Page 57 of Pucked Up

“Are you quitting your job?” Tucker asked quietly.

I glanced over at him and sighed. “I…I think so, yeah. I have a little money to live on, and I really think I want to focus back on hockey.”

For some reason, they both looked relieved.

“Okay,” Ford said. “And you’re feeling fine. I mean, apart from your existential sexuality crisis.”

“It’s not a sexuality—oh, whatever. Yes. I’m fine.”

Ford nodded, then hauled his arm back andsocked me in the bicep. Pain shot down to my fingers, and I stared at him.

“What the fuck?”

“You know you deserved that. Take it like a man.”

I couldn’t argue. If either of them had done this, I would have lost it too. The only reason Ford hadn’t beat the shit out of Tucker when he’d had his little Vegas incident was that he’d come home relatively unscathed. Apart from the memory loss and random marriage, but that all worked out just fine.

“Anyway, my freak-out wasn’t just about Hugo. There are other things going on.” They stared at me, and I sighed. “My dad is forcing me to attend a benefit,” I told them after the pain faded.

Tucker frowned, his eyes squinting. “What benefit?”

“The Reid Martin. The guy who basically founded the PPHL.” They were staring at me like I was speaking Greek. “Whatever—anyway, he wants to parade me around and have me rub elbows so I can get an offer for a team and then be forever in his debt.”

“So don’t go. Fuck him,” Ford said.

I wanted to do that. More than anything, I wanted to do that. Actually, no. That wasn’t true. More than anything, I wanted to play goddamn pro hockey and prove myself. If I had to let my dad find me a team and take credit, so be it.

I’d have years to prove that I deserved my place.

“I have to do this one thing. But the idea of goingand being stuck with him all weekend is making me want to throw myself into the sun.”

“Can one of us be your date?” Ford asked softly. “That way, you don’t have to go alone, and you won’t have to spend all your time with him.”

Shit. Why hadn’t I thought of that? I’d been so wrapped up in the bullshit of it all I’d forgotten my friends really were ride or die. And after Micah had turned me down, I let the idea go.

“I hinted at it to Micah, and he told me to shove a stick up my ass, so yeah.” I looked between Ford and Tucker, but I knew Tucker was out. Things with Amedeo were still new, and he was in the middle of training for his new coaching position. My gaze settled on Ford. “Want to be my date?”

“Carol-Ann and I would be honored,” he said, then nuzzled back up against me harder. “I’m still pissed at you though.”

“You’ll get over it,” I assured him.

He scoffed, then shrugged. “Yeah. I probably will. Come with me shopping later and help me pick out something pretty to wear. I want all the cute boys to be jealous.”

I shoved him off, and he rolled away, laughing so hard it actually made me smile. I felt…maybe not better, but different.

And anything different was good.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

HUGO

Boden was avoiding me.It was to be expected, the way he flew out of my house and didn’t look back. I ached from it. I thought we’d had something. I thought things between us had shifted, and for a brief moment, I thought maybe something good was about to fall in my lap.

But I was foolish to have even a scrap of hope.

I took it in stride. I didn’t ask where Boden was when he didn’t show up to practice, though the looks I started getting from Ford and Tucker told me that yeah, they knew now. They obviously hadn’t before, but whatever crisis my night with Boden had caused, he’d clearly spilled the beans.

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