Katie reaches over and squeezes my hand. Her fingers are warm. “So, what now?”
“Now I go to practice. I pretend last night didn’t happen. I pretend I don’t know what his mouth feels like, or the sound he makes when-” I stop. Breathe. “I pretend he’s just my teammate.”
“And when he sees you?”
“He won’t recognize me.” I say it flatly, like a fact. Like saying it firmly enough will make it true. “I was in a costume with really heavy makeup. I even had a wig. He saw me for maybe four hours total, half of which was in the dark at his apartment.” I shake my head. “He’s looking for a blonde girl who disappeared. Not his left wing.”
Willow and Katie exchange a look.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Willow says quickly.
“You’re doing the thing.”
“What thing?”
“The silent communication thing you do when you think I’m being an idiot.”
Katie hides a smile behind her coffee mug.
Willow sighs dramatically. “Okay, fine. You’re being an idiot. But not for the reasons you think.”
“Then why?”
“Well… you really think he won’t notice?” Willow sounds uncharacteristically gentle.
The room feels suddenly too small.
“I have to go,” I say.
“Leo-”
“Practice. I have practice.” I’m already standing, grabbing my bag from the floor, moving toward the door. “I’ll text you later.”
I don’t wait for them to answer.
16
LEONORA
The walk to the rink is a blur.
Every few steps I replay Willow’s words.You really think he won’t notice?
He won’t. He can’t.
I wore a wig. Heavy makeup. The lights were dim. He was drinking. It was dark in his apartment.
There’s no way.
By the time I reach the side entrance, I’ve almost convinced myself.
Tara lets me in without comment, just a small nod as I slip past her into the corridor. I change quickly in the treatment room - skullcap, helmet, baggy jersey, extra padding to hide my shape - and by the time I step onto the ice, I’m Lee Shaw again.
The team filters in over the next few minutes. No one looks at me differently. Chen glides past with a small nod.
No one knows.
