Page 12

twelve

. . .

Viv

“Okay, I’m going to tell you something, and it’s kind of a secret,” I tell Cari.

Her eyes go wide and she nods like a bobblehead. “I’ll take it to the grave.”

I laugh at her earnestness. “It’s not that big of a secret. I don’t want it spread around the team. It’s just… your brother Al…”

“Please tell me you’re dating him,” Cari blurts.

Maybe doing this on our way to his hockey game was a bad idea.

I wince. “No. But, um… my friends are all dating his friends.”

She blinks at me. “What?”

“Two of my good friends are dating players on the Grizzlies,” I explain. “And another’s boyfriend is the team’s reporter. So…”

“So you and Al are perfect for each other, then!” she chirps. “You already have overlapping friend groups!”

I shake my head. “That’s why it won’t work. It’s too incestuous.”

Not to mention her other brother…

“So why are you telling me?” Cari asks. “Is it that big a deal that your friends are dating Al’s teammates?”

“It’s not, not really. It’s more… I didn’t want you to be blindsided if they mention it,” I explain. “The wives and partners aren’t always super welcoming to me. I’m not officially associated with the team. I think they think I’m after their guys, which I would never do, but they don’t know me. We don’t sit in the team box with them, so if that’s what you were expecting…”

She shakes her head. “Anywhere is fine. I’m just glad you’re inviting me along.”

Seeing Tony at practice the other day, on top of the night at the bar, drove home the reminder that our lives are inexplicably intertwined. His brother is the teammate of all my friends’ boyfriends. His sister is my teammate. I can’t get away from him.

I don’t even know if I want to at this point.

I can’t figure out if he was asking me out the other day. I mean, I think he was, but I’m not sure the motivation behind it. He acts like he can’t stand me, but then he shows up at my practice in his fucking leather jacket with his hair all windswept… and I didn’t hate it. Not in the slightest.

Where that leaves me now, I’m not sure.

Ceci couldn’t make it tonight, so we’re not in a suite. Vanessa’s arranged for us to sit on ice level on the Grizzlies shoot twice side. Sadie and Rachel are joining us, of course, plus Hailey MacGregor, the younger sister of Aidan MacGregor. We’ve met a few times and she seems lovely.

Although Hailey’s a few years older than Cari, I thought it might be nice for her to have another sibling-of-a-player there. When I go to Chuck’s hockey games and Perry’s football games, hanging out with the other wives and partners gets awkward, fast. They view the guys in a very different lens than I see my brothers. I still see them as the annoying little chuckleheads I grew up with. It’s easy to forget they’re playboy professional athletes who fuck everything that moves.

I’m a professional athlete too, but if I were to fuck any guy who looked at me, I’d be called a slut and looked down on when they’re celebrated for it. The double standard drives me absolutely nuts.

Settling into my seat beside Cari, I take in the arena's atmosphere. There’s nothing like being immersed in the furor and frenzy of a hockey game.

“You mind if we take a photo together?” she asks, lifting her phone.

Shaking my head, I pose and smile, and she snaps the picture. I watch as she tags me in the photo before posting it online. My phone buzzes in my pocket.

“So, what’s the deal with you and my brother?” Cari asks. Somehow, I don’t think she’s talking about Al…

I squeak. “There’s no deal.”

She hums. “I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to believe me,” I splutter. “There’s nothing going on.”

Cari looks me up and down, her face saying enough.

“It’s nothing ,” I stress.

“I thought it was weird that Al didn’t want to pursue anything, but seeing you with Tony…” She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just hoping. I’ve always wanted a sister.”

“I have two. Do you want them?” I joke.

But from the way her lips form a thin line, I don’t think she finds the humor.

“When your brothers are ready to settle down, they’ll find partners,” I say instead. “There’s nothing going on—with either of your brothers.”

She gives a little pout. “I know, I know. You’ve made it clear. I was just hoping.”

“Hey.” Turning in my seat, I set my hand on her arm and wait for her to meet my eyes. “You have twenty-five players on our squad who will happily be your sisters. You have teammates now. That bond can’t be broken.”

Cari gives me a tremulous smile. “Really?”

“We won’t always get along, we’ll get on each other's nerves, but with teams like ours, we’ll be there for you through thick and thin.” I grin at her. “Being in this league, it’s different from when you played in college. It’s not just for fun anymore, it’s not a hobby. It’s work. What we do matters. We have a good time, yeah, but we’re there because we want to be, because we want to grow the sport. We support one another.”

“I see that,” she says quietly. “I’m really seeing that.”

Squeezing her arm, I give her a smile. “I’m glad you’re on our team.”

“Me too,” she says, her eyes wet.

She clears her throat a few times as we focus our attention back on the game in front of us. The score is tied, 2-2, and Montreal is giving Boston a run for their money.

“So, where is Tony tonight?” I ask casually. “I thought he’d be here with you.”

Cari raises her eyebrows. “Really? Why?”

“No reason,” I hurry to add.

“He’s at work.”

“At the animal shelter?”

“No, the restaurant. He’s a waiter at this high-end place in the North End,” she says. “He only works at the shelter part-time.”

“Plus training.”

“Yeah. He’s on the men’s national gymnastics team,” she says proudly. “He’s in the running to go to the World Championships in Rotterdam in a few weeks.”

“Really?” My voice goes up. “That’s super cool.”

“He went to the Olympics three years ago, brought home a bronze medal.”

Like I didn’t Google him the second I found out his name. Well, after my panic attack.

Beside me down the row, I see Sadie and Rachel listening to us, amused. Vanessa and Hailey, on the other end, are obliviously paying attention to the hockey game.

“I’m kind of surprised you didn’t meet there,” Cari continues. “You were there, right?”

“There were a lot of people on Team USA,” I deflect.

She hums as two hockey players collide against the boards in front of us. I like that she doesn’t otherwise react to the giant crash. She’s used to this, same as I am. It’s par for the course when your sibling grows up in hockey. They crash into everything .

“It’s kind of cool that you’re meeting now. Maybe you can be friends,” she says with the endless optimism of someone who has never had an awkward encounter with their ex.

Not that Tony is my ex. It was just one time. That’s all it was.

That’s all it will ever be

“Yeah, maybe,” I echo quietly.

Sadie reaches over, handing me a bucket of popcorn. “We’re going to a bar after the game,” she announces. “You coming with?”

“The rest of the team will be there?” I ask.

She nods. “You know, the usual place.”

Smart of her not to say the bar’s name when we’re mixed in with everyone. Even though we get into the VIP section, we don’t need the rest of the arena trying to come party with us. Personal safety is a major concern.

“Yeah, I’m in,” I decide. “Cari, you coming?”

She nods. “Al already told me we’ll ride home together.”

“Great,” Sadie echoes. “Jared has an early morning meeting, so we won’t be staying out too late.”

The Grizzlies manage to pull off a win with a sneaky goal late in the third period, and as we wait for the crowd to filter out, I open my phone and pull up the photo Cari tagged me in. There are several thousand likes and a few hundred comments.

A text scrolls across my screen. It’s from Alycia.

Let’s talk , she’s texted, along with a screenshot of the photo.

My stomach drops. Oh no. What did I do?