Page 34 of Gap Control

I raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"

He grinned. "What can I say? I’m an optimist.”

I didn't say anything, and he didn't press. It made me happy, and maybe a little disappointed.

Chapter seven

TJ

Halfway through unstrapping my gear, I saw Brady's face hovering in the locker room doorway.

He lifted his chin. "Heads up. Walsh and company are circling."

"Seriously? It's practice. What are they gonna ask? Whether I hydrated enough?"

Brady didn't smile. "They're asking about the photo. Again. And the podcast. And whether the sparkly hoodie you wore last game was a gift from your quote, handsome and emotionally elusive wall of a boyfriend."

I groaned. "Okay, one, it's not sparkly. It's shimmery. And two, I hate how well you remember that quote."

"Do you want me to run interference or not?"

I sighed. "No. I've got it. I'll keep it light. Deflecty. Human Teflon."

"Oddly, that explains a lot."

I yanked a hoodie over my head and followed the sound of clacking heels toward the media corner.

Sure enough, a trio of familiar faces waited, pens ready and eyes already doing that thing where they examined my jawline for clues about the state of my relationship.

Jennifer Walsh spotted me first. "TJ! Quick word?"

I grinned. "Only if it's discombobulate. Always liked that one."

A few chuckles. Not enough to escape. I leaned against the wall, all relaxed, at least on the outside.

"So," she said, phone in hand, "any comment on the team's growing social media presence?"

"You mean the memes? I live in fear."

She raised an eyebrow. "Rykson—your connection's gotten a lot of attention."

"Great linemate. Solid blocker. Doesn't hog the remote."

Laughter, again. Lighter this time, but Jen didn't blink.

"And the photo yesterday? The one the Forge posted at golden hour, captioned with a lyric from 'Call Me Maybe?'"

"That wasn't my doing. Brady's got a thing for vintage bangers."

She narrowed her gaze. "But the look you gave him—"

"Pretty sure I was thinking about fries."

That got a bigger laugh, and I started to relax into my rhythm. Then Jen tilted her head, and I saw something change in her expression. She'd saved the real question.

Her voice was softer as she moved in for the kill. "TJ, I've been covering you for three seasons. You've always been the guy with the perfect comeback, keeping everything light. But lately..." She paused, studying my face. "You look at Mason differently than you've ever looked at anyone. Even when you think the cameras aren't rolling. So I have to ask—is this the first time you've been in love?"

Jen Walsh with the blindside check.

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