Page 45 of Across the Boards

“Just saying. There’s a fine line between fashion advice and foreplay.” She gestures to my reflection. “So? This one?”

I look at myself again, trying to see through objective eyes. The woman in the mirror looks confident, elegant, and just a little daring. She looks like someone who’s ready to walk into a room full of hockey players and their wives without flinching. Someone who isn’t defined by her ex-husband’s betrayal.

“This one,” I confirm, smoothing the fabric over my hips. “Definitely this one.”

Sarah looks satisfied. “Perfect. Now we just need jewelry, a clutch, and to discuss your hair and makeup strategy.”

I groan. “I thought we were done!”

“Oh, honey.” Sarah pats my arm condescendingly. “We’ve barely begun.”

8

BRODY

Two days before the gala, Tommy corners me after practice, expression serious in a way that immediately puts me on alert.

“We need to talk,” he says, glancing around the locker room to make sure no one’s listening.

“About?”

“Jason called me yesterday.”

Just the name is enough to make my jaw clench. “And?”

“He heard about you and Elliot.”

“There is no ‘me and Elliot’ yet,” I correct, though the ‘yet’ slips out before I can stop it.

“Tell that to Jason. Apparently Kelly’s cousin works at Marcel’s and saw you two having dinner. Word got back to him.”

Of course it did. The hockey world’s gossip network operates with terrifying efficiency. “So what? Elliot’s been divorced for three years. She can have dinner with whoever she wants.”

“You and I know that. But Jason’s always been territorial, even about things that aren’t his anymore.” Tommy looks genuinely concerned. “Just wanted to give you a heads up. He seemed pretty worked up about it.”

“What’s he going to do? Body check me into the boards?”

“It’s not on the ice I’m worried about. It’s the off-ice stuff. The gossip, the subtle digs to mutual acquaintances. You know how he operates.”

I do know. I’ve seen how Jason Martinez can poison a locker room with strategic comments, undermine guys who cross him. “Let him try. I don’t care what he says about me.”

“Not you,” Tommy says pointedly. “Elliot finally got free of all that drama. If she’s seen with you at the gala, it pulls her right back into it.”

The thought lands like a punch to the gut. Am I being selfish, pursuing Elliot when it might expose her to exactly the kind of hockey world politics she’s avoided for three years?

“Maybe I should tell her,” I say, half to myself. “About Jason calling. Let her decide if she wants to deal with the potential fallout.”

Tommy nods. “Honesty’s usually the best policy. Especially with someone who’s been lied to before.”

“Says the guy who advised me not to tell her I moved next door on purpose.”

“That’s different. That’s just you being a hopeless romantic with questionable decision-making skills. This involves her ex-husband potentially making her life difficult again.”

He’s right, and I know it. “I’ll talk to her. But not before the gala. She’s already nervous about attending. I don’t want to add to that.”

“Your call. But sooner rather than later, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I finish tying my shoes, mind racing. “Thanks for the heads up.”

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