Page 50 of The Pucker and the Princess
But if that’s the case, why wouldn’t she have responded to any of my earlier texts? Why wouldn’t she have texted me today that she was here or that she’s waiting for me with Tina?
“Dozer!”
I turn at the sound of my name to see Nick hurrying to catch up with me. “Dude,” he says, falling in step beside me, “take a breath. You look like you’ve been called out to a five alarm fire. That energy’s not going to get you anywhere good if you’re trying to convince Marissa you can act like a normal human.”
Slowing down, I suck in a breath and blow it out slowly, doing the yoga breathing that always helps me feel more centered.
Nick pats me on the back. “There you go. One more, then we’ll go meet the women.”
I look at him out of the corner of my eye while doing what he says. “Did Tina tell you to babysit me?”
He shrugs. “Would it really matter if she did or didn’t? You know that I know what’s up. You’re lucky to have me on your side.” His fingers dig into my shoulder, pulling me to a stop. He glances behind me and nods at someone, and I turn to see Jones and Carmichael heading out.
“You guys off to a party?” Carmichael asks as they pass.
“We gotta celebrate our win, man!” Jones adds.
Nick smiles insincerely. “I have a different kind of celebration in mind.”
They both whoop and holler as they push through the doors, leaving us alone again.
“Look,” Nick says, drawing my attention back to him. He holds up a finger, nearly pointing it in my face. “Marissa’s a great lady. You better not fuck her over.”
“Dude! What the fuck? I thought you were on my side.”
“I am,” he says, squeezing my shoulder again, but this time as a gesture of support. “I just think she’s good for you, and I don’t want you having your head so far up your ass you can’t see anything. So don’t fuck this up.”
He releases me, giving me a little shove so I take a step back. I hold up my hands in surrender. “Afraid it might be too late for that, man. But I’m doing my best. I always do.”
He sighs. “I know. You’re a good guy, Dozer. You deserve the best.”
“Thanks.” I rub my shoulder, and Abernathy rolls his eyes at me.
“Please. I’ve seen the kinds of hits you take on the regular. There’s no way that hurt.” He starts walking toward the doors again.
“I wear pads on the ice, though.”
He just shrugs, pushing through the door and holding it open for me.
I step through, taking in the group of people outside, some still waiting for players, some fawning over the players who’ve already come out—like Carmichael and Jones. Bouchard comesout behind us, stepping past me to a group of women who look like they’re ready to hit the clubs.
Nick picks his way through the crowd, finding Tina off to one side with Marissa who has her face buried in her phone.
“Good job with the goal in overtime,” Tina says, stepping forward to give Nick a hug and a kiss.
He grunts in response. “Shouldn’t’ve even gone in to overtime. We should’ve had it locked down by the second period.”
Making a sympathetic face, she rubs his shoulder sympathetically. “I know. But better a win in overtime than a loss.”
Another grunt from Nick.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I stand in front of Marissa, unsure what to do. She’s never acted like this around me before. Usually I barely even see her phone when we’re together unless she’s checking the time or something. A few times she’s been mid-texting conversation with one of her siblings, but usually she has impeccable phone etiquette, choosing to spend time with the real life person she’s with rather than staring at her screen.
And now? She looks like she’s just scrolling. She’s not actively typing, just occasionally swiping up on the screen to get to the next post on whatever social media app she’s using.
I clear my throat, still uncertain what to do, and uncomfortably aware that Nick and Tina have fallen silent and are watching us like some kind of weird dinner theatre show playing out in front of them.
Marissa finally lifts her face and gives me the world’s fakest smile. “Oh, hi. Sorry about that. It’s so noisy, I hadn’t realizedyou’d come out.” She glances over at Tina and Nick, turning the fake smile on them. “Tina greeted her husband, so I assumed he was alone.”
