She slaps her thigh hard, and I’m looking at that slit again.
“You’re so funny! That kind of cash could set a family up forlife—or at least the next decade.”
Her laughter fades, and when she leans across the center section and sets a chaste kiss on my left cheek, warmth inflates my chest. Making people happy has always made me happy, although there’s something truly great when a person smiles at me the way Drew is.
“What you’ve given is going to make such a difference. And in the most non-condescending way, I’m really freaking proud of you.”
“I have to say,Will, we’ve been really impressed by your start to the season.” The sponsor tips his drink at me as we stand next to the free bar, put on by the Rogues.
“You’ve really made an impact,” a female, dressed in a long red gown that almost matches her hair, agrees with the other sponsor.
Both she and the dude have told me their names a handful of times, but they might as well be speaking in Mandarin sinceI haven’t absorbed a word. I don’t even know which companies they represent.
Because all I’m focused on right now is Tristan Vaughn’s left arm wrapped around Drew’s lower back.
Drew has never enjoyed the spotlight, and I know that includes dancing, although with the way she’s smiling and laughing with him as he moves her around the dance floor to one of Ed Sheeran’s ballads, I’d only be fooling myself to deny that she’s enjoying it.
He’s single—I know he is. And if he isn’t entertaining our coach’s daughter to score brownie points with her dad, he’s definitely angling to take her back to his place tonight.
I grip my soda glass tighter and force a smile at the redhead. “Thanks. I was hoping to make an early impact for the team, and I’m really happy with how things are going.”
The male sponsor gives the woman a side-eye, inching a little closer to me, like he’s trying to muscle her out of the conversation.
She takes the hint and backs off a little, offering me her congratulations again before making her way to Coach’s table on the far side of the event space. The auction wrapped up an hour ago, and now business talk is in full swing. I know Drew wants me to take advantage of tonight and start networking when, really, all I want is to climb back into my new car with her and tear up the streets of Seattle.
I shoot another quick glance at Tristan, who hasn’t looked my way once—and come to think about it, neither has Drew. Why should they? To him, she’s my publicist, although I can’t help the niggling doubt that he’s only with her tonight to goad me.
The man who is probably around the same age as my dad runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair.
“Actually, Will, I wanted to take the opportunity to apologize for the way we backed away from the sneaker deal in the offseason.”
My attention snaps back to the guy. I take him in a little more, and immediately, his face grows familiar.
He’s from Repeet.
I remain quiet because I have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth.
“Initially, we were concerned about some of your … social media content.”
He clears his throat, and I try not to cringe. Arguing with a random fan over the nutritional value of potato chips was fucking stupid, especially when I threatened to shove a bag up his ass.
My eyes momentarily track to Drew’s.
She’s smiling right at me from over Tristan’s shoulder as she throws me a subtle thumbs-up.
What would she say to this guy in my situation?
“I assure you that I’m not a complete dick.”
The guy drops his head between his shoulders and barks out a laugh.
For fuck’s sake, Will.
He holds up a hand. “I can see that, truly,” he assures me in a jovial voice. “And I can see that you’ve been doing a lot of good work both on the ice and on your public profile.” The guy’s tone turns serious, and I really wish that I’d paid more attention when he gave me his name earlier.
I’m sure he said it was Andrew. Although it could be Andre or Angus. It definitely began with anA.
“I understand you don’t have representation here with you tonight, but I would welcome further discussion in the near future if a deal were still on the table from your perspective.”
