Page 22 of One Weekend in Vienna

“Different?” Felix scoffs. “Please. He’s the same guy who broke Kate’s heart without a second thought. Or have you conveniently forgotten about her because Max turned his charm on you this time?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Anna says sharply, her voice rising. “And it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re about to make the same mistake every other woman in his life has made—thinking you’ll be the exception when you’re just another number.”

“It’s nothing, Felix, okay. He’s leaving tomorrow, and it’s nothing, so just drop it.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut, and I stagger back, stepping onto a patch of ice that cracks loudly under my weight. Anna hears it and spins around, spotting me.

“Felix, I have to go,” she says quickly, her eyes wide.

“Anna—”

“I’ll call you later,” she says firmly, and then jabs her finger to the screen, her eyes never leaving mine. “How much of that did you hear?” she asks, walking towards me.

“Enough,” I say, crossing my arms. “Care to explain?”

Her cheeks flush, and she presses her lips together before sighing. “It’s not what you think.”

“Really?” I raise an eyebrow. “Because it sounds like Felix thinks I ruined his career, and you guys have hated me for something I didn’t do for years. That I’m a total asshole.” I cock an eyebrow. “It sounds like you might agree with him.”

“I didn’t say that,” she snaps, but there’s hesitation in her eyes.

“Then tell me what the hell he was talking about,” I say, my voice harsher than I intend.

She crosses her arms, her fingers gripping her elbows like she’s trying to hold herself together. “It was a long time ago. Felix was set up for a trade that would’ve been huge for his career. It wasn’t really a secret that the team wanted him, but then you—” She stops, biting her lip.

“Then I what?” I press, stepping closer.

“You said you wanted to go there,” she says, her voice quiet now. “And suddenly, everything shifted. They focused on doing everything to get you, building you a team and Felix didn’t fit into that vision. He ended up going to Sweden for two years because of it, and it set him back.”

“But he has an amazing career,” I say. “They paid him a shit-ton of money to leave Sweden and come back to the NHL.”

Anna shrugs. “Yeah, I know, but it might not have worked out that way. He’s still bitter about it.”

I stare at her, the pieces clicking into place. “I didn’t know,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “Anna, I had no idea that happened. I just... I told my agent I was interested. That’s it.”

“Maybe,” she says, her eyes searching mine. “But Felix doesn’t see it that way.” She looks away, biting her lip. “But you’re the great Max Walker. You always get what you want. You always win.”

I run a hand through my hair, frustration boiling under my skin. “Is that what you think? That everything is just some sort of game where I keep score?”

“I did.” The silence stretches between us like a chasm. Then she flashes her whiskey eyes at me. “Until this weekend.”

“What about the other thing?” I ask, my voice tight. “What was Felix talking about with this Kate person?”

Her head snaps back toward me, her expression unreadable. “She’s your ex-girlfriend.”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend, Anna. Max was right about that at least.” Anna flinches and I step closer. “I went out on a few dates with a girl named Kate. I actually thought she was dating your brother first, but she said they were just friends. It wasn’t anything serious.”

“She seemed to think it was. She cried for days when you broke up,” she says, her voice rising. “She was staying with Felix and I at the time, and she was a mess.”

“I believe she was a mess,” I say, the words coming out sharper than I intended. “We never broke up because we weren’t actually dating. She freaked out on me one night when I didn’t call her after a game and threw a huge scene after crashing a team dinner. I never led her on, Anna. If she got the wrong idea, that’s on her, not me. I don’t go around deliberately hurting people.”

Her eyes narrow. “No? What about all the other women? The ones you’ve left in your wake because you couldn’t be bothered to stick around for more than a night?”

“That’s not fair,” I say, anger bubbling in my chest. “I’ve never pretended to be someone I’m not. I’ve always been honest about what I wanted and didn’t want.”

“And what is it you want now?” she asks, her voice low, challenging.

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