Sneaking around with #34, page 10
The other team was already on the other side of the ice, taking practice shots. I got in line but did a double take at one of the players. Crap. A kid I’d played with when I was little had recognized me and was skating over. My pulse quickened, and I skated a little away from our group to give us some privacy.
“Shit, Langley.” I felt eyes on me from what felt like every direction, but we were far enough away that no one would hear us over the skating and slapping of pucks against sticks. “Did your mom marry some rich fuck or some shit?”
Payton Walker hadn’t grown as tall as I would have thought. When we were younger, he was the bigger, taller, and faster kid. When his family decided to move to Minnesota, where hockey was taken more seriously, everyone thought that one day we’d see Payton in the pros. But I had at least three inches and probably thirty pounds on him.
“I thought you moved?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation in his direction.
“We did, but my dad’s old company needed him and made an offer he couldn’t refuse, so we came back.” He hit me in the chest. “I’m only a few blocks from you now. What the hell are you doing going to Lauder?”
I shrugged, unsure how to answer him.
“You’re the one I heard about?”
“What?” I looked over at my teammates.
Ford kept glancing over between shots.
“You’re the one who got a scholarship to play? My teammates couldn’t stop talking about some kid from the neighborhood who was playing up here.” He looked at a friend skating by. “Hey, Zele, get over here.”
The guy stopped and skated over. “What?”
“This is the guy I was telling you about. He and I used to play together when we were young.”
“You’re the scholarship kid?” He didn’t say it too loud, but still, I scoured my teammates to make sure no one had heard.
I nodded.
He leaned in close. “How’s the pussy at Lauder? I bet it’s all smooth shaved and smells like fucking cake.”
As if timing couldn’t have been worse, Imogen and Cici barreled down the stairs into the arena, Imogen eyeing me as she found a seat in the first row. I couldn’t strip my gaze from her. Ever since we’d come out as a couple, things had been better than ever. I walked a fine line between spending time with her and Ford, happy that she didn’t have the same lunch period as me because reserving that time exclusively for Ford had helped keep our friendship strong.
“Oh shit, cake with whipped cream and twenty-four karat sprinkles, I bet.” Zele was talking more to Payton than to me. “Lucky fuck.”
I turned back from eyeing Imogen to see Zele had gone back to his team while Payton was still at my side.
“Let’s go out sometime. Introduce me to her friend?” He nodded in the girls’ direction.
“Sure, I’ll catch you after the game and give you my number.”
Thankfully, Coach called me over and we said good luck to each other before skating to our designated sides.
“What the fuck? Talking to the enemy?” Ford asked, his eyes on Payton.
I often wondered why Ford always felt so threatened by everyone else. I wasn’t sure if he’d ever had a true-blue friend besides me.
“Just a kid I used to play with when I was younger.”
“Where’d you play with him?” Peter asked, his tone clearly indicating that he thought the guys on the other side of the ice were beneath us somehow.
“The lake… you wouldn’t know it. Up north. He just moved down here.”
“You played with a kid who attends public high school?” Peter continued.
“Give the kid a break, his dad lost his job.” My lie wasn’t completely a lie, but close enough. I just needed to get us on to another topic.
“So fucking judgmental, Peter.” One of the McGregor brothers hit him in the shoulder as Coach came over with his clipboard.
“Okay, enough socializing.” Coach looked us all over. “Who invited the fans?”
Ford raised his hand. “I got outvoted.”
“We all know Langley plays better when she’s here,” someone chirped, and everyone agreed.
Even Ford shook his head, but I hadn’t thought about it until that moment. They were right. I’d had more goals, more assists since Imogen and I came out as a couple.
“It’s true, Coach,” Ford said.
“Your sister is fine, Ford, but her friend is a little crazy. If she starts pounding the glass again, she’ll be removed.”
“Noted.”
Then Coach went in the middle, talking to the starting line about the play he wanted. Of course, it was some combination of Ford and me because we were just too fucking good together.
After Coach was finished, I skated over to Imogen and Cici, stopping at the glass. I pointed at Cici. “Behave yourself or you’re out.”
She laughed and leaned back in the seat.
Imogen walked to the glass, her hands outstretched until she placed her palms there. I put my hand over hers.
“Thanks for coming,” I said loudly enough for her to hear.
“I’m your biggest fan.” She unzipped her coat, and it took everything in me not to get hard in that moment. She wore a deep V-neck T-shirt that had “#34 Scores Here” written on it.
“Ford’s gonna have a shit fit,” I said, soaking in the view of her tits snug in the tight fabric. “Keep the coat on until later.”
She giggled. “Go score me some goals.”
I winked. “Every one of them is for you.”
She licked her lips like she did every time I scored. Like it was a promise of what was to come after the game. I couldn’t deny it, I was falling for Imogen. Hell, I’d already fallen, who was I kidding?
“Fuck, look at all these women.” Cory’s voice sounds as though there’s a little bit of awe in it as we enter the room where the meet and greet will be held.
His voice warps me back to reality and out of the past.
Sadness coats the inside of my heart as I see Imogen. She’s not mine. There’s no licking lips or promises of kisses after games anymore. Instead, it’s all business, so I head over to my spot at the long table, Cory and Kane to my left.
Business is business, but if the flashbacks keep haunting me, I’ll never move on. Imogen might have given me her forgiveness the other day, but not enough for another chance. Which means I have to fight a little harder. Everything I got in life is because I didn’t quit. I don’t plan on starting now.
“It’s kind of disgusting, no?” I ask Jana, who’s leaning against the back wall. “Half these women have wedding rings on.”
Jana laughs and looks at me. “Someone sounds jealous.”
“No.” I sip the Diet Coke I still have from the game.
“You are so.”
Truth is, the whole Iris thing threw me. As mad as I am at Warner, I know he’s not the type to play a woman. Especially since he saw men doing it to his mother over and over again growing up. He wouldn’t be hell-bent on going after me if he had another girl, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a woman who’s after him. I wonder if she’s a puck bunny he calls when he’s in a specific town.
Besides, I shouldn’t even care. I’ve made it clear to him that nothing is going to happen between us. My brain knows Warner isn’t any good for me. My heart hasn’t gotten the memo.
“I just don’t understand why a woman would ask them to sign above her breast when there’s a kid right behind her in line.”
Jana smiles. “It’s okay, you can be jealous. I would be if I had any interest in one of those three.” She nods toward the table where Warner, Cory, and Kane sit.
If Jana wasn’t my boss, I might call her out on her shit. She thinks no one saw her and Kane on the dance floor at Ford’s wedding. Or noticed the fact they disappeared together. But she is my boss and I really want to keep my job, so I don’t mention it.
“The other day when I was with him, he had me hold his phone and a woman called.”
Jana shrugs. “Probably his mother.”
“No.” I shake my head.
She turns toward me, ignoring the fans. “How do you know?”
“Who puts their mom’s first name in the phone?”
“Maybe it’s an aunt or a stepmom or something.”
I shake my head.
“Well, Miss Know-It-All, you could enlighten me on how you know, or we can play this game all night.” The coy look on her face gives away what she’s trying to accomplish.
“Okay, fine, we were involved once upon a time.”
She snaps her finger and points at me. “I knew it.” She raises her hand. “I just want to go on the record and say that I could probably be a medium.”
“A medium talks to dead people,” I deadpan.
“Yes, a dead person told me.”
I shake my head and she laughs. For a moment, Kane stops signing and glances over.
“Let’s go somewhere quieter,” she says, sliding her arm through mine. “We have to discuss something.”
She leads me out of the room, but not before Warner and I lock eyes.
Jana takes me up to her office. I take a seat while she brings the projector screen down from the ceiling and shows footage from the day I spent with Warner.
“We’re doing this now?”
“I’m not going to sit down there all night.” She clicks the remote. “I love when the boys come up to you guys when you’re walking down the beach. I assume you got them tickets?”
“Yeah, had to book them on a nonschool night. They’re coming this weekend.”
“Perfect.” She taps her pointer finger on her bottom lip. “Let’s make sure the kids get into the locker room after the guys have showered and dressed. They can chat with Warner, get some pictures and photos with some of the players. Maybe you can give them a behind-the-scenes tour.”
My forehead wrinkles. “Do what?”
She gives me what seems to be her favorite coy expression. “You’ll see it when he does it.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then he’s not the guy I think he might be.” She presses Play on the remote again. Once the scene from the beach is done, it flips to the photo shoot. “I love this one. It’s really a shame I have to cut it out. Do you want me to save it for you?”
I watch as I position myself behind him on the set and lean in to whisper in his ear.
“What did you tell him?” She pauses and my cheeks flush as I remember Warner’s reaction. “Never mind.” She giggles. “You can keep that between you two.” She keeps it paused, resting the remote under her chin, staring at the giant screen. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but you two make a gorgeous couple. You just fit.”
I look from her to the screen and my heart squeezes. “Did. Past tense.”
She shakes her head at me. “One day, I’m going to get the whole story out of you.”
“Probably.” I sigh. She’s relentless.
She turns her whole body in her seat to face me. “Want to tell me anything right now?”
“Let’s just finish this.” I grab the remote from her and press Play.
It continues and Aria comes in. Talk about a couple who fit. They’d be like the king and queen of modeling if those two got together. I don’t pause or stop the video and it ends after he gets in his SUV, pulling away from the studio. I turn it off and drop the remote between us.
“Looks like a fun day. We can definitely chop it into a five- or ten-minute video. Maybe do a few versions… one can play before a game, another we could put on our socials.”
I type some notes into my phone. “Great. I’ll work on it first thing in the morning.”
“What do you have planned next?”
“The meet and greet that’s going on now. Then I thought about doing some contests on social media, and the winners get to have a three-minute-and-forty-second interview with Warner. Sort of an ‘ask me anything.’ Maybe on one of the weekends he’s home. We could set it up outside the arena and spectators would come to watch… and, of course, share it all over socials for bragging rights.”
“Love that.”
A knock on the door startles us, but we both smile, seeing Cory Freeman in the side window. He gives us a short wave and Jana waves him in.
“You guys just left us down there to fend for ourselves. They’re like vultures. Not that I mind.” He chuckles and sits down across from Jana.
Jana leans back in her chair. “Yes, I hear you’re somewhat of a ladies’ man these days.”
Before he can respond, Warner walks in and stares at the giant screen.
“We were just watching you, figuring out a way to market that gorgeous face.” Jana grins.
Warner shakes his head, appearing uncomfortable.
“I feel slightly offended no one wants this gorgeous face.” Cory smiles brightly, showing off his perfectly white teeth that I’m positive is part of what the women must love.
Jana pinches his cheeks. “One day we will, but we gotta get the freshness off of you. Maybe next year. As long as you’re still single.”
He balks. Warner sits in the chair next to me and I stiffen a bit at his proximity. A second later, Kane enters, and Jana freezes for a moment as he rests his back along the wall.
“Why do I have to be single?” Cory asks.
Jana shrugs. “Single sells.”
“I don’t think that’s true. Women fawn over Ford and his baby girl every time she comes to the games.”
Cory has a point, but as I open my mouth, Jana answers. “Because they’re convincing themselves Lena is his nanny and not his wife.” She gestures toward Warner. “Take Langley for a second. If he and Imogen got their shit together—”
“Jana.” I lower my voice to a threat, but she doesn’t care.
Cory just winks at me. He’s definitely got game.
“People wouldn’t give a shit about him. I mean, they would—there are always those women who think they have the power to break up a couple—but the majority of women want to know he’s available.”
“I had no idea.” Cory rubs his jaw with his palm.
“Believe me, as a woman, it’s shameful to admit. But it’s the truth. Putting a wedding ring on will do one of two things. Turn on the demented women who don’t care that you’re taken because you’ve proven you can commit—even though those cheating with them would actually mean the opposite.” She rolls her eyes. “Or make women not as interested in you because they respect the fact you chose someone else.” She places her hand on Cory’s shoulder.
“Man, I’m just gonna sit up here for sex education class. Tell me, why hasn’t the girl I met at Ford’s wedding called me?” I can tell he’s disappointed.
“Jesus Christ, we came up here to see if you two wanted to head to Carmelo’s?” Kane interrupts. “Freeman, man up and call the woman and ask her yourself.”
“You make it sound so easy. I’ve never done this shit before.”
“Clearly.” Kane pushes off the wall. “Who’s going and who’s not?”
Jana sets her gaze on Kane. “Jeez, calm down. There’s nothing wrong with Cory asking for advice from two qualified sources.”
She’s definitely my idol. I know something went down with them the night of the wedding, but she can stare at Kane with disdain for hours and not give herself away. While I purposely don’t allow myself to look at Warner—even though I feel his eyes blazing into the side of my head—because I know I’ll give myself away.
“Qualified?” Kane says condescendingly and chuckles.
Warner’s quick to stand. “Let’s go. We’ll be over at Carmelo’s if you want to join us. Come on, Jet.”
Cory stands. “It’s been a pleasure.” After the other two leave the room, he turns around and rubs his hands together. “Don’t listen to them. They each have their own deep-rooted issues with the two of you.”
“FREEMAN!” Kane bellows from down the hall.
“I should get going. Carmelo’s. Come on, ladies.” He winks one final time, turns on his heel, and walks out the door. “Shit, guys, wait up.” We hear Cory jog down the hall.
Jana looks at me. “I’m not going.”
I shake my head like I wasn’t even fathoming the idea. Although it’s becoming harder and harder for me to keep my distance from Warner. Jana has something for Kane, I just know it, but she has willpower like a model when it comes to food. Kane’s the big ice cream sundae that she politely passes and tells everyone dairy makes her stomach upset. While I’m lactose intolerant and I’ll choose to suffer through the consequences.
“How do you do it?” I ask.
She cocks her head. “Do what?”
“Act like Kane doesn’t faze you?”
She laughs and presses the button to put the screen back in place and turns on the lights. “He doesn’t.”
Man, she’s good. I think I could hook her up to a lie detector test and she’d pass.
“I’ll walk you out to your car,” I say, moving off the topic.
“I have more work to do. Don’t worry, I’ll call Fred when I want to go home. He’ll walk me out, but thank you.”
As I pack up, I wonder if I should call the security officer, Fred, to walk me out, but no. I’ll be fine.
“I’m really happy about the work you’ve done, Imogen. I told my dad to trust me, and so far, you’ve made me look extremely good. Thank you.”
“Thanks, Jana. That means so much.”
She smiles and shoos me with her hands. “Now go and head to Carmelo’s. You deserve a drink.”
“I think a glass of wine back at my place is all I need. See you tomorrow.”
“Yep. Night.”
I head down the hall toward the elevator. I have no idea how Jana works here by herself all the time. Every office is dark, and the only lights are the dim ones that come on as I walk. I round the bend to the elevator bank and press the down button. As I wait, every noise has the small hairs on the back of my neck on edge. I swear Jana is fearless. To be her for a day.
I slide my hand into my purse and grab my pepper spray just in case.
Thankfully, the elevator doors open. The car is vacant, so I scurry in and press the button to get me to the parking lot. Maybe there are still some players going home and I can find one of them to walk out with. I should’ve called Fred.
