The Romance Line (Love and Hockey Book 2)

Max

I’m playing a long game, but sometimes the long game involves little things.

Like a regular London fog latte. Like her favorite egg sandwich for breakfast. Like an invitation to watch another movie.

I send the first two to her office a couple days later because I reason those can be easily passed off as something she’d ordered, if need be. Then, after I finish listening to a new class—I aced navigational tools and started one on the Pyramids of Giza—I toggle over to a graphics app I downloaded and make an invitation for movies and popcorn in a few nights’ time.

I’ve got an ulterior motive though. Maybe we can talk then. At the ice rink the other day, she said she wants the same things I do. Maybe we can start to figure out how the hell we’re going to get them. We’ve got one more community outreach event next week, so the timing feels right for a deeper conversation. A roll-up-your-sleeves kind of talk.

As Athena saunters into the kitchen with a sassy meow, I send the invite to Everly, then add one more note.

Max: You were right.

Everly: Yes to movies and popcorn of course. Also, what am I right about? Tell me now.

I scoop up the furball and snap a shot of her in my arms. I make sure she’s nice and snug against my bare biceps. I’m not above a little arm porn. I send the pic and a note.

Max: I sent in the adoption paperwork for Athena.

Everly doesn’t text back, but a minute later after I’ve pulled on a sweatshirt so I can head to morning skate, my phone rings. “You kept her! I’m so excited.”

So you can spend every night with us?

But Everly is a flower that opens slowly. You can’t rush the bloom. So I don’t say that. “Me too,” I say. “Especially since Athena is excellent at watching movies with us, and she doesn’t try to steal the popcorn.”

She’s become our movie companion at my home.

“She is,” Everly says, then takes a beat. “Thank you again for the breakfast and the latte. You’ve been spoiling me. This is the third day in a row.”

“Good. I like spoiling you.”

And I want to do it every damn day. Just let me.

“You really do,” she says, and briefly I wonder when my special gift will arrive. The company emailed that the custom order had been delayed, which is annoying, but it should arrive soon.

I hear the sound of a door snicking shut. “What can I do for you?” she asks quietly, even though she must have privacy now in her office. “You do so much for me and I want to do something for you.”

“Sunshine, there’s no ledger here.”

“But you give me all these gifts and do all these things.”

“And you give me you. It’s more than fair,” I say.

“Max, you know what I mean. What can I do for you?”

Tell your boss you want her to bend that rule. Tell her you’re falling for me too. Tell her to let you keep your job and date m e.

But nothing worth having comes easily, and this is not a convo for the phone. It’s too important to have offhand. “My parents are coming to the game this weekend. I want to introduce them to you.”

“That’s what you want me to do? Let you introduce your parents to me?”

“Yes,” I say, emphatically. “I told you my dad knows about you. So my mom does too. And Sophie figured out long ago that I had it bad for you.”

“I like her,” she says, then her tone shifts. “How will you introduce me? Will you say I’m your secret girlfriend? ”

I punch the sky. She’s calling herself that. That has to be a good sign. “Works for me,” I say.

“Then I want to meet them,” she says. “Also, don’t forget The Ice Men producers are here today shooting B-roll. Garrett’s already arrived. I’ve been keeping an eye on them. Everyone seems to be in a good mood. He’s been chatting with them the whole time.”

“Look at you. You’re like my inside woman, spying for me.”

“It’s secret girlfriend work,” she says, and that excites me more than a saved goal. I say goodbye, then head downstairs to my car. I swing by Asher’s place to pick him up.

The second he slides into the car, he says, “What are you going to do about the auction?”

“What auction?” I ask, wondering if that’s a new event Everly will want me to do.

“The annual player auction. I’m doing it. Gotta keep up my streak of going for the highest bid. Every year I’ve gone for higher and since I first entered the auction I haven’t missed a game.”

“I guess someone has to get the sympathy vote,” I needle him as I pull away from the curb.

“When they drop that hammer in a couple months’ time, I think you’ll see it’s lust in the ladies’ eyes.” Asher corrects me then grabs his chest, as if he’s been mortally wounded. “Wait—no. Are you jealous cause you didn’t get an invite? I mean, I figured it would be part of your makeover.”

“Ah, the bid-on-a-date-with-a-player thing. No, they didn’t ask. But I’d say no.”

“Because you’re taken,” he says in a leading voice as I cruise toward the arena .

“I fucking hope so,” I say seriously.

“How’s everything going with her?” he asks, dropping the teasing.

“She’s…incredible. I don’t deserve her and somehow she still wants me. She’s smart and bighearted, and cares deeply about her friends and the team and her job and the world. She likes to try new things, and she’s a great listener. She keeps me on my toes and doesn’t stand for any shit. She’s fiery and easy to talk to and she also likes to hang out at night and watch a movie, and she’s abundantly honest. Like, I know I trust her. I know she trusts me. She’s perfect for me.”

He whistles. “Damn. That’s quite a speech.”

“It’s just the truth,” I say as we reach the players’ lot. But even though it’s true doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s harder than it should be. “Trouble is, I don’t know how to make it work since she faces most of the risks.”

He sighs thoughtfully. “We’re lucky, being athletes. A lot of things are easier for us. We’re forgiven for breaking rules. Well, not in the game itself,” he says wryly.

“Exactly. No one’s going to give me a hard time about wanting to be with her. And really, I have very little to lose at this point. She’s already done the hard work for me of rehabbing my image. She faces all the risk. So what the fuck do I do for her?” I ask as I pull into a spot and cut the engine. “I feel a little helpless.”

His expression is pensive, but then he shrugs. “I really don’t know…except be there for her, one hundred percent. Be there and mean it every step of the way.”

He’s right. “Good advice.”

We head inside, where Garrett’s waiting for me near the locker room, chatting with a woman with sleek black hair. He looks a little like a proud dad. I smile when I reach him since that’s probably the documentary producer Everly mentioned. Asher heads into the locker room while I join my agent and the woman.

“I’m Lily,” she says to me, extending a hand. “I used to play hockey myself, and I knew I had to have you in an episode.”

“Glad to do it. Well, if it all works out,” I say, shaking hands.

“I bet it will,” she says with a hopeful grin. “We can start with some B-roll of you at practice.”

“Have at it,” I say.

We chat for a few minutes, then she takes off to set up. Once she’s out of earshot, Garrett is practically bouncing again.

I arch a suspicious brow. “What’s up with you?”

He slugs my shoulder. “Guess who got you a new sponsor?”

I blink. “What? You did?”

“I sure did. Sooner than expected. You’re in, baby. It fucking worked,” he says and he’s…ecstatic. It’s a little infectious. Sure, I could make do on my hockey salary. That’s no hardship. But hell, some extra to set aside for my family, for me, for a future in case I’m injured and can’t play? I wouldn’t mind that at all.

“Who is it?”

“Date Night. The dating app. Or, I should say, the premier dating app.”

I flash back to our first meeting about this makeover. “But you said you didn’t want me fake dating?”

He scoffs. “Not fake dating, man. Real dating.” He waves a hand airily. “Or real…making a profile on it.”

I furrow my brow, trying to process this news out of left field. “You want me to just…set up a profile and then what? And say I’m using it?”

That sounds like a recipe for disaster but maybe I’m missing some key detail. Well, I probably am.

Garrett’s face lights up. “Yes, my man, yes! It’s so easy. They’re one of the advertisers for The Ice Men . They’ve been a lead ad partner for every episode so far, and they’re booked for the episode they’re considering you for too. Plus, they sponsor fan engagement promotions during the month of February for the Sea Dogs. It’d be like a beautiful triad—the Sea Dogs, The Ice Men , and you.” He stops, his expression more contemplative. “Or is that a quartet? Since we do need to include Date Night. Huh.” But then he shakes off the philosophical debate even though my mind is still reeling on what this might mean. “Point is it’s a win-win-win-win. It’d be a great partnership. And it’d be an excellent way for you to keep your face out there.” Shoes click from behind me, growing closer, and he pauses, but only for a second. “Plus, your likeability quotient is so high right now that this could be the thing you need to land other sponsors. They’d see you out there even more with your new good guy rep, and then…bam.”

He mimes shooting a basketball. Nothing but net.

“So what do you want me to do for them exactly?” I ask, since something isn’t adding up. “Posting a profile on it feels like a lie that’d be easy to sniff out. And we know the press loves to sniff out a lie. I’m amazed no one has sniffed out Lyra’s lies yet, but she’s the mistress of fables, so there’s that.”

“Then maybe don’t lie,” he says, oh so helpfully. He pats me on the biceps. “You could actually go on a couple dates if you want. ”

The fuck I will. But before I can say a word, he adds, “So you’ll think about it. Excellent.”

“Garrett,” I warn him.

“Just think about it,” he adds as the sound of clicking shoes turns even louder, and multiplies. Everly’s here, tilting her head in curiosity. But she’s not alone. She’s flanked by Elias, Jenna, and Zaire.

“Think about what?” Everly asks.

“I hope he’s thinking about it,” Zaire says in a smooth, confident tone.

Garrett beams and looks to Everly. “Thanks to your kickass makeover work on our guy, my agency got him a sweet new deal with Date Night. Think you can convince him to take it?”

The look in Everly’s easy-to-read eyes is crystal clear to me. But can Garrett tell she wants to murder him?