Page 90 of Absolutely Not in Love
“I hate that he’s paying for this stuff, Summer.”
She waves away my concern. “Oh, I doubt very seriously he’s paying for anything. I’m sure they’re comping the room.”
“Why would they do that? We’re not important at all.”
“But Flintisimportant, and if they give him a free room, the next time he’s in town, he’ll stay with them and bring them all kinds of positive press and more business. Crazy, right? That it’s the celebrities who get all the free stuff when they’re the ones who can actually afford to pay for it.”
Our boarding group is called, and we both stand up, Summer dropping her phone into her bag before slinging it onto her back. “Still, even if Flint is paying for it, I promise he’s not sweating it. He’s generous like that.Andhe’s an Appies fan.”
“What? Is he really?”
She nods. “I mean, he grew up in Silver Creek. That’s not so far from Harvest Hollow that he couldn’t be an OG fan. But it could also just be the Appies social media. He’s definitely not the only celebrity who’s taking notice.”
“I can’t wait to tell Parker that Flint Hawthorne is a fan of her work.”
“Oh, right. So the one who we’re hoping can get us into the game is the social media manager?”
I nod, even as my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, smiling wide when I see Parker’s text. “She is. And she finally just responded.”
Summer lets out a little squeal. “This is going to be so great, Gracie.”
I send Parker a quick text, then scan my boarding pass and make my way onto the plane.
It’s going to be a long night.
But there’s a certainty deep in my bones that it’s going to be worth it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Felix
“Seriously,what’swrongwithyou, man?” Alec says from across the locker room. “You’re missing saves that my grandma could make.”
“Hey, give it a rest,” Eli says. “You’re not looking so hot yourself.”
“Eli’s right,” Logan says as he tosses down his stick. “But Alec’s right, too.” He looks right at me. “You’re definitely off your game tonight.”
I drop my head into my hands. I amcompletelyoff my game. My focus is gone, my reflexes are trash, and I’m distracted by things both in the game and inside my own head.
Mostly, I just can’t stop thinking about Gracie.Worryingabout her. Wondering what she’s thinking. If she liked the book. If she read my letter.
But I can’t be thinking about all that now.
It’s been years since I’ve played this badly. One period in, we’re down zero to three, and all three goals were easy shots I should have blocked.
Coach shows up in front of me, arms folded across his chest. “Felix, you know how much I preach about this being a team effort. No one player is ever going to lose a game on his own. But we’re playing against a tough team, and we need you at your best. If that’s not possible, tell me and we’ll sub in Hendrix.”
Hendrix is the newest guy on the team—the back-up goalie to our back-up goalie—and he’s nowhere near ready to face the team we’re playing tonight. If Peterson were here, he might could handle them, but his wife decided to have a baby this week, so we’re playing without him.
It has to be me.
I have to get my head in the game.
“I can do it,” I say. “I just need a few minutes to regroup.”
Coach reaches forward and drops a hand on my shoulder, a gesture I appreciate even if I can’t feel it through my heavy pads. “You sure you’re okay? You know you can talk to me.”
“I’m okay,” I say. “I’ve got this.”
