Page 30 of The Publicity Stunt

Nodding, she hands Tessa the remote to turn on the TV and find the game. Both look in surprise to see the Bootleggers trailing by two points.

"They're playing a lesser ranked team, right? Shouldn't they be ahead?" Bri asks as Tessa nods her head.

The last play shows Kace missing the puck while the other team steals it and scores on the Bootleggers. This isn't good.

"This is Kace Lyons' fourth miss of the night. This isn't the player we're used to seeing on the ice this season," the announcer comments.

"This doesn't sound good," Tessa says.

"It seems suspicious that we saw pictures of Bri Waters landing in St. Petersburg but isn't here watching her boyfriend playing. It really seems to be affecting his game," another says.

"If she's not here watching the game, maybe they're not as serious as everyone is led to believe."

Closing her eyes, Bri groans. "Damn my tour schedule."

"Poor Kace."

"All because I had to sleep. Damn it!"

"And took care of me."

Bri’s eyes light up. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Go wash your face and fix your makeup."

"Why?"

"Please?"

Shrugging, Tessa stands and walks into the suite's bathroom. It doesn't take long, and she comes back looking only slightly puffy. "We're taking a picture, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Bri says and pulls her down on the couch.

Leaning into her, she gives Tessa the phone to take the photo, and then she takes it back to snap a few other pictures. The game starts again, and Kace appears on the screen. She takes a picture of the TV screen and smiles.

"What are you doing?" Tessa asks. "You look almost evil. Don't get me wrong, I totally love it, but what's going through that mind of yours?"

"Making a little post to make sure everyone knows there's no bad blood between Kace and me. How does this sound? Tired after multiple night shows and traveling. Sitting in the hotel catching up with my bestie and watching some TV. All we need is some takeout. Does that sound okay?"

Tessa looks at the pictures and adds a heart around Kace's photo. "Now it's perfect."

"Do you think it'll help?"

"I don't think it can hurt. Plus, it'll make the asshole thinking this means you're not with him, eat his words."

"I just wish there was a way for Kace to see it so he knows it wasn't on purpose. I told him I'd be there."

Chapter Eleven

Kace

The first two periods were a shit show. Kace played like trash, and he knew it. Not seeing Bri in the stands threw him off his game after she told him she was coming to town to watch him play. Hell, he even saw the pictures of her as she left her plane hours before.

On the way back to the locker room after the second period, reporters bombarded him, which took him by surprise. They normally interrogate them after the game, and he braced himself. A female reporter he recognized after the last three games asked what he thought about Bri's social media post.

He'd told her he was busy on the ice and doesn’t have time to check social media, although that might make the penalty box a little less horrible. The woman pulled out her phone and handed it to him. He scrolled through the pictures after reading the caption until he saw the last photo. It was a picture of him on television with a heart. It put a grin on his face.

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