Chapter 11
Nobody was catching on to the subtle hints Jill was dropping, and honestly, I was okay with that. The thought of more attention didn’t exactly excite me, so I reveled in the quietness. We all had enough going on, with the beginning of the season, and the first time I saw my jersey with a huge empty spot where the C used to be was a kick in the balls. I bristled when I saw Warde’s number 13 with the A on it. Knowing him like I did, the letter would go to his head, and he’d be lecturing the guys about commitment, fitness, nutrition, and everything else they’d likely ignore. How Ethan was going to tolerate him all season was beyond me, but for the team, they needed to be united.
The chill in the room directed at me had thawed a bit, but the guys were still shutting me out. Thankfully, I had Ryan and Ethan still in my corner, and the hulking defenseman came over and patted me on the back.
“I know, it sucks,” he said, looking at Warde’s jersey. “Why couldn’t you have fucked around with his wife?”
I actually laughed. Maybe I’d be able to laugh more about this one day. Likely not. “He doesn’t have a wife. But I’ll make a note of that.”
We went through our game-day rituals, and when I started to get my gear on, Coach Anthony came in with his pep talk. A few of the guys were goofing off, and my instinct was to say something like I normally would, but that wasn’t my job anymore, so I sat in my stall and said nothing. Warde made brief eye contact with me, and he understood.
“Hey, pay attention to Coach. Show some respect,” he said to the offenders, who immediately shut up. Warde looked back to me and nodded. Damn. I didn’t want to start liking him, but he’d done the right thing and had looked to me for guidance. I had to respect that.
When we hit the ice for warmup, I expected some boobirds, but for the most part, fans were polite. I mean, Taylor had written up a statement where I basically apologized for everything I’d done, and while fans had still eviscerated me, almost a month had passed now, and people had moved on. But people were still gossiping about me and Orla on social media. So many of them couldn’t let it go, coming up with unflattering memes. I supposed I deserved it. Maybe it would all die down when they found out about Jill.
Since this was our first game of the season, all the introductions had to be made. I couldn’t help but notice that when my name and number 23 were announced, the crowd gave muted applause. They went wild for Warde, Ethan, Ryan. When had Warde become a crowd favorite?
No. I had to shut this all out and focus on the game. And that’s what I did. We were playing Seattle, and although I didn’t figure in on any of the scoring, we won the game 4–2. Not a bad start to the season. We did our post-game interviews, and I thought about getting out of there before any reporter asked a question that crossed a line. I’d been avoiding them and referring to my statement, saying that it was time to move on, but some of the reporters had been tenacious. Well, they weren’t going to get a sound bite from me. I was more interested in meeting up with Tangi and Jill in the team lounge. Wait … had I just thought that? Looking forward to seeing Jill? She and I had started spending time together, and I couldn’t believe that I was actually enjoying it. Once I’d gotten used to her acerbic nature. I found her funny and maybe a little reserved, as if she had to protect herself form something. I hadn’t figured out what that was just yet.
Just when I thought I could avoid the shitty reporter questions, Lance Jacobson, the chief sports reporter for the Vancouver Times, hit me with a low blow. He had a history of being a jackass, so I shouldn’t be surprised. What pissed me off about the guy was that he was barely five foot six, at least two-twenty, and had probably never played a competitive sport in his life.
“Jeremy, what did it feel like not being the captain on opening night?”
I looked down at him and kept my cool. “I think Warde and Grant are doing a great job. And we won tonight, so I feel great.”
“Do you think that Coach Anthony made the right decision by removing you as captain,” he asked in a follow-up question meant to set me off.
“He made a decision that was right for the team.”
“You a agree with it?”
“I agree with what’s right for the team. Thanks, guys,” I said to the assembled reporters and gently pushed my way through to the showers.
An hour later, Ethan and I were heading up to the lounge. The ladies were enjoying a drink at one of the tables, joined by a few of the other wives and girlfriends waiting for their partners. If I had to guess, based on the way she sat half on, half off the barstool, Jill wasn’t feeling comfortable, which based on what I knew of her, didn’t surprise me. I had been thinking about her a lot—not in a romantic way, of course. But I was trying to figure this chick out, and from what little Ethan had told me or remembered, she was a cold fish who liked to be bossy. But there had to be more to her than that, and part of me wanted to find that out.
“Hello, ladies,” I said when I reached the table. Watson’s girlfriend smiled politely while Volkov’s wife sneered outright. These women barely knew Orla. Was this some bullshit solidarity? Orla had never been one to hang with the wives and girlfriends. She couldn’t be bothered with their fancy parties. She was far more interested in being out there, getting herself seen, and when she was hanging with the ladies, she was just one of them, and that didn’t sit well with her. She wanted to be the only star and had no intention of sharing the spotlight.
Watson and Volkov’s significant others said their goodbyes, and I took one of the seats while Ethan took the other.
“It seems I know how to clear a room,” I said.
“Don’t feel so bad,” Jill said. “They didn’t want to talk to me either.”
“That’s not true,” Tangi said, although her voice didn’t sound all that convincing.
Jill puffed out a laugh. “Come on! They wanted nothing to do with me once they found out I was staff.”
“No, it wasn’t like that at all. You barely talked to them.”
Ethan put up his hand to stop the budding disagreement. “I’m starved. Let’s go for a bite to eat.”
“It can’t be too late. I have to work in the morning,” Tangi said.
“How about you?” I asked Jill.
“It’s the weekend, and I’m as free as a bird.”
We hit an Italian restaurant near Graham Place. Some of the guys went there all the time, but tonight it was just the four of us. Ethan and I ordered the same grilled chicken and side of vegetables and brown rice. The owner knew exactly how to spice it up with herbs, chicken broth, and just the right amount of salt. While it always tasted great, I salivated over the pizza Jill and Tangi were sharing.
“How’s it going with Warde?” I asked Ethan as my fork chased some rice around my plate.
Ethan scowled. “As good as can be expected? He wants to have meetings before practice to discuss the previous game and which of the guys need more help. I tried to explain that it’s Coach Anthony’s job to do that, but he won’t listen to me.”
“I told you to be firm with him. If he senses any weakness, he’ll pounce and have you watching videos for hours. The guy is just too intense.”
Tangi put her hand up to stop us. Since she’d worked with Warde last year, helping him rehab an injury, she’d had a soft spot for the tyrant, much to Ethan’s chagrin.
“Both of you stop. Brandon is more dedicated to the team than anyone else. Why do you always have to attack him?”
“Because he’s too dedicated,” Ethan muttered.
“Exactly,” I said. “No one wants to hear his ideas or wants his help. He needs to lay off a bit, and that’s the problem. He’s coming up with workout routines that no one asked for. It’s too much.”
“You two are insufferable,” Tangi said.
We let the subject drop.
Once Tangi and Ethan were finished eating, they got up to leave. I thought Jill would do the same, but instead she gave Tangi a hug and told her she would call her the next day. When we were alone, I eyed the last piece of pizza, and she pushed the tray toward me.
“Eat it. I think you’ve been wanting it all night.”
I didn’t waste a second and wolfed it down in three bites. She seemed in awe of that.
“I figure you want to get going too?” I said, waving the server over for the bill.
“I’m off tomorrow. I’m in no rush.”
To think that not too long ago, she probably didn’t want to be anywhere near me. When the server came around, I told her to make us each a bourbon Amaro cocktail.
“Is it good?” Jill asked.
“I don’t have it often, but it’s a nice after-dinner drink.”
“Since I have nowhere to be tomorrow, I’m all in.”
I caught myself staring at her. She had great skin and the fullest lips that were not filled with whatever shit chicks put in them these days. Nope. I couldn’t keep staring. “How are you liking Ethan and Tangi’s condo?”
“The place is amazing.”
“I don’t live far from their place. I don’t have the view Ethan does, but it’s still pretty spectacular. You should come by sometime.” I quickly realized how that sounded, so I felt a need to explain. “You know, for pictures and stuff.”
“Of course,” Jill said. “I’m thinking we need to drop some more hints. I don’t want it to be obvious, you know?”
“I get that,” I said. “But if we are being honest, you looked very uncomfortable with the WAGs.”
“Wags?”
“Wives And Girlfriends.”
“Ah,” she said. “Yeah, I didn’t know any of them, and since I’m staff, I’m not sure they accepted me.”
That didn’t make much sense to me, so I prodded. “Why would they even care?”
She played with her hair—a nervous tic, I deduced—and seemed to mull over my question. “I don’t know. I’m foreign to them.”
A chick as hot as her had all these self-esteem and confidence issues. I didn’t get it at first, but now I understood. She used her crusty exterior as a shield against rejection. I’d seen teammates in Juniors do that, and not one made it to the NHL, and the ones who did burned out pretty fast.
“You’re not going to believe me, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t care. The WAGs meet tons of new women every year. Guys come up from the minors or go down to the minors, guys get traded. The WAGs embrace them all. As for you being staff? You’re no threat to them.”
Our server returned with the drinks, and Jill sipped at hers. I figured she’d use the opportunity to change the subject, but she went right back to it.
“I have a small circle, so I always assume everyone else has a small circle. I sometimes wish it was a bit bigger.”
“You can change that. And you’ll meet people, especially if you’re hanging with the WAGs.”
She grimaced. “Maybe, but it’s all insincere. It’s not like I’m your real girlfriend.”
“They don’t know that, and they never need to.”
Her blue eyes were trained on me, and they really were the most gorgeous eyes I’d ever seen. “Why are you being nice to me?”
I arched a brow. “Being nice? This is who I am.”
She seemed unconvinced, but didn’t argue with me. “The drink is good.”
“I told you.”
We finished up our drinks and chatted about the game. I insisted on paying the bill, and as we walked outside, I insisted on making sure she got home safely. It was after midnight on a Friday night, and no way was she braving the crowds. I got us an Uber that dropped her off first.
“Thanks for the nice evening,” she said as I walked her to the door of her building.
“We’re going to have many of them. Isn’t the next step to be seen out together?”
“It is. Maybe we should get someone to take a video of us and plaster it online.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
Her face lit up. “You know, maybe I was only half joking. That could work. A fun little video of us doing something. I’m going to mull that over.”
“You do that,” I said, and kissed her on the cheek.
We both froze. What the hell had I just done? Good thing I hadn’t gone in for the lips I wouldn’t mind kissing.
“Okay, goodnight,” she said, scurrying off.
I watched her go and shook my head. She was a mystery to me, but one I was interested in solving.