Page 56 of Pucking Your Best Friend

“Man, it’s really him!” the taller of the two said and slapped his friend on the shoulder. “And you didn’t believe me.” Nevertheless, even though the man seemed openly confident, he asked again when they reached the table, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Matthew Payne?”

Matt didn’t have a chance to open his mouth.

“Yes, he is!” Alfie replied excitedly. “He’s even taller in real life than on TV, isn’t he? And his hair is fantastic!”

“Yeah, totally!” the shorter of the men agreed, the one who hadn’t believed his friend.

“We’re big fans!” the taller one said, as if that hadn’t been clear.

Matt smiled dutifully. “Good to hear. The Hawks always appreciate support.” Man, Lucy would have been so damn proud of that answer. He would have to ask Maddie to tell her.

“The game against the Kings in Vegas was unreal!” one of the suits said, leaning forward so that his face was closer to Matt’s than he liked. “Your goals…”

“Thanks.”

The other opened his mouth, surely to lay on more praise. Matt appreciated that so many people loved the game and cheered for the Hawks, but sometimes he just wanted to be left alone. He was on a date, after all, and if he didn’t stop them, they would stand there for half an hour.

“Look, thank you very much for your support,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I’m happy to meet every fan and could talk to you about hockey for hours. But, right now, I’m enjoying a private dinner. Is it okay if we postpone this? When I’m finished eating, I’d be happy to come over, take a few photos with you, and sign autographs if you like.”

The two men exchanged a hesitant look and seemed to come to the same conclusion. “Could we take the photos now? Otherwise, you’ll just disappear.”

“I promise I’ll come over.”

“Yeah, no…” the smaller one said. “Just a few pictures? It won’t take long.”

“I’d be happy to take the pictures when I’m finished eating,” he repeated a little more firmly this time.

“You heard him, guys,” Maddie said kindly but with a certain sharpness in her voice that Matt didn’t recognize. “Go back to your seats.”

The taller of the two snorted, but they turned away. They didn’t lower their voices, however.

“I knew Payne was an arrogant asshole. Doesn’t even have a few minutes to spare for his fans.”

“Yeah,” the other agreed. “And the goals in Vegas weren’t all that great either. The guy just always has a lot of luck on the ice. Most overrated striker in the entire NHL.”

Wow.

Matt shook his head. The tables turned so quickly. Oh, who cared. He was used to people feeling they could talk about him however they wanted to because he was a public figure and a stupid hockey player. It didn’t bother him. Let them talk.

Maddie, apparently, didn’t agree. “Hey, you two losers,” she shouted angrily, getting up from her chair.

He sighed and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Maddie, stop. It’s not worth it.”

She ignored him. “What the hell?”

The two men turned in surprise. “Excuse me?” the smaller one said.

“What the hell?” she repeated loudly. “Matt was politeness personified! He has the right to enjoy his evening and decide for himself when to take photos with assholes like you two!”

The suits stared at her in disbelief and took a few steps back toward their table. “Did you just insult us?”

“So what?” she said rebelliously. “You insulted Matt! He’s a human being, you know? Not a potato that has been handed a stick. He can hear what you say. He is not justluckyon the ice. He busts his ass to play like that. So, next time you have a snide remark on the tip of your tongue, go ahead and choke on it!”

Matt opened his mouth, perplexed. Okay, that was a little extreme. What the hell was wrong with Maddie? Shehatedconfrontations!

“If he’s bothered by the way we talk about him, then he should get off his ass and open his mouth,” the taller man said, shoving Maddie roughly aside with his arm so he could get a better look at Matt. Maddie stumbled but kept herself upright.

Matt, however, felt as if someone had pushed her off a plank into the ocean. He rose abruptly, making his chair wobble threateningly. That was enough.

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