Page 76 of Overtime Goal
He shrugged. “Maybe that you’re away. Since you are.”
“What if he asks where? They don’t know we’re together.”
“Put him off, and we’ll talk about our situation.”
“Okay. That works.”
RILEY: I’d love to, but I’m out of town now. Another time?
HOLKY: Too bad, but anytime’s good. When will you be back?
Goddammit.Despite all the shit I’d pulled over the years, I hated lying, and I was terrible at it.
RILEY: Couple of weeks.
HOLKY: Damn. Where are you?
Where the hell could I be?
RILEY: The beach.
HOLKY: That’s cool. You with someone special?
I looked at Logan. “Holky is so fucking nosy. He thinks everything is his damn business, and I don’t know how he could be that way. Hasn’t he ever heard of boundaries?”
Logan’s snarky grin reappeared, and he raised an eyebrow. “He’s not the only nosy Warrior. I seem to remember you being very interested in what was going on with him and Dog last fall.”
“Like you weren’t?” I sighed. “I have to get rid of him until we decide what to do.”
RILEY: Maybe. Got to run now. See you when I get back.
I was setting my phone down when it buzzed again.
HOLKY: Okay. Have fun with supermodels and Logan or whoever.
Muttering a curse, I stared at the screen. Apparently, he’d seen a photo of Natalie and me, and if he had, he probably wasn’t the only one. I turned off my phone and tossed it onto a table.
“Breathe,” Logan said. “It will be okay.”
It all spilled out in one breath. “What do we do now? How should we act in public? And what do we tell people? If we want to tell them anything, that is.”
He held up a hand. “Whoa. Slow down.”
“We have to talk and make sure we’re on the same page.” I hesitated, hoping I wasn’t about to make him angry. “I’m pretty sure Holky knows where I am. In his last message, he mentioned me having fun with supermodels and you. And ifheknows…”
“I get it. But so what if he knows you went out with Natalie? Thinking you and I may be on vacation together isn’t the same as knowing. If he’s figured out where we are, it can only be from those photos the paparazzi took today.”
“All right.” I was too loud, so I lowered my voice. “Please tell me how you’d like to handle this.”
He scratched his chin. “I think this has to be mostly your call. And Natalie’s a nonissue, unless you want to pretend there was something romantic.”
“I don’t,” I said. “It’s us I’m talking about because I’m not in this alone.”
“Fair. One thing to remember is that I’ve been out for years. Every player in the league and anybody who follows hockey knows I’m gay. But you…” He trailed off. “As far as I know, you and I are the only ones who know you’re bi.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But I don’t want to have to hide.”
“I’d be excited for the whole world to know we’re together. Maybe go on national TV and shout, Aidan Riley lovesme!”
