“What’s gotten into you, Maya?” Wendy asks.

“We should find Lachy a new girlfriend!”

I feel the blood drain from my face. I want to scream no, he already has a girlfriend, but all I can do is remain calm and hope I’m not showing my desperation.

“Oh, I have the perfect candidate,” one of the wives I met last Wednesday chimes in. I can’t remember her name or who her husband is. “She’s one of my be?—”

“He’s seeing someone,” I blurt out before I can control my tongue.

The conversation ceases, and it feels like I’m in a movie where I’m the main character who just did something cringe-worthy.

“He is?” Maya sounds disappointed. “Who?”

“I don’t know. I never met her, but Jake mentioned something.”

“He probably told you in confidence, June. I hope you don’t get in trouble for telling us,” Fiona pipes up, her eyes glinting with malice.

“I won’t. And I’m sure Lachy will be thankful I saved him from starring in the NHL version ofThe Bachelor,” I snap.

“Boy, you’ve gotten uber-protective of Lachy fast,” Maya chimes in.

I can’t tell if she’s just stating a fact, or if she’s hinting that there’s something more going on between Lachy and me. I shouldn’t have lost my cool in front of all these women. I can’t trust anyone here. They gossip, and I’m sure Wendy already has suspicions about me, thanks to my visit to the locker room with Ryan. I can’t get jealous when people talk about Lachy or Ryan dating other women. That’s like flashing a neon sign above my head and admitting I’m into them too.

“I think I’m going to check out the shops.”

“Why? If you want merch, just ask Jake,” Maya says.

“Oh, right.”

She leans closer and whispers, “But if you’re just using that as an excuse to get the fuck out of here, you have to wait a bit.”

“Why?”

“Don’t let them know you’re rattled.”

The woman who said she had the perfect candidate for Lachy walks over. She’s blonde like most of the other wives, but she’s not tall and skinny; she’s pretty in a subtle way.

“I’m sorry about the whole Lachy thing. If I’d known he was dating someone, I wouldn’t have mentioned anything.”

“Oh, that’s fine. How could you have known?”

Damn it. Now this woman is being all nice, and I can’t remember her name to save my life.

“I’m glad that Jake is dating you. I’ve always said to Dennis that Jake would calm down if he had a girlfriend.”

Dennis. That’s her husband’s first name, but unfortunately, I haven’t memorized the roster of players yet.

“Calm down?” I ask.

“You know... stop being so short tempered off the ice. It’s fine for them to be goons while playing, but it’s a different story to be a menace in their day-to-day lives. He can’t start fights for no reason.”

“Jake isn’t a menace,” I retort.

She gives me a droll look, and all the goodwill I was developing for her evaporates. “Oh honey... you’re looking at him through rose-colored glasses.”

“I don’t think Jake is that bad,” Maya chimes in. “He wouldn’t be captain if he was a deranged bully.”

“Well, I don’t know why he’s captain to be honest. There are more qualified players for that position, in my honest opinion.”