Page 44 of Blueline Baby

“You came.” His voice is muffled by the glass, but he sounds thrilled.

“It was on the way,” I lie smoothly. “I’m studying.”

“You’re watching me.”

“I’m multitasking.”

He places one thick hockey glove flat against the glass right at my eye level and waits. He’s stubborn enough to stand there through the entire water break. I know him. So I quit pretending and set my bare palm against his on my side of the glass. The cold bleeds straight through into my hand.

“Backcheck Girl,” he says, winking at me.

The entire row of women goes aww at the exact same time, like they’re a studio audience watching a daytime soap opera.

Jack skates off backward watching me the whole way. He nearly takes out a rookie on his way to the bench.

I’m desperately hoping my face isn’t bright red when one of the women leans in.

“Did anyone hear about Ashley?”

A couple of women immediately swing their heads toward her. She catches me looking and waves a dismissive hand. “Before your time. She dated a winger who got moved at the trade deadline. Anyway, she left and went to Denver in June, and now she’s apparently pregnant with some other defenseman.”

“That was quick,” another woman says.

“It wasn’t quick, it was strategic.” She gives a sharp little laugh. “She did that on purpose, come on.”

“Obviously she did. It’s the oldest move in the book. Fastest way to go from a girlfriend to a wife.”

Then one of them turns to me. She looks as sweet as anything. “How did you and Anderson meet again?”

The question sounds innocent enough. But the whole row goes just a little bit still, waiting for my answer.

“At a party,” I say.

“Aw.” She smiles and turns right back to the others.

I feel exactly like I’ve just failed a test I didn’t even know I was supposed to be studying for.

I keep my eyes trained dead ahead on the ice while they all laugh and make comments. The gossip gets traded around me and all I can do is sit here and run the math on exactly what I must look like to them. A girl still in college. Met him at a party. He put me in his jersey and took me to his family’s lake house in July.

I truly don’t need anyone to say anything out loud. I’m smart enough to hear all the things they’re not saying.

Lorelei stands up and stretches. “I’m freezing. Chloe, do you want to go grab a coffee?”

I’m on my feet before she even finishes the sentence.

She turns to me as we wait in line at the concession stand.

“You held up fine back there,” Lorelei says. She’s watching the ice, purposely not looking at me. “You probably don’t realize it yet, but your face stayed almost perfectly serene while they were talking. That’s basically winning the whole battle right there. Never letting them know they’re getting to you.”

“They seem to know a lot about everyone’s business.”

“Those two talk about literally everyone like that. All the other wives are genuinely sweethearts.” We pause to give our orders and then she turns to me. “Listen, I’ve got two new families this year who don’t know a soul in Dallas. If nobody sits with them at the home opener, they’ll spend the whole night huddled in a corner. I did that my entire first season, and I would absolutely not recommend it.”

“I’ll be there. I can help.”

She reaches for the coffee the vendor sets on the counter and passes the other cup to me. “I know you can. That’s exactly why I asked.”

I lift the cup to take a sip. The moment the smell hits my nose, my entire body violently revolts. My mouth waters. I nearly gag. I slap the cup right back down onto the counter, having to actually turn away from her for a second to catch my breath.