Page 13 of Winning Play
“Same.”Spenceshook his head. “That’sthe goal this season—get the team in the position to play for the championship.”
“Didn’tAtlantadraft you out of high school?”
“Yeah,I’msurprised anyone remembers that.”
“Youmade quite the splash when you choseFCUinstead of going the pro route,”Davesaid.
Spenceshifted the hat on his head. “Idon’t know about making a splash.IlikedFCUwhenIvisited during the recruiting trip.Also,Iwasn’t ready to quit other sportsIenjoy.”
“Football?”Daveguessed.
“Clubhockey.Iplayed in high school… inGeorgia, butI’mnowhere near the level needed to play at college.Ialso promised my motherI’dget my degree first.Thoughthat’s taking longer thanIthought.”Spenceshook his head. “Ihave one more year of eligibility, luckily.”
Hesaw the question inKim’sexpression. “Myscholarship covers the yearsI’meligible to play.Sincethe team ‘red-shirted’ me freshman year—Ipracticed but didn’t play a game—I’mcovered for the fifth yearI’llneed to graduate.”
“Soundsconfusing and a lot of pressure,”Kimsaid. “Whatdegree?”
“Sportsmanagement and finance.”Heflashed a smile. “MyPlanB.”
“Goodthinking,”Davesaid as he walked toward the door. “Maybeyou can skate with the team some time.Thanksfor your help,Spence.Goodluck this season.”Heturned to faceKim. “Letme orLaurenknow if you want to attend a game.Kim, your credentials won’t expire, but if you want to bring a friend,Ican leave tickets at will-call.”
“Thanksfor everything, brother.”Kimhugged him. “You’rethe best.”
SpencecaughtKim’seye afterDaveleft. “I’mhere to see if you want that campus tour.Butlooks like you have a lot more unpacking and setting up.”
“No,I’mready to get out for a while.Dave’sbeen back and forth this afternoon.Hewants to refurnish the apartment.He’ssuch a perfectionist—Itold himIdidn’t care if the first mattress he bought wasn’t extra long.Idon’t need the length.”Kimreleased a breath as she pulled her hair back and slipped a scrunchie around it.
“Didyou store the old mattress somewhere?”
Kim’sbrown eyes danced with amusement. “Yep,Davetook it to the mattress store for disposal.”Shewrinkled her nose, andSpencethought she looked adorable.Thatsweet but sexy girl-next-door vibe.Heforced himself to refocus on the conversation.Themattress.
“Ifhe hadn’t gotten the correct size, the school would charge to replace it before you move out.”
“Thatnasty old thing?”
“Thatline in the housing contract… you know, the apartment must be in the same or better condition as when you move in.”Hereached to open the door. “Friendsof mine rented a storage space before they ‘upgraded’ their apartment.”
Kimslipped her phone, studentID, and access card into her pocket. “Sureyou want to do this?Ineed to find the bookstore, activities center, academic buildings… everything.Includinga grocery store.”Kimoffered a rueful smile.
“Absolutely.Onceyou have a mental picture of everything in relation to your dorm, you’ll realize how quickly you can get from one side of campus to the other.”Heheld up three fingers. “Scout’shonor.”Theyleft the room, andKimclosed the door behind them.
“BoyScout?”Kimguessed as they took the stairs to the exit.Shesaw his blue eyes spark with humor when he looked at her.
“Youbet.Fromfirst grade until high school—then, between school and my travel team,Ihardly had time to keep up with homework.Ihated to quit, but something had to give.”Heshrugged. “Scoutingplayed a huge role in my life.”
“Mybrothers were too busy with sports for anything else.Though, in all fairness, my parents had enough to deal with coordinating their schedules, even when they were in primary school.”
“Differentteams?”
“Unfortunatelyfor my parents,” she replied. “Jakeis two years younger thanDave, andDaveplayed at an elite level of hockey from the beginning, thenJake’sinterests shifted to baseball.”
“We’reclose to the bookstore.”Spencenodded toward a building to the left. “Wantto start there?Italso houses the student center and the food pavilion.”
Kim’seyebrows rose in question.
“Youknow, food court with multiple menu stations, food trucks outside.Youcan find just about anything you want to eat.”
“Booksand food, my favorite combination.”Kimwatched asSpenceside-eyed her.