Quick Trick (A Rough Riders Hockey Novel Book 1) (5 page)

No. She wanted him out there front and center so she could brag about him. So she could take some sort of credit for his success, when the truth was Grant had fought his parents every step of the way to get to this point in his career.

But he knew that look in her eyes. She wholeheartedly believed what she was saying. And there was no point in trying to get her to see that she was still lying to herself. As for Martin, Grant already knew the man would go to his grave disappointed that his middle son had gone rogue and deserted the family business.

Bottom line: Grant would always be considered a loss to his parents, no matter what he achieved.

“Please stay, son,” his mother said. “You’ll be doing great things for the high school team. A lot of boys here look up to you.”

Like she knew anything about the high school team. Neither she or his father had ever been to one of his games. Not one in Grant’s entire life.

“Don’t try to guilt me. We all know neither of you care who looks up to me or what I could do for the team. All you care about is what you care about. It’s always been that way. It will, obviously, always be that way. But you’re right about one thing. There are people here who respect what it took for me to get where I am. And I do want to help those people. So if I stay, I’ll be staying for them.”

“Grant…” His mother exhaled and shook her head. “Let this argument blow over and see how you feel about things. Your brothers will be here soon, and they’re looking forward to seeing you.”

Perfect. His brothers. The older one was so green with envy over Grant’s career success, he constantly took cuts at Grant’s game like the fucker knew what he was talking about. The younger one was so wild, Grant was shocked he was still alive. Surely the only reason he wasn’t incarcerated was because their father repeatedly bailed him out.

Now Grant wished he’d thought this decision through better. But there had been a sliver of hope that his family had changed over the years. And the fact that they hadn’t, that they might even be worse than they’d once been, both hurt and deflated Grant.

“This was a fuckin’ bad idea,” he muttered, rubbing the tension from his face. Now he felt stuck. He’d promised Dwayne. Dwayne would have promised the kids by now. And one thing Grant hated to do was let kids down. He knew how that felt and avoided it at all costs.

“Stay in the guesthouse if you need your own space,” his mother added.

What fuckin’ choice did he have? He could get a hotel, but the closest one was a several miles out of town and he’d end up driving back and forth all day, every day.

“I’ll think about it.” He bent, picked up the tree, and dragged it toward the front window, where their Christmas tree had reached toward the open-beamed ceilings for as long as he could remember. “And for the last time, stop trying to force Natalie on me. I have a life in DC. A damned good one. I’m not staying here, and no one is going to change my mind about what I do for a living. Sure as hell not a woman.”

He gripped the netting and took out his frustration on the nylon, ripping it open. “Now where do you want this damn thing?”

F
aith knelt
on the floor at the back of the store, surrounded by miles of tangled Christmas lights. Overwhelmed, she looked up at Dwayne. “And why, exactly, did you wait until so close to Christmas to bring this to me?”

“Ah…” He grimaced and scratched his head. “I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to do it this year. And I thought I’d be able to figure it out on my own. But I’m just realizing why MaryAnn spent weeks on setting this up every year.” He sighed and shook his head. “I wouldn’t ask you… I know how busy you get during the holidays…but…” He lifted his gaze to Faith’s and the pain there resonated with her intimately. “I can’t take the darkness or the silence anymore. The holidays were so lively, so full of fun, when MaryAnn was here…”

His voice broke. He dropped his gaze to the mess on the floor with a sad laugh, but not before Faith saw his eyes glisten with tears.

Her heart broke for him. For herself. For all the Christmases ahead that she and Dwayne would have to spend without the people they loved in their lives.

Holding back her own pain, Faith pushed to her feet, stepped over the light strands and gripped Dwayne’s biceps. She worked up a smile and squeezed his arms. “I understand. Perfectly. I’ll get this working for you, Dwayne. I promise.”

He lifted a wobbly smile just as a young male voice bellowed Faith’s name. “Auntie Faith! Auntie Faith! Where are you?”

Dwayne smiled, the expression sad. Hollow. “Caleb.”

“Yeah.” She dropped her arms and planted her hands on her hips. “His mom’s got some work to do. He’s helping me here today.”

Dwayne’s laugh was tired. “Oh, well…good luck with that. If you figure out a way to get him to pay more attention on the ice, let me know. Thanks for…um…”—he gestured to the equipment—“this.”

“Of course.”

Caleb ran past the aisle. Then his tennis shoes squeaked to a halt on the linoleum floor, and he reappeared near the end cap. “Auntie Faith, guess who’s here?”

Faith grinned at the boy’s ever-present enthusiasm. “Hi, Caleb. I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

“But…but…but
guess
who’s in
town
.”

Dwayne laughed. “You gotta knock that off, kid. He’s not going to put up with any fangirling.”

“There you are.” Taylor appeared at the end of the aisle behind her son. “Jeez, Caleb. What happened to waiting for me?”

Caleb glanced over his shoulder. “You always talk with Cody’s mom
forever
.”

Faith crossed her arms and looked at Taylor. “What’s going on?” Man, she hoped Caleb’s father hadn’t started coming around. The asshole would just bail like he always did and break Caleb’s heart again. “Sounds pretty exciting.”

Caleb’s head snapped back toward Faith. “
Grant Saber
is here,” he said with the same awe and enthusiasm as Faith would have expected from him at a monster truck show. “And he’s
helping
with the
team
.”

The only team Caleb could have been talking about was the hockey team. No matter how hard Taylor tried, she couldn’t get her nerdy boy interested in any other sport or team.

“You like that, huh?” Dwayne asked, patting Caleb’s shoulder as he wandered past and down the aisle.

“Yeah,” Caleb said with a tone of “duh.”

“Caleb” was all Taylor had to say before the boy realized his misstep.

“I mean, yes, sir. It’s awesome. He’s really cool.”

“Extra cool since he only came to help out the high school team but stayed over to help your club team, huh?” Dwayne asked, the first real grin lighting his eyes.

“Totally.” Then suddenly, Caleb’s excitement turned to concern. “He’ll come again, right? I mean, he wasn’t there for just today…” Caleb’s worried gaze darted to Taylor. “Mom? I didn’t get his autograph. I thought he’d be back.”

Taylor was beaming. Caleb’s disinterest in sports or even playing on the playground in favor of quieter endeavors had caused the already-introverted boy to be shoved aside for more active, more popular friends in school.

“Autograph, huh?” Faith said, shooting a questioning gaze toward Taylor. “Well, if you stick around long enough, he’ll be here. He’s been in at least three times a day for the last two days.”

“Really?” Caleb said.

Dwayne strolled past Caleb, patting his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Caleb, he’s here for a few weeks. But you’d better get all that excitement out before you hit the ice this afternoon. He wants you kids focused and ready to work.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, serious and stoic. “I will, sir. I promise.”

Dwayne chuckled, said hello to Taylor and waved good-bye to Faith.

Before Faith could ask Taylor or Caleb about Grant—more specifically why Caleb wanted his autograph—Caleb looked at Faith and said, “How old would I have to be to work here, Aunt Faith?”

Faith’s brows shot up. “Well, that’s new. You didn’t want to have anything to do with helping out a few months ago.”

“So you’ll let me?”

Faith lifted her gaze to Taylor, grinning. “I’ll talk to your mom about it.”

“Thanks, Aunt Faith.” He turned to his mother. “Can I go look at the fishing poles?”

“From hockey to fishing in a split second.” A little of the excitement leaked from Taylor’s expression. “Sure.”

Caleb hurried in the direction of the outdoors department where Faith carried a limited supply of recreational gear for tourists, and Taylor came toward Faith.

“That’s who you met at the bar the other night,” she said, voice lowered. “The guy you said asked you out, right? Grant Saber?”

“Yeah.” Her stomach tightened. “Why? Who is he?”

“He’s a center for the Rough Riders.” Her voice and expression held as much excitement as her son’s.

But Faith was having a hard time placing the Rough Riders. “I’m guessing that’s a hockey team?”

That accounted for his great build. This celebrity Faith couldn’t appreciate was obviously why he’d thought she should have known him. It also seemed to be what he was looking for every time he came into the store.

“It’s an NHL team, Faith.”

“Don’t say that like I’m supposed to know. You know I don’t have time to watch television. And I only pretended to watch sports to keep Dad company.”

“Why has he been coming in? Did he ask you out again? Because you should go. He’s hot. And he’s loaded.”

“And he’s just looking to get laid like his brothers.” She gave Taylor a look. “You hate his brothers. You turn them down every time they’re in town. Why would you suggest I go out with Grant?” Suddenly, she was mad. “Do you really think I’m so bad off that I need to go out and fuck some slutty player? Because I’ve got more important things—”

“No.” Taylor’s hand closed over Faith’s forearm, her voice level again, her eyes serious. “That’s not what I meant.”

Faith shut her mouth and lifted both hands to her face to rub at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m tired.” She’d lost sleep over Grant. Grant and all the little fantasies he’d stirred in her head. She swept a gesture over the lighting extravaganza equipment. “And Dwayne just dumped this project on me.”

She crouched and started winding light strands from palm to elbow, palm to elbow.

“What I meant,” Taylor said, “is that he’s not his brothers. He’s never been in town. This is the first time he’s been back since he went pro.”

Now she was sort of impressed that he hadn’t told her that he was a pro hockey player, or that he was here to help coach the local teams when he’d come into the store. And she didn’t want to be impressed. Because she didn’t have time or patience for this shit. “That doesn’t matter. He’s still looking to get laid. What is it about these guys? Do they think we’re all hard up because we’re out here in the boonies? It may be true, but it’s still insulting.”

Taylor laughed. Hard. Which brought a reluctant smile to Faith’s lips.

“It is really cool to see Caleb excited about something, though,” Faith said. “I haven’t seen his eyes light up like that in a long time.”

“Right?” Taylor said. “So is that why Grant’s been in here so much?”

Faith shrugged as she finished rolling a strand, secured the end and started on another. She’d be here the rest of the day untangling these things. “Hey, Caleb,” she yelled through the store. “If you come untangle these lights for me, I’ll pay you.”

“Stop avoiding the question,” Taylor said.

When Caleb didn’t yell back or appear, Faith muttered, “So much for working here. Guess I’ll be hiring Billy Danielson after all.” Then she told Taylor, “Grant’s staying with his parents. Apparently, they don’t get along all that well, so he picked up some odd jobs around the house to stay busy and away from them. He’s always here picking up supplies and asking for advice.”

“And? Are you helping him?”

“Sure.” She smiled up at Taylor now. “I tell him to search YouTube.”

“Faith…” Taylor dropped her arms and rolled her eyes.

“I don’t have time to babysit him. He’s a grown-ass man. He can figure it out himself.”

Taylor heaved an exasperated sigh.

“And speaking of YouTube, when can we get together to figure something out for me? I’m serious, Taylor. I’m bleeding money faster than it’s getting pumped back in. It’s only a matter of time. Do you want me to sell this place and move away from you and Caleb? Because that’s about where my life is headed at the moment.”

A pained look came over Taylor’s face. Faith hated to paint such a bleak picture, but she was very serious. And that was what Faith saw in her future.

“Fine.” Taylor crossed her arms again. “You need to think of a project, and I need to get some things done so I can focus on teaching you the steps—”

Faith didn’t hear anything Taylor said after that, because Grant sauntered around the corner and into their aisle. His gaze fastened on Faith with bold deliberateness and made her stomach jump to her throat.

“Do I hear you ladies talking about YouTube?” he asked, wandering toward them. Taylor spun around, but Grant’s gaze stayed locked on Faith in a way that made her mouth go dry. A slow smile tipped his mouth. “Because I’d be real interested in getting in on a video with y’all.”

A laugh bubbled up from nowhere. “Y’all?” Faith said, hiding her nerves behind sarcasm. “You picked up a Southern accent in the last…” She pretended to look at a nonexistent watch. “What? Three, four hours?”

He laughed. “You’re so funny.”

“I try.” She pulled her gaze off all the muscle stretching the soft fabric of his Henley and grabbed another string of lights. “I need something to keep me from”—
fantasizing about you
—“going insane.”

“Hi,” Taylor said, extending her hand. “I’m Taylor, Caleb’s mom.”

“Grant,” was all he offered as they shook. “Yeah, saw him messing around with the fishing poles. He told me you were back here.” He took his hand back and slipped his thumb into the front pocket of his jeans, which drew Faith’s gaze to an area she had no business looking at. “Great kid. Little hyper for hockey, but if I can get him to channel it, he’s going to streak across the ice.”

Taylor laughed. “If you get him to channel it, I’ll pay handsomely for the secret.” She looked at Faith. “I’d better go find him before he breaks something.” Then she told Grant, “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

When his gaze settled on Faith again, he grinned. And it was that expectant grin. The one that said he was waiting for her to go all batshit crazy over him.

“What have you got there?” she asked instead, glancing at the rusted faucet he held in his hand. “And how are you finding so many things that need fixing at your parents’ house? That place looks like a pristine mansion from the outside.”

“Kitchen faucet,” he said, “and it’s not from the main house, it’s from the guesthouse. That’s where I’m staying. And when I’m fixing something, neither of my parents bitch at me. So I’m happy to do it.”

“That has to suck.”

He lifted a shoulder but broke eye contact and studied the faucet. “Whatever.” He refocused on her. “Are you going to wind all those yourself?”

“I tried to tempt Caleb with a paycheck, but those fishing reels must have really caught his eye.”

“I’ll help.” He moved forward. “And you don’t even have to pay me.”

She smirked. “Oh no?”

He dropped into a crouch, looked her directly in the eye, and grinned. “I’m more into trades.”

Setting aside the faucet, he dropped to his butt, crossed his legs, and grabbed the tail end of a light strand.

“We’re not trading anything,” she clarified.

“That remains to be seen.”

“You must have better things to do.”

“Than sit here and look at you?” he asked. “Nope. Notta one.” When Faith just shook her head, he asked, “So what’s your project? The one you were talking to Taylor about?”

Faith’s stomach tightened. “How long were you eavesdropping?”

“Why? Saying things you don’t want me to hear? About me maybe?”

“
Pfffft
. We weren’t talking about you.”

“If you say so. But it would probably be better for you to just tell me about the video you’re planning, because I’m sure your version would be tamer than the things I have rolling around my brain right now.”

“And why are you so sure of that?” She was caught between annoyance at his arrogance and amusement at the lengths he was going to gain her attention. “Because I live in the boondocks, you don’t think I can think just as dirty as you?”

His hands halted in the middle of winding a strand. He lifted his brows in a teasing expression, but his pretty eyes took on a little shadow of heat. “Should we compare notes?”

Man, that voice. The smooth, low rumble settled heat low in her gut. But she chirped, “No, thanks.”

And he chuckled, refocusing on the lights. “Hey, I’m really sorry to hear about your dad.”

The warm, authentic tone of his voice drew her head up.

He glanced at her, then back at the lights. “I didn’t know him well, but he was always real nice to me.”

The sadness that always came with the reminder of her father’s death weighed heavy in her heart. “Thanks. He was an amazing man.”

They continued to wind lights in silence for a minute or two, but the time stretched into an eternity while Faith kept trying to figure him out.