Page 22 of Perfectly Grumpy

Haven’t you seen the account for @crushers_unofficial? It’s a secret fan account with pictures of the guys and you’re on it.

I frown, confused, and search for the handle. My stomach drops when I see it: a photo of me and Tate, taken at the coffee shop where we met so I could bribe him with cinnamon rolls. Someone snapped a picture right as I leaned across the table and touched his arm. We look cozy.Toocozy.

I have no idea who took it, but the account is calledCrushers Unofficial—Candid Shots of Crushers Players in the Wild.Apparently, someone local made it their part-time hobby to stalk our guys with a smartphone around Sully’s Beach.

This is exactly how players get outed for bad behavior. One blurry photo and a thousand assumptions about what was actually happening.

I scroll past a harmless picture of Brax and Jaz shopping at Target. She’s holding up a onesie in the baby aisle with the caption:Baby bump spotted!

Jaz’s belly is well past bump territory, but she handles it all with the grace of a saint. Fans routinely rub her stomach like it’s a lucky charm, and she goes along with it.

I scroll down and there’s our selfie from the beach—Tate’s arm draped casually over my shoulder, his dimples on full display. From this angle, it doesn’t just look like we’re close.

It looks like we’retogether.

I open the comments. That’s mistake number one.

carolinahockeyfan14

Who is this guy? He’s so cute.

crushers_unofficial

That’s Tate Foster, defenseman for the Crushers. He’s the quiet one.

puckbunny_22

That’s the PR girl.

hockeyfan86

Wait—is she dating a player??

No. Nope. Absolutely not.But the comments keep coming.

HockeyChick28

Honestly, I ship it.

sportsromantic

Please let this be a hockey romance.

iceicebaby

I bet they just came from her place. Look at his smile.

I slap my phone face-down on the couch. That’s definitelynotthe PR I was hoping for. My career is going up in flames over a shared motorcycle ride and a smile. And I haven’t even released the official motorcycle pictures yet, which means this unofficial photo is spoiling Tate’s big PR moment.

I consider replying, even requesting they take it down, but if I say something, I’ll look defensive. And that will only add fuel to the fire.

friend4ever86

If she breaks up with him and Tate needs a girlfriend, I volunteer!

blackbelt312

After those comments to the commissioner’s wife, the dude’s definitely not getting his contract renewed. He needs all the PR help he can get.

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