Mr. Bricker, who will obviously be the decision-maker, thinks it over.
At last, he says, “That may be an agreeable solution. I can draw up the necessary paperwork later today and fax it over to Mr. Alderman’s house. For now, we’ll just secure a verbal agreement. Later today, though, both parties will need to sign and fax the papers back.”
“Absolutely,” I say.
“We can do that,” Sebastian adds.
“Good.” Mr. Bricker nods and then says, “We’ll set the term for three months. We will revisit Mr. Hartwell’s progress when the time is up.”
Okay, so I’ll be living at Sebastian’s place until December.
That’s not too bad.
I can live with that.
Carefully, I ask, “So we’re good, then? I move into Sebastian’s house, and we reassess in three months?”
“Yes,” Mr. Bricker confirms.
“And no life coach?” I double-check.
“Correct. No life coach.”
Phew!
I blow out a breath, murmuring a heartfelt “Thank you.”
I feel like not only did I just dodge a huge bullet, but living at Sebastian’s may actually turn out to be kind of fun.
At least, I hope it is.
After the meeting, Sebastian and I return to the hotel to retrieve my belongings.
I don’t have a lot to pack up. Most of my stuff is in storage down in Florida, where it will stay until I find a permanent place to live here in Las Vegas.
Though I guess that won’t be happening for a while.
Oh, well.
I have to wait for my house in Florida to sell, anyway. It just went on the market.
Oh, and that reminds me that I need to send for some things—a few of my favorite hockey sticks, various equipment that I like, and definitely more clothes. I’ll have it all shipped to Sebastian’s.
After I pack up my shit, I check out, and we leave.
I hop in my rental car and follow Sebastian to his house.
Jesus, I hate this stupid small sedan the team selected for me. I can’t wait to have my roomy Range Rover shipped here.
Yet another thing I need to get on.
Once we arrive at the house, Sebastian and Bettina give me a tour of the available bedrooms, both on the first and second floors. We then head over to the apartment above the multicar garage.
Taking note of the all-important separate entrance that Sebastian mentioned on the phone makes my decision easy.
“I’ll take the apartment, if that’s all right,” I say as the three of us stand in the really fucking nice living room, decorated in the same sleek, modern motif as the main house.
“It’s yours, man,” Sebastian tells me.
Bettina smiles and says, “Hey, even though there’s a fully functional kitchen up here, feel free to join us for dinner anytime. We don’t want you to get too lonely over here all by yourself.”
Chuckling, I reply, “Thanks. And again, I really appreciate everything you two are doing for me.”
“It’s not a problem, man,” Sebastian says.
I ask him how much he’d like for me to pay him for rent, but, handing me the key to the apartment, as well as one to the house just in case I need it, he laughs and says, “Are you kidding? Dude, just enjoy the place and play good hockey for the Wolves. You don’t owe me anything other than that.”
“I will,” I assure him, “on both counts. And thank you again.”
I really am appreciative. I’m fucking lucky I have a friend on the team, one as awesome as Sebastian. Otherwise, it would’ve been a life coach for me.
Ugh.
After Sebastian and Bettina leave, I bring up my belongings from the rental car and get some unpacking done. I like settling in as quickly as possible. That’s why I also make a grocery run to a local supermarket to pick up a bunch of food and essentials.
But despite being more than prepared to make my own meal, Sebastian and Bettina insist I eat dinner with them.
After a great meal, I return to the apartment.
Settling in on the nice black leather sectional sofa in the living room, I turn on the ultra-high-def TV that’s located on the wall above a small electric fireplace.
It’s a cool setup. There are surround sound speakers and everything.
Unfortunately, after the events of this crazy day, I’m too tired to get into anything.
That’s probably for the best, as I have my first practice with the Wolves tomorrow morning. And even though it’s not extremely early, I want to be fresh so I can perform to the best of my abilities.
I better.
After the awkward start with the embarrassing selfie, I need to shine like a mofo from this point forward.
Yeah, no more fuckups, no more mistakes…
I’m going to be a fucking choir boy.
Surprise!
After stopping for my snack, I make good time and arrive at Sebastian’s house a little after ten.
Although I’m now worried it’s too late to show up unannounced. I mean, crap, creeping along the big semi-circle driveway in my SUV, it’s clear the house is mostly dark.
“I hope they aren’t sleeping,” I mutter.
Maybe I shouldn’t have wasted so much time on my way here.
Oh, well, too late now.
Sighing, I park next to a large multicar garage. When I glance up at the window in the apartment above, I notice a lamp is on.
Huh, that’s weird.
Sebastian told me he never uses that space.
But who knows?
Maybe he and Bettina were in there cleaning or something and they left the lamp on.
Shaking my head, I murmur, “It doesn’t matter.”
Reaching around to the seat behind me, I grab my overnight bag. I have several additional pieces of luggage in the back, but I’ll worry about bringing all that crap in tomorrow morning, hopefully with Sebastian’s help.
Securing my bag over my shoulder and snatching up my purse from the seat beside me, I slide out of the SUV.
It feels good to stretch my legs as I make my way to the front door.
Hoisting my bags a little higher on my shoulder, I reach out and ring the doorbell.
A minute or so goes by, and I start to get really worried that my brother and his girlfriend are asleep for sure.
But then the door swings open.
Sebastian looks a little confused at first, but then he starts grinning like he’s definitely happy to see me.
“Surprise!” I exclaim, smiling and holding out my arms.
Embracing me, he says, “Kelsi, holy hell. It’s good to see you. But what are you doing here in Las Vegas? Not that I’m upset—far from it. I’m just not sure what’s going on.” Stepping back, and suddenly looking concerned, he asks, “Is everything okay? Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I assure him. “Everything is good. It’s better than it has been in a while. I’ll fill you in on all the details. Just let me catch a breath.”
“Of course,” he replies. “There’s no rush. And where’s my manners?” He steps aside. “Get in here.”
Laughing, I follow him into an impressive entry hall.
“Wow,” I murmur as I check out the high ceiling, sparkly crystal chandelier, and soaring spiral staircase. “Nice.”