Traded (Nashville Grizzlies, #1)

by Carly Marie

“Do you think the rumors are true?” Easton had bounced topics at least twelve times since we’d placed our orders, so I wasn’t going to pretend to follow his train of thought. “What rumors?” “About all the crazy traditions the Grizzlies have. Oh, I want to see a picture of the bear you get!” Ever since the restructuring that the Grizzlies had gone through, rumors had swirled around the league about weird things they did as a team. Their teddy bears were things of legend. Every single player had one. They showed up in team photos all the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up with trading cards of their own at some point. Grizzlies, teddy bears, it made sense if I turned my head to the side and really squinted. It was hard to believe the rumors that games of kickball and tag actually happened at practice, though. When was the last time I’d played something other than hockey on ice? Maybe when I’d helped out with a summer camp a few years earlier. “I’ll send you a picture of the bear. I highly doubt that the rest is true. At a certain point, you have to believe that there would be more evidence than rumors. Look at how many pictures get taken of our practices.” Easton was quiet while the server delivered food, putting more thought into my words than I had thought necessary. “Maybe,” he said eventually, grabbing his fork to stab a piece of broccoli. “I mean, you’re right about the photos, but the rumors aren’t going away.” “People like to gossip.”