Page 47

“What?” I laughed. “I’m good. I blew that shot at practice, but I was—”

“No, no, no, no, no.” She shook her head emphatically. “I don’t mean when you’re playing hockey. I mean just… you. In general. Whenever you’re not on the ice or working out, you’re…” She gestured like something flying away. Shooting me a pointed look, she added, “I’d tell you to be straight with me, but…”

I tossed a throw pillow at her.

She laughed, caught it, and wrapped her arms around it. “Okay, seriously. I need you tolevelwith me—what’s going on? Because you’ve kind of been a mess since you found out you were coming to Pittsburgh, and you’re a different kind of mess now.”

“I feel like a better mess,” I tried.

“Uh-huh. But still a mess. What’s going on and why do I think it has to do with McAvoy?”

The heat that rushed into my face meant there was no pretending she hadn’t found her mark. I had to be as red as the goal light, and her cackle made me groan.

“I knew it! I knew it!” She nudged me with her bare foot. “I totally knew it.”

“Shut up,” I muttered.

She giggled, but then studied me. “What happened, anyway?” She lowered her chin a little and eyed me. “One minute, you couldn’t stand her and wanted her launched into the sun. Now you’re suddenly…” She flailed a hand at me. “Very muchnotwanting her launched into the sun.”

I avoided her gaze and chewed the inside of my cheek.

“If you’ve got a crush on her,” Faith mused, “you can tell me.”

Groaning, I buried my face in my hands. It wasn’t like I could hide anything from her, and I had no idea why I bothered trying.

“I figured as much,” Faith said, but she sounded sympathetic. “I’m just surprised. You know, because of the whole wanting her launched into the sun thing. What changed?”

I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled. “She’s attractive as hell, okay? I mean, have youlookedat her?”

“Enough to know she’s a hundred percent your type, yes.”

Renewed heat rose in my face. “Do I have a type?”

“Um, yes?” My friend eyed me like I’d lost my mind. “Tall and femme with a butt that doesn’t quit? Hair that spends more time in a messy ponytail than not? And like, you’ve got a serious competency kink, and you spend every day seeing exactly how competent she is at hockey.” Faith cocked a brow. “Did I miss anything?”

I let my face fall into my hands and groaned. “Oh my God, I am so fucked.”

“Or, well… not fucked. Which seems to be the issue.”

I gave her the finger, prompting a giggle. Raising my head, I said, “But she’s a teammate. Getting involved with a teammate is—”

“Oh, stop it.” Faith gestured dismissively. “There are two married couples on your team and another that’s this close to getting engaged. Literally no one cares if you get involved with a teammate.”

I pressed my lips together. Okay. Fine. She did have a point. Even as I’d said it, I’d known it was a weak argument. Hell, the forward who’d assisted on our gold medal game-winning goal at the Olympics married the goalie she’d scored on like two months later. The men’s league still got the vapors if they found out a player was gay, but in ours, lesbian and bisexual women were not exactly a rarity.

“All right, so no one cares if I get involved with a teammate.” I grimaced. “But let’s not kid ourselves—she’s not going to be interested in me. I was an unholy bitch to her when we got here.”

“You were, and I don’t think I’m the only one who’s noticed that that’s changed. Like,dramaticallychanged.” Faith laughed. “In fact, it was such a dramatic change, I’d bet money that the only person on the planet who doesn’t know you’re into Sabrina McAvoy is Sabrina McAvoy.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “You don’t think she knows?” I didn’t think she did, but it sure would make things easier.

“Of course she doesn’t.” Faith waved her hand and reached for her drink. “Have you ever met a woman who can tell when another woman is into her?”

I managed a laugh. “Fair point.”

“Which is probably howyouhaven’t caught on that she is absolutely intoyou.”

I choked on nothing. “She—what? What are you talking about?”