Chapter 33

33

ELLA

I don’t yet understand hockey rules, but the electric energy and the surge of support for the Knights to win was undeniable. It was different from when the Storm faced off against them in South Carolina. With the Knights, the atmosphere is different.

Being with Jack is different from the few other guys I’ve dated. Can you have a fake relationship with real feelings?

But midway through his first game with the Knights, my nose started to tickle. I figured it was because the arena was cold. Then, my throat felt scratchy. I blamed it on all the screaming and cheering I’d been doing.

Cara, the coach’s daughter, along with several of the other women, including Heidi, who is married to one of the goalies, taught me the chant, “Stronger than steel, hotter than the sun, the Knights don’t stop until they get the job done.”

Then I sneezed. Three times. Fortunately, they’re not explosive. Mom called them mouse sneezes. But for me, that’s always been the sign of the beginning of a cold or flu.

After Jack brought me back to the hotel, I immediately crashed, exhausted. But my phone is ringing. The clock across the room says that it’s just after midnight.

The silhouette of Bark Wahlburger sits at attention, ears perked.

Anxiety shoots through me. I hope Jack is okay. I vaguely recall him tucking me in and then saying he was going to go to the party for one hour and then be right back.

Glassy-eyed, I read the screen. I only have a few phone numbers programmed into my phone and this one is unknown. Worried, I answer. My voice is scratchy, like I’ve been chewing on sawdust.

Distorted bass heavy music, loud talking, and static sound in the background before a female voice says, “Hey, girl. You have to see my latest post @QueenAston. It’s totes adorbs. Ta ta.” Or maybe it was Ha ha ? The caller hangs up.

Warm all over, I press my hand to my forehead and it burns.

It takes me a moment to place the voice and understand her garbled words. It was Aston. Even if I did have social media apps, my head aches, my throat is dry and my stuffy nose makes it hard to think about much else other than the fact that I’m sick. As I set my phone on the bedside table, it vibrates and beeps with a text.

Leah: Hopefully, you’re getting some rest and won’t see this until tomorrow, but if you were thinking of logging back onto social media, don’t bother. It’s a waste of time.

Me: I just got a weird call from Jack’s sister, er, I mean stepmom.

My thoughts bob and weave as I drop back onto the pillow.

Leah: That would be his wicked stepmother. Ignore her. Take two ‘I don’t give a cookie about Aston,’ go back to sleep, and call me in the morning. If you need anything. I’m not far.

From beyond the hotel suite’s bedroom door, another door opens and closes. I call for Jack, but my voice is a rasp and my body aches all over. My eyes drift closed, and I want nothing more than to float away on a cloud.

A faint glow from the window stings my eyes as I wake up to the sound of running water. I have a vague recollection of this happening before, but even if I risked getting kicked out of the hotel or losing my job, I’m too weak to get up. Freezing, I pull the covers around me, curl up into a ball, and pass back out.

Sometime later, once more, I groggily surface back to consciousness when the door creaks open.

“Good morning, Ella. Are you up?” Jack whispers.

I groan.

“Ella?” He crosses the room and the bed shifts with his weight. He hovers over me. Eyes pinched with concern. “Are you okay?”

I answer with an agonizing shake of my head that makes me feel like I have a bowling ball instead of a brain. His rough hand presses against my forehead.

“You’re hot. I mean, you’re hot , but your cheeks are red and your temperature is scorching.”

“That’s not news I want to hear,” I mumble. Or maybe I say something about a bear. I’m not sure because all I want to do is hibernate until whatever this is passes.

“Stay here. I mean, don’t go anywhere. I know you won’t. But I’ll be right back.” The words come at me in pieces, but I get the gist as I burrow into the covers, unable to get warm.

I’m not sure how much time passes, but the room is dark. A cool compress rests on my forehead, a straw is lifted to my mouth, and then someone rubs my feet. I’m disoriented and can’t form complete thoughts, but I hear the low murmuring of voices, including Leah’s. Then I’m in the shower, dressed in dry clothes even though I’d prefer a parka right now—who knew Nebraska would be so cold and why doesn’t this classy hotel have heat?

Leah’s voice echoes, “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call.”

Her brother adds, “Don’t worry, sis. She’s in good hands.”

Then I’m out again.

In fits and starts, I sleep and wake—the room is dim, but occasionally someone brings me water. Actually, it seems every thirty minutes like clockwork. Then, the figure returns to a chair near the bed. Finally, I wake up in a warm nest surrounded by woodland creatures singing. Blinking open my eyes, a hand gently smooths my hair and someone sings softly.

“Jack?”

“I’m here.”

I press my hand into his. “Thank you.”

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“Snuggle?”

The mattress shifts and he wraps his arms around me. I doze and when I wake up, I feel much better. I’m still a little achy, but that might be because I’ve been in bed for awhile.

I roll over and find Jack awake, blue eyes filled with relief.

“How long have I been out?”

“Two days.”

I brush my hand over my forehead. It’s cool and dry, thank goodness. “Gosh. I’m so sorry.”

He shakes his head. “You were sick. Are you feeling better?”

“So much better.” I sit up and am instantly terrified that I have the worst case of bedhead of my life. When I smooth my hand through my hair, it’s in a braid. “Did Leah?—?”

“She helped you shower, but I braided your hair.”

“You know how to braid?”

He shrugs. “Watched a video.”

“You also made sure I stayed hydrated and?—”

Carlos’s voice comes from the next room. “He refused to leave your side, which was a problem because, having just joined the Knights, he had some commitments. I can’t very well pretend to be him and stand in his place.”

“Those are big shoes to fill, but I dipped out a few times when it was essential.”

“Thank you. Again, I am so sorry. I hope I didn’t mess anything up.”

Jack caresses my jawline and rubs his thumb below my temple. “You’re in a brand new place, in a hotel, and got sick. I didn’t want you to be scared.”

“But what if you get sick now?” I ask, panicked.

“I’m made of ice and grit, Ella.” His tone is serious like he’s preparing to go to war. I try to think of when and where his next game is, but my mind is muddled.

Carlos says, “Good thing you’re all better now because he has to be on an airplane in two hours.”

“We’re playing against Colorado, so I won’t be gone long.”

“I can come if you want me in your jersey.”

He hesitates. “I do want to see you in my jersey again, but you have an appointment with a realtor.”

Carlos pipes up, “Leah is going with you.”

“If that’s okay?” Jack asks.

I nod because I also want to thank her for helping out while I wasn’t feeling good. That sickness hit me like a ton of bricks and I hope none of them come down with it .

Jack and I talk for a couple more minutes, but Carlos is antsy for them to get going.

He kisses me goodbye on the forehead. “We have a lot to talk about when I get back.”

I imagine it has to do with the team and our fake engagement arrangement. “I’ll be sure to watch the game.”

The pinch between his eyebrows erases and he grins like hearing that is akin to finding out that tomorrow is Christmas. I wonder what holidays were like in the Bouchelle household. He probably had fancy Santa presents wrapped in ribbon rather than repeatedly reused bows with double-sided tape, along with exotic trips on trains, planes, and automobiles. I have my doubts that it was the cozy kind of celebration with the house overflowing with a hodgepodge of decorations—some passed down through generations. I imagine that, much like Jack’s condo, they hired someone to decorate and it looked like a window display. Nothing wrong with that, love it, but I’ve gathered that part of him craves the kind of home I grew up in—maybe with a few modern upgrades—warm and cozy, lived in and loved. The way Jack made me feel when he was taking care of me.

Maybe I can make that happen after I’m done house-hunting.