Chapter 16 #2
She makes a face. “Did she talk in her sleep?”
“In the creepiest baby voice I’ve ever heard,” I confirm.
Kendall nods. “Yeah, we’ve all had that misfortune. I was able to stay with Delaney, not shack up with one of the players.”
I stretch. “Well, you’re clearly not as cool as I am.”
She laughs. “Okay then, Sleeping Beauty, get up and get dressed. We need to head over to the arena.”
I grab a gray sweater dress from my suitcase, a pair of black tights, and knee high boots. My long hair falls down my back in soft waves since I fixed it this morning for the meeting with the technical college. My makeup is a bit smudged from sleep, but easy enough to fix.
Kendall’s mouth falls open when I walk back in the living room area of the suite. “You did all that,” she draws a circle around me with her finger, “in twenty minutes? Bitch,” she teases.
I roll my eyes. “No, I fell asleep with my makeup on and my hair was already done this morning. All I did was wipe the mascara from under my eyes, and put different clothes on. Hardly anything special.”
She cocks her head to the side. “You don’t have a lot of girlfriends, do you?”
I chew my lip. “I don’t have a lot of friends, period.” I think for a second. “Actually, I don’t think I have any real friends. Plenty of acquaintances, but no one that would rush in to help me if I had an emergency.”
Kendall links her arm in mine and tugs me to the door. “Not anymore. If you need me I’ll be prepared with wine, chocolate, and a shovel. Ready to roll with whatever you need, babe.”
I start laughing. “The wine and chocolate I’ll accept, but I don’t think I’ll be committing any murders.”
She gives me a look. “Fine, then you can use the shovel when I have an emergency. Like the next time one of those big babies decides to give me shit for doing my job and patching them up.”
I don’t envy her. As difficult as Knox was in the beginning, at least I’m only dealing with him. She gets to deal with anyone injured, and they really are big babies when they’re in pain.
We wait outside the locker room as the guys are switching into their game pads and jerseys. I’ve got the tablet I use to film for the team’s social media accounts.
Kendall leans over to peek at my clipboard and starts laughing. “That is great. I was afraid you were going to ask them something boring like how they feel about the newest nominees for the Peace Prize.”
I give her a deadpan look. “Do you really think these guys watch the news past the sports highlights?”
“Are you really going to ask them how they sleep?” she asks with a giggle.
I blink at her innocently. “You know, like on their side, back, or stomach.”
“C’mon, you know that’s not the kind of answer you’re going to get out of these degenerates.”
I shrug. “Won’t know until we ask them.”
Dante Moreau is the first out of the door. He’s a bit more shy than some of the other guys, and he fidgets when I ask him the question. “Eh, on my side,” he says in his French-Canadian accent.
Kendall and I both sigh when he walks away. She leans over close to my ear and whispers, “Do you think I can convince Uncle Gerry that Delaney snores and get put in a room with Dante?”
I laugh. “I think he’d put the talker and the snorer together and you’d get your own room.”
Our conversation stops when the goalie, Sebastian comes out of the locker room.
Kendall asks him the question this time. “Bash, how do you sleep?”
He scratches his blond head. “Like a starfish,” he says, his cheeks heating.
The rest of the men start to trickle out to head to the ice. For the most part the guys give pretty tame answers. I should have known that would end when the four veteran players come out. Last as always.
Jude Mercer scowls at me when I ask him. Of course, scowling is pretty much his usual expression. “Alone,” is all he says before storming off.
Weston Cavanagh gives me a wink and says, “Naked.”
Kendall meets my eyes and shakes her head. She mouths, “Shocker.”
Asher comes out next followed closely by Knox. I ask them both at the same time. “How do you sleep?”
They share a look. Asher’s lips twist in amusement. “Underneath—”
Knox coughs.
“Blankets, can’t let the monsters get me,” Asher finishes.
I turn the camera of the tablet on Knox. My heart lurches, wondering what he’s going to say.
He stares at me, and I can see heat in his brown eyes. His thumb swipes across his bottom lip. “Would you like to find out?”
My face heats. He’s getting a bit careless with keeping our secret. Honestly, I don’t think he gives a damn about the potential fallout if people do happen to find out.
Kendall takes my clipboard and whacks him in the chest with it. “Ugh, we would have expected that from Asher, not you.”
He laughs and continues walking down the hallway.
“I wonder what has gotten into him.” She gives me a pointed look before continuing to speak. “He was such a grump after what happened with his ex, and now he’s actually laughing. Whatever you’re doing to him, keep it up. No one wants him to rejoin Jude in the moody asshole club.”
I sit down and try and wrap my head around the fact that Kendall knows, and I think she approves. Maybe I can trust her to carry my shovel.