Sea Glass Cottage Read Online Free

In the meantime, try to keep your road rage in-check. You don’t want a rep in a small town like this when you know how people tend to talk.”
    Thane shook his head as he watched her peddle down the block. Once he settled behind the wheel, he reminded himself that he no longer cared what some stubborn female thought of him. Come to think of it, he didn’t much care what the entire town thought of him either. Nor did he care what the tabloids wrote about him anymore. Those days were long gone when he got upset reading about himself online. Thane knew when you were no longer playing, no longer making headlines for some stupid stunt you’d pulled the night before, the public rarely gave you two thoughts.
    That was fine by him.
    For all he cared, every last journalist could go take a flying jump into Smuggler’s Bay. It was true when he’d lived his life in the fast lane he’d often made an ass out of himself, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, most times with a measure of embarrassment. Eventually after burning himself out, he’d found the limelight greatly overrated. He was no longer that person who blitzed quarterbacks for a living. Did he sometimes miss making those QBs pay for bad decisions? Sure he did. Did he miss closing up gaps with his body and taking down speedy running backs? He did. While he might miss the game itself—those glorious hours he’d spent on Sunday afternoons knocking heads with other people—he definitely relished his time spent calling plays for the defense and putting an end to offensive drives. There was a time he’d lived for fourth downs.
    What he didn’t miss though were the reporters and cameramen taking note of his every move on the field and off. He hadn’t bargained for living out his life with people following him around all the time waiting for him to screw up. Most days, he’d done his best not to disappoint them. He’d made headlines, giving the reporters the stories they’d craved to fill up their news blogs. His antics had taken up airtime. Anchors had spent their time questioning his latest falls from grace or discussing the path he’d chosen for his messy life. At one time he’d been incredibly hard on each nemesis who’d written ugly things about him.
    Even in high school he’d possessed an undefinable spirit, never quite fitting squarely into anyone’s peg. He took that quirky attitude to UCLA where it morphed into bold and daring. Like most young people on their own for the first time, once at college, he’d discovered his distinctive, individual style made him the quintessential leader. In his sophomore year, his teammates responded and elected him team captain.
    A rebel at heart, he always wore his hair longer than any other player and resisted coaches who suggested that he conform to other people’s standards. That original thinking often got him in trouble. But more than that, it was his talent on the field that made him a standout to other players, other schools, other coaches. The attention magnified an outspoken nature that no one could muzzle, not even when he reached the NFL.
    Maybe that’s one reason he’d thrived.
    At six-four and two-forty, it hadn’t taken long to catch the attention of football coaches from Florida State to Washington. They’d discovered Thane’s willingness to put in the hours necessary to get better and improve. He lifted weights, was never late to practice, and worked on his form and timing. If he could develop his raw gift and turn it into major league talent at a school like UCLA, his size alone might afford him notice on the college level. At the time, getting that full ride to a four-year university had meant everything to him, his one and only goal. By his junior year that had changed when NFL scouts came knocking. Despite the buzz to turn pro, he’d stayed around for his senior year to graduate because his working-class parents wanted one member of the family to have a college degree.
    Above all else, once he