Chapter 8
Eliza
Iwas surprised when Mac texted me the morning after our date.
It was a simple good morning text, but something about it had me smiling as I cuddled deeper into my bed.
I’m meeting the girls at the rink later to watch the guys’ game but have zero plans before then.
I curl up with a book, wanting to stay in bed as long as possible.
When my stomach growls twice in five minutes, I decide to finally get up and make some food, groaning to myself when I take in the state of my kitchen.
I force myself to do a quick clean-up as I whip something together and settle on my couch, pulling up a comfort watch as I eat.
On days when I have evening plans, I like to do nothing during the day, always worried my social battery will run out too quickly if I do too much before my plans.
Curled up on my couch, the TV plays in the background as I scroll various social media platforms, sending random videos back and forth with the girls.
When it’s finally time for me to get ready for the game, I stare at my closet, unsure of what to wear.
I’ve never questioned this in the past. I’ve put on something I know I’ll be comfortable in and walk out the door.
But after agreeing to this arrangement with Mac, I’m now in my head.
I’ve never been someone who has worked to try to impress a guy, and I’m not even sure that it’s that I want to impress Mac.
He obviously has some sort of interest in me because he asked for my help with this plan.
It’s more like I want to be...worthy of being on his arm.
I shake my head, trying to fling that ridiculous thought out of it.
I know deep down that I don’t have to do anything to be worthy of a man, but that small little voice that’s grabbed words and opinions from every single outside source that says shit like he could do better or I can’t believe he’s with her when they talk about couples is worming its way into my brain, and I hate it.
I finally settle on a pair of dark skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and a T-shirt with a warm sweater. I play with my hair in the washroom mirror before finally saying fuck it and brushing it back into a ponytail. I sigh deeply, grabbing my purse and heading out.
The girls are already at the rink when I arrive, and I join them on the bleachers, smiling and making faces at Liv’s baby girl Cate and Matt’s son Jayden, who is currently being worn by Zoey.
As Bailey is telling us about her getting ready to welcome her and Caleb’s new baby, Mac walks up to us and conversation immediately stops as all eyes turn to him and the bouquet in his hands.
Without missing a beat, he stops in front of me and leans down to place a chaste kiss on my cheek.
As my cheeks heat, I hear a sharp intake of breath beside me quickly covered by Mac’s whispered words, “These are for you.”
He hands me the bouquet without another word turns and heads towards the dressing room. I bury my nose in the flowers, doing everything to ignore my friends for as long as possible. The second I remove my face and look at them, questions are flying my way.
“When?”
“How?”
“Okay, girl.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
The questions are overwhelming, and I’m not even sure what to say. Do I just come out and say Oh yeah, by the way, I’m dating Mac? He made it clear that no one can know that anything about us is fake, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to lie to my best friends about this.
“Ummm....” I start, trying to find the right words. “He kind of asked me out after the last game,” I settle on.
Hannah’s the first to say something. “And you didn’t tell us?”
I shrug. “It was a date.”
Hannah nods. “Yes, and when was the last date you went on?”
She knows the answer to the question. I told her about my last disastrous date that was almost a year ago. Between that and the last dick I met online who ended up ghosting me, I’ve kind of sworn off dating for the last year.
“It’s nothing,” I say, trying to get them to move on, but I should know better. There’s no taking the bone away from my friends once they get their mouths on it.
“No. Nope. Nuh-uh. You’re not getting away from this,” Liv says.
I’m usually pretty good at navigating around subjects I don’t want to talk about, but right now my mind seems to be drawing a blank.
The smell of the flowers in my hand is invading my senses, and I can still feel the dusting of Mac’s lips on my cheek.
And it’s in this exact moment that I know I need to push this situation into strictly accomplishing the plan.
If I’m already getting distracted by small acts like this and blushing at a simple kiss on the cheek, that means that somewhere in my mind I’m interested in Mac and that can’t be the case.
I’ve always found this man attractive—how could I not with the perfectly symmetrical features and eyes so dark and deep you want to fall into them—but I can’t allow myself to have ridiculous fantasies and notions about what’s going on here. We’ve literally only had one date.
“We went out for dinner last night, nothing big. We talked, he dropped me off at home. That’s all.”
“So you’re saying you had a date planned for an entire week and didn’t tell us?” Hannah asks.
I shrug, wanting this whole situation to blow over. I don’t want it to be a big deal, but I know my friends and since I haven’t dated anyone seriously and I haven’t told them about any dates in months, they’re going to run with this.
“I’m happy for you,” Bailey says. “I think you and Mac are a good fit.”
Something in my stomach turns. They don’t know that this is all for show, that we’re just dating so that his father will let him inherit the position of CEO and in return he’s going to sleep with me so I’m no longer a virgin.
I offer her a tight smile and say, “Thanks, Bailey.”
The guys come out and take the ice for warm ups, and I immediately notice that my friends aren’t focusing on their own men but rather are watching Mac. It’s like they’re inspecting him. I shouldn’t expect anything different from them. We’re all close and will do anything to protect each other.
I watch him in his stretches that have me questioning how someone can be so flexible. Before I can let myself fall into indecent thoughts, I turn to Liv and ask, “So, how’s owning an NHL team?”
She practically snorts. “I don’t own the team, Josh does.”
“What’s his is yours,” Hannah says.
“As much as I’m a Cyclones fan and always will be, I don’t really want to be going around boasting about owning the team that’s fighting for the worst spot in the league. This team needs a complete rebuild.”
“So why doesn’t Josh do that?” Zoey asks.
“It’s only been a few weeks since he took ownership, and it’s the middle of the season, he can’t just rip it apart and gut it.
He’s evaluating everything about the team.
Right now he’s letting the GM and president handle most things until he makes some decisions.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Kutnam is handed his walking papers before the end of the season. ”
“Liv, you forget not all of us know this team like you,” I say.
“Sorry, Kutnam is the GM.”
“And the GM does...” Hannah says, rolling her hand in front of her for Liv to elaborate.
“They’re in charge of day-to-day hockey ops.
They manage the roster, the coaching staff, that kind of stuff.
We’re sitting on some shitty contracts that are putting us tight with the cap, the amount of money the team is allowed to spend on player contracts, and the likelihood that this team can make a solid playoff run in the next few years is minimal. ”
I nod, just barely understanding what she’s saying, but make a mental note to do some research when I get home.
“So in other words, your husband bought a failing hockey team,” Hannah says.
“Yup. I’m sure he can have it turned around in a few years, but it’s not going to be quick or easy.”
We all nod as though we know what any of that will entail. Zoey luckily switches the conversation, and Mac and I aren’t brought up again.