13. Brady

13

Brady

S eagulls squawk loudly as we step outside. We walk to my car and I hit the fob to let Melanie in as I drop her bags into the back seat. She slides into the passenger seat, and I walk around the car. It would be so much easier for her if she just accepted Brighton's offer to stay in one of the spare rooms. It's not in her nature, and there's a big part of me that admires a woman who doesn't want to take advantage of others.

But what she doesn't realize is that it's okay to accept help from friends. No part of me thinks she'd ever take advantage of anyone. As that thought jumps around inside my brain, my thoughts go back to my morning conversation with my uncle. Apparently, he needs a new SUV—to help drive my mother to her appointments. The picture of the vehicle he sent is pretty fucking fancy if you ask me.

When I actually questioned him on it, he went on to let me know how lucky I was that I was in Boston while he was taking care of my mother. When I asked where Mom was, and if I could speak to her, it eventually came out that she went to St. George Street in St. Johns with my cousin—the same cousin I sent money to for skates—to do some shopping.

Jesus, I never used to question any of this before. I just knew—because it was what I was always led to believe—that it was my responsibility to take care of them.

Is it your responsibility, Brady?

"Everything okay?" Melanie asks as I climb into the driver's seat.

"My uncle Wayne called. He's mom's brother. Wants money for a new SUV," I tell her, as a little burst of anger swirls around my chest. Jesus, maybe I was never allowed to exhibit emotions because they would lead me to questioning things. "I bought him a new car a couple of years ago. I guess it's not enough now."

"Does he work?" she asks and I don't miss the curious concern in her voice.

"He used to, until I signed with Boston." She nods and glances out the window. "What?" I don't give her a chance to speak, but instead, I defend my mother, like I'm used to doing and say, "He needed to be there for my mother after I left." Her hand snakes across the seat and settles on my lap. I close mine over hers and give it a squeeze. My other hand goes to my face, and I scrub my chin. "He said Mom was out shopping with my cousin." If there's no extra cash for frivolous things, why did they drive all the way to George St, in St. Johns? That's where all the bars and pubs and restaurants are. It's a popular spot for college kids. I'm pretty sure they're not shopping for school supplies there.

"Is this the cousin…the one needing the skates?"

"Yeah, I sent money right away. I said I would, so I did." I don't know why I sound defensive. "I assumed she'd already gotten them as Mom said she was desperate. Guess they must be shopping for other things."

"Is she married?" I nod. "Does her husband work?"

"Married yes, but Carl is out of work."

"That's too bad. Sounds like times are tough. What did he used to do?"

I snort. "I don't know if he ever worked."

"What about the processing plant? Sounds like it's a big place that hires a lot of people."

"Yeah," is all I say and start the car.

"Maybe he should check there. I mean, if he's fit and able." A beat and then, "Is your uncle fit and able?"

"As far as I know." Truthfully, the fishing industry might not be what it used to be, but work can be found, and people can move.

"Your mom. Did she grow up in Paradise?"

I eye her as she digs into my past, and while I'd normally shut down this kind of probing, I answer, "No, actually. She came to Newfoundland from a farming village in Ireland. They traveled here, and she met Dad and the rest was history. I think she was looking for a better life." I snort out a laugh. "I think she thought there was gold in them Grand Banks."

"I guess she didn't find what she was looking for, huh?"

"Guess not." I pull into traffic. "I think she might have resented the life, now that I think about it. Then Dad died…"

"And she pinned all her hopes on you."

Heart jumping in my chest at those harsh words, my gaze jerks to hers, and her eyes go wide as her jaw drops. She squeezes my leg. "I'm sorry, Brady. That wasn't my place to say that."

I nod, not knowing any other way to respond. I'm not mad at her… Wait, am I mad? Shit, I don't know what I'm feeling. Dealing with emotions is fucking hard and confusing. Maybe it's best just to swallow that shit down again.

"Which apartments did you decide you wanted to check out?" I ask, changing the subject. "Did you look over the links I sent you?" I realize she doesn't want me coming, and I should be happy about that. I've been saying from the very beginning that I can't take on the responsibility of one more person in my life, or one more thing, but I'd actually like to help her look.

I cast her a fast glance and she pulls her laptop from her bag. "I scanned them quickly." She opens the links and looks them over. "Do you know much about rentals, and things like that?"

"Not a whole lot. I shared a place with Theo and now I'm renting from Noah." What must she think of a grown man with a killer career still renting? Shit, I'm starting to wonder about him too.

"If you're really not too busy, I would like it if you came with me. Maybe between the two of us, we can figure out the rental market and make sure I'm paying fair price."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"As long as apartment hunting isn't keeping you from anything."

I wink at her. "It's actually keeping me from cashing that rain check and ravishing you."

"You hang on to that." She glances out the window. "Darn…looks like sunshine for the rest of the day."

I snort out a laugh. "Okay, Lanie, how do I get to your place?"

She sits back and gives me great directions and about thirty minutes later, I pull up in front of a duplex. "My roommate and I share that side." She points to the blue sedan in the driveway. I recognize the vehicle from around the resort. "That's my car having a nice long siesta in the driveway. You can pull in behind it."

"You have no idea what's wrong with it?"

"Oh, I do." She reaches for the door handle. "The engine doesn't work."

"Funny girl. Where are your keys? I'll take a look."

She eyes me. "Are you serious? You know things about vehicles?"

I shrug. "I worked on a boat, and had to do repairs. If I don't know, my buddy Ash will."

"Ash, from the team? Cute defenseman."

"Wow, you seem to know a lot about Ash."

She laughs, as I portray jealousy on purpose, of course. "Yeah, I know he's on your team and a defenseman."

"Cute. Don't forget you called him cute."

"Right, cute. I know so much, I could do his memoir."

I growl as I reach for her. "I had no idea you were such a smart ass." I grab her arm and pull her toward me, needing a kiss before she leaves the car.

She kisses me back. "Um, I think you kind of did know that."

"Yeah, that's true."

"I always knew you were one." Her eyes bore into me, and I can almost feel her poking around inside my head. Maybe I should just go. She already knows too much about me.

"Yeah, that's right. Smart ass. That's what I am." I turn from her gaze and glance at her front door as fight or flight instincts kick in. I really should just go. This woman is far too astute for me.

"Don't ask Ash." She frowns. "I can take care of my own things. I don't want to be dragging any of your teammates into my life or problems. Come on." She opens her door, not really giving me a choice. "Let's go over the listings and see what we can view today."

"Sure." I kill the ignition and step from the car. After I grab her bags, I follow her up the walkway and stop to take a better look at her car. She opens the door and I hurry to catch up, but the second we enter the house, and hear loud sex noises coming from one of the upstairs rooms, I cringe.

"What the fuck." I drop her bags in the entranceway.

She shakes her head, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I thought they'd be chafed raw by now."

That makes me laugh. "Honestly, Lanie. I can see why you fled. They sound like two cats in an alley fight."

"Ohmigod," she giggles. "Do you think that's what we sound like?"

"Yeah, probably, but no one was listening."

She shrugs, and coming to their defense says, "They don't know we're here."

Something tells me they heard us coming and started with these antics. "They drove you out of the house Friday. They knew you were home then." It's just fucking disrespectful, and I'm beginning to think they're doing it on purpose. Her roommate wants her gone, likely so she can move her guy in. Can this woman not get a fucking break?

"Jess, I'm home, and I have company," Melanie calls out loudly. A brief moment of silence, and then an upstairs door slams shut.

"Wow." I drive my hands into my pockets. "That's fucking rude."

"I'm sorry." She lightly touches my arm and winces. "I can understand if you want to leave."

"Yeah, I fucking want to leave." She nods in understanding, as I pull one hand from my pocket and capture her hand. "And you're coming with me."

Her head rears back. "What are you talking about? I can't leave."

"Yeah, you can. Brighton offered you a room. I heard her." She glances down, staring at the pale, cracked tile on the floor, conflicting emotions moving over her beautiful yet distraught face. "Fine, if you don't want one of the downstairs rooms, you can stay with me."

Her gaze jerks back to mine. "In your suite? No, I can't do that." She shakes her head adamantly and tries to step back but I keep her hand in mine and step with her, keeping our bodies close even though her rejection feels like a hard slap to the face.

I keep my composure. "Why not?"

She blinks rapidly. "I…I…" She can't find her words, because she can't come up with a reasonable answer.

"Look, it won't be for long. We're going to look at places today, and maybe you'll find something fast, but until then, you're with me."

Her long hair falls over her shoulder as she shakes her head again. "I…I just don't want to be a bother. If I become?—"

"I never said you'd be a bother." She swallows as the walls practically vibrate from the sex screams reverberating down the stairs. "Obviously, you can't stay here." Her eyes narrow, looking almost vacant, like she's remembering something unpleasant. A second later, she squares her shoulders and her lips part, no doubt about to protest. "Get your stuff. I'm not taking no for an answer." I shake my head, warning her not to fight me on this, and when a loud bang and scream that sounds more like pain than pleasure reaches our ears—did someone's head hit the fucking roof?—I can almost feel her softening.

Wanting to sweeten the deal, I remind her, "Think about how much more time you'll have to study before your big test. No transport time back and forth to the resort."

Wow, way to spin it, dude.

Hit her where you know it's going to do the most damage. The fact that I'm pushing my help on her doesn't go unnoticed. What was it that I always said about not taking on more responsibility, and here I am doing just that. Maybe I'm just used to people wanting things from me, and it's in my nature to give, or maybe I'm pushing because it's Lanie.

When she remains quiet—because that's a sweet offer too good to pass up—I continue. "I'll give you all the time you need to study, and will only ravish you at night," I tease. "Now, go pack what you need."

She gives a curt nod, the vacant look clearing from her eyes as her back goes rigid. "Right."

I give a nod in return. "It's settled then."

She holds one hand out, palm toward me. "Just promise if I get in the way?—"

"You won't." I hold my hands out. "Give me your keys. I want to take a look at your car." Once again, her mouth opens and I shake my head. "Lanie," I warn.

"Fine," she blurts out and plucks a set of keys from a bowl on a table near the door. "I'll be fast."

I wince, my shoulders almost touching my ears as the screams continue. Theo was loud and obnoxious, but this takes it to a whole new level. "I'd say that's a good idea, otherwise that ridiculousness is going to drive you straight to therapy." I pull her to me, and kiss her lightly. "I'll be outside."

I wait for a second as she picks up her bags and darts up the stairs. Once she disappears from my sight, I step outside, enjoying the quiet. Not that it's all that quiet. Kids are playing in the streets, and a couple of houses down, a man is mowing his lawn. The sounds are still quieter outside.

My phone pings, and I tug it from my pocket and slide my finger across the screen. "What's up, Gunther?"

"Bunch of us are headed to Duke's for a game of pool this afternoon. Join us. I owe you a beer."

"You don't owe me a beer."

"Fuck yeah, I do. So does Conner. Come play pool and we'll pay our debt."

I wince as I glance back at the house. The guys think they owe me a beer because I stupidly bet that I could get Melanie into bed. Obviously, the bet was bogus and I didn't really think it meant anything until they asked about it on the rooftop the other night. "I can't. I uh…I'm tied up."

He laughs. "If you're blowing us off, it better be because you're tied to a damn bed post."

"Fuck off."

I hear a car door slam in the background, and a motor rev. "How about we go double or nothing?"

I scratch my head and glance over my shoulder to make sure Melanie isn't listening. "What are you talking about?"

"I bet you can't get her to fall in love with you. Fucking is one thing, falling for your sorry cod ass is another."

"You're saying she'd never fall for me?" My stomach tightens, because maybe that's what I really want.

"Oh, it's on, buddy."

Before I can tell him it's not, a loud laugh reverberates through the phone before he ends the call. I shake my head and walk to the car. I glance back at the house and that's when I see movement at the window. I stare for a second. Is Melanie watching me? I hope to fuck she didn't overhear anything. But no, not Melanie, it's some dude and it looks to me like he's fully dressed. Son of a bitch.

That guy and Melanie's roommate were fucking around—but not fucking at all. Bastards. Every protective instinct I possess grips me hard, and all I want to do is take Melanie home and make life a little bit fucking easier for her.

I'm about to turn when the guy's eyes go wide, and he starts to open the window. Clearly, he recognizes me.

"Hey," he calls out, wanting my attention. Without looking up, I give it to him, by means of a middle finger.