“No way,” another man’s voice replies. “TheAstrid Olsen?”
Andi hits the pause button. “That’s some hockey player named Crew McDaniel, or something. I think he’s a pro.”
I gasp. “CrewMcNeill?”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Andi says.
“He’s like the second-best center in the league, behind Alex,” I tell them. “I mean, now he’s probably the best since Alex is out. He plays for the Chicago Racketeers. He’s amazing.”
“Well, he does mention that he and Alex are friends,” Andi says. “That’s how they started talking about this. The podcast guy saw some clips online of the scrimmage, and Crew said it’s great to see Alex playing again, but that he’s never seen this side of him.”
There are already clips from last night online and getting attention? I brace myself. “Push play.”
I cannot believe one of the biggest podcasters and one of the most prominent professional hockey players are talking about our hockey team. Except that I can. Because they’re actually talking about Alex. He’s big, his injury and leaving the pros was big, and having him on our team is big.
This kind of attention is what we wanted.
“Astrid? You’re on the air.”
“Hey, Sam, hey, Crew,” Astrid’s voice comes across the line.
“Astrid,” Crew says. “It’s been a long time.”
“It has. Congratulations on your year without having to compete with Alex.”
Crew chuckles. “You know I don’t see it that way. But thanks.”
“Well, Alex is keeping busy down here in Louisiana. But I heard you guys talking some shit about it, so I thought I’d call in and clear up some possible confusion.”
“Nah, it wasn’t shit,” Sam says. “We’re justinterestedin the fact that a huge pro hockey star is now playing beer league hockey,” Sam says.
“See, that’s the problem, Sam, you’re misinformed and you’re just talking instead of trying to find out the facts. It’s not a beer league. I should know. It’s mine.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I heard that too. I mean, it’s not like a big shot like you can get away with starting her own hockey league without drawing attention.”
“I don’t mind drawing attention,” Astrid says.
“We know.” Sam laughs. “You’ve been doing it beautifully for years, evenbeforeyou married Declan O’Grady. So was giving you your own hockey league to play with a wedding gift from your new hubby?”
“It definitely was not,” Astrid says, her slightly flirtatious tone now cooler. “I’vegot afunhockey league. Hockey withheart. Declan wouldn’t know what that was if it bit him in his very fine ass.”
I lift my eyes and meet Andi’s amused gaze, then Sutton’s wide-eyed stare.
I lean over and hit pause. “Did she just call Declan’s ass very fine on a huge sports podcast?”
“She did,” Andi says. “But I suppose if anyone’s going to, it should be her? I mean, there are all those rumors about whether they’re really married, right? That sounds…kind of married?”
“First, there are?” I ask. “And second, does it?”
“You haven’t seen that?” Andi asks.
Sutton is nodding. “It’s all over social media. People were wondering why they were suddenly married whenno onehad any idea they were even dating. And now that Astrid’s in Louisiana and Declan’s still in Oregon, people are really wondering if the marriage is real or just some gossip or a PR stunt or something.”
I frown. That’s…not good. But it’s none of my business. “That can’t affect the team here, can it?”
“I’d say, if anything, more people will come because they’re almost like reality-TV stars. People will come to get a glimpse of someone even sort-of famous,” Andi says.
I nod. Maybe that makes sense. I look at each of my friends. “So…do we think they’re really married?”
