Page 10 of Rafferty

He grins at me, hand on my car door as I slide into the driver’s seat. “Thanks for being my accomplice in this nefarious plan.”

“My pleasure,” I quip.

“Drive safe,” he says so earnestly, I believe he actually cares about my safety.

“See you Monday. And good luck in Arizona and Denver. I’ll be watching.”

“I’ll play my best then,” he says and closes the door.

I don’t know that I’ve ever watched a full hockey game by myself. I’ve watched some here and there with Cooper who loves the sport, but I know without a doubt, I’m going to watch because I think it’s cool that now I actually know one of the players in real life.

Hell, I had a player’s tongue in my mouth and there’s a good chance it’ll happen again on Monday. That shouldn’t excite me as much as it does, but these days, I’ll take whatever fun I can find.

CHAPTER 5

Rafferty

The morning ofthe marketing photo shoot is clear and chilly—a typical winter day in Pittsburgh that turns exhaled breath into white plumes. We’re using a community ice rink on the south side of the city for a promotional event to launch our outreach program, “Titans Together,” aimed at encouraging youth involvement in ice hockey. I was chosen as the face of the program due to my active involvement in community sports programs when I played in Edmonton. It’s a program to bring athletics to underprivileged kids, something I’m passionate about, especially since I saw it firsthand through my dad’s coaching.

I walk into the lobby, trying to ignore the flutter of nerves in my stomach—not about the shoot itself, but about Tempe and Tansy. The place is already bustling with activity, photographers setting up, marketing staff rushing around, and of course, Tansy is in the center of it all. She spots me the moment I step through the door.

“Rafferty, there you are!” Tansy calls out, her tone overly cheerful. She saunters over, her heels clicking sharply on the tiled floor. She looks around, past my shoulder and then back to me with a smirk. “I see you’re here alone. No girlfriend?”

“She’s on her way,” I respond tersely, my jaw tightening. “Had another commitment that ran late.”

Tansy steps closer, her perfume overwhelming, as she places a hand a little too low on my back. “Sure, Rafferty. If you say so. But you know, it’s not too late to grab that drink after.”

Before I can peel her hand off me, the main doors swing open and I look back, expecting Tempe to walk in. She said she had a morning commitment that she couldn’t miss but promised to meet me here. My stomach about bottoms out though when I see my teammate, North Paquette, walking in.

While North is one of my best mates on the team and in ordinary circumstances, I’d be happy to see him, I am not prepared for any of the players to be here because I can’t quite explain my ruse with Tempe, who should be arriving at any time.

“What’s North doing here?” I ask Tansy as I step back from her. North locks eyes with me and raises a hand as he walks our way.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Tansy croons. “We invited him to do the shoot with us. Just one big happy family.”

Fuck.

She set this up to call out my fake girlfriend, knowing that North would be shocked to see her. She set up an embarrassing moment for me. Tansy shoots me a wink as she walks away.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I walk toward North to intercept him.

“What’s up, man?” he says, holding out a fist, which I dutifully bump.

My message is urgent and terse, my low, secretive tone furrowing his eyebrows. “I don’t have time to explain, but I’ve got a fake girlfriend coming to this shoot to get Tansy off my back.” North, as well as my other teammates, is well aware of the problems I’ve had with this woman. “Her name is Tempe Martin, we started dating at the beginning of training camp, took a recent break during which I had sex with Tansy and Tempe supposedly had sex with others, and now we’re back together.” The door opens, spilling sunlight in, and Tempe walks through. I turn her way, as does North, and I give one last plea. “Please play along.”

“Got it,” he says, and relief sweeps through me.

Tempe spots me and heads our way. She’s dressed casually yet strikingly in a fitted black leather jacket, dark jeans that accentuate her curves, and a simple white blouse that adds an elegant touch. Her hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail, sunglasses perched atop her head. She looks every bit the part of a woman who belongs at the side of a professional athlete, at least in my opinion.

I glance back to see that Tansy has spotted Tempe, but she’s stuck in conversation with the photographer. I move to meet Tempe, North on my heels. I don’t have time for a long explanation so I pull her into an all-encompassing hug and put my mouth near her ear. I feel her shiver under my hands as I whisper, “She invited one of my teammates, North Paquette. Big dude behind us. I gave him a brief summary of our ruse, but we’re all going to have to wing it.”

“Understood,” she whispers back, and it’s with such confidence, I have a burst of pride in my fake girlfriend.

Tempe pulls back and moves to North, opening her arms up. He bends down, they hug and Tempe says loud enough that I know Tansy hears as she starts to walk our way, “It’s good to see you again, North.”

He squeezes her, pulls back and puts his hands on her shoulders. His face is filled with genuine delight. “I’m so glad you and Rafferty got back together.”

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