Page 54 of On the Power Play

Tony blew out a breath. "No, though I'm glad we hit on that. I wanted to leave you a message about two things. First, I got you a spot on ‘Late Night with Ken Massey.’ Films there in the city, so it’s easy enough to get to for tomorrow night.”

Delia froze. “Tomorrow?”

“Breathe, I’m not finished. I also heard back from Ethan on that collaboration.”

Delia wrapped her hands around her mug. “And?”

“He’s in. But, he doesn’t want to work together online. I told him that was perfect because . . . you’re moving to Calgary for a bit anyway.”

“What?” Delia nearly sloshed hot water onto her jeans.

“Think about it, Delia. Your popularity is skyrocketing, and every time you and Jack are seen together, we reach a new shelf. Plus, it might be good for you to be seen supporting him in his endeavours.”

Her head spun. A late-night appearance. A collab with Ethan. Moving to Calgary? “Does Jack know?”

It sounded like Tony was rubbing his eyes. “No, I’m working with the Blizzard’s marketing lead on this. It’s a win-win. They’re hitting him with a bunch of media opportunities which will compliment our efforts.”

What about her mom? Delia was already running the logistics of leaving her home. She’d have to talk to Finn. See if they needed any retakes before she left, and what about her mom? “How long would I be there for?”

“Just until the NHL playoffs are over. Maybe a little less if the Blizzard are knocked out early. At which point you and Jack will publicly break up, and you’ll start your promo for the album.”

Delia blew on her drink and inhaled the scent of peppermint. “And Mary?” She scrambled for anything to talk about until she could come up with an appropriate ask. She couldn’t leave her mom there working by herself. She needed someone to at least check in on her, and that was the bare minimum.

“Mary will come with you. We already have our eyes on a bed and breakfast on the north side of town.”

“Okay. Okay.” Delia blew out a breath. “Tony, we’ll need to hire someone here at the house. Someone to grocery shop and clean once a week.”

“That’s money, Delia.”

“I know. But it’s not optional if I’m leaving.” Delia bit the inside of her cheek. She could post more on socials. Get more pics out and about. With the collaboration official, Ethan’s audience could be tapped as well.

“Fine, have Mary set it up. We still have a few logistics to work out. I was thinking you could wait until tomorrow night to shout this turn of events from the rooftops. Preferably on national TV.”

Chapter Thirteen

Jack walked into the dressing room. He felt oddly naked not carrying his stuff with him. No clanking of his equipment, no musky scent of sweat-soaked pads. When he practiced with the Snowballs, they always had to hustle to clear out of the dressing room, and the routine was ingrained in his muscle memory. Now, all his equipment had a home in the metal lockers. They even had a guy who cleaned and sanitized their equipment. After this, he was never going to play so clean again in his life.

"Look who decided to show." Johansson shot him an unimpressed look while he applied tape to his left knee.

Jack didn't respond to that. He knew better than to stoke the flames with excuses or explanations. He doubted there had been an announcement from management in the dressing room about how he was allowed to miss practice for a girl. The truth—his truth—seemed insignificant against the backdrop of rumours that must have been circulating like norovirus. The guys had all seen the headlines.

He imagined what he'd be thinking about himself had he been on the other side, and none of it was good. He'd known plenty of F-boys in his time with the AHL. The second they miffed it on the ice, every guy on the team was thinking the same thing. It meant he had to kill it out there to prove his priorities were lined up. To prove he belonged there with the rest of them.

Jack stopped at his locker and opened it. The door slammed with a clang as he wrestled with his bag and pulled out his gear.

"Special privileges if you're making press, eh?" Nathan said next to him. He smiled to make the comment seem like a joke, but Jack knew it wasn't.

"I'm here to play." Jack stripped off his sweatshirt and pulled on his base shirt.

"Which game, though, bud?" Tkachuk shot him a look, then sat on the bench to lace up his skates.

Nathan nudged his shoulder. "It's bringing people out to the games, so it's good for the team. These assholes are just jealous you were with Delia last night and they were left tugging chubs in the shower."

Jack chuckled and left that alone. He didn't love that they were all making assumptions about his sex life, but the idea of setting the record straight was worse. He flew out to Toronto to see her, and the whole world knew she'd been with him at his hotel. When he'd seen the pictures at the airport the next morning, it hadn’t registered that it was him. He looked confident. Cool next to Delia with her auburn waves. It was like there was a version of himself with rizz that he was only privy to through camera lenses.

Jack finished suiting up and was just starting to lace his skates as the buzz of the dressing room tapered into a focused silence. All attention converged on Coach Novak, who stood on top of the Blizzard logo, clipboard in hand.

"Morning, gentlemen," he began. "Today, we're going to focus on refining our power play strategies. We've got a chance to turn the tide this season, but it's going to require every single one of you to push harder, think faster, and work together more seamlessly than ever before."

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