Page 96 of Locke

“He keeps looking over here,” Birdie says.

“I know,” I say.

“Are you going to let him?”

“He can look wherever he wants.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

I take a drink of wine.

Juno is watching the karaoke stage but then swivels her whole body toward me and leans in.“I need to tell you something.”

I jerk in surprise over the earnest and somewhat pained look on her face.“Oh-kaay,” I drawl.

Birdie looks confused and leans in to listen.

Juno glances at Crosby, standing over at the bar with the other players, and then back to me.“Okay… I don’t know if this is the right thing to do.Crosby didn’t say it was a secret, but it felt like it was, but now I’m not sure, so I need to tell you.Yeah… it’s the right thing to do.”

Birdie and I exchange a look and she shrugs.She’s as clueless as I am.

“What is it?”I ask.

“Okay,” Juno says with a heaving breath.“Apparently, Locke went into the locker room yesterday and announced to the entire team that you and he were in a relationship.”

The air is physically punched out of my lungs.“What?”I wheeze.

She nods.“Yeah, like… that’s a statement, right?”

My head whips Locke’s way, and he’s staring right at me, as if he knew we were talking about him.I look back to Juno.“Why would he say that?”

“Because he obviously believes it,” Juno says with an eye roll.“Crosby told me and like I said, he didn’t say it was a secret.I just assumed everything was right between you two, but since you’re sitting over here with me and Birdie, drowning your sorrows in wine, I’ve figured out everything is not okay.So I had to tell you.”

“And he told the entire locker room?”I ask skeptically, because that doesn’t sound like Locke.Except… he’s here tonight, laughing with teammates.

Maybe he’s demonically possessed?

The karaoke has gone quiet, and the sudden silence raises the volume of celebratory chatter.

“What do you think I should do?”I ask Juno and Birdie collectively.

“Well,” Birdie drawls.“You can either go ask him what the hell is going on or play it coy and make him do the work.I’m all for requiring a bit of groveling myself, but I’m evil that way.”

There’s a screech of sound over the speaker, followed by a twangy frequency that hurts my ears.Everyone groans, turning toward the stage.

And I almost fall out of my chair as I see Locke standing there with the karaoke microphone in his hand.

The entire room registers this at once, and someone gasps loudly before all conversation drops dead silent.

Because Locke Donovan does not get on stages.

Locke Donovan does not voluntarily stand in front of rooms and sing.

Locke Donovan barely grunts at people.

He just stands there, all eyes pinned on him.

He taps the microphone and it produces a thumping echo.He dips his head.“I’m not doing karaoke, so don’t get excited.I just need your attention.”