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I hung up the last of my clothes and reached into my suitcase for the final item. I unwrapped the framed photo and set it gently on the dresser. The family photo was almost twenty years old now, but it was the last picture I had of my mother before I lost her to an undetected heart defect, and it reminded me why I kept doing this.

A knock on the door brought me back to the present. “Come in.”

Jane opened the door and poked her head inside. There were shadows under her eyes that hadn’t been there earlier.

“Do you have everything you need? I can pick up anything that’s missing when I go shopping. If I can’t get it locally, I have to head into Calgary to pick up some supplies.”

Jane’s simple gesture shouldn’t have been as impactful as it was. She was being friendly, nothing more. But after years of having people around me that acted like vultures, only caring what I could do for them, her kindness was a welcome change. “I think I have everything, thanks. The room, the meal. You’ve done so much already. I bet I’m keeping you up, aren’t I?”

Pink coloured Jane’s cheeks. “A little, but I don’t mind. You’re doing me a favour, and it was fun to catch up. Most nights I turn in before ten, because I have to be at work early, but staying up late tonight? Worth it.”

“I’m heading for bed now. I’ll be gone before you get up. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen for breakfast in the morning. G’night.” She yawned as she turned and went down the hall.

“Good night.” There had been no innuendo in her tone, but my traitorous body reacted as if she had been standing naked before me, inviting me into her bed. I’d better get this under control if I was going to stay here for longer than a few days. Jane was my friend. Any conflicts could affect my position on the team. I wasn’t willing to risk that.

I hadn’t been with a woman since the accident, almost two years ago. Recovery had consumed the first six months after it, and my marriage with my ex during that time had been rocky, to say the least. Having a potentially disabled former ballplayer as a husband hadn’t been in her future plans.

After she left, I had poured everything I had into physiotherapy. All my anger at fate, at the truck driver who’d hit me, at my wife and my agent for abandoning me. For the loss of my World Championship dreams. I hadn’t been in a good head space to be with anyone, as my therapist had told me repeatedly. She taught me that I had to love my new self before I even thought about loving someone else. I was still a work in progress.

I snorted. I’d love myself again after I made it back to the big leagues. Then I’d be the person I wanted to be. Until then, I didn’t have room in my life for a relationship. Not even with a woman as delectable as Jane Morris. Especially not with Jane. I wanted her friendship far more than any fleeting physical pleasure.

I closed the bedroom door and changed into workout clothes. Jane might be up at dawn, but I was vibrating with nervous energy. I laced up my running shoes and went downstairs. Ethan was in the kitchen, grabbing a snack, and he waved at me.

“Where you going?” he asked around a mouthful of cereal.

“Going for a run and checking out the neighbourhood. Want to come?” I offered, half hoping he would say no. I was going running to clear my head, but I liked Ethan and didn’t want to make him feel bad by excluding him.

Ethan was already shaking his head. “Running? No thanks. I do enough running in training. Have fun.”

He looked back down at his phone, continuing to shove spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth. Oh to be able to eat like a seventeen-year-old kid again. I shook my head in amusement and started out.

When I stepped out on the porch, I was struck again by how cozy Jane’s home was. I had scarcely paid attention to the old Victorian when I’d brought Ethan home, but now, as I stretched, I noted the details: the swing and potted plants on the porch, the crisp blue paint with white trim.

This late on a spring evening, the sun had set, the neighbourhood cloaked in shadows broken by widely spaced streetlights. The porch light hinted at a yard that was well cared for, lined with shrubs and trees that weren’t yet leafy green, but reminded me of the ones my mother had planted in the home I grew up in.

At a glance, Jane had rebuilt her life after her divorce, creating a warm, welcoming home for her and Ethan and Brooke. No wonder she didn’t want Chad to worm his way back into her world. I might have only stayed with them for two months, but I had played ball on the same club as Chad for three years, and he thrived on creating chaos all around him.

I started down the street, looking for the park I’d passed as I drove Ethan home earlier. It had looked promising, with a groomed trail snaking through it that would be easier on my joints than running on pavement. Running was good for me mentally, and had helped me rebuild my cardiovascular fitness as I was healing, but I still had to be cautious.

I settled into a comfortable pace and studied my surroundings. All the houses on Jane’s street were similar to hers, older Victorian-style homes that looked well kept with neatly tended yards. Most of the vehicles in front of them were typical of middle-income families in Alberta—Honda Civics or Ford trucks with company logos painted on the sides. A few SUVs, not a single one a BMW or Mercedes. Very different from my neighbourhood in Seattle, and the one Chad and Jane had lived in when they were in Dallas. There, the only people who drove Hondas were the hired help.

Truthfully, this reminded me of the small Ontario city I grew up in. Lots of blue-collar families with middle-class incomes.

It was weird, but in many ways, coming to Red Rock felt like coming home. My dad would love it. Maybe I could convince him to come visit me while I was playing here. Dallas had been too hot for him, and he’d liked Seattle more, but he hadn’t gotten along with my wife, so he hadn’t visited often.

It had bothered me that he didn’t like Evie, because I wound up seeing much less of him. He’d hid it pretty well while Evie and I were still married, but admitted that she was the reason he had stayed away after Evie left me. Dad would always come see me play when the teams I was with played against the team in Toronto, and sometimes when I played in Boston or New York, when he knew Evie wouldn’t be there.

He had been in Seattle for the playoffs the night of my accident, though. He’d stayed by my bedside until I was out of the ICU, but then he’d had to go back home. Even though I had more than enough money to support him if he wanted to retire, he was only sixty, and his carpentry business was his life. He wasn’t ready to call it quits.

All of this rattled around my head as I inhaled the crisp night air, the scent of new grass filling my senses. A visit from my father would be welcome, but I couldn’t let myself get too attached to this town. I had no intention of being here for long. If I didn’t get called up by Vancouver by the end of the season, it would be time to move on, to try to find another team that would sign me next year. If I succeeded and got my call-up? I’d be gone either way.

I stuck to the main path through the park, not venturing down the side trails in the dark. There were enough lights scattered throughout the park that I could make out the terrain and keep my footing, but I would be back in the daylight to explore more. My sport watch beeped, and I realized I’d been running for over thirty minutes, lost in thought. It was time to head back and get some rest. Tomorrow was when the real work started.

Chapter 7

Jane

The back door banged open as I pulled cakes from the oven, the rich scent of chocolate making me hungry. The fact it was seven in the morning didn’t matter; it was never too early for chocolate. Which might be one of the reasons I had some generous curves, but life was short, and I definitely believed in eating the cake. I looked up as Emily bounced into the room, tying her apron around her tiny waist as she moved.