Page 28 of Goalie Interference

He turned back to her. “You didn’t tell me.”

She held up a hand. “First, itjusthappened. We haven’t talked till now. And secondly, it’s not important. One of your players is renting the apartment above my workshop because he has a dog that needs space. I know what the schedule of a hockey player is like. He’s going to be traveling and working out and practicing. I’ll barely see him.”

But right now, with training camp, I was around a lot.

And Ollie still wasn’t convinced. “But considering everything…”

I was tired of being referred to like a problem. He’d been professional enough at training camp, and I was hoping he’d finally get over his problem with me. Our rivalry was a long time in the past. “What do you think I’m going to do to her anyway?”

I might not be the best goalie the NHL had ever seen, but I wasn’t one ofthoseplayers. The fuckboys, the entitled ones, with too many stories about them crossing the line even though nothing was made public.

He glared at me, grinding his teeth for a moment. “I don’t know, but you’re a player and single, and we’ve been competitors for a long time. So I can make some guesses.”

My jaw dropped and my anger grew. He’d been out of the game forsevenyears. We hadn’t been competitors for a longtime. “What the actual fuck? You think I’m gonna what, seduce her? Because she’s your ex?”

Sophie was kind and sweet. She wasn’t conventionally pretty, her features too strong for that, but I liked her face. It was distinctive. Noticeable. But just because I found her attractive didn’t mean I was going to make her uncomfortable. This was a new city and I appreciated any friendly overtures I got, but I wouldn’t make assumptions about more.

“If I was wondering why we weren’t together anymore, you’re sure nailing the reasons home.” Sophie soundedreallypissed.

I flicked a glance at her. Arms crossed, eyes slitted, possibly steam coming out of her ears.

Otts held up his hands. “Sorry, Soph, I didn’t mean anything. But this guy has never married, and never had a long-term relationship. So he’s either gay and hiding it, or a fuckboy.” Had he been keeping tabs on me, or just checked me out in detail when I was signed? And how did he get away with grouping players like that? I knew a lot of guys who were neither of those things. We had out players on our team, damn it.

“If he’s gay, you have nothing to worry about. And really, those are the only options? Gay or promiscuous?”

Exactly.“I’m not gay. And I’m not a fuckboy.”

Otts didn’t back down. “Then why haven’t you had a serious relationship?”

“I’ve had relationships.” Not recently, but I’d dated. Thought I’d been in love a couple of times. No one had ever found me worth staying for, but that wasn’t his business.

“Longer than a few months?” He had checked me out thoroughly. What theactualhell?

Otts was stubborn, but Sophie was too. “How many long-term relationships did you have while you were playing,Oliver?”

Using his full name seemed to let him know how angry she was. I’d like to call him Oliver in that tone of voice as well.

He glanced between us. “I was focused while I was playing.”

And I wasn’t?

“And that was years ago. As we get older, we’re supposed to mature.” He was such a smug prick. He’d retired from playing, not suddenly become a fount of wisdom.

“You have no idea what happened in my relationships. Where do you get off deciding I’m immature because I didn’t get married?”

“Then why didn’t you? Why don’t you commit?”

It was none of his fucking business why nothing had lasted for me. Why the women I’d dated didn’t stay. Reasons like the success he had but I didn’t. I was so angry, words choked up in my throat. I didn’t owe him those secrets, those things that had eaten away my confidence till it wasn’t worth investing any longer in a relationship that wouldn’t last.

Sophie wasn’t choked up like I was. “Yes,Oliver, maybe we should all share now. Remy will spill his guts about his love life after you share yours. Want to tell him whyyourone long-term relationship ended?”

Otts’s face went white. Like he’d seen a ghost. “Sophie, you wouldn’t?—”

She glared, hard enough to drill holes through him. “I’m not saying anything. But if you want Remy to tell all his secrets, maybe you should share yours.”

I had no idea what the secret was, but it was something big. He wasn’t going to ask me to explain now.

“Okay, I was out of line. But I’m worried.”

---