“Is that right?” Kingston’s voice is just low enough for me to hear, that same rhythmic buzz from before.
His eyes lock on mine, unleashing a flock of flutters inside of me. I don’t know why, but just standing in his presence is enough to make me angry. There’s just something about him that tells me he’s going to be trouble.
“Well then, Nurse Silver.” The side of his mouth tilts up in a cocky smirk before he opens his mouth again. “I look forward to seeing just how good those hands of yours are.”
BAD IMPRESSIONS
KINGSTON
When Zach talked my ear off the entire way here, he failed to mention the bikini welcome party and the hot nurse who would be “taking care of all my needs,” as Anderson put it. Instead, he went on and on about some anti-bullying charity he started years ago and how BelleCurve Creative helped him set up an entire football sleepaway camp to raise money for his cause. He then tried to convince me how awesome my time at Camp Dakota would be, how all the kids loved the one-on-one mentoring from their favorite athletes, and how by the time I step foot back on the practice field, my past misdemeanors would be behind me.
“C’mon, man,” I said to him halfway into our bus ride. “An entire month?”
“It will fly by,” he said, waving me off. “Just give it a chance.”
“But we’re talking about four weeks. This is supposed to be my vacation time, bro. You’re going to make me bunk with a bunch of kids?”
Zach laughed. “No, some of the players are rooming together, but you’ll get your own cabin. And none of us bunks with the kids. Camp Dakota provides counselors who look over the kids. You just need to be on the field this week to mentor, inspire. It’ll be good.”
“Give me a break with this. If all Coach wants to do is jail me up for the month, there are better approaches. Can’t you put me on house arrest at home? Then at least I’ll have my pool and shit.”
Zach rested his head against the seat with a shrug. “That’s not the point of this. Besides, the whole month idea came from Coach. And he seemed pretty dead set on it.”
I gave Zach an unbelieving glare. “Coach said this was all your idea. I’m in your hands, according to him.”
Zach chuckled. “C’mon, man, you know how Coach works. He was pissed and asked me for ideas. I noticed you hadn’t volunteered for any of the weeks—or previous years, for that matter—so I suggested it, but I had no idea he’d make you stay for all four weeks. No one else is doing that. Well, besides me.”
I shook my head in dire frustration. It felt like there was no winning at all. Even if Zach had the mind to give me a break, it was still up to Coach Reynolds. “Can you at least talk to Coach? Maybe after a few days and he’s had time to calm down?”
“Tell you what,” Zach said, with a reasonable look on his face. “If you put in the work this week—I mean, if you’re truly there for these kids. You show up on time, you put a smile on your face, and you’re a solid role model. Then I’ll consider talking to Coach. Ultimately, it’s his decision, and I’m going to respect whatever that decision is.”
I took that conversation as a win and dropped it for the rest of the bus ride… until we arrived at camp and I got a closeup view of where we would all be staying for the week. Zach heard my bitching and moaning as soon as we stepped off the bus, which I think pissed him off, but what else was I supposed to do? Pretend I’d entered some nirvana like the rest of my teammates? No fucking way. I entered hell, and I was more determined than ever to do what I had to do to leave this godforsaken camp at the end of the week. No matter what.
Looking back on that entire conversation on the bus, I have to give it to Zach—he does the kumbaya shit well—but he’s also far too naive if he believes he and Coach have the power to change me.
Case in point. One glance at Nurse Silver and my thoughts slipped straight off the deep end and started entertaining all kinds of stimulating possibilities. Not even the hideous maroon scrubs and gray sneakers she’s wearing can ruin these fantasies. I have quite the imagination when necessary, and that long blond ponytail that sits high on her head isn’t helping matters.
“Are you coming, Kingston?”
Silver’s voice, tinged with annoyance, is enough to tear my eyes away from her ass and fix on her narrowed eyes instead. She already climbed the two steps to reach the entrance of the cabin while I haven’t moved an inch.
Digging my mind out of the gutter, I secure my large duffel bag over my shoulder and take one step to bring me to the front entrance landing. “After you.”
I don’t miss the sharp warning look she gives me before turning back around and heading into her office. Permission to stare at her ass again: denied. So I do the next best thing and check out everything else in the tiny medical cabin.
The space is simple and boring, with a small reception desk and a single chair pressed against the wall. Save for a lone cheap painting on the back wall, there’s absolutely zero personality. She leads me through a door and into an examination room, where I’m blasted with a strong scent of cleaning chemicals that will surely grace me with a monster headache by the time I leave. There’s nothing much to this room either, just a long, padded table, a small countertop with a sink and cabinets above it, and a rolling stool. She moves to a door on the other side of the room and unlocks it before leading me into an office. There’s not a single thing out of place. Everything looks spotless, and other than a framed photo facing her, there’s not a single item of decor in the room.
Nurse Silver appears to be all business, no play. That thought puts a major damper on my mood. She sits down at her desk and turns on her computer while sneaking glances at me in between. “You can have a seat. I’m just printing some forms.”
I glance at the brown folding chair that I’m certain would be crushed beneath my weight and shake my head. “I’m good.”
Her eyes flicker back to her computer. “Suit yourself. I’ll just be a minute.”
She taps away at her computer, and I let my eyes wander around the room. There’s a file cabinet to one side and a large glass case filled with medicines to the other. Curious, I step closer and peruse the contents. There are bottles and bottles of over-the-counter medicines and vitamins. The fact that Silver finds it necessary to lock them all up makes me chuckle.
I turn to look at her over my shoulder. “Tell me, when is the last time someone tried to break this lock to get their hands on a bottle of NyQuil?”
She quirks a brow at me. “You’d be surprised.”
I slide my finger along the glass and point to a box of condoms on the bottom shelf. “And these?”
“Now that,” she says, looking more perturbed as time goes on, “shouldn’t surprise you one bit.”
My jaw drops so fast, I can feel it ache. I’m not as offended as I am shocked by her insinuation. I turn to face her completely. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
The laugh that comes from Silver is filled with discomfort. “What?” she coughs out. “No, that’s not what I—” She shakes her head and takes her slender fingers from the computer keys. “Maybe we need to start over.” She pushes her chair from the desk, stands up, and walks over to me until she’s directly under my nose. “It’s nice to meet you, Kingston. I’m Silver.”