I was sure she would agree so it was surprising when she narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure.”
“Seriously?” Rosa squeaked.
“I admit, at first, I was definitely on Team Hot Hockey Player, but now…it sounds like he was kind of a dick to you, honestly. And I don’t want a guy like that getting in your way.”
He wasn’t a dick.The words were right at the tip of my tongue. I had no idea why I was feeling so protective of Liam.
Peyton must have read the expression on my face. “Even if you did misunderstand the prom thing, he kissed you. When he had a girlfriend.”
I had always tried hard not to think about that part.
“He was just a teenager.”
“Even a teenager should know not to cheat,” she argued.
“Well, maybe they weren’t that serious at that point? I don’t know. It was a long time ago.”
“That may be so,” Peyton continued. “But there’s obviously still a lot of emotion tied up in this for you. And we all agreed that what you need at this stage in your life is uncomplicated fun.”
“We did not all agree to that,” I argued. She ignored me.
“I mean, if you think you can have a meaningless fling with this guy, then go for it. Because he is definitely smoking hot. But if it’s going to make you feel all girly and sad, I really think you should stay away.”
“But what if he’s her true love?” Rosa shot back.
“Do you have a flask in your purse?” I asked her. “Have you been spiking your water while I wasn’t looking? It was a crush. Inhigh school.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, giving me an uncharacteristically grim glare. “I am not drunk. I’m just saying—there’s history between you and Liam O’Conner. And I don’t think whatever there was between the two of you is over yet.”
CHAPTER 7
“Get your stick on the ice!” Coach Dillion bellowed as four skaters scrummed around the net. “Watch for the pass!”
Jay cursed softly next to me, watching the scene play out. Sure enough, the pass came from the left face-off circle and sailed right past the still raised stick of the winger closest to the net.
I didn’t bother to hide my groan. Jay and I were watching the rookies practice from a halfway up the stands, too far away from the ice for any of them to hear us.
“That’s basic shit,” Jay muttered.
We watched as Dillion blew his whistle, red-faced and already shouting as he skated down to the young kid who had missed the pass. Tommy, something. Walter, maybe? Weaver? I’d met him the other day at the team lunch, but this was the first time I was getting a chance to see any of my new teammates out on the ice. The first few days of training camp were dedicated to rookies and prospects hoping for a chance at making the team. Veterans had to report today for medical tests but we wouldn’t start full training camp until tomorrow.
From the way our rookies were looking, I didn’t have the highest hopes for camp.
On the other side of the arena, Andrew Knight sat huddled with the interim GM, and a few other guys I didn’t recognize. But they were all dressed in suits and that meant one thing—management.
“Big boss man doesn’t look too happy,” Jay pointed out. Knight was saying something to the GM, his hands waving madly, a scowl on his face. “Think he’s regretting the investment already?”
“That’s just his normal face,” I muttered. Andrew Knight was born with a permanent scowl.
“They’re looking pretty green, huh?” a slightly accented voice behind us asked, and I turned to see a hulking man making his way down the steps to our row. Henrik Karlsson was one of the holdovers from the Atlanta team. He’d been in the league about five years now, a solid veteran. His defense had frustrated me on more than one occasion playing against him. We’d shaken hands the other day, but I hadn’t had the chance to really talk to him.
“Hey man,” I said, gesturing to the empty seat next to Jason. “Tests go okay?”
He shrugged. “Same thing every year, isn’t it? Doctors just love poking and prodding.” Karlsson took a seat. “Shit. Is Dillion going to make that kid cry?”
Down on the ice, Coach was red-faced, screaming up at a gangly rookie, whose expression was looking pretty pinched.
“What’s it like playing for him?” Jay asked.
