Page 37 of Second-Rate Superstar

I felt like a total bitch for painting him with the all-athletes-are-assholes brush. But how could I apologize to him for that when Natalie was giving me insider information?

“Braxton is very special to me,” Natalie continued. “And not because he’s my husband’s brother. I know what it’s like to be measured against a mark you will never reach, only to be found lacking. Especially when the world thinks you have it all.”

Cocking my head, I stared at her. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You write books about people falling in love. Why not use real life as inspiration if the opportunity arises? Braxton has a good heart, but he’s scared to share it—mainly because most people see him for what he produces on the ice or who he’s related to. He’s waiting for someone special who can see past all that to the man hidden underneath, the one screaming to be seen. And I think that person might be you.”

“Me?” I squeaked, pointing a finger to my chest.

One of her shoulders rose and fell. “Eh. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good romance. I do love my books.” She threw me a wink.

I had come by to drop off dinner for a family with a new baby and left with more questions about the man I was spending time with.

All this time, I’d assumed he was pursuing me because I was a novelty—the first girl to ever turn him down. But now I was realizing that wasn’t the case. He was interested because I didn’t care what he did for a living. With me, he had a chance to be himself, shedding the public persona.

Was Natalie right? Did I owe it to myself to give him a chance? To see if something could develop between us?

What would one of my characters do?

Yes, I was so confused that I was seeking the advice of fictional characters derived from my own imagination. I was that desperate to figure out my next move.

A reluctant heroine with daddy issues would be cautious, so that’s what I would be. But I was determined to be more open if he wanted to spend time together. Even if it scared me.

The ball was in Braxton’s court—I couldn’t help myself with the sports analogy, even if there was no ball in hockey. If he wanted to show me that he was different, the burden of proof rested on him.

Chapter 9

Braxton

“Drinks on me!” Jaxoncalled out over the music of the hotel bar. Resounding cheers came from our teammates in reply.

Sitting beside me at a high-top table, he clapped me on the back. “It’s not every day your little brother scores his first professional goal.”

Would have been a great milestone if my big bro wasn’t purposely feeding me the puck in front of the net until I scored when he had a clear shot every time.

“Thanks,” I said through gritted teeth.

A waitress stopped by, dropping off a round of beer, as more teammates filtered in after the quick flight from Seattle to Vancouver after the game. Jaxon tapped the neck of his bottle to mine before taking a sip.

“So, Natalie is quite smitten with your girl,” he began.

“We’ve been over this. She’s not my girl.”

“Baby Braxton has a girlfriend?!” A shrill voice carried over the crowd.

Great, they’re never going to let this drop now.

Turning, I found Hannah Moreau, our head coach’s daughter and the Comets’ travel coordinator, making a beeline for our table. Behind her,she dragged her boyfriend, Cal Berg, former defenseman for the Comets and current broadcast analyst for our in-house television network affiliate.

The look of mischief on her face had me groaning as I took another sip of beer.

Hannah also happened to be one of Natalie’s best friends, with Cal being one of Jaxon’s. When I said this group was tight-knit, I wasn’t kidding. They were pairing off at an alarming rate.

“Tell me everything!” Hannah sat on my free side, linking her arm through my elbow.

“Nothing to tell.” I could only pray that she'd let it drop if I was vague enough.

Jaxon countered, “Sure. It’s nothing that you got into a fight with Levi on media day over the girl. Then, you brought her to the hospital with you to visit Max. And let’s not forget that Natalie called to tell me she dropped off a meal for her because she knew we were on the road.”

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