Page 88 of These Pucking Boys

“Me neither.” I drink some more, trying to drown the new anxiety swirling in my chest.

“You need to be honest with them.”

“I know. God, maybe I should stop before it’s too late.”

She tilts her head. “I think it’s already too late. Your eyes sparkle when you talk about them.”

“Great,” I mumble.

Our waitress returns. “Are you ready to order?”

“Shit. I didn’t even look at the menu,” I say in a panic as I scan the options quickly.

“I’ll give you a couple more minutes,” the waitress replies, and walks away again.

“The burgers here are really good,” Melissa tells me.

I check the prices and almost gag. Twenty dollars for a burger?

“Get whatever you want. It’s my treat,” Melissa continues as if reading my mind.

“Okay, thank you.”

“About the game tomorrow. Are you planning to come?”

I bite my lower lip. “Should I?”

Melissa shrugs. “I don’t see why not? But I have to warn you, Wendy Wagner has been asking about you.”

“Who is she?”

“Oh, that’s right. You left the party on Saturday early and didn’t meet her. She’s Malcolm Wagner’s wife. Malcolm is one of our D-men. Wendy is the main WAG. She takes the lead on everything.”

“WAG?”

“Short for wives and girlfriends. They have a group chat where they coordinate all kinds of social events, pick custom outfits for the playoffs, that kind of thing. Whenever a player gets an official girlfriend, they’ll usually ask the WAG leader to add their girl to the group.”

My pulse accelerates. That sounds like the moms on the PTA, but the rich and fabulous version. I’ve seen enough pictures of wives and girlfriends of pro athletes to know they’re all gorgeous.

“But I’m not anyone’s girlfriend.”

“They don’t know that. And after Jake brought you to the party on Saturday, they’re all buzzing with curiosity. If you come tomorrow, Wendy will make sure to grill you with all the questions.”

My stomach coils tightly. “Oh God. This is getting complicated.”

“It doesn’t need to be. Talk with the boys and figure out where you stand. Then make a decision. And if you do decide to stick around, I’ll get you properly trained to deal with the media. Unlike Jake, I won’t throw you to the wolves unprepared.”

“Thanks.”

“You said you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it?”

Crap. I already forgot about Principal Prescott’s request.

“My boss asked if the guys could visit the school and speak to our students. I didn’t make any promises. It’s okay if you say no.”

She frowns. “Why would I say no? I think it’s an excellent idea. We’re always looking for opportunities to connect with the community. I’ll ask the PR manager to reach out to your principal. Just shoot me her details.”

Relief and anxiety hit me at once. I’m relieved that I don’t have to disappoint Principal Prescott, and anxious about spending time with the guys at my workplace. Sometimes, it’s exhausting to be me.

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