Page 52 of Puck King
“What’s up?” I dried my hair and set the towel on the bench beside me.
My sister’s eyes tracked to the players leaving the room and she didn’t speak until the door closed behind the last player. “What’s going on with you?”
I blinked hard. “What’s going on with me? Why don’t you tell me, Everleigh? Because I’m doing everything you tell me to do.”
“I didn’t tell you to pick a fight with Bradshaw.”
I groaned and leaned against the wall. “What did you expect me to do? You obviously didn’t see the cheap shot to the ribs that he gave me after that goal. You know – the goal that won us the game and keeps the team alive for at least three more games.”
Everleigh rolled her eyes. “Just grow up out there, okay? I don’t know why you hate Liam Bradshaw so much.”
She obviously didn’t know how the game worked. Over my career there had been a few players that had been able to get under my skin, and Bradshaw was one of them. “He’s overrated, dirty, and might have bruised my ribs.”
“Fine.” Everleigh crossed her arms and her legs. “But the bigger problem is your photoshoot with your fake girlfriend.” She took a folder from her bag and flipped through the pictures Alison and I had sent her.
“What’s the problem? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“No, Colton. This is not what I wanted.” She slammed the folder on the bench. The shot of Alison and me on Jake’s outdoor rink slid out and hit my foot. I picked it up.
“What are you talking about? There weren’t any paparazzi in Laketown, so we took these ourselves.”
Everleigh’s face flushed red, matching her lipstick. She opened her mouth, but then clamped it shut before taking a deep breath. “Colton.” She spoke slowly. “The media has been portraying you as a cheating bachelor and a toxic modelizer who refuses to grow up.”
“Which I was. Except for the cheating part.”
“Yeah, I know.” Everleigh shoved the photos back into the folder. “We hired Alison to help give you a new persona. You know, a serious athlete with a serious girlfriend – not another bimbo of the week.”
“Everleigh. I’ll never understand you.” I put on my boots. “That’s what that is.” I pointed to the folder.
“No, Colton. I’ll tell you what this is.” She slipped the folder into her bag. “This is a PR nightmare. I already have a private investigator dealing with Brittany. We should be able to prove that she’s making up this cheating story and trying to extort money from the family.”
“That’s great.” I smiled and laced up my boots. “It’s also the truth.”
“I know that, and you know that. But the public are just going to see you and Alison, madly in love, just weeks after the fallout from Brittany-gate.”
“We’re not…” My voice faded. I couldn’t bring myself to lie.
“Oh, please. I’ve never seen you look at a woman the way you’re looking at this one. Which would be fine, little brother, if it were a few months from now. Only now it looks like Alison was the mistress. That’s why I had the schedule of dates. The relationship was supposed to progress in a normal way, not at superspeed.”
It wasn’t the first time that Everleigh had been right, and my heart sank as I realized what the relationship would look like from the outside. I couldn’t do that to Alison. She wasn’t a mistress, she was the real deal. “I guess it does look bad. But Everleigh, I really don’t care what people think.”
“Are you in love with her?” Everleigh asked.
“It’s too soon for that.”
“Very diplomatic. And way to skirt around the actual answer.”
“What do you want me to do, Everleigh? Just tell me.” I checked my phone, wondering why I hadn’t heard from Alison. I refreshed the screen just in case, but there weren’t any new messages.
Everleigh crossed her arms against her chest. “Daddy is not happy with the arrangement.”
I had thought that my father had been involved with the whole PR stunt. It hadn’t occurred to me that Everleigh had gone rogue with the fake engagement. “He’s not happy about much these days, is he?”
“Tell me about it.” Everleigh’s voice softened. “He’s not above firing his own daughter, that’s for sure.”
Everleigh’s shoulders slumped and it hurt my heart to see my powerful sister caving under the pressure of the family dynasty. I draped my arm around her shoulders and felt her perk up. “He’s not going to fire you. Look at what the team has gotten done under your rule.”
“Rule?” Everleigh smiled.
