Page 17 of Offside and Off-Limits (Love in Maple Falls #2)

CLARA

I snuggle back onto the back of the sofa, Bailey sitting with her legs up on the seat opposite as we sip chamomile tea.

I’m thankful that another work week is over.

My energy levels have held up well to the demands of my new job so far, but I'm not taking anything for granted.

This is too big of an opportunity for me to burn myself out.

I need to do exactly what Bernice told us all to do at the last support group meeting and treat myself kindly, allowing myself the space to rest and recuperate.

That's not to say my job isn't going crazy well. The livestream was a runaway success, despite my concerns, and several of the videos I’ve posted have gone viral, garnering multiple views, likes, and re-posts. Veronica pulled me to the side this afternoon to tell me how well I’m doing and how pleased Management is with my work.

It feels good to know my work is landing the way I had hoped, and Dwayne has come to Maple Falls to see the kids for the weekend, so Bailey and I can sit and chat and I know I can sleep in tomorrow if I need to.

My phone beeps beside me and I lift it to see a message from Warrior.

ChronicWarrior88:

I’ve been thinking about you a lot today.

I smile but notice the flush of pleasure at receiving a message from him is dimmer than usual, and I know I have one person to blame for that.

Cade Lennox. Or rather Cade Lennox with his confusing layers, showing me that he’s not the person I judged him as. He’s managed to eke his way through my defenses and touch my heart in a way I never saw coming.

The way he cares for his mom, concerned that he's far away from her even though he knows his sister is close by; the way he bonded not only with Benny over comic books, but with Hannah, too, playing “Chopsticks” on his piano he calls Bess; the way he wanted to help out a teammate who was struggling, bringing him to the Chronic Warriors Support Group and offering him words of support.

If it wasn’t for the fact he’s so dang flirty, I would never have matched the Cade I’m growing to know with his public persona, the person he leads with, aka Mr. Womanizer, partying hard every day of the week.

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I did a deep dive on him last night after I’d put the kids to bed. Everything I read suggested he’s the guy I judged him as when we first met: shallow, up for a good time, never serious about anything, with a different woman on his arm in every picture.

Not once did I read anything about his mom’s lupus, or about how he signed with the Blades to be near her. It’s as though he has a certain image he projects that tells only part of the story, leaving out the parts that matter the most.

I've seen him a couple of times at the arena since that evening at his place when I went to film him playing the piano and instead ended up having dinner with him and seeing the way he was so natural with my kids.

Truth be told, I've been avoiding him—not an easy thing to do when my job is literally to capture footage of him and his teammates for our socials.

Despite the fact she doesn’t have a full picture of him, Veronica’s warning about Cade rings loud and clear in my ears.

It’s taken me so long to get back on my feet since I was diagnosed and Dwayne left me.

The last thing I want to do is throw that all away because I’ve got growing feelings for a man who could probably have any woman he wants, feelings that have begun to go beyond just physical attraction.

Why would he go for a single mom in her early thirties with barely two pennies to rub together?

Then I think of the way he looks at me with such softness in his eyes, the way he relates so effortlessly to my kids, the way he seems like such a genuine guy with a good heart, and I know he has feelings for me.

But I can’t go there with him.

I need to focus on Warrior. Straightforward, uncomplicated Warrior, the man who cares for me, the man I’ve connected with through our shared illness.

“Who’s that?” Bailey asks.

“Warrior.”

She lets out a whistle. “Mystery Man himself, huh? How are you feeling about him?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I was certain before?—”

“Before someone made your heart pump harder than it’s pumped before?”

I twist my mouth, my mind instantly turning to Cade .

“Girl, you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Mystery Man being the rock, and Cade Lennox being the hard place.”

I shake my head. “Thanks for the imagery.”

“Okay. Answer me this. Who makes your heart beat the fastest? Mystery Man or the Ice Breakers’ star winger?”

I press my lips together. I don't even have to think to know the answer. The star winger wins every time.

Bailey arches her brows at me. “You know, don't you?”

I let out of breath. “I want it to be Warrior.”

“But it's Cade,” she says and I nod. “You’re allowed to like him, you know. Just because you’ve had one epically bad relationship doesn’t mean you’re banned from having butterflies forever.”

“I know.”

“Mystery Man is sweet, and I know you two have some history. But he’s an idea, Clara. Cade is real. And you are real. You deserve to feel things, even if they’re complicated, swoony things.”

“But he’s got his reputation.”

“You said you’ve seen him with your kids. He gave your son a collectible action figure and played piano with Hannah. That’s not a fling guy move.”

I let out a surprised laugh. “Sure, he’s not the guy I thought he was, but I’ve still got a non-fraternization clause in my contract.”

“Can’t you just like him from a distance? Appreciate those abs you say he shows off to you at every turn?”

“They are some pretty fine abs,” I agree.

“You’re not breaking rules just because your hormones are having a little revival post Dwayne the Rat.”

“I guess not.”

She throws her gaze over me. “But you do want to act on it. Don’t you, Clara?”

Worry grasps at my chest. There are too many reasons not to get involved with Cade, the non-fraternization clause in my contract being just one of them.

But then I think of the look in his eyes as he gazes at me and the worry loosens.

He's not the man I thought he was. He's so much more, and it's impossible not to want to have that kind of man in my life.

“Girl, you’re in deep,” Bailey says, shaking her head.

I let out a sigh. “What would you do if you were me?”

“I guess I would work out if he was worth the risk.”

An hour later, Bailey heads home and I pick up my phone to respond to Warrior’s message.

Me:

Why have you been thinking about me today?

ChronicWarrior88:

Because I read that Maple Falls could be redeveloped.

Me:

We’re raising money to try to stop that from happening.

ChronicWarrior88:

How?

Me:

The townsfolk are being so creative and resourceful. There are a bunch of initiatives, including one I came up with myself.

ChronicWarrior88:

What’s your idea?

Me:

We’re calling it Drench for Defense. We’re going to get people to bid on a bucket of water to throw over one of the Ice Breakers. The highest bid wins and hey presto, wet hockey player.

ChronicWarrior88:

That sounds chilly at this time of year.

Me:

These guys can cope.

My mind instantly leaps to the way the water clung to Cade’s ripped torso that time I spoke to the team in the locker room, and a wave of guilt rolls over me.

I can't think about one guy wearing nothing but a towel as I'm chatting with another online.

It might not be being unfaithful exactly, but it sure lies somewhere in the territory.

Me:

How are you feeling today? How are your energy levels?

ChronicWarrior88:

I am cautiously optimistic that your advice over the past couple months is helping me.

I straighten my back, sitting upright.

Me:

Seriously? That's amazing!

ChronicWarrior88:

You're the one who’s amazing. I'm just the lucky schmuck who found you.

I blow out of breath. Even just a couple weeks ago if Warrior had said something like that to me my heart would have expanded to twice its size.

But that was before Cade.

Me:

You’re so sweet, but it's you doing the work, not me.

ChronicWarrior88:

Thanks to you. Talk tomorrow?

Me:

Sure.

ChronicWarrior88:

Night, beautiful

Me:

Night.

I pull off the warm blanket covering my legs and instantly feel the chill.

The heating went off a good thirty minutes ago, and that's my signal to head to bed.

As I'm brushing my teeth, my phone pings once more.

Assuming it's Warrior again, I pick it up and am surprised to see a message from Cade. And of course my heart leaps.

Cade:

Triple, I hope it's not too late at night to message you but I had an idea while I was working out with some of the guys.

He’s refusing to give that nickname up, and I admit, I’m not mad about it. Even if it isn’t exactly professional. But then the other night at his place with Hannah and Benny wasn’t exactly professional, either.

Cade:

Shirtless, in case you were wondering.

Of course he is. I ignore the reference in my message back to him.

Me:

For what?

Cade:

It’s about Hannah.

I pull my brows together. Hannah?

My phone rings in my hand, making me jump.

I spit out the toothpaste in my mouth and give it a quick rinse. “Hi, Cade,” I say as my pulse begins to return to normal. Or at least as normal as it gets around him, which isn’t really normal at all.

“Did I wake you?”

“No. I was just brushing my teeth, getting ready for bed.”

“I hope you’re in a sexy black nightie,” he says.

I chortle. I'm not going to play his flirty game, not when I have the dangerous, career-ending feelings I do for this man. “What can I help you with?”

“You know how well Hannah and I played Chopsticks together the other night on Bess?”

I soften. “You were great with her, and I appreciate it.”

“Save your compliments for later, but make sure you make them, okay?”

I smile. That’s so Cade.

“I want us to enter Show Quest.”

I pull my eyebrows together in confusion. “Cade, what are you talking about?”