Free Game For Love: Best Laid Plans (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Taige Crenshaw Page A

to not be a man of leisure after retiring from the NHL and instead spend my time working at that center I mentioned to you.” Symon chuckled. “Although it’s been fun, it’s a challenge getting their athletics area up and running. You know I love a challenge.”
    A pang of longing filled Garret at the sound in Symon’s tone. It was so familiar—the thrill of adrenaline as they talked about getting ready for a challenging game. Although Symon had been in the NHL and Garret in the NFL, both of them along with a few friends from other sports as well as their own had a ritual of calling each other just before each other’s game to go over plays and studying the other team. They were his inner circle of friends and Garret enjoyed hearing their view and they his own. They might not have played the same sport but they were all professional athletes, knew what it took to win and how to lose gracefully if it came to that. They all hated losing but it was part of their respective sports and they did their best to prepare beforehand so they would have all the tools they needed. Even though a few of them had retired, they still did those calls for those who still were in their sports.
    “I need an answer on that favor, Gar.”
    “Sure.” Garret answered without hesitating knowing Symon rarely asked for anything and if he was it was something important.
    “Thanks.” The relief was clear over the line. “She’s expecting you at the center.”
    “Huh. Wait slow down. Who is expecting me where?”
    “MM at Rising—the center I’m working at.” Symon sighed. “You didn’t see my text did you?”
    “Umm…no.” Garret reached for the cell. Diva meowed as if in protest and he absently stroked her then lifted the cell before going to the messaging app. Quickly he read then said. “You want me to cover for you at the center?”
    “I didn’t call you last night since it was so late and I know how you need your beauty rest.” Symon teased then got serious. “Yeah…I hate to ask but with the chef quitting with no notice, Mama needs some help and I can’t—”
    Garret cut him off since he already read the text. “Beauty rest my ass. I’m not the one whose ugly mug needs the rest.” He retorted then said, “Don’t worry about anything. Go on and help make sure Mama S has all the helps she needs. All your focus needs to be on helping her at the restaurant. Did you call Zander to help?”
    Although Symon was a chef and cooked as well as worked at the restaurant with his mama, Symon deliberately didn’t want to be the head chef. Symon had enough on his plate overseeing the various businesses he owned as well as donated his time as he did to the center he had recently started working at.
    “Yeah.” Symon laughed. “I just called him to see if he could get some time from his job in Chicago to come here to New York to help us for at least a week or so until we can hire someone new. Before I knew it he and Mama had talked and he’s now going to be the new head chef of Kyle’s . I had no clue he hated the place he was working at. Come to find out the owner was a dick and he hated being the head chef there. Zander was even contemplating using his skills as an enforcer and putting him on his ass just for kicks. So he quit his job and will be here in about two weeks—he’s working out his notice at the other place—and has to arrange to get his stuff moved.”
    “He hated his job.” Garret frowned. “I had no idea.”
    “Seems like our buddy has been keeping that from us.” Symon sighed. “We’re going to have to talk with him when he gets here to see what is going on.”
    “Yes.” Garret smiled. “I wonder if the owner of that place he is working in Chicago knows how close he came to being checked.”
    “They have no clue how close they came. We both know when he is off the ice how Zander is can be deceptive. People see that affable easy going man until they piss him off then, well they know why he was so