“Hey, man,” I say casually from where I’m sitting.
Leo jumps slightly and turns toward me. His eyes move from me to my socks to the bed and back again.
“You’re… here,” he says, clearly surprised.
“Who are you talking to?” Tess asks as she walks toward the kitchen. She reacts the same way Leo did, glancing from me to my socks, to the bed, and back again. Then she looks at Gwen and gives her a knowing smile.
“Well, at least that’s out,” I shrug.
“Can you go make coffee, please?” Gwen gently nudges Leo toward the coffeemaker.
“Right four coffees it is,” he replies, heading into the kitchen as Gwen and Tess sit down on the couch.
“We were all there. We know the article twisted the entire situation,” Tess begins. “Did you read it?” she asks, and both Gwen and I shake our heads.
“The article said the blonde wasn’t available for comments, but her friend, Jessica Holt, was,” Tess explains. “She told C-News that you were aggressive toward her and her friend all night. She said you were jealous of her and that she was lucky you got stopped.”
“What? I didn’t, none of that happened,” Gwen says, panic creeping into her voice. I move closer and wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“Why would they do this?” she asks.
“We know that’s not what happened,” I reassure her. “These girls are chasing attention. They’re trying to use this situation, and we’re not going to let that stand.”
“I’m calling my marketing department,” Leo adds. “They’ve handled situations like this before. We’ll make sure this doesn’t spiral.”
He hands us each a cup of coffee just as my phone buzzes.
“Hey, Blake,” I say as I answer.
“Is she ok?” he asks immediately. His voice is loud enough that Gwen can hear him, and she smiles slightly.
“She will be,” I reply, reassuring both him and her at the same time.
“I’m going to cut Holt’s balls off,” Blake says heatedly. I can hear he’s driving, and in the background, Ella Langley is playing. Blake usually complains about country music. I recognize her voice instantly; Lisa has played her songs enough times for me to know them by heart.
“Not without me,” I tell him, and he falls silent for a few seconds.
“The golden retriever star player is picking a fight?” he asks mockingly.
“Great nickname,” I reply with a small laugh. “And yes, I’m protecting my girlfriend. So yes, I’m picking a fight.”
The word girlfriend registers immediately with Tess, who glances at Gwen. Gwen meets her look with a proud smile.
“Alright, I’ll leave him alone until you get here, but get to the rink soon. I told him I wanted to practice my shots with him, he’ll be there,” Blake says before hanging up.
Almost immediately after, Gwen’s phone starts ringing.
“It’s your sister,” she says. “We exchanged numbers last night. I almost forgot.”
“Do you want me to take it?” I ask, but she shakes her head.
“Hey, Lisa,” she says as she answers the call.
“I’m not letting her get away with this, Gwen. Tell me what you need me to do,” Lisa says loudly through the phone.
Gwen winces slightly and moves the phone away from her ear. “I’m here with your brother. I’ll put you on speaker.”
“Hey, sis,” I say, though I doubt she hears me clearly over her urgency.
