Page 27 of The Hockey Pact

The room was silent for a beat, then erupted with follow-up questions. Coach Evans shot me an approving nod.

Later, in the car driving home, I replayed my answer in my head. The words had felt genuine despite their calculated origins.

My phone buzzed suddenly with a text from Riley:

Just saw a clip from your press conference. Nice things you said about your wife, Captain

I smiled and typed back:

Just keeping up appearances. But you do work harder than anyone I know. That part's true.

Her response made me laugh:

Thanks. Remember to bring your appetite tonight. I heard the portions at this place are microscopic. We might need to hit a drive-thru on the way home.

As I pulled into the parking garage of our building, I found myself looking forward to tonight more than I'd anticipated. Celebrating the captaincy was important, but somehow, celebrating it with Riley mattered even more.

Chapter 9: Riley

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the straps of my purple dress for the fifth time. I'd bought it on a whim two years ago for a friend's wedding and never found another occasion to wear it. Until tonight.

"It's just dinner," I muttered to my reflection. "A business dinner, essentially. Part of the arrangement."

So why had I spent forty-five minutes on my hair?

Zoe had left the restaurant early to help me get ready, bringing several pairs of heels from her own closet since mine were all either chef clogs or sneakers.

"Stop fidgeting," she said, applying a final coat of mascara to my lashes. "You look hot. Own it."

"I'm not trying to look hot," I protested.

Zoe raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? So you always curl your hair and wear your sexy purple dress for business meetings?"

"It's not a business meeting," I said defensively. "It's just a celebration."

"Uh-huh." Zoe capped the mascara. "A celebration with your fake husband who you definitely don't have actual feelings for."

I glared at her. "I don't have feelings. I have appreciation. He got what he wanted, I got what I wanted. We're just... maintaining appearances."

"Sure. And all that blushing you do when he comes into the restaurant is just... what? An allergic reaction?"

Before I could come up with a suitably cutting response, we heard the front door open.

"Riley?" Caleb called. "Are you ready? Reservation's in thirty minutes."

"Just finishing up," I called back, my pulse quickening for no good reason.

"Good luck," Zoe whispered with a wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That leaves a disturbing amount of options open," I whispered back as she slipped out of the bedroom.

I heard her greet Caleb casually, followed by their muffled conversation and laughter. Taking a deep breath, I smoothed my dress one final time and stepped out of the bedroom.

Caleb was standing in the living room of the penthouse, wearing a perfectly tailored dark blue suit that complimented his black eyes. He turned when he heard me, and something in his expression made my stomach flip. His eyes widened slightly, and he seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

"Wow," he finally said. "You look... incredible."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "Thank you. So do you. Very captainly."

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