rest.”
She gives my comment a long, long pause. “This thing between you and Jake is exhausting. Look, I was happy for you guys, wellnot at first, but eventually I was. Then you tell me you had to leave the Eagles, and I was sworn to secrecy. And I kept all of your secrets this time. All of them. And now you’re not here, but Jake is? And you want me to believe you coincidentally don’t want to hang out tonight?”
“Fine, you’re right!” I feel a big emotion wash through me. “I did stop by. I did see him. And he is a jerk. I’m sorry. I know he’s your brother. But he is a jerk. If you want to know what type of jerk, just ask him about his press comments about me. Or ask him about entertaining Maria at his house when I wasn’t available to him. Or ask him about why it’s always me who has to take the heat for being connected to him. I lost my job because of Jake. And he didn’t care enough to even bat an eye.”
I’m furious now. All the anger I’ve been shoving aside so that it didn’t consume me or distract from my new job is bubbling up like hot lava. My cheeks burn with indignation. It’s wrong that I’m the only one who was hurt professionally because of my liaison with Jake, the famous NHL hockey player. And it was a costly lesson to learn.
“I’m telling him to leave, Allie. And then you’re coming over. This is ridiculous. You both are being ridiculous.” I hear a loud crash in the background and then Kenzie shouts out, “Jake—are you okay? Oh shit! Allie, I’ve got to go. Jake just busted his shoulder, it sounds like.”
I all but roll my eyes at that. Of course he did. What rotten luck. How am I supposed to just ignore him when he’s in pain?
Then I hear him swear and yell out that he’s fine. But I know his voices. I know him. He’s not fine. I end the call without another word. I turn my car around and start driving back to Kenzie’s place. The closer I get, the less angry I am. In fact, I’m worried. I don’t know how he’s been playing with a shoulder that easily “busted” to use Kenzie’s word.
When I arrive, there is not an ambulance outside, so that’s a good sign. Jake’s car is still there. I park my car and then rush to the door. I use my key to open it. It’s mayhem inside, with Kenzie yelling at Jake to sit still and Jake telling her he is fine and he wants to drive home. I try not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“Both of you!” I say, my professional voice at full volume. “Please, be quiet. I’m here and we will figure this out.”
