‘That’s why she’s the best. But speaking of tyrants, what else has PR Girl got planned for you these days? Maybe sign you up for a slumber party with some orphans or something?’
‘Hilarious.’
‘You’ve gotta admit, though – she’s doing wonders. You’re a completely different man now, thanks to her – at least, as far as the public goes. For those of us who know you, you’re still the same old jerk you’ve always been. Anyway, what was so important that you had me give up my golf round?’
‘What can I say? I miss seeing your ugly face, that’s all.’
Johnny shook his head. ‘You know better than to try to play that game with me. What’s going on?’
Ward sighed, looking down into the cup of coffee in front of him. He was spared from answering right then when a waitress came over to take their order.
After requesting coffee and a plate of hash browns and two eggs over easy, his friend said, ‘Come on, man. We’ve known each other too long. Just tell me.’
Ward took a deep breath. ‘I’m worried.’
‘I get that,’ Johnny said, nodding. ‘You’re under a lot of pressure and it’s hard to stay upbeat when you know that you might have pushed your luck too far. But I think it’s gonna be OK. That PR girl of yours seems to have a way of turning mud into gold. I’m pretty certain Coach Lewis and the top brass will be happy and you’re going to come out of this intact. And thanks to Shelley, get back on the ice fighting fit and better than ever.’
‘It’s not about that,’ Ward ventured nervously. ‘It’s about Hannah.’
‘Who?’
‘PR Girl.’
Johnny raised his eyebrows. ‘What do you mean? I thought you said you were on board with her stuff these days.’
He exhaled and dropped his gaze to the table. ‘I am, but I also think … she’s getting to me.’
Ward had been fully prepared to blow up at Hannah that time over the shelter picture she’d posted. But when she’d turned up at the podcast thing, just being back in her proximity made him feel better already, and completely diffused the anger he’d been carrying.
What was it about that girl that did that? He was one of those people who could usually maintain a good solid head of steam for a long time but when it came to Hannah, he just couldn’tbring himself to stay angry. Part of it, he knew, was that she was a genuinely good person. He got that. He’d been around enough phonies to spot them a mile away but Hannah was the real deal, a decent human being.
And then when she admitted she’d had other stuff to deal with too, he’d felt like crap. He got the sense that it wasn’t just work either, there was a distinct whiff that something personal was going on with her.
But worst of all that day, when she’d briefly blown up athiminstead with that ‘loser’ talk stuff with so much heat in her eyes, for one crazy moment, Ward had actually considered just grabbing and kissing her, just to see what happened.
‘Getting to you, how? Too much PR stuff?’
‘Worse. I’m beginning to think about her. Too much,waytoo much.’
At that, Johnny burst out laughing. His laugh was loud and long and Ward just sat there as several other patrons in the diner turned their attention to the two of them. Eventually, he ran out of steam and the laughter faded.
‘You done?’
His buddy snorted and for a moment, Ward thought he was going to start laughing once again. He didn’t, though. Instead, he took a deep breath to get himself under control. ‘OK, well, I guess it’s only natural that you’d wind up getting yourself caught up like this – after all she’s female and you’re … well, you’re you know.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Johnny raised his eyebrows.
‘You’re kidding, right? Don’t forget I know your history. And I saw that workout video that was all over the place too. You’re a one-manMagic Mikemovie, dude.’
‘Gimme a break.’
‘I know that you’ve built up the reputation– and I also know that you’ve never really gone out of your way to change it either.’
‘What about Melanie?’ he retorted.
‘What about her? Once she moved to Chicago, that was the end of it. You didn’t act too broken up over it so I just assumed she was just another one from the parade that happened to last longer than most.’
