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And I remind myself it’s worth it.

Mom is worth it.

And, hopefully, Olive is too.

*

Belle’s Place isquieter than the last time I came here with the guys. It’s the middle of the week, and earlier in the day. I suspect once the sun goes down, the tables will be packed like they usually are with people looking for a good time.

When Clarkson asked me to meet him here, I’d been surprised. Practice had gone smoothly yesterday, so Coach Pelfrey didn’t make either of us stay behind like he had days prior. I chalked this up to some sort of celebratory thing. Maybe the others had already gotten here.

But when I’m guided up to the private loft by some cute blond with flirty eyes and a minidress that is borderline indecent paired with those legs, it’s only Clarkson I see in our usual booth.

“Captain,” I greet, sliding in across from him. He’s got an empty tumbler in front of him that his finger traces the lip of. “You good?”

I don’t see him drink much. Not even at his own place. He’d nursed the same two beers all night until they had to be pissfucking warm. So when another one is placed in front of him, I study him cautiously.

“I feel like you and I aren’t that different,” he says, lifting the glass to his mouth and taking a long sip. “We both are so focused on the game that we tend to drown out the other noise. Maybe a little too well.”

I lean back as the soda I ordered is placed on the table. “Something going on, Cap? Hasn’t been lost on any of us that you’ve had a stick up your ass for the better part of the week.”

He snorts, shaking his head. “You’ve never minced words, have you?”

“Depends on the situation, but no. I’d rather be blunt. Sometimes that bites me in the ass, but I find people respect you more for it.”

He hums, staring into his drink. He releases the cup and lifts his gaze. “It’s no surprise that I’m…protective of Belle.”

My cheek twitches with an amused smile that I manage to douse before he can see it. “I may have noticed. So this is about her?”

“Have you ever had somebody test your will so badly that you’re at your breaking point?” he asks, the question making me blink as I soak it in. When I hesitate, he leans back in his spot. “I came to you because you don’t give me shit about her. And there’s something you’re holding back that makes me think you might relate.”

“How is that?”

“Nobody sees you with a girl or guy,” he points out. “You don’t talk about anybody from back home, besides your mystery girl. The people who are tight-lipped about that shit usually are for a reason. You told me there was someone, but you haven’t given me the details. You and I are alike.”

I pull my soda toward me and keep my fingers wrapped around the cool glass. “I have a lot of reasons to keep my mouthshut about back home. We’ve got a lot of press watching us these days. I like keeping my personal life personal.”

He nods. “I get that. But what if that hurts you in the long run?”

How can it hurt me more than it already has? “I don’t know what Belle is doing to piss you off, but if it’s bothering you that much than maybe she should be the one sitting here talking about things with you. You live together. No sense of making things awkward by not talking.”

He looks over the balcony at something below us. “I told her I was meeting someone here today.”

“Okay…?”

“A girl someone.”

I blink at his murmured admission. “Are you… trying to make her jealous?”

His eye twitches. “That’s what she’s been doing to me for the past goddamn month. Do you know how many men she’s brought over and paraded in front of me in my own home? She’s never been the type to do that. It’s driving me up a wall.”

Christ. I’m not trained for this kind of bromance. Nobody ever comes to me for advice because I keep them at arm’s length. “Look, I’m no expert on this, but games don’t get people anywhere. Wasn’t it you who just said that we couldn’t play on the top of our game if we were holding onto shit? We’re about to start a new season, so I’d squash this before we start competing. Belle is important to you. Not even she would want you to jeopardize the game.”

He takes another sip of his drink, moving his jaw as he contemplates what I’m saying.

I can tell he’s fighting logic, so whatever Belle has been doing is obviously getting to him more than he’s letting on.

“The girl back home,” I begin, regaining his attention. “She’s the little sister of a former teammate. It started off casual. Amindless fling to pass the time for both of us. Her brother warned me away from her, but that didn’t stop either of us from pursuing things.”