Page 16 of At First Smile
The one?Those two words twist and flutter inside me. That’s more Finn’s territory, not mine. I’ve never been the hopeless romantic like my brother, who falls in-and-out of love with the swift change of the wind. I’ve never been in love. It’s only been seven hours since first meeting Pen. Love at first sight is a myth used by publishers to sell sappy romance novels. It’s the Santa Claus of experiences. No matter how much one plays pretend, there’s no big-bellied man in a red suit breaking and entering your home to eat your cookies and leave you gifts. Just like there’s no love at first sight. No matter how captivating someone’s smile is or how much you could drown in their honey gaze.
“What about the girl?” Greg asks, dragging my attention back to him.
I shift in my seat; a furrow notches my brow. Pen being mentioned directly or indirectly in this strategy conversation raises my hackles. We’re supposed to focus on rebranding my image to save me from being traded. Why is he mentioning Pen?
“What girl?” Sasha coos.
“Rowdy Rowan met a girl.” Mirth drips from Greg’s grin.
“It’s not like that,” I grumble.
“Keep telling yourself that, buddy. You were adamant about having my assistant upgrade her?—”
“To first class, not to be seated next to me.”
Undeterred, Greg continues, “As well, one would think avoiding being traded would be incentive enough to get your ass on a plane… but instead you choose to stay with this woman youjust met. Never mind the mess we’re still cleaning up from you breaking the nose of the NHL’s golden boy. What hold does this Penelope Meadows have on you?”
My jaw clenches. “Wow, you’ve gone a whole five hours without mentioning me punching Landon.”
“If you’d share with us why you punched Landon Phillips, I’m sure I could make this go away,” Sasha offers.
“He’s an asshole.” My hand curls tight around the edge of the hotel room’s desk.
“That’s a given, but I know it was more than that. Like a wolf protecting its pack, you only strike when necessary.”
My eyes flick to the door. Sasha has a way of cutting through everything and seeing the truth. It’s what makes her one of the best publicists in the business. It’s probably how Greg lucked out winning her heart. She may be one of the only people to see through his barbwire exterior to what is, no doubt, a soft gooey inside.
“Fuck his reason,” Greg blurts, running his hand over his smooth bald head. “It happened. Let’s focus on how to keep Rowan’s image in alignment with the family-friendly vibe the new Bobcat’s owner has been curating since inheriting the team last year.” Greg taps a thick finger against his chin. “Back to this Penelope Meadows.”
I stiffen at the mischievous glint in his eyes. “What does Pen have to do with anything?”
“Pen? I see we already have nicknames for each other. Does your Pen call you Row-Row?” He waggles his eyebrows in an exaggerated manner.
I promptly flip him off.
He reciprocates before continuing, “I love my twenty-year-old assistant. Within five minutes, he pulled up her social media. With a name like Penelope Meadows, she wasn’t hard to find.”
“Wait!” Sasha’s eyes widen and she gasps. “Cane Austen and Me? Rowan is dating Cane Austen and Me?”
“I’m not dating Pen,” I grunt.
“Not yet.” Greg waves a dismissive finger. “Sweetheart, how do you know about Cane Austen and Me?”
“You remember our son?” Sasha quips.
“I’m familiar.” Greg flashes a cheeky grin.
“Remember that presentation we sat through at his school two weeks ago that you said you were totally paying attention to andnotlooking at emails on your phone?”
Busted. To anyone else, Greg’s stony face might appear unchanged, but the little tick in his cheeks hint at an acknowledgment of guilt.
“His presentation was on positive social media influencers. He did it on her. She’s amazing. Such an advocate for the disability community and a role model. Not just for kids with disabilities, but everyone.” Sasha takes control of the meeting displaying Pen’s social media.
Pen’s brilliant smile fills my screen. Images flash of her and Cane Austen on various adventures. Laughing on a tandem bike, a woman with the same brown eyes in the front and Pen in the back. Toasting in a scarlet Regency era dress with a Ryan Gosling look-a-like I immediately want to punch. Beaming in the middle of a group of children all wearingCamp AbilitiesT-shirts. On the top of all the pictures was the one I took just an hour ago with the captionOne lady’s Pisser is another lady’s new best friend.
A smile curls my lips.God, she’s beautiful.
Greg whistles. “You got it bad, Row-Row.”
