Page 4

Chapter 3

Tyler

T he past two mornings, I’ve woken up to the smell of coffee floating through the house. I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker, but when I rounded the corner and found Lily standing in my kitchen in what I’m assuming are her pajamas, her very tiny pajamas that showed off her long legs, covered with freckles and smooth skin, my brain short-circuited when she asked if I wanted a cup and I said yes.

Not to be rude, I drank the coffee.

Both days.

Did I hope to avoid her? Yes, but damn if she isn’t an early riser too. Maybe it’s just a habit after being with an athlete for so long, or perhaps it’s just her. I have no idea.

We drank our coffee pretty much in silence, not looking at each other. I made eggs, offered her some, but she declined, and then once she was finished, she would pick up her laptop, wander to the couch, and flop down in my spot. I don’t know what she does on her laptop, but she seems pretty busy. Lance had once mentioned she worked for the Destroyers, but I don’t know what she does now.

Today is the Fourth of July. Awkwardly, I invited her to join me on the boat. The thought of leaving her behind while I was heading out for a day of fun felt bad-mannered, but she declined and said she had something she was working on. I didn’t argue with her or insist she come. I don’t know, it’s all just so strange, and the thought of explaining any of this to Jonah or Vivi, I’m just not ready to yet.

A beautiful woman is living in my house. A woman I’ve sort of known over the years. A woman who is my best friend’s little sister.

Although she’s definitely not little anymore.

The first time I met Lily, she was still in high school. Of course I had seen pictures of her. After all, Lance was my roommate, but up until that trip to tour the college, she had never joined his parents in visiting to come to one of our games. Lily played soccer and was in a year-round league. According to Lance, her schedule was even crazier than ours, but the second she walked into our apartment, it was like I had known her just as long as him.

That Lily was young, full of excited naive energy, and wholly fit the sibling category of the second child. The Lily she’s become over the years feels entirely different. I first noticed it at Lance’s wedding. That energy she brought with her to Miami was tamed, as she presented herself in a way that screamed complete class. Her posture was always on point, she never spoke out of turn or too loudly, and she’d changed in a way that said here’s a confident young woman. Don’t get me wrong, she still shared her large, gorgeous smile, but it was carefully given versus out all the time.

Personally, I liked seeing her smile all the time. She was meant to be smiling, not containing her infectious joy.

“Thanks for taking us out today,” Jonah tells me as we pull out of the canal and into the bay. Today, I’m taking us to one of my favorite spots near St. Petersburg. Not many people stop for the row of tiny islands, so I’ve always found the solitude nice. The fishing is also great as the current pulls between the islands and the fish just go with the flow.

All around us, boats are heading in the same direction, with the same plan in mind: fun, sun, and maybe a little fishing, although after glancing at Jonah, I don’t think there will be much fun. He looks like his favorite pet just died, and he’s acting like it too.

Last year, after the Tarpons gave me a three-year extension, I settled in and upgraded from the boat I had and bought this one. Well, technically, it’s not a boat, but a yacht, but it’s on the smaller size at thirty-four feet and is designed for fishing and water sports. But the moment I saw it, it was love at first sight. It can hold a nice-sized group of people, but really, I keep my trips out onto the water low-key. If Jonah and Vivi aren’t with me, then I’m by myself.

“Of course.” I glance at him and give him a once-over. Something is definitely wrong, but I don’t want to ask. His shoulders are more slumped today. He hasn’t smiled once, and in general, he looks lost in thought. But if I’ve learned anything by now, when it comes to him, if he wants to talk, he will. If he doesn't, then he won’t. He and I are alike in that sense. I’m also certain he’s noticed my mood shift as well. By this point, I would have at least cracked three jokes, but I haven’t even said one. I love it when Vivi laughs, but I don’t have the brainpower to be funny today. My brain is stuck on the woman back at my house and the list of rules she wants me to come up with. I get it. She’s asking for boundaries so she knows I’m okay with this arrangement, but still.

My first rule . . . no roommates.

And it’s now been broken. Not that she knew I had this rule for myself, but nonetheless, it was broken.

Letting out a deep sigh, I keep my eyes trained west. While the weather is beautiful right now, the summers in Florida are known for their afternoon showers. They pop up out of nowhere, wreak havoc, and then they’re gone in fifteen minutes. During those few minutes, you don’t want to find yourself on a boat, in squall-like conditions and in the middle of it.

Pushing down on the throttle to pick up the speed, I turn on some music to break the silence and flip my hat around backward so it doesn’t fly off. Vivi smiles at us and starts wiggling to the music. Jonah has her in a dance class, which was a smart decision on his part. She’s always bopping along whenever the music is on. She likes it.

Vivi is sitting in the front of the boat looking like the cutie pie that she is. She’s wearing a long-sleeved pink sunshirt over her bathing suit, hot-pink sunglasses, and her hair is pulled up into a messy blond ponytail. While she would love to stand at the bow all “king of the world,” my fear of her falling and getting swept up under the boat is too great to let that happen, so she’s required to sit on the built-in benches. She doesn’t argue. She’s a great kid, and she just loves to feel the wind.

“Vivi, want to do some fishing today?” I ask her. After Vivi moved in with Jonah, I bought her her own rod and reel, and she’s done really well with it. She has no problem putting the bait on the hook, and she does a great job casting and snagging.

“Sure, Uncle Tyler. But no crying from you when I catch the biggest one,” she taunts, without even tearing her eyes away from the horizon.

I turn to face Jonah, and silently, my expression says, “Did she just talk smack to me?”

He chuckles because it sure sounded like she did, and the funny part is I know she got that sarcasm streak from me, not him.

“As long as you know the rules. You catch it, you clean it.” I smirk at her.

She tilts her head a little as she thinks about this, and then she looks at us and shrugs. “Okay.”

I’m not sure if she’s ever seen anyone clean a fish. Usually, I take care of that when we get back to my house while she and Jonah head to theirs, so I’m thinking in her seven-year-old mind, she thinks she’s just giving it a bath.

“You know there will be blood and guts, right?”

She looks over at us and shrugs again.

Well, all right, then. Maybe I do have a little fisherwoman in the making.

“We’ll get to a good spot in about twenty minutes,” I tell her. “I brought you some snacks too if you get hungry. Uncle Jonah might have a thing for fruits and vegetables, but I know what you really want.” I wink at her. “Pringles and Oreos.”

She brightens with excitement as she glances at Jonah, then her face splits into the largest smile.

“Yep, this is why I’m the favorite uncle.” I wag my brows at him. “Are you ready to report in two weeks?”

“Yep,” he tells me while frowning, and I laugh.

“You don’t look it. Your face is screaming, ‘Please don’t make me,’ when it should be lighting up with, ‘Can’t wait!’”

He shifts on his seat and adjusts his hat. “That’s not it. I just have a lot on my mind right now, and reporting in isn’t one of them.”

Don’t we all have a lot on our minds? However, my poor guy Jonah deserves a pass. These past couple of years have been a doozy for him.

“Bro,” I say to him, getting his attention. One eyebrow has popped up over the top of my sunglasses. This is my silent way of asking him to spill something, anything, and he lets out a deep sigh.

He glances at Vivi. It’s clear he doesn't want to say too much in front of her. Little ears seem to hear everything, too. He swallows once and then pushes the words out. “Job offer.” It’s clear that just saying them makes him uneasy.

Job offer? Certainly isn’t for him, so it must be for her. Sophie. I don’t know what has shocked me more now this week. Roommate or a job offer for his girlfriend. I’m emotionally and physically rocked for him right now.

Both brows pop now. “Where?”

He pauses. “Minneapolis.”

Minneapolis.

He could have told me the moon, and I would have been just as surprised. A frown slips onto my face as I shake my head. I don’t understand. I know I should probably be more composed, at least for his sake, but I’m looking at a four-foot mini, and my heart is now racing. What could possibly be in Minneapolis that’s more amazing than him and Vivi here in Tampa?

“Yeah, my sentiments exactly,” he tells me and pulls his hat down a little farther over his face.

“Did you ask her to stay?” I ask him, when really, I’m thinking he should beg.

“How can I? This is her dream.”

A dream I don’t think he even knew she had, or he wouldn’t be this distraught.

“Since when?” I ask, annoyed that the two of them, my two, Jonah and Vivi, are going to have to deal with this. Water sprays up over the front of the boat, and Vivi squeals.

“She’s from there. Her dad is there,” he says, like this makes the most sense in the world.

I shrug in a way that says, “So what?” Most people don’t live in the same town as their parents. That’s what planes are for, and Jonah has plenty of money to fly her back and forth as much as she wants.

Then again, Jonah has always been a selfless guy. He puts everyone else and their needs in front of his own. Of course he didn’t ask her to stay, but I call bullshit.

Silence falls over us as we glide across the water. Both of us are lost in thought. Eventually, we approach the bridge leading us out into the Gulf, and I slow.

“Dreams can change,” I tell him without looking at him. I once dreamed of a life with someone, and in less than a second, that dream went up in flames. And I’m glad that it did. People change. Careers change. Interests change. Dreams can change. I mean has she even considered the possibility of staying? I want to ask him, but frankly, it’s none of my business. I’m just irritated for them.

“Your turn,” he says, returning the raised brow and shifting in the seat so he can reach behind us and into the cooler for three sparkling waters.

My turn.

My expression sours; I can’t help but frown, and he grins at me.

Letting out a deep sigh, I know it’s eventually going to get out, so I tell him, “New roommate.” My lips press into a flat line as I wait for the shock to hit his face, and then the curiosity to take over in three, two, one.

He jerks backward a bit, and I’m certain his eyes would have widened if those sunglasses weren’t in the way. “What? Who?” he all but demands.

Jonah knows the only roommate I’ve ever had is Lance back in college. He’s never really asked me why I am the way I am, and I appreciate that because I wouldn’t tell him anyway. Lance is the only one who knows, and I plan on keeping it that way. Until the day I die.

“No one I’m ready to talk about yet,” I tell him, and this has him even more intrigued.

“You know you won’t be able to keep this a secret for long. Someone will find out soon enough, and word will travel.” He pops the top on one of the cans, and Vivi turns at the sound. She stands to grab the drink as he holds it out for her.

“No one will find out if you keep your trap shut. Besides, it's not a big deal. She won’t be there long.”

“She?” His jaw drops.

I keep my head facing forward and my eyes on the water in front of us as I completely ignore his question.

“You know you can’t leave me hanging like this.” He chuckles. “This is the best distraction ever for me right now. Come on, tell me, who is she? After all, you don’t even have any female friends,” he teases.

And I don’t. On purpose. Well, at least not any that I have to worry about.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a full red-blooded male. I love female company just as much as the next guy, but I never allow them more than a few days here or there, and I have never invited one back to my house.

“I have female friends.”

“Who?” he asks.

“Camille,” I tell him proudly. Because I do consider Reid’s wife a friend.

“Fine, I’ll give you that one, but you know what I mean. What female friends do you have who aren’t married?”

I let out a deep sigh. There’s no getting out of this, and he’s right. Eventually, he’s going to figure it out because my gut says she isn’t staying just a day or two. It’s going to be a bit longer than that.

“Lance’s sister, Lily. She’s staying with me for a bit.”

Visions of her on my couch swim through my mind. Hair all messy, no makeup, headphones on, her legs pulled in and crossed, tiny shorts. It’s disturbing how good she looks there.

“The sister who’s dating Dean Davis?”

I shoot him a look and see he’s now frowning. He shares my sentiments on Dean Davis. In fact, I think most of us in the league do. How he’s convinced the general American population that he’s the dream boy next door, I will never understand.

“That’s the one, although they're apparently not together anymore.”

I would still like to hear this story. They had been together for so long, and Lance and I pretty much thought they were a done deal.

“Hence needing a place to stay,” he says, nodding his head like he now understands. “And you’re okay with this?” he asks, again knowing how I am.

I tell him the same thing I told Lily, and I’ve been telling myself, “I’d do anything for Lance.”

“Interesting,” he says, studying me like I’m some strange animal in the wild.

“Why is this interesting?” I ask him, glancing his way. He’s now got a shit-eating grin, and I don’t like it. “And why do you look like that?”

“She’s very pretty. Don’t you think?”

I shoot him a look, telling him exactly how I feel about him noticing that she’s pretty. And of course I think she’s pretty, who wouldn’t? Beautiful skin, bright blue eyes, lots of freckles, and don’t get me started on her hair, but there are a lot of pretty girls in the world, and I don’t make it a point to mention that every time I see one.

“So?”

His grin grows larger. “I look forward to meeting her.”