Page 36 of Off The Ice
“They wouldn’t have because it’stemporary,” I emphasized the last word with considerable effort.
“Maybe not.” Brody laughed lightly. “Consideringthat’swhat she looks like.”
“I’m just helping Maggie out. You know, my sister, who asked me for a favor? Sort of howyouasked me for a favor recently?” I looked at him pointedly. “I mean, you do want me to put in a good word for you with Maggie, right?”
Brody stilled, looking at me before nodding. “Got it. Right. My lips are tied.”
“Well, if you’re sure she’s not your girlfriend, then that means you’re going to be the most eligible bachelor for the gala.”
“The what?” I asked with furrowed brows.
“The charity event.” Ryan filled in the blanks. “We’re all getting put up for auction.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.
“It means we’ll be there for the mass of women to bid on dates with us,” Hudson added. “Kind of creepy, but who am I to deny the women what they want?”
“You alreadyknowLiam’s going to get the creepiest old women to buy him.” One of the guys cracked up. “She’s going to bring him somewhere sketchy as hell for their date, and we’ll never hear from him again.”
“I didn’t sign up for that!” I scowled, thinking that there was no way in hell I’d ever participate in something so public.
“You don’t sign up for it. It’s mandatory,” Brody said. “The only guys exempt are the ones with wives or girlfriends.”
Which was about three guys on our whole team. I, of course, wasn’t one of them.
I stared at Brody like he’d grown a second head. “You’re joking.”
“Not joking,” he said with an exaggerated wince. “Coach made the announcement last week. It’s good PR for the team.”
“It’s a nightmare,” I muttered. “I’m not doing it.”
“You don’t have a choice, Brynn,” Ryan chimed in, skating by with an infuriating smirk. “Especially since you just loudly proclaimed to us that you definitelydon’thave a girlfriend.”
“Just because I don’t have a girlfriend doesn’t mean I should be forced to give up my privacy for money,” I muttered, knowing that none of the guys held the same sentiment.
A lot of them actually thrived off of the attention from fans, the media, and everything else that came with this lifestyle. Apparently, something was wrong with me because I just couldn’t get behind it.
Even when the guys moved onto the topic of going out for the night, all I could think about was how much I looked forward to going home.
The image popped into my head of Cassie on the couch the night before, and suddenly, I had a newfound urgency to finish drills so we could wrap it up for the night.
We trained hard for another few hours, and the time passed by quicker once we stopped chatting and got in the zone. I pushedmy body to its limit, straining hard enough so I couldn’t be distracted by any other thoughts.
When we finally finished up, I found myself moving a little faster as I showered and packed my gear up, filled with an urgent rush I didn’t understand.
“So that’s a no to going out with us tonight?” Brody asked, still taking his time drying off from the shower.
“Definitely no,” I responded.
“Figured.” He shrugged. “Just thought I’d ask. But hey, you’ll talk to your sister for me?”
I rolled my eyes, thinking that the last person in the world my sister would go for was someone associated with hockey. But to throw him a bone, I nodded.
“Sure. I’ll talk to her. Next time I see her.”
Brody’s eyes lit up, and he clapped me on the back. “Thanks, man. And hey, you know we were all just messing with you earlier, right? I know you’re not into the whole relationship thing.”
I frowned, not sure what he meant. It was true I hadn’t had a girlfriend the whole time I’d been in the NHL, but did people really think I was entirely opposed to the idea?
