Page 75 of The Wingman

Oh god. I was on my laptop atwork. Even coworkers seeing that would be better than this, though.

Rory nudges me with his elbow. “Hazel has that one, too.” He looks back at her with a question on his face. “Right?”

She nods, chuckling. “Yep. That’s the one I told Hayden to buy.”

They know that Hayden bought this for me? A horrified noise scrapes out of my throat. I want to disappear into thin air.

“No one saw anything.” Hayden’s voice is loud and firm, and he gives everyone a stern look. “Right, guys?”

Alexei stares straight ahead. “I didn’t see anything. My contacts fell out.” Our eyes meet before he looks away. “And I didn’t hear anything, either.” He almost looks more uncomfortable than I feel.

“Me neither.” Rory wears the biggest grin while his eyes glitter. “I just saw your math magic.”

Closing my eyes, I silently plead for the floor to open up and swallow me. I can never face these guys again.

“How about another round of drinks?” Rory asks, and everyone starts getting up and moving back to their seats at once.

Hayden looks down at me, eyes bright and mouth pressed into a tight line like he’s trying not to laugh. “Are you okay?”

“No.” I can still feel how pink my face is. “I want to die.”

He snorts, eyes closing. “It’s fine, Darce. That kind of thing happens to everyone.”

My expression turns incredulous, but I’m starting to laugh. “Really?Thathappens to everyone?”

“Yep. All the time.” He rubs his strong jaw, thinking. “Butif you want me to distract them, I can.” His fingers hover over his jacket zip, and I lunge forward to catch his wrist, laughing.

“Don’t you dare.” His skin is warm as I tug his hand away from the zipper. “I’ve already shown too much weirdness. I don’t want to get uninvited from the next bar night.”

He lets his hand drop and gives me a knowing smile. “Over my dead body. You know you’re one of us, right?”

My gaze moves around the bar, to Rory and Hazel talking with Pippa and Jamie at the next booth, to Alexei and some of the other guys chatting—I catch the wordspower play percentagein their conversation—and to Jordan mixing drinks behind the bar. She gives me a quick, quiet smile.

Back in Calgary, I didn’t have a group of friends like this. Kit didn’t like going out after games. Even when we were in Vancouver, Hayden and I would have to drag him out. The Calgary team wasn’t close like the guys are on the Vancouver Storm.

I look around at the new life I’m creating for myself, and my heart squeezes.

Yes, I’m weird and awkward, but I get the feeling they don’t care. I like it here, and I feel like I’m finally starting to find myself.

CHAPTER 34

HAYDEN

The apartment is freezingwhen we get home that night.

“It feels like the air conditioning’s on.” I frown at the thermostat. It’s colder than normal in here, but the heat is on like usual.

Darcy smacks a hand to her forehead. “I left my window open. Sorry, I like having fresh air in there throughout the day. I’ll go close it.”

She pads down the hall to her room, and I watch her walk away, my name on her back in big, bold letters.

Pride spreads through my chest and the corner of my mouth hooks up. Seeing her cheering for me, wearing that big smile after I scored a goal tonight? It almost made me forget Miller’s stupid way of motivating me to be more assertive on the ice.

And the way she lit up tonight, telling everyone about her hockey models—that’show I want her to talk about her job. Every time I bring up her work, she rolls her eyes and changes the subject. I know it isn’t making her happy.

She deserves happiness, though. She deserves all the good things.

From her bedroom, I hear a muffled noise of frustration.

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