Captain My Captain (NHL Scorpions #0.5) Read online

  “I know you have. They know you have. Keith, it’s not personal. It doesn’t reflect badly on you. This is a trade San Diego’s been pushing for all year. I never mentioned it because I didn’t believe Philly would let you go.”

  “So I worked my ass off to become captain of this team and I go to their team as what? The new kid on the block? Fuck, that sucks, Ted.”

  “No. No. That’s where it gets a little better. Remember, Stan Upstead is an assistant coach there. Since he was the one who scouted you when he worked here, and you’ve become such a superstar, he convinced them that you need to keep the C on your jersey. And really, he said it didn’t take much convincing.”

  “Oh, that’ll do me a world of good. The team’s not going to want me to be their captain. I’m sure they have someone else in line who wants to take on that role. Fuck!” He stood there, rooted to the spot with his hands tangled in his hair. Not knowing what to say, he turned around and walked back into the living room, noting the TV was now turned off and Phoebe was staring at them.

  Did she really look relieved? He couldn’t process that at the moment and shut those thoughts down as he took a seat on the couch. “Well, shit. I guess I don’t have a choice.”

  “Not really, no. Try to look on the bright side. The Scorpions are an up-and-coming contender for the Cup. They’re good, Keith. You can make them better. Your leadership skills are unmatched. Your teammates here have gladly done anything that you asked of them. Not all captains have that kind of blind loyalty. You’ll be treated the same way in San Diego when they see how you lead. I know you will. And I know it doesn’t really factor since you didn’t have a choice in the matter, but it’s really nice out there. I mean San Diego’s lowest temperature hangs in at about fifty degrees, and it doesn’t get sweltering hot either.”

  Keith didn’t give two shits about the weather in San Diego. After he got the rest of the details about when he was expected out there, the areas he should look at to live in, etcetera, Ted left.

  “Keith?”

  He’d forgotten Phoebe was still there. He reached for her and gathered her onto his lap, burrowing his head into her chest, seeking comfort. “Yeah?”

  “Um, I think we need to talk.”

  Oh, no way. His head hung lower at her tone. He knew what was coming. “No. Not now, Pheebs. Please.”

  “But Keith...”

  “Fuck! Don’t.”

  “Keith—I can’t move to California. My family’s here. My friends are here. I have a good job here. Don’t you see that?”

  “I do, Pheebs, but you could get a new job out there. I’ll help you. I’ll do anything I can to make it easier for you. I love you.”

  “Oh, Keith. I’m sorry. I really am, but I don’t feel quite the same way about you. I mean, I care about you, but I’m not ready to pack up and move across the country with you. To be perfectly honest, I was already thinking about breaking it off. I’m really sorry.” She tried to get up, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  “Please, Pheebs. Don’t do this. Let’s talk about it later. We’ll figure something out. We don’t need to break up. I’ll be back here for games and we can talk every day. You know how these things go. I could be traded again to another team on this side of the country at any time.” He knew how pathetic he sounded, but he desperately wanted to keep Phoebe with him. Maybe she wasn’t perfect. Maybe she didn’t love him like he loved her, but he didn’t want to be alone.

  She gently pushed him away until she was free to stand. “I’m sorry, Keith. I really am, but it’s not going to work for me.” Giving him a final kiss, she walked out his door and never looked back. Just like that, after two years together, she simply left.

  ***

  Two hours later, Keith was still sitting in the same spot when his cell rang again. He’d already sent a short text to his teammates and spoken to a few of them. Everyone was sorry to see him go. His closest friends were as pissed as he was, but life goes on, doesn’t it?

  Who the hell is calling me now? There was no name attached to the number, so it wasn’t anyone he knew. Probably another fucking reporter. He knew he eventually had to return those calls as well, but he hated talking to reporters—it made him feel dirty. They always twisted anything they could to make the story more dramatic.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi. Is this Keith Lambert?”

  “Yeah. Who’s this?”

  There was a chuckle at the other end of the line. “Guess you had a pretty big shock today. This is Craig DeLeon. I’m your new head coach. I wanted to call and introduce myself. Welcome you to the team. Maybe see if you needed any questions answered.”

  “Oh hey, Coach. Yeah, I’m still pretty stunned. I didn’t see it coming. I guess I can’t help feeling a little betrayed, but I’ll do my best for the team.” Just because he wasn’t happy with the move didn’t mean he wouldn’t give his new team one hundred percent of his effort.

  “I’m not worried about that. I know you will. Listen, one of the things I called for was to put your mind at ease. I want to tell you that the team is okay with you being their new captain. I’m sure you can imagine that I got quite a few phone calls when this went public. Most of the guys were actually relieved that you’d be taking on that role. I won’t say there weren’t one or two who were disappointed, but all in all, they’re behind you. They pay attention to the league. We all know you’re a good captain.”

  Keith wasn’t sure what to say to that. He was humbled by the coach’s words. Hopefully the team truly felt that way. “That’s good to hear. I admit it’s a concern for me. I don’t want to cause any tension in the locker room, you know?”

  “I don’t think you will. I think the transition will be smooth for both sides. When are you thinking of coming out here?”

  “I’m thinking sooner is better than later.” His apartment was only a rental, and his lease was up in a couple of months. It would be easy to wrap that up and get out to California. You know, since he had no crying girlfriend to deal with. Great. Absolutely fucking perfect.

  “I’ll send you some ads for apartments here if you want. You can check them out online and see if you like any of the places some of the other guys live.”

  “That would be great, Coach. Thanks. I’ll let you know when I get out there.”

  Keith hung up feeling slightly better than he had before speaking with the coach. It still sucked, but dwelling on it wasn’t going to change the fact that he was going to California to play for the Scorpions. Now he had to tell his parents. They obviously hadn’t heard yet. If they had, they would have already been at his front door.

  Chapter 3

  Keith arrived in San Diego near the end of September. He had to admit, California was beautiful. The day he flew in, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. As the plane descended, he took in the sight of the city itself with the mountains off in the distance acting as a picturesque backdrop for the landscape. But what really caught his eye was the copious amount of blue water. It was everywhere—surrounding the city itself, around housing developments, or simply surrounding expanses of grassy land. He felt his lips lift in the first real smile he could recall in weeks.

  The cab ride to Keith’s new apartment seemed to take forever. Since he’d come to terms with being traded and losing his girl, it was getting easier to be more positive about the move. He actually felt excitement at the prospect of having a new place and meeting his new teammates. Some of them were familiar to him, as he’d played against them in the past, but he didn’t know any of them personally.

  The cab stopped at the address he was given and waited for Keith to pay and collect his bags from the trunk. “Thanks. Keep the change.”

  Walking up the short flight of stairs, Keith introduced himself to the doorman of his new building and continued inside, making his way over to the concierge’s desk. Huge chandeliers hung from tall, vaulted ceilings. Their sparkle threw thousands or tiny lights all over the ceiling and walls. Everywhere he looked there was so
me kind of beach theme, but it was done in style. Crystal shells held business cards, ocean blue upholstery covered wingback chairs in the lounge, and perfectly polished coffee tables were made out of driftwood, giving them a unique but classy look. On the whole, the place looked more like a fancy hotel than an apartment building.

  There was a bell sitting on the unmanned desk, and it rang loudly as Keith slapped his hand down on it. A minute passed and he rang it again.

  “Coming!” A short, stocky blond man ambled toward him at a clipped pace, a smile on his extraordinarily round face. “Sorry about that. I was in the back. What can I do for you?”

  Keith stuck out his hand in greeting. “I’m Keith Lambert. I’m moving in today and was told to stop here for my keys.”

  The man snapped his fingers in recognition. “That’s why you look familiar. You’re the new captain for our Scorpions! I’m Robert. Welcome to San Diego. I think you’re going to like it here.”

  His upbeat attitude was refreshing, and Keith wondered if he was always so jovial. “Thank you, Robert. I’m sure I will.” He happily took the keys from him and followed the directions Robert gave him to the elevator. He hit the button for the fourth floor, and stared at his smiling reflection in the closed doors. When the elevator reached his floor, he stepped out into the empty hallway and made his way down to apartment number 4444.

  Boxes littered the floor, along with his furniture, which had been delivered two days before by the moving company he’d hired. He had a lot of unpacking to do, but his grumbling stomach made food the first priority. Storing his bags in the bedroom, he made his way back out again, stopping back at the concierge desk.

  “Back so soon, Mr. Lambert?”

  “Call me Keith. Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me where I can grab something to eat. Something quick so I can start unpacking.”

  “Sure, sure.” Robert reached under the counter and came up with a welcome packet. Riffling through it, he grabbed some menus. “I should have given you this packet when I gave you the keys. Sorry about that. I’m a little flustered today. We got a big shipment of supplies in and my assistant’s out sick and, well, you know how it goes. Anyway, you can order takeout from any of these places. They’ll stop here at the desk. I’ll give you a ring and you can come down and get it. Or you could walk a couple of blocks and find a Chinese place, a pizza joint, or there’s a pub a bit farther down.”

  “Takeout sounds perfect. Thanks.”

  ***

  Less than an hour later, Keith was once again standing in front of the concierge’s desk, picking up his food. He couldn’t help but notice how cute the delivery girl was.

  “Hi. That’s twenty-two dollars.”

  “Hi yourself.” Keith handed her thirty. “Keep the change.”

  “Yeah? Thanks.” She was turning away when Keith lightly grabbed her arm. She turned back to him and asked, “Did I forget something?”

  “No. I was just wondering what your name was.”

  “It’s Kelly. But save your breath. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t date hockey players.”

  Ah, she knows who I am. “But you’re a fan? You must be, otherwise you wouldn’t know I was a hockey player.”

  “I’m a huge hockey fan. Best sport on Earth. Well, good luck, Lambert. Welcome to San Diego.”

  Keith laughed out loud. “Yup, you’re a hockey fan. I swear, as soon as someone puts a jersey on, they lose their first name.”

  The sound she made was melodic. Her soft laughter was reminiscent of wind chimes, and he wanted to hear it again. “I guess that was rude. Sorry, Keith. I just get tired of being hit on. I shouldn’t have assumed you were doing that. Forgive me?”

  “Of course. But there’s nothing to forgive. I was absolutely going to hit on you, but you blew it. See you around.” He winked at her before turning around and walking away.

  He could still hear her tinkling laughter as he pushed the button on the elevator. Take out might have to become a weekly event. Maybe even biweekly.

  Chapter 4

  “Hello?” When the phone rang, Keith was sitting on his balcony drinking an iced tea and thinking about how lucky he was to be able to afford such a place. His ocean view was spectacular. The only thing missing was someone to share it with. He was lonely. Flirting with Kelly, the delivery girl, was fun, but he still missed Phoebe. Or at least he missed the idea of Phoebe. He was beginning to think that maybe he didn’t love her quite as much as he had thought he did. Memories were creeping into his mind more and more of how she had constantly needed him to buy her things and the way she coerced him into using his name time and time again to get the best tables at restaurants and tickets to events. It bothered him then but it was easier to go along with her, so he never said anything.

  “Hey, Keith. It’s Vlad Bejsiuk, your goalie. Hope you don’t mind, Coach gave me your number.”

  “Hey, Impaler. I don’t mind at all. I’m looking forward to meeting you guys.” Vlad’s nickname, The Impaler, came from sharing a name with Vlad Dracula. Lucky him.

  “We are, too. I have to say, it’ll be nice not having to face that wicked wrist shot of yours anymore, although I don’t think you’ve ever scored on me, have you?” Vlad’s gentle ribbing gave Keith a chuckle.

  “Yeah, yeah. I was taking it easy on you. Maybe I’ll show you what I’ve really got in practice.”

  “Bring it on, Captain.”

  Silence hung in the air for a couple of seconds. “Yeah, about that. You really think the guys are okay with me being brought in as the captain?”

  “Yeah. I do. Marcoux wanted it for all of about twenty seconds, but when we discussed you, we all knew it was the right thing to do. You’re a natural leader. We’re going to miss Scott, but that’s the nature of the business. It’s done and we’re ready to move on.”

  In the time Keith had to think about the trade, and analyze it, he came to the conclusion that it might really work. He’d researched the Scorpions in the previous weeks, and he did believe they needed a strong leader—he knew he could be that person. “I’m glad to hear that. I have some ideas, but I’ll ease into them. I’ll have to see if they fit the personalities and playing styles anyway.”

  “If you don’t mind a bit of advice, I’d come in with that attitude right there. Don’t come in apologizing for being picked to lead the team. Those boys, especially the young ones, will respond much better to confidence than they will apologies.”

  “So what makes you so insightful, Vlad?”

  Vlad laughed. “At thirty-six years old, I’m the old man on the team. I’ve been around a while. And while you kids are out partying, I’m just watching and learning.” Vlad actually had a crush on the Scorpions’ sports psychologist, Dr. Zoe Millis, but that wouldn’t ever come to fruition. There was a strict no-fraternization rule between the team’s doctors and the players. Even though he knew he couldn’t have the one he wanted, he wasn’t interested in dating a different girl every week.

  “Well, I might just be hanging back with you. I’m not interested in the partying lifestyle right now either.” Twenty-two years old was still in the partying age bracket, but he already felt he was over that. He wanted a relationship with loyalty and honesty. Just one girl.

  “Girl problems, huh? Yeah, a lot of us have them. Anyway, a bunch of us are meeting up at the Irish Pub on the beach. You interested?”

  “Hell yeah. I’m going out of my mind here. I don’t think I was meant to be alone so much.” Keith couldn’t pull off the casual laugh he was going for. Even to him, it sounded forced. He sincerely didn’t like being alone.

  “I get it, man. It’s hard leaving everything and moving so far away from home. Shit, I’m from Ukraine. I understand all about being far away from home.”

  “You know, I guess I should have figured that with a last name like Bejsiuk, but you kind of sound British.”

  “My mother’s English, my father’s Ukrainian. Interesting combination, isn’t it?”

  “Sure
is. Okay, so what time are you meeting at the pub? And where the hell is it?” Keith didn’t have the lay of the land yet. That would come with time.

  “Why don’t we go together. In about an hour? I actually live in the same building. I’m on the top floor.” Vlad lived in one of the spacious penthouses with an entire wall made of glass, giving him an outstanding view of the ocean. At night, the view was even more spectacular with the reflection of the moon hitting the water.

  “Cool. All right, that sounds good. See you in a while.” He ended the call feeling good. Finishing his iced tea, he went back inside to shower and throw on some clean clothes.

  ***

  The entire beach area where the pub was located was packed. There were other restaurants on the strip, along with ice cream shops, pizza joints, caramel corn stands, and an array of beach-type shops where you could buy clothes, surfboards, or even a Jet Ski. Vlad drove, since Keith’s car wasn’t due to be delivered until the following day, but as he kept searching for a parking spot, anywhere in the vicinity of the pub, he wished they had walked the mile or so from their building.

  “Holy shit. Is it always like this?” Philly could get crowded at night when it was nice out, especially on South Street, but it was nothing like this.

  “Pretty much. Not in the winter so much, but this isn’t even as crowded as it gets. We’re getting toward the end of our heavy tourist season, but the water’s still warm and the temperatures during the day are damn near perfect. I love it out here. Crowds and all.”

  They finally found a spot to park in after circling the block a few times. Keith got out of Vlad’s car and stretched. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you drive this thing?”

  Vlad groaned. “Aw, man. Not you too. Come on, this girl’s a classic.” He ran his arm lovingly along the rusted roof of his ‘69 Camaro. “I’m still working on her. I want to restore her myself, but I’m starting to see the value of letting an auto shop do some of the engine work. I probably could have gotten her pretty much done this summer, but I spent a lot of time on the beach after I came back from visiting my family. Just lazy this year, I guess, but when I’m done with her, she’s gonna purr like a kitten and roar like a lion. You’ll all be apologizing to her then.”