Page 38 of Faking the Face Off

A grin tugs at my lips despite myself. “Brooding silence?”

“You’re brooding,” he says firmly. “It’s a little scary. Now, talk.”

I blow out a breath and give him a quick glance. “Fine. But you can’t say anything to anyone, all right?”

He mimes zipping his lips and locking them. “Scout’s honor.”

So, I tell him everything. About the fake-dating arrangement. About Jimmy’s threat after my lack of social media presence made me a “liability” for the team’s brand. About how Anna stepped in with this crazy idea to fix both our problems, and how I said yes because while I’ll do anything to stay on this team, I really can’t let Anna and Danny down.

As I talk, Dixon’s expression goes from curious to confused to downright furious.

“Wait,” he interrupts when I finish. “Hold up. Jimmy wanted toget rid of youbecause you’re not on TikTok or posting selfies every five minutes?”

I nod, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.

“That’s insane,” he says, throwing up his hands. “You’re one of the best players on the team! Who cares if you’re not an influencer?”

“It’s the way things are now,” I say with a shrug, though the words leave a bitter taste in my mouth. “It’s not just about how you play; it’s about how marketable you are.”

“Marketable,” Dixon scoffs. “Unbelievable. You’re supposed to be a hockey player, not some brand ambassador.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to Jimmy.”

Dixon shakes his head, muttering something under his breath. “So, this thing with Anna—it’s all just to keep you on the team?”

At that, I hesitate. Because it’s not just that, is it? I didn’t have to kiss her in the parking lot, not like that. I didn’t have tomeanit.

“Not…exactly,” I admit, my voice lower.

Dixon narrows his eyes at me, studying my face. “Whoa,” he finally says, leaning back in his seat like I just dropped a bombshell.

“Whoa what?”

“Just…whoa,” he says again, shaking his head like he can’t believe what he’s hearing.

I glance at him, my chest tight. “Say it.”

“I’m not saying anything, man. But if this isn’t just for show…” He lets the words hang there, smirking slightly.

I don’t respond. Because honestly? I’m not even sure what this is anymore myself.

Dixonand I step through the door of our place, the sound of the lock clicking behind us echoing in the quiet. I toss my keys on the counter, pull my phone from my pocket, and am scrolling through missed messages when Anna’s name pops up at the top of the screen.

Dixon left his duffle bag sitting on the bus. I’m going to stop by in a bit to drop it off. Is that okay?

My heart does this stupid little jump it’s been doing way too much lately when it comes to her. I don’t even hesitate.

Yeah, of course. Anytime.

Dixon plops onto the couch and stretches his legs out, crossing his ankles. “Who’s texting you now?”

“Anna. You left your duffle bag on the bus, dummy. She’s gonna drop it off.” I’m already scrolling through the delivery app, navigating straight to her favorite Mexican place. If she’s coming over, I’m not about to have her show up and have nothing to offer her. It’s rude. I tap on the burrito she always orders and add some chips and salsa, then a few tacos for good measure.

“Why didn’t she text me?” Dixon muses out loud before he catches sight of the app on my screen and lets out a low whistle. “And you’re ordering food already? Man, you’ve got itbad…but I’ll take a fajita. Chicken with extra spice, no sour cream.”

I roll my eyes. I don’t bother denying his accusation, but I do go ahead and tap an order for him as well. “In case you need to know, she likes the El Grande Burrito from that place. Figured I’d get ahead of it.”

“Sure, sure. You’re just being thoughtful,” Dixon teases, leaning his head back against the couch with a knowing grin. “This isn’t about trying to impress her or anything. Totally casual. ‘I’m doing it to save my job, Dixon. Don’t tease me about it, Dixon.’”

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