Page 5 of Face Off
Interesting.
I can’t say I’ve pictured the guy getting his hands dirty and doing charity work, but I tuck that away for later.
“Why have the Stars lost so many games? They haven’t had a winning season since Miller was drafted. A guy that good should turn a whole organization around.”
“I’ve only been here a few years, so I don’t have the whole story, but I’ve heard rumors about toxic coaching. Sounds like he wasn’t utilized to his full potential in his first couple of seasons. They’d leave him on the bench down the stretch in the third period, and he’d get frustrated. He also led the league in time spent in the penalty box his first two years with us.”
“He has a temper?”
“It’s not a temper—he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s very loyal, and he doesn’t like seeing his teammates taken advantage of. Coach Saunders came in, and the dynamic has shifted. Coach is a lot easier to get along with while still having that authoritative personality. The guys finally believe they have what it takes to succeed after being told they weren’t good enough for so long,” Piper explains.
“And there have been injuries,” I say, and she nods.
“Yeah. It’s such a bummer about Finn Adams. He was having a solid preseason, and he and Maverick meshed really well. But accidents happen, and that means you get the chance of a lifetime, Emmy. Are you excited?”
“Being the first woman to play a regular season game in the NHL would be…” I pause and rub my thumb up the neck of my beer bottle. “There aren’t words. I’m so proud of myself, but I’m also terrified. The attention that comes with being a professional athlete is overwhelming, and even more so when you’re playing without a dick in a male-dominated sport.”
She giggles. “God. You’re going to piss so many people off. The Chads and Joshes are going to lose their minds.”
“It’s always men with those names, isn’t it? It wouldn’t be the first time they told me to get back in the kitchen.” My lips twitch in amusement. “Enough about me. When are you going to land an official spot on the Stars broadcasting team? I know you’ve been filling in here and there.”
Piper shrugs. “Maybe next season. Someone is thinking about retiring, and I’m next in line. It’s a waiting game, but I’m happy with what I’m doing right now—player research. Team development stuff. Becoming very familiar with everyone’s career highs. The stats I can recite would be a cool party trick.”
“I hate talking to the media, but I’d be happy to do an interview if it was with you.”
“You’re going to be the first person I talk to when I finally have a microphone in my hand. There’s no escaping me, Emmy Hartwell.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
We stay up late talking about the team and the players and what our lives have been like since we last saw each other. I feel that same sense of calm with Piper that I do with Grady.
The assurance that even when everything feels overwhelming, there are still people who believe in me.
THREE
MAVERICK
Something is touching my ass.
Which is weird, because I thought I went to bed alone last night.
I open an eye and groan at the sunlight filling my bedroom. It’s too early. Too bright. And my head hurts too damn much.
“Christ,” I mumble into my pillowcase. “I’m never drinking again. I’m too old for this shit.”
“That’s not what you said last night,” a high-pitched voice says from somewhere behind me, and I scream.
A full-on scream like I’m in one of those theme park haunted houses and someone in a Michael Meyers jumpsuit is chasing me.
What the hell?
My memory of the last twelve hours is hazy at best. I remember going to a club after we beat New York 3-0. Strobe lights and free-flowing alcohol. Laughing with a couple of my teammates and a brunette grinding against me to the beat of EDM music.
I lift my head and look over my shoulder. A blonde woman smiles back at me, way too perky for this early in the morning, and there are bite marks all down her neck.
“What time is it?” I ask, because I donotremember inviting her to stay.
“Ten.” She leans forward and drags her tongue over my ear. Her hand grips my ass, and when her finger slides between my cheeks, I roll off the bed with a thud and take the sheets with me.
