Me
That’s okay. I know you’re coming home with me!
Now to pick a guy whose name I want to rep.
I’m thinking Ethan…
GC
Hannah.
Me
See you tonight, Coach!
The Stars’arena is electric as I follow Piper past the locker room and media area. I can feel the energy from the fans pouring in, and with only a month left in the regular season, I imagine everyone will be excited tonight.
“Is it a sellout?” I ask.
“It always is.” She adjusts the sleeve of her pink blazer and waves to someone wearing a Stars polo. “Where are you sitting?”
“With Brody’s daughter, Olivia. We’re down by the ice, and she let me know in our lesson the other day she’sveryintense when it comes to games.”
“Like father, like daughter.” We make a right turn, heading down another hallway. “Are you hungry? Your ticket has access to the friends and family room where they have food set up. I swear, the fried mac and cheese is probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“That sounds great. I didn’t have a chance to eat before I left my place,” I say.
“I’ll take you there and point out how to get to the ice. I need to wrangle someone for an interview, but?—”
“Hi.” Lexi jogs up, her hair slicked back in a high ponytail. She gives us each a quick hug before letting out a groan. “I think I need to start working for a women’s team.”
“Oh, no.” Piper sighs. “Did you get flashed today?”
“Unfortunately.” Lexi glances at me. “By your brother. Poor guy had his headphones in and dropped his towel in the athletictraining room without realizing I was there. I’ve never heard someone scream so loudly.”
“Poor Grant is right.” I laugh. “He does have a high-pitched scream, doesn’t he?”
“I’m surprised glass didn’t break.” Lexi grins. “Anyway. I’m off to give your husband a quick massage before the boys take the ice, P—and, yeah, I recognize that in any other circumstance, what I just said would be grounds for a fight.”
“Nope, that’s all you! You do a much better job than me, and I like that he doesn’t want my massages. They hurt my hands.” Piper checks her phone and waves at us. “I have to run. I’ll come say hi at intermission.”
“And I have to check Hudson’s shoulder before they take the ice. He said he was stiff after warmups, and I’m going to keep this team healthy all the way to the playoffs if it’s the last thing I do.” Lexi eyes my jersey and smirks. “BC, huh?”
“Boston’s agreatcity,” I say, knowing she’s going to see the name on the back when I walk away. “Who doesn’t love a lobster roll?”
After Piper leads me to an empty room set up with trays of food, I load up a plate and take a seat at one of the tables. There’s a television on the wall, and I turn up the volume when I spy Brody on the screen.
He’s giving an interview, running through what the team is going to focus on tonight, but before I can get too invested, he’s apologizing to the guy holding the microphone.
“I need to check in with the team before they take the ice,” he says. “Thanks for the questions.”
I snap a photo of the food and send it to Tierney. I fire off a quick message to Grant wishing him good luck tonight, and I turn when I hear the door to the room open. Brody is slipping inside, his suit tailored and pressed and fitting him like a goddamn glove.
“There you are,” he says.
“Did you know there are three kinds of hot dogs over there?” I ask. “Seems excessive, no?”
“Blame Ethan. He’s obsessed with the damn things.” Brody smiles. Looks over his shoulder and walks my way. “Glad you got here okay.”
