Chapter 20
~Deacon~
“Hey, Deke.” Erik nudges me as we peel off our equipment following the afternoon practice. The locker room is loud and boisterous, everyone pumped up from our time on the ice and making plans for the evening. “Matt’s looking for you.”
He nods towards the door and, sure enough, our team’s PR director gives me a wave from the other side of the room. He must have called my name and I didn’t hear him over the noise.
I hold up a hand to let him know I’ll be just a second and finish taking off my skates and shoulder pads. Once I can move a little more easily, I cross the open space in the middle of the circular room and extend my hand to Matt.
“Hey, man. You have a good summer?”
Outside of the season, the team’s PR requests usually go through my agent, so I haven’t spoken to Matt since the end of the playoffs. When we’re in the same building, it’s usually quicker for him to speak to me directly while keeping my agent in the loop electronically.
“It was great,” he confirms with a smile. “Took the girls to Disneyland.”
“Nice.” Matt has three girls, all much more interested in princesses than hockey sticks. If he’s disappointed in that fact, he’s never let on. “What’s up?”
He motions with his head to the hall and we step outside, leaving the noise and smell of the locker room behind.
“I got your message about this event up in…” He glances down at the paper in his hand to double check the town name. “Wikaskwa, North Dakota?”
Since he says it like a question, I nod. “Yeah. Is it alright if I go?”
“Well, the website listed a woman at the town office as a contact, so I gave her a call. She assured me the local police would be on hand since they have their own booth at the event. I left your name out of it, but she was pretty excited that I called, and even though I asked her not to say anything since it wasn’t confirmed we’d be sending anyone, I didn’t get the feeling she’d be able to keep it a secret. ”
My mind flashes back to my conversation with Daley about small towns, making me smile. “It wouldn’t shock me if news gets out. But I’m good to go?”
“If you want to, you can.” His head shakes as if he doesn’t quite know what to make of it. “You’re sure you don’t want us to send a photographer with you?”
“I’m sure.” This isn’t about a photo op for me, and having someone from the team tagging along would defeat my purpose of getting some time alone with Daley. “It’s just a favour for a friend. No big deal.”
“Alright. Well, have fun, I guess.”
He still sounds so bewildered about the whole thing that I have to laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t be making a habit of arranging my own appearances. This is a one-off.”
We say our goodbyes and I head back towards the locker room.
My phone is in my locker and I grab it, ready to share the good news with Daley.
A text already waits from her, giving me the details she promised and the links to a couple of hotels.
She doesn’t say anything about the contact name I entered into her phone. In my phone, she’s simply under Mama.
My response to her is a mix of fact and partial fiction.
The PR team has cleared me to come but they’re concerned about me staying at one of the hotels once word gets out I’m in town. Any chance I could crash with you instead?
It’s not entirely a lie. If gossip spreads about one of the Wolves players coming to town and I’m registered at one of the local hotels, someone’s bound to find out. Staying with Daley would be easier, but privacy definitely isn’t my primary reason for asking.
Her reply comes when I’m in my car driving home and the car’s computer reads it out loud for me.
“Message from Mama: My house doesn’t have any security, but River’s room is free if you’d be more comfortable here.”
“Oh, Daley,” I mutter, chuckling out loud to myself. “We both know I’m not sleeping in River’s room if I’m at your house.”
Checking my rear-view mirror, I catch a glimpse of myself, the wide grin on my face one that I haven’t seen in quite a while.
“Do you want to send this reply?” the car asks me before repeating what I just said.
Panic seizes me, wiping the grin clear off my face. “No. Shit, no. Delete.”
The screen clears and I blow out a relieved breath. Daley’s not quite ready for my unfiltered thoughts yet. Not wanting to risk sending the wrong thing, I wait until I’m home to send a reply.
Sounds good to me. I’ll drive up there first thing Saturday morning and meet you at the rink. See you then.
The showcase starts at ten, so I head out of the city at six o’clock on Saturday morning, aiming to arrive half an hour early to help Daley with any set-up she needs to do.
The highway’s empty at that time of day on a Saturday, only a few truckers dotting the straight I-29 that stretches out ahead of me in the darkness with nothing but farm fields on either side.
Country music plays on the radio and the sun’s beams break the horizon in time to catch the ‘Welcome to North Dakota’ sign as I drive by.
My anticipation builds with every mile that rolls by until it feels like only my seatbelt keeps me rooted to the spot.
I don’t know exactly what kind of spell this woman has cast on me, but I haven’t felt this nervous or excited about spending time with anyone since I first met Megan.
Given how that turned out, maybe it should be a red flag that I feel the same way, but Daley couldn’t be much more Megan’s opposite if she tried.
Besides, Megan already stole all the good memories from our time together; I’m not going to let her steal my future happiness too.
Turning off the highway, I follow the car’s directions to reach the town of Wikaskwa.
No more than twenty streets long and about ten streets wide, it’s not too hard to find the domed arena where a number of cars are already parked.
A few people mill around the parking lot, unloading things from their cars and chatting with each other, and every single one of them turns to stare as I drive into one of the open spaces and kill the engine.
I guess they don’t get a lot of high-end cars around here.
Their eyes are still on me as I get out of the car, and the curiosity soon turns to recognition.
“Holy shit, is that Deke Belin?”
“No way, it can’t be.”
“It is! I heard someone say a Wolves player was coming but I thought it was River.”
Their voices carry clearly in the still prairie air, but I pretend not to hear them as I stride by on my way to the rink entrance. Instead, I nod in greeting. “G’morning.”
“Morning,” one of the men replies while the others simply gape at me.
If word hasn’t already gotten around town, it sure as hell will now.
Inside, a small group of women bustle around a welcome table, but their activity stalls as soon as they see me. Silence descends like a curtain as they all turn to me in unison, smiles a little too bright.
“Good morning.” I offer them a smile that usually comes off as friendly without being too familiar.
“Good morning,” they chorus back before one of them, a middle-aged woman with grey streaks in her hair and a matronly figure similar to the one I originally imagined River’s mom to have, sticks out her hand. “I’m Hannah Sheck. It’s a pleasure to have you here, Mr Belin.”
No need to introduce myself, I see. With that in mind, I shake her hand and get right to the point. “Do you know where I can find Daley Adams?”
“I’ll take you to her table,” one of the other women immediately offers, running around the table as if someone else is going to beat her to it. “Come with me.”
The other women titter behind us as we walk away but it doesn’t seem to bother the brunette at my side.
She leads us through the double doors into the arena itself where the boards are in place but the ice hasn’t yet been laid.
Rows of tables line the place and a buzz of conversation swirls as all the vendors set up their displays.
“I had a feeling it was going to be you coming today,” the woman next to me says, giving me a coy, inviting smile. “I’ve always had a way of manifesting what I want.”
Jesus. Even after ten years in the public eye, I haven’t entirely gotten used to women throwing themselves at me this way. “Is that so?” I reply to be polite, keeping my tone distant as I scan the tables for any sign of Daley’s blonde hair.
“It is,” she confirms, stepping close enough to me that her arm brushes mine as we walk. “You’re my hall pass, you know. My husband has his list and I have mine.”
“That’s… nice.” What the fuck am I supposed to say to that?
“If you want a private tour around town when you’re down here, I could show you a very good time.”
At last, I spot Daley towards the end of the row we’re in and breathe a deep sigh of relief. “I’ve already got plans for tonight. Thanks for your help.”
Leaving her glaring after me, I step swiftly away until I’m in front of the woman I actually came here to see.
“Good morning, Mama.”