Underneath It All (Storm Series)

by Carr, Cassandra

  He turned serious. “That’s stupid. Really.” Leaning forward, he said, “I assume you know by now that I make millions every year. And I play a freaking game. Yes, not everyone has the talent and drive needed to become a professional athlete, but at the end of the day, we play a game. You’re changing the lives of children and getting boned. That’s criminal as far as I’m concerned. Athletes and actors and musicians rake in the cash, while teachers, nurses, and all those others who really make a difference in peoples’ lives get the shaft.”

  Alaina had to admit she was surprised he felt that way about his own situation. In her experience, a lot of people with those salaries had a sense of entitlement, but Rob was the polar opposite. “But it’s very difficult to get to your level, Rob, and it takes years of hard work and sacrifice. You should be rewarded for that.” She couldn’t believe she was defending his ridiculous paychecks.

  “I still feel bad.”

  His expression was clouded, and she was sorry their conversation had degenerated to this. She’d wanted to have a nice night out with Rob. “Don’t. You deserve every good thing. You’ve sacrificed a lot, and you’re a good person, though I did promise to keep that information to myself.”

  Laugh, please.

  One side of his mouth kicked up. “Wouldn’t want to spook people into thinking I’m a nice guy.”

  They finished dinner and he paid the check, leaving another very generous tip. When he dropped her off at her apartment, he said, “I’d come up, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to leave, and I’m really, really trying to take this slow.”

  “I can understand that, and I appreciate it. When the time is right, we’ll know.” Alaina was convinced she was right about Rob. Kyle, for some reason, obviously didn’t like professional athletes, but she couldn’t let him color her view of Rob, who’d been nothing but great to her and the school.

  “We better,” he grumbled.

  She pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Thanks for the carbo-loading and the Chianti. I should sleep well tonight.”

  He laughed. “My pleasure. So see you tomorrow at my place at twelve thirty?”

  Rob gave her his address and she jotted it down in the notebook app on her phone. She might not have all the luxuries, but this smartphone, which her parents had given her for Christmas, was quickly becoming a necessity. It would’ve been even better if they’d offered to pay the bill for the thing too, but her parents weren’t rich by any means. So the phone was the one thing she allowed herself to have even though it wasn’t strictly necessary.

  “I’ll bring some food for lunch.”

  “Order something and have the place deliver the food. I don’t want you having to go out and buy stuff.”

  “I don’t mind,” Alaina protested.

  Leaning in and whispering directly into her ear, he said, “I do. And you should always listen to me. Don’t make me hide cash all over your apartment because you’re too stubborn to let me pay for things. You should know by now I would in a heartbeat if it would make things easier for you.”

  With a derisive noise she pushed him back out the door. “Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow.”

  Alaina was oddly touched Rob wanted to take care of her. Sure, he had money to throw around, but he used it to help others from what she’d seen. Whether he was doling out big tips at a restaurant or giving the school obscene amounts of money to spend on the classrooms, he used his money for good. Rob didn’t waste it, and she admired that about him.

  The next day, she thawed the chili from earlier in the week and grabbed a bag of chips and some cheese to accompany her comfort-food offering. She felt weird going anywhere empty-handed, and her mother, the consummate hostess, would have her head. Alaina could almost hear the woman now. “You were raised better than that.”

  “Yes, Ma,” she murmured as she carried everything to her little car.

  When she arrived at Rob’s house, Sebastian answered the door. Looking past him, she spied Sarah. A little fissure of disappoint took up residence. Alaina had been hoping to cuddle during the game and maybe have a little more than cuddle time afterward.

  Rob walked out of the kitchen carrying drinks. “Hey!” Jerking his head toward his friends, he said, “They don’t have anything better to do than tag along on my dates.” Sebastian snorted and Rob gave him a shove after setting down the glasses. “So I guess we’re gonna double.”

  “Fine with me.” She smiled, but turned away so he wouldn’t see the disappointment on her face.

  “So you call watching a hockey game at your house a date? Dude, that’s lame,” Sebastian said.

  Alaina couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Sarah leaned forward and said in a stage whisper, “We’re glad he’s got someone finally. Having him in the middle hogging the popcorn was really making seeing movies a pain.”

  Alaina laughed so hard she nearly dropped the chili, but Rob swooped in to grab the bundle. “What’s this?”

  “The leftover chili. Not sure how far this amount will go with four of us, but I saw how much you liked it…” I wish you’d told me more people would be in attendance. I would’ve brought something else.

  Men. If she wasn’t so pleased that having a woman over was obviously not a frequent thing for Rob, she would’ve been ticked. Warmth spread throughout her body. He’d said she was special, but Alaina had kind of dismissed it as sweet talk. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  Rob took the stuff into the kitchen then returned. “You are too nice.” Grabbing Alaina, he twirled and dipped her before kissing her deeply while Sebastian made loud kissing noises and Sarah tried to shush him.

  Alaina thought Rob was going to let her up for air, but he pulled back only long enough to change the angle of his head, and finally, she pushed at him, chuckling when he reluctantly set her upright. Her face was flaming, yet Rob appeared perfectly comfortable. “I can’t believe you did that right in front of your friends.”

  “What? They know I’m a stud.”

  Both Sebastian and Sarah burst out laughing, and Rob picked up a throw cushion then lobbed the fluffy pillow at the two of them. Sebastian easily caught it, and he and Sarah held onto each other for support as they continued to laugh at Rob’s expense.

  “The worst part?” Sebastian gasped out. “You were blocking the TV.”

  “Oh whatever, man.” Sitting in his large recliner, he pulled Alaina down on top of him. “Did one of you guys put in the food order?”

  Sarah spoke up. “Should be here within a half hour.”

  He turned Alaina’s chin until she met his gaze. “We got Chinese. I hope that’s okay.”

  “I love Chinese food. I’m really not too picky about what I eat. As long as tuna fish doesn’t enter into the equation.” She shuddered.

  “What have you got against tuna fish?”

  “Tuna is gross,” Sarah said.

  Alaina faced Sarah, who held up a hand to high-five. “You don’t like the vile stuff either, I take it?”

  “Ugh, hate even the smell. I won’t let Sebastian have tuna in the house, and if he eats it somewhere else, I make him brush his teeth before he gets anywhere near me.”

  Alaina elbowed Rob. “I like her.”

  “Ow.” He rubbed his side then said, “Oh, hey, I forgot to ask if you wanted a drink.”

  “You’re a terrible host, you know,” Sebastian said.

  Rob flipped him off as Alaina answered, “Don’t get up, Rob. I’ll go root around for something.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She waved him off and went into the kitchen. He’d stocked some cola. Was that in deference to her? When they’d been out on their lunch date, Alaina had mentioned how she wasn’t a huge fan of coffee and drank cola in the afternoons to stay awake. Rob really was a thoughtful guy, as she doubted cola was a part of the Storm’s nutrition plan. The question of why a guy as great as Rob was single flitted through her mind, but she pushed the quandary to the back of her thoughts so she could focus on the here and now. The g
ame was about to start.

  It was fun to watch the hockey game with Rob and his friends. The affection between the three of them was clear despite the almost constant bantering-slash-insult fest between Sebastian and Rob. When the game ended, Sarah and Sebastian took their leave and Alaina wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to make Rob feel like he had to feed and entertain her all the time.

  He returned from seeing his friends off and said, “Don’t go anywhere. I want to talk to you about something. I’m gonna grab a drink first, though.” Rob disappeared into the kitchen then came back with a bottle of water. “You’re good?”

  She motioned to her own two-thirds-full bottle of water. She’d drunk one cola—her self-imposed limit per day—then switched to water. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Okay. Seb’s right. I’m really a horrible host. I apologize about that.”

  She waved off his concerns. “No biggie. What’s up?”

  Sitting, he took a deep breath, and she frowned. Was this going to be bad news? Did he want to end their exclusivity arrangement already? They’d had a great afternoon. Why would he tell her something like that now?

  Wow, paranoid much?

  “I had an idea I wanted to run by you. I already talked to Sarah and Sebastian, and they thought it was worthwhile to pursue.”

  “Color me intrigued.” She wasn’t surprised that whatever this idea was, he’d gone to his friends first. They were obviously very close and Alaina was happy he had people around who supported him.

  Rob paced, and Alaina silently watched him wear a hole in the rug, knowing instinctively she needed to let him work out things in his head before speaking them aloud. He glanced over at her. “So you know how much I’ve wanted to help your school out…”

  Nodding slowly, she answered, “Yes. And you’ve already helped a ton.”

  Rob went on, “Well, I got to thinking. There are a lot of elementary schools in the city, right?”

  “Yes. I’m not sure how many, but probably a couple dozen, I would think.”

  “And they’re all in the same boat as yours.”

  “I would imagine so.” Where was he going with this?

  “I had an idea to do something to get supplies for all of them, not just yours.”

  Alaina’s eyebrows shot up. “How do you propose to do that?”

  “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.” He stopped in front of her. “I was thinking of spearheading a one-time campaign, but Sarah, in her infinite wisdom,” Rob rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, “thinks a foundation would be more effective.”

  Alaina sat back, her body collapsing into the cushions behind her. “Seriously?” Her mind reeled. Could this really happen?

  “Yeah. Some of the other guys have set up charities for kids with cancer or other causes.”

  “Who would run this foundation? I mean, I assume you’re kind of busy with, you know, being a professional hockey player.” Did he have the commitment to see a project of this enormity through? As she regarded the steely resolve in his eyes, she believed he did. But so many questions remained.

  “I’m not sure who would run it. I’d have to talk to a lawyer first to figure out how to set the whole thing up. Ben, our captain, has had a charity since he was with New York. He does fundraising for new skating rinks in both urban and rural areas, places where ice time is at a premium because there aren’t enough public rinks in the area. I could talk to him. I think he hired somebody to handle the day-to-day operations. He’s got a huge family, and I think some cousin or other manages it.”

  “A lawyer is probably a good place to start…” Her voice trailed off. If she was this overwhelmed, she could only imagine how Rob was feeling. “How long have you been thinking about this?”

  “Only for a couple of days. But Sarah and Sebastian will tell you, when I get something in my head I’m like a dog to a bone. I think I’ve already talked their ears off.”

  She’d wondered why he hadn’t spoken to her sooner, but he’d probably wanted to make the idea more concrete, and she couldn’t blame him for that. Plus, it was obvious he was close to Sebastian and Sarah, so it was natural he’d bring it up to them first. “I appreciate your enthusiasm. I don’t want you to take on too much, though.”

  Finally he sat, leaning forward, his hands clasped in front of him. “This may not be something life-threatening like cancer, but I believe in this cause. I really think, especially now that I know more about life in the elementary schools around here, that we could have a positive impact on the kids.”

  “Oh, no doubt. These kids are behind their peers by the time they get into secondary school, no matter how hard we as teachers work to prevent that. The gap only widens through the high school years. The city doesn’t have money for advanced classes, cool electives—the things students need to make decisions about their lives and be competitive in today’s world.” Alaina blushed, knowing she sounded like an education evangelist, but Rob nodded.

  “See, that’s exactly what I mean. You opened my eyes to that.” Running his hand through his short, dark brown hair, he said, “It’s not fair some kids have tons of advantages and others struggle.”

  “I agree.”

  “Oh, and I want to supplement the reading program you guys already have in place. I talked to Seb. We were thinking of buying a box or two in the Barn then rewarding kids who hit milestones with tickets to a game. What do you think?”

  Alaina stared at him for several seconds before saying slowly, “Great. Wonderful. Unbelievable.” Those were about the only intelligent words she could force out of the mass of thoughts whirling inside her head.

  “But?”

  “But nothing. How could this not be a good thing? It’s just…a lot to take in.”

  If he really does this…

  “I know. And I’m sorry to drop all this on you at once. But I’m excited and I wanted you to be involved from the ground up. I, um, I thought maybe you could be an adviser or consultant or something. You know what these kids need better than anyone.”

  “I’ll help you however I can.” How could I not?

  It meant they’d be working together potentially for a long time. Had he considered that? Alaina was excited by the prospect, but what if things didn’t work out?

  Alaina smiled as she thought about what her mother would say right now: Don’t borrow trouble.

  Rob grinned. “That’s all I’m asking.”

  ~ * ~

  SIX

  Rob never saw the guy coming. He was battling to clear the puck out of the corner in the defensive zone when a player drove him into the boards from behind. Pain lanced through him, and he crumpled to the ice, rolling from side to side, gripping his shoulder as, seemingly off in the distance, a fight erupted.

  Sebastian’s angry snarl reached through the pain. His best friend wouldn’t let a cheap shot like that stand, but Rob could barely breathe through the agony, much less decipher what was going on. He didn’t need to see a replay to know the hit had been illegal. The man had led with an elbow or shoulder to the middle of Rob’s back—right over the numbers—most likely skating into him, based on how quickly it had happened.

  This situation was bad. That fact was about the only thing even remotely clear to Rob at the moment. There wasn’t a doubt in his agony-fogged brain that he was hurt, and this one was undoubtedly worse than any of his other shoulder injuries. Dislocated for sure, at the very least, and though the throbbing mass of hurt was excruciating, everything would still get worse when they popped the joint back in. The idea alone made him queasy and he swallowed back bile.

  Colby, the team’s trainer, was by his side in seconds. “Shoulder?”

  “Pretty…sure…dislocated,” Rob managed to get out around clenched teeth, his eyes squeezed shut as his brain worked to process the sheer magnitude of current events.

  “Okay.” Colby was using his “calm the player down” voice as Rob tried not to puke.

  He kicked out a leg to have an outlet f
or the searing pain, not caring a razor-sharp blade resided at the end of that leg. A litany of swear words streamed from his mouth as he turned his face toward the ice and struggled to breathe. The referees’ whistles sounded, but Rob didn’t spare them a thought.

  “We need to get you up, bud. Can you stand?”

  Rob forced his eyes open. His teammate Alexei leaned over him with an expression that didn’t quite hide his worry. “Yeah.”

  “I help you,” Alexei said, motioning like he was picking Rob up.

  For a hockey player not to leave the ice under his own power usually took a severed limb. Rob figured this was close enough. His vision blurred as Alexei bent down on Rob’s good side and pulled him to his feet by sheer strength. Rob certainly wasn’t able to help as misery speared through his body once more.

  “Lean on me.” They began shuffling toward the door to the bench.

  Colby trotted alongside them, but when Rob’s world started to fade to black, he heard Colby command, his tone sharp, “Stay with me, Rob.”

  Despite his best efforts, his head lolled and Alexei gripped him tighter. At the door, Jordan reached out and took some of Rob’s weight, grabbing hold of the pads at the top of his hockey pants. At least that way there was no pressure on his shoulder, though he felt a little like a rag doll being pushed here and there. Together the two of them—Alexei and Jordan—muscled their way behind the bench, where Rob was gently transferred to two assistant trainers for the walk down the tunnel to the training room.

  Rob couldn’t remember ever feeling this level of abject torture, and when they’d lumbered partway down the hall, he swayed, nearly going to his knees, and threw up. Dry heaves shook him, sending more spirals of pain through his shoulder and down his arm. After an eternity, they arrived at the training room and the guys helped Rob sit on a treatment table, remaining close by, probably to help him remain upright after the little episode in the hallway. The team’s doctor had followed them in and began to direct the other staff.