Page 28 of The Hooker

“Good. When this gets out, PR will spin it in the positive, and consensual, light that it is and do it carefully so no one loses their licence. I suspect they’ll carefully leave out details about when your relationship started, and when you stopped treating him.” She watches me carefully. “Jamie’s a star rugby player. No one will care about you if we spin it the wrong way. Your relationship better be for the long haul. There’s no point going through this for a fling.”

“It is. For me at least,” I finish quietly.

Linda cracks a smile. “That’s exactly what Jamie said. Right then, let’s sign some forms and organise a meeting with Diana in PR to get this sorted.”

The forms are signed quickly, and I’m warned to keep everything on the down-low so PR can work on a statement to release after The Rugby Championship is complete. They’ll have a meeting with us both before they release anything. But other than that, we’re now free to date—to have a relationship. To tell whoever we want.

I shut Linda’s door behind me and cover my mouth when a giddy laugh escapes. Somehow, everything’s fine. I stride down the hall with a grin, determined to find Jamie.

* * *

I don’t manage to tell Jamie before the game. After I signed the form, I couldn’t find him—we didn’t carpool yesterday since I visited Sage last night—and now it’s game day and everyone’s preoccupied with winning the Bledisloe Cup. I drove him today like usual but decided to wait and tell him after the game about signing the form. I don’t want to distract him before the last test of the series when the team’s fighting to win everything.

I grin at Jamie when I spy him across the room getting taped by Adam, and he returns the smile with a dramatic wiggle of his eyebrows. No matter what happens tonight, I’m going to tell him I want to be with him.

The crowd’s louder than usual. It started with roaring cheers after the haka and the sea of black jerseys in the stands have continued to yell and scream as the clock ticks down.

It’s been a violent game so far since the cup’s on the line. Not that Australia would win the cup if they won the game. Since they lost the first game, it would be a draw and we would retain the cup as the current holders. Blood and bruises have already started appearing and we haven’t reached halftime yet.

I scrunch my nose when Hemi tackles someone in a not totally legal way, but the ref doesn’t see, so the game continues.

“So, you and Jamie?” Adam asks beside me out of the corner of his mouth.

“Yeah, me and Jamie,” I reply softly. I glance at Adam, who has a smug grin on his face. I narrow my eyes. “What?”

“I knew it.”

I scoff. “You did not. You only know something because you switched my roster around.”

“Not true.”

“Care to explain?” I turn back to the game and lean forward when Johnny intercepts a sloppy pass and makes a run for the try line.

“You guys have always been close. Clicked right away. I figured it would happen one day. And you both stare at each other all the time.”

“We do not.”

“You totally do. All sappy and moon-eyed. It’s disgusting.” Adam nudges my arm, and my glare softens when I notice his teasing smile. “I’m happy for you. And for code of conduct reasons, will not be asking any more questions.”

I nudge him back and jump off the hard metal bench when I see Jamie with the ball.

He sprints for the try line with the opposition right behind him. He’s tackled and tucks into himself to protect the ball and passes it to one of our forwards. But I don’t notice who. Jamie’s not moving right. And when the boys get the ball over the try line, he’s still lying on the field.

And he doesn’t get up.

My heart races and I can’t hear the crowd over the sound as I frown and walk to the sideline. My hands shake and adrenaline rushes through me, leaving me breathless. “Something’s wrong.”

Adam follows me to stand by the sideline. “Yeah, he does not look good.”

The players crowd around him and the stadium becomes eerily quiet. Our team doctor runs on the field as Jamie begins to stir and clutches his arm.

My trembling hand clenches my cap and the other covers my mouth. My foot crosses the white line.

A hand tugs me back. “What are you doing? You can’t go on the field.”

“I can’t just leave him.” My voice breaks, and I rip my arm from Adam’s grip. Why isn’t he moving properly? He wasn’t having any issues with his shoulder last I heard.

“Daisy, they haven’t released the statement announcing your relationship yet,” he mutters urgently by my ear. “If you go out there, it will make everything more complicated for you both.”

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