Seduced by the Game (61 page)

“Hey Sean,
what’s up?” Even though he was friendly enough with Callahan, he was surprised
to see his name on the caller ID.

“Hey, man. I
just saw. That’s really fucked up! You okay?”

“With what? I
have no idea what you’re talking about.” Before he could explain, there was a
knock on the door. “Hold on a sec, Sean.”

Keith’s agent,
Ted Malone, was standing on the other side. “Have you been on the Internet,
Keith?”

“No, but my
phone’s going crazy. What’s going on?”

“Maybe you can
call them back.” Ted motioned toward the phone still in Keith’s hand.

“Hey,
Callahan. I’m going to call you back, okay?”

“Sure, man. I
want you to know, we’re all sick over this.”

“Yeah. Uh,
okay. Later.” Keith put his phone on vibrate to prevent anyone else from
interrupting until he figured out what the hell was going on.

With his
teammates calling and his agent at the door, he had a sinking feeling he knew
what might be coming. “So?”

“Look, Keith.
You know you’re one of the best players in the league. One of the most
respected, but the league is, first and foremost, a business. You know we weren’t
able to get you a no-trade clause when you signed with the Flyers.” Ted was
obviously stalling, which wasn’t like him.

“Just spit it
out, Ted.”

“Okay, kid,
here it is. You’re going to California. You were traded this morning to the San
Diego Scorpions. Their captain, Alex Shvrenik, is coming here, along with a
third-round draft pick—it’s a good trade for both teams, but apparently someone
leaked it and it’s all over social media websites. I came over here as soon as
I knew it was finalized.”

“Are you
fucking kidding me? They don’t even have the decency to tell me about it first?
What a joke!” Sweat was already forming on Keith’s brow. He knew his face was
flushed. Saying he was pissed off was an understatement. “Why? Why would they
do it? I’ve given
everything
to this team. Everything!”

“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.

Was she
actually looking 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 the treated the same way in San Diego when they see your leadership
capabilities. 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
that I like. 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’d
been, but life goes on, doesn’t it?

Who the
hell is calling 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 a more dramatic story.

“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 leader.”

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 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, walking over to the concierge’s desk. Huge
chandeliers hung from tall, vaulted ceilings. They sparkled, throwing tiny
lights over the ceiling and walls. Everywhere he looked there was some 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 work 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.