Chapter 7 #3
“Your name was being thrown around as a top pick for goalies before the season even started. You know that, I know that, Coach Reed knows that. Your talent speaks for itself, as you tried to remind the press tonight, so it’s no surprise I’d been getting interest. But then this video came out and it made a few GMs and coaches a little more apprehensive. ”
“Okay,” I say slowly, struggling to read between the lines.
Fortunately, he puts me out of my misery by spelling it out so well, even a dyslexic can understand.
“Well, just in the last hour since your little reveal, I’ve fielded three calls from different managers who’ve all changed their tune.”
A humorless laugh leaves me. “Just because I said I’m dating Logan Reed?”
“It seems that way,” he states rather blandly.
“I don’t put much stock into using relationships for good press, but in your case, a relationship with Logan Reed is mending the scar that video made on your reputation.
Logan might not play the game, but the league still recognizes him as one of their own in many ways. ”
Damn. Logan was right.
From his self-satisfied grin, he knows it too.
“All this isn’t even mentioning what ties to the Reeds will do for your career in terms of sponsorships, brand deals, things like that. They’re a well respected name in the industry for a reason, and people want to work with them or those closely associated with them.”
My brain screeches to a halt.
Repairing my reputation is one thing—and I had a hard enough time accepting that.
But to think I’d get brand deals or any other kind of special treatment because of who I’m dating rather than all of my actual dedication to the sport leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
It reeks of nepotism—albeit by proxy, but I don’t think the distinction really matters.
I’ve worked goddamn hard to get where I am today.
I’ve put in too many hours on the ice, in the gym, and watching film to let something like that fly.
That damn reporter from earlier, who literally said as much, only makes it worse.
“I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?”
“It’s never too early to start weighing options.”
My teeth sink into my lower lip, and I shake my head. “I don’t know, Louis. There was a woman tonight—someone in the media. She asked if I was using the Reed name to get ahead.”
“Are you?”
I don’t want to, but it sure feels like I am the way this conversation is going.
I glance at Logan, who is shaking his head vehemently, so I respond with a firm, “No.”
“Okay, then consider this practice at shutting out the media noise. People are going to have opinions, good and bad, but we’ll get on a call with Logan.
See if there’s a way we can frame this to work in our favor that doesn’t feel so…
calculated.” He pauses, then hums before musing a gruff, “Perhaps the two of you fought against this budding relationship because his uncle is your coach and his ties to the NHL, but the pull you felt for each other was too strong to fight. Young love wins out or whatever bullshit will sell the press on this.”
Despite my unease about this whole thing, I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. “Look at you, waxing poetic, Louis. You missed your calling as a novelist.”
“The point is,” he snaps, not having any of my shit, “by using this relationship as a way to paint you in a new light, we can almost guarantee the coaches and general managers will look at the video as a dumb mistake, not a common occurrence.”
I nod a few times, my attention still fixed on Logan. Like so many times before, his face is impassive, not giving me much to work with in terms of what he’s thinking, especially on Louis’s comment about “using this relationship.”
Yeah, we both know that’s what he signed up for—hell, it was the plan he concocted himself. But if it were me in his situation? Well, it wouldn’t feel good. I’m the one doing the using, and it feels like shit. But I’m caught between a rock and a hard place after announcing it tonight.
Now, our only way out of this whole mess is to keep walking through it.
“Understood,” I reply despite the tension lining my jaw. “Anything else you need me to do?”
Louis is silent for a moment—this time, long enough for me to wonder if we got disconnected—before he finally replies.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but speaking plainly?
Don’t fuck it up with Logan.” The guy in question covers his mouth beside me, stifling a laugh, as Louis continues.
“And if you do, for the love of all things holy, just keep it under wraps until after the draft in June. If this is mending the wound, we don’t need to rip it back open. ”
“Uh, yeah. I can…do my best there,” I promise awkwardly while Logan composes himself.
At least one of us is enjoying this.
“Great. Now that we’ve got this settled, I need to run,” he states. “Talk to Logan about what I said. We’ll schedule a call to get the ball rolling once he’s been looped in.”
With that, Louis is gone a second later, the line going dead before I can so much as say goodbye.
For a second, Logan and I just stare at each other, both of us a little stunned by the entire conversation that just happened.
“So, uh, looks like we’re dating until June,” I surmise awkwardly. “Unless there’s a problem with that. I know you probably didn’t think—”
“No, June is fine,” he cuts in. “Louis is right. If this is working, we don’t need to do anything that might unravel the progress.”
I study him for a second, still trying to gather what his real thoughts are on this. But like earlier, his expression remains shuttered; keeping whatever’s rolling around in his mind safely inside. Which is why I bite the bullet and just ask instead.
“You’re really sure all of this is okay?”
His lips twitch into a hint of a smile, but there’s a touch of sadness to it. “I appreciate the thought, but that ship has sailed. Like it or not, our boats are hitched together until the draft.”
Not exactly the response I was looking for, but I’m not gonna press him on it. Especially when I came to the same conclusion.
Blowing out a breath, I nod. “Okay. Well, in that case, I guess the timing would make sense for a break up. I’d be heading off to wherever I’m drafted, and you’d still be here for two more years. It’d be a logical choice if we were to end things at that point.”
“Exactly. We can say we ended things amicably, realizing the distance would be too hard, and there’s no bad blood.” A wry chuckle comes out before he adds, “We can let Louis be the one to wax poetic on that part.”
“Who knew he had such a way with words?”
It’s then, for the briefest moment, I catch a flicker of emotion in his eyes before he lowers his gaze to the floor. But I saw it, and I swear it was a look of…hurt.
“Yeah. Who knew,” he murmurs. “But at least we’ve got a plan, right?”
His response causes my line of thinking to swerve away from his subtle reaction, and I nod.
Having a solid plan of attack is a good thing, despite how weird it is to now have an expiration date looming in front of us. But at least we know where we’re going and what’s expected from this arrangement moving forward. It leaves very little room for surprises, on both our parts.
“Are you hungry?” Logan asks suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Starving, actually.”
“I was making pesto chicken before I was coerced into attending a hockey game. You can have it if you want,” he offers while rising from the bed. “You know, assuming it doesn’t go against your training diet or whatever.”
“I fucking love pesto, so even if it was, I’d still be eating it.”
He nods before clearing his throat. “Well, either way, we should head down soon. Otherwise they’re really gonna think we’re fucking each other’s brains out.”
I roll my eyes and stand too. “Right, because it makes so much sense that the reformed playboy would go celibate the second he gets in a monogamous relationship.”
After pinning him with one of those let’s-be-real looks, I head for the door, way too excited to have a home-cooked meal waiting for me downstairs.
Logan follows, hot on my heels, muttering at my back, “You know, a real boyfriend would wait if his partner wasn’t ready to have sex.”
A smirk tugs at my lips, and I turn to wink at him.
“Guess it’s a good thing this relationship is fake.”