On the Sidelines

Chapter 23 Tanner

I've spent the last week talking with the managers of the Cheetahs, trying to figure out the logistics of everything. They got back to me this morning about salary and to say I gawked at it would be an understatement.

Sean had to pat my back until I could breathe again. I anticipated a big chunk of change but three million is more than I expected from my first year in the NHL.

I need to check the housing market soon so I can have a place to live in three weeks. I just want to have Evie's opinion on it as well. Since I'm hoping she'll be spending as much time as possible there.

I have a meeting with the dean at the end of the week to discuss options for next year. I won't be able to be in classes but I'm hoping to be able to finish my last year online.

I've done the math and I don't need to be in any more classes this semester to pass my classes, save for the finals, so I plan on spending my time packing, apartment hunting, and worshiping Evie's body.

Speaking of Evie, the angel herself just walked through the door. She swings her bookbag off her shoulder, setting it on the kitchen island. She looks exhausted. The last few weeks have been stressful for her.

With Jasper's threats and the talk Jake wants to have with her, she hasn't been getting a lot of sleep. Jake leaves in two days and has upped his efforts to talk to my girl. She's been receiving multiple calls from the sheriff's office per day trying to get her to come down and talk to him. At first she was going to, now she refuses to.

She doesn't like how pushy he's gotten. Whatever questions she had for him no longer holds her attention so neither does he.

As for Jasper, no one has seen him in almost two weeks. The calls and texts have stopped so Sasha has moved back into the dorm but Alyssa has decided to stay with Dillan and Oli.

Evie told me the other day that she didn't actually fear that Jasper would try something, she just took the opportunity to move back in with me because she likes sleeping next to me.

"Are you okay?" My eyes glance up to hers. She's watching me intently, trying to get a read on me.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She sighs, leaning heavily on the counter.

"Because you just got recruited to play hockey professionally. That's a lot of fame that came all at once. And you have this far away look in your eyes that tells me you're lost in your head. So let me in and let's get lost together. What's going on?"

"I was just thinking about how we need to find an apartment. Which means we need to go up this weekend to look. Does that work for you?" She rounds the islands, wrapping her arms around my chest. She guides my head down to meet hers, placing a gentle kiss to my lips.

"That sounds wonderful." I lift her arms up to wrap them around my neck, my own arms wrapping around her waist. Sean clears his throat next to us, alerting us to his presence. Evie looks over to where he stands, a sweet smile tilting her lips. "Hi, didn't see you there."

"Great, so I'm chopped liver."

Evie gasps, "what? No! I was just distracted by this hunk of a man." Sean laughs, shaking his head.

"I'm going upstairs." He promptly retreats to his room leaving Evie and I laughing in the kitchen.

"I feel bad. He didn't have to leave." Evie giggles some more giving way to her real emotion, amusement.

"Nah, he'll be fine. I'm sure he's used to it by this point. If he's not then he'll only have to endure it for another three weeks." Evie's eyes shift back to me, an unreadable expression in them. "What's wrong?"