“Damn. And it’s just you here? What a fucking waste. You should turn it into the fucking Playboy mansion or some shit.”
I chuckle and shake my head. “The cook and maid come daily. It’s not always empty.”
“Oh yeah? I hear you have company pretty regularly.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me like we’re discussing something especially juicy. “How was that girl you were with recently? How old was she? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-seven,” I correct, as if it makes a difference to him.
“Sure. Prime of her life.” He nudges me, nearly knocking me over. “Well, if I can find my way to the east wing, I’ll drop my bags off. What’s the plan for this vacation?”
“I thought you were here for recovery.”
“Oh, you think recovery can’t be fun?”
I figured as much when he said he was coming here. I took the liberty of making a reservation at a place he’d like that wouldn’t blow back on me. I prefer order to the chaos my brother lives on. “We’re going to dinner. Anicedinner. That means you will have to wear a collar.”
“Sounds kinky.” He laughs. “It’s good to see you, even if you have a stick up your ass. Thanks for letting me hang, bro. Things were getting crazy on and off the ice.”
If anyone knew the feeling, it’s me. Insanity is a part of life I knew to expect, but not to this extent. At least the crazy in Chase’s life has not been splashed across magazines. And if only he had been there to take the punch from Garrett on my behalf.
“I’ll see if I can find something to go with this sling. Can’t embarrass the successful brother.” He winks at me before heading off toward the kitchen instead of one of the bedrooms.
“I set up the pool house for you too, as another option. Has everything you need, including privacy. You can come and go as you like and not worry about my schedule or anything.”
“So your girlfriends don’t see me and immediately regret being with your old ass?” He laughs. “I get it. Invite that twenty-seven-year-old over again and I won’t cramp your style.” He scoffs.
“You are a famous hockey player,” I remind him with a smile. “I have to be at least a little careful with my conquests.”
“No worries. I don’t want your leftovers. Then I have to question their taste.” He makes a V with his fingers and licked between them until I huffed.
“Chase.”
“Dude, no oneherefollows hockey. They’d rather watch reality television. I’m just your average stud here.” He chuckles.
Not that he’s wrong. Basketball and rappers are the big news around here. Other than producers and publicists, they are high up on the “get in bed with” list for people looking to fuck their way to the top.
I lead him to the pool deck, and he whistles again, his eyes raking over the pool and backyard, like a little kid eagerly looking over an ice cream shop. He zeros in on the huge pool house and nods.
“Well, it’s better than a doghouse. That pool, though, I swear it’s the size of a practice rink.”
I place the keys to the pool house in his hand. “Here are your keys. The alarm code for the gates is 5109.”
“You used my jersey numbers for your alarm code? Someone is sentimental.”
“It’s easy to remember.” I shake my head. “Get ready. We have to head out in an hour, or we’ll be late.”
“What about a key to the big house?”
“You can knock.” I chuckle.
“Well, it will be nice to catch up over dinner. It’s been way too long.” He slugs me with his good hand.
The unspoken elephant between us practically trumpets. We both know why it’s been so long. Family get-togethers have been tough since Dad passed. And Chase and I have very different lives now. He’s in the Midwest plowing through women as he tours with the team. I’m rooted in L.A. working sixty-plus-hour weeks to make others’ dreams come true.
“There’s plenty for us to do and plenty I can introduce you to,” I assure him with a wink.
“Like What’s-her-name?”
Olivia. It pops into my head unwelcome. I ignore the mix of hurt and happiness and shrug. “We’ll see who we run into. I know it’ll take a year or two for you to scrub all the dirt behind your ears and we don’t have the time.”