Page 32 of Fake-Off with Fate
“It’s done, Jamie. Allegra left you and you’ve both moved on. Just keep your chin up and don’t let them know you're bothered.”
“But it does bother me. It would be one thing if I were seeing someone else, but I’m not. So, I look like the loser who got left, and that’s not an image I want to perpetuate.”
Dale puts his arm around my shoulder before saying, “You need a new girlfriend.”
I shake my head hard enough that he takes a step away to avoid getting head-butted. “No, I don’t.”
“You don’t need arealgirlfriend,” he says while looking at me meaningfully.
My face scrunches up in confusion. “Do you want me to buy a big stuffed animal and tell everyone she’s my new life partner?”
“No, son. I want you to find a nice girl and I want you to go out on a few dates. You don’t have to pledge your undying love. You don’t have to ask her to marry you. Just show the world you’ve moved on, too. It’s as easy as that.”
Nothing he just said is easy. I live in Maple Falls and while I’m sure there are single women here, I don’t know any of them. And even if I did, I’m not about to put myself in the position of having someone else talk to the press about me. No, thank you.
Before I can make this clear, Dale tells me, “There’s a reporter coming by in a few minutes. I told her you would give an interview.”
My head starts to tingle like I’m going to have a stroke. “Dale …” I start to say, but he doesn’t give me a chance to finish my thought.
“You’re the captain of the team, Jamie. You are the leader. As such, you have to show everyone you’re a team player. I just told all the guystheyhad to talk to the press, and so doyou. There’s no way out.”
I nod my head once to let him know I’ve heard him, but I don’t trust myself to speak. His last sentiment, “there’s no way out,” feels as much a threat as it is a fact. I am the captain. I do have to lead.
Once I’m back in the locker room, I hurry to change out of my gear and then I head to the press room. As expected, the reporter is waiting for me. A tallish woman wearing jeans and a blazer stands up and walks toward me. Crud, she’s pretty. It’s bad enough that I look like a joke for the world to see, but now I have to explain to an attractive woman that I’m not man enough to keep my girlfriend. Fun times.
She reaches out her hand toward me. “Emily Hough fromHockeymagazine.”
I shake her hand and respond, “Jamie Hayes.”
“Thank you for agreeing to talk to me, Jamie. You’re a hard man to get an interview with.”
I don’t bother explaining why that is. I’m sure she already knows. Leading the way to the press table, I sit down and gesture for her to do the same. “I’m really excited about the Ice Breakers,” I tell her. “I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the team.”
I don’t care if Dale wants me to talk about my personal life, I want to make it clear to Emily that isn’t why I’m here.
She pulls out her phone and puts it on the table between us. “Do you mind if I record this?”
I always hate being recorded, but I nod my head like a good boy. “Great,” she says. Looking down at a pad of paper she’s holding, she announces, “I hear that you and Allegra have broken up. Did that have anything to do with your decision to leave New York and come to Maple Falls?”
It had everything to do with my decision and I’m sure she knows that, or she wouldn’t have asked the question. Yet, I refuse to take the bait. “I loved playing for New York,” I tell her. “I loved living in New York.” I feel the need to throw in, “It’s my hometown.”
“Which makes it so surprising you left.” She stares at me like she’s trying to perform a Vulcan mind meld on me.That’s right, I’m an old-school Star Trek fan.
“Emily,” I say before taking a big breath, hoping to lower my rising blood pressure. “I started my career with Dale Hauser. He taught me everything about this game. When I was offered the opportunity to work with him again, I couldn’t pass it up.”
She looks disappointed by my answer. “What about Allegra?”
I try to shrug off her question in the most nonchalant manner possible. “What about her?”
“Are you upset about the breakup? Are you hoping to win her back?”
There’s no way I can avoid answering, so I take a beat to try to get my thoughts together before saying, “Allegra and I were a couple for three years. We both have very demanding careers that kept us apart a lot.” She looks at me expectantly, so I add, “The distance just became too much.”
“That’s why you think she left you?”
“You’d have to ask her if you want to know her reason.”
She flips a page in her notebook before telling me, “Oh, I did.” Even though I don’t really want to hear what my ex said, I know Emily isn’t going to spare me. “Allegra says that she loved you very much but when she met Brett Tremaine, it was like a switch turned on—like she’d been waiting for him her whole life.” She looks down at her notes briefly before adding, “Brett told me that when their eyes met it was like they recognized each other from another place and time.”
