Power Play - Brittney Mulliner Page 0,48

true, didn’t mean that was the reality of the situation. It could all be a coincidence. People wanted to see a pattern where there was none.

Right now was about taking care of me. Making myself a priority. I’d tell her that, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about any of her surprises.

18

Jason

Something in me changed that day in the car with Taylor. A locked-up piece of me rattled loose and even though the dull ache remained, it felt like I might actually heal for the first time. I didn’t tell my family about the experience, even though I knew they would be happy for us. It didn’t feel right to drag up the past for them as well.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go see this one?” Mom waved a brochure in her hands while shuffling the others on my kitchen counter.

I was hoping to delay this until they left, but once she got something in her mind, there was no stopping her. Since I was committed to four more years, I wanted to move into an apartment with a bit more space. My current one was just the first place I found with an available unit. The living space was a bit cramped, but I didn’t mind since I knew it was short term. Now, I was willing to invest a bit more into where I lived.

“Mom, I don’t need anything that fancy. That building has a lobby and restaurant. It’s more like a five-star hotel.”

“Why is that such a bad thing? I’d feel better about you living there.” She eyed my kitchen like it was suddenly offensive.

“This place has been fine up until now.”

She shrugged. “I just never said anything before.”

Dad chuckled behind her. “That’s true. She complained to me all the time.”

“Why?” I looked between my parents.

“It would be nice if you at least had a doorman or security,” she admitted.

“I have Frank,” I pointed out. He was supposed to be a doorman of sorts.

“He lets anyone into the building, even into your apartment,” Dad reminded me.

That wasn’t something I could argue. He wasn’t the best at his job.

“Fine, somewhere with better security,” I conceded. “But I don’t need a fancy lobby or gym or pool.”

“Those wouldn’t be horrible.” Joey shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind a pool when we visited.”

“Oh well, if it would please the court.” I rolled my hand and bowed.

He smirked and straightened up in his chair. “It does. Now bring me some fruit.”

I ignored his weak attempt at humor and flipped over to the next brochure. When I asked my teammates for recommendations, they all pointed me to Chloe. Apparently, she became the team’s unofficial real estate broker at some point. She sent over a full envelope stuffed with options. A few of them had handwritten notes about who had lived there in the past or if she recommended the building for me. It was more than I was expecting, and I couldn't help but wonder if this put me in her debt.

“Sort them into a pile of the ones you’re interested in, and we can go see them today,” Mom said as she pulled the majority of the papers toward her.

I shot a look at Dad but he just smiled. It would probably be easier to let her take this over than trying to voice my opinion. I really didn’t care too much, and if it made her feel better or like she had some say in my life, then who was I to deny that.

It only took her ten minutes, and a few compromises from me, to narrow the options down to four. After I called to make appointments to see the available units, I was down to three. One building that had more features than I needed or wanted, wouldn’t have a unit available until the end of the summer, and I didn’t want to wait that long. Moving in the coming weeks would be the best option. I didn’t want to push it off until training started back up.

“Okay, let’s go boys.” Mom picked up her purse and marched out like she was on a mission.

The first building was right down the street from the arena, the same one where Elena, Amelia, and Nikolai lived. Though I doubted they would be there for long. Nikolai and Elena were bound to get married soon, and Amelia and Derek didn’t seem far behind them.

The office manager walked us through the two-bedroom unit that was exactly like Nikolai’s. I