Page 53 of Puck King
“You are the Ice Queen.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Everything is going to work out fine. It always does.”
“I know.” Everleigh straightened her suit and shimmied out from under my arm.
“What are you doing now?” she asked as I held open the door for her.
“I’m going to find Alison. I didn’t see her in the box. You did give her the tickets, right?”
Everleigh tapped a message on her phone and then leaned her hip against the doorframe. “I didn’t give Alison any tickets. The deal is off. You’re going to focus on hockey, full stop.”
The floor felt like it was tilting. “What did you do, Everleigh?”
Twenty-Four
Alison
The heatersin our new apartment ticked as they tried to keep up with the dropping temperatures outside. We’d already put together my dresser, and now the two of us were battling with Allen wrenches and following instructions for the headboard to my new bed.
Hollie had set her phone up on the counter to stream the hockey game. We mostly just listened to it as we put together my boxes of furniture. But whenever I heard the name King or the number seventy-seven, my eyes darted to the small screen.
“Who’s your favorite player?” Hollie asked. “Mine’s Gunnar. He’s quiet, but sweet.”
“I like Gunnar too.”
Hollie rolled her eyes and pushed my shoulder so hard the wine sloshed over the edge and onto the hardwood floor. “Don’t give me that. Come on, Alison. You can admit that the King is your favorite.”
The King. My stomach did a small flip. Was I ready to be a queen? I reached for an old tea towel and mopped up the spilled wine. “He’s…” I tossed the crimson towel into the sink. “He’s…” My cheeks burned and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “He’s incredible,” I gushed.
“I knew it,” Hollie shouted. “You can’t hide that kind of chemistry.”
When Hollie had last seen us together, it was because of a six-figure agreement. I couldn’t believe how quickly that had all changed. I mean, the agreement was still there, but it was easier now that Colton and I were truly into each other. “Can you keep a secret?”
Hollie’s eyes went wide. “You know I can.”
“Colton and I are kind of a thing.” I picked up the piece to bed and continued contorting my body to screw in the little piece. Hollie’s side clattered to the floor, so of course mine did too.
Hollie yanked me up from the hardwood and pointed to the barstools that we had already assembled. “You sit. I’m pouring.” She topped up both of our wineglasses and perched next to me. “Define thing.” Her stare was intense.
I told her about our dates, the helicopter ride, the snowstorm – everything except the arrangement. If it didn’t mean anything to me and Colton, it didn’t have to mean anything to anyone else.
“So you’re telling me…” Hollie’s voice was starting to slur, “that you are dating Colton King. For real.”
“For real.” I smiled and waited for Hollie to lose her mind. But she didn’t.
Hollie’s smile faded. “I thought you were going to tell me that you two had fooled around.”
“Well, we did more than that.” I flashed back to the weight of his muscular body as it moved on top of mine.
But Hollie didn’t seem to find it funny. She set the glass on the counter and folded her hands in her lap. “Alison. You’re my boss and my friend. You know I love you.”
Her eyes told me that she was about to say something I wasn’t going to like. “And?”
“Alison.” Hollie threw her hands into the air. “Your husband cheated on you, and now you’re with a man who is publicly known as a cheater.”
It felt like a punch to the gut. “He’s more well-known as a hockey player.”
Hollie’s lips drew into a line before she spoke. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Look, he didn’t cheat on that girl, or anyone else for that matter.” What Colton had told me that morning as we were lying in bed had been said in confidence, but I felt like I had to defend his honor. I couldn’t say anything more – that would be gliding into the nondisclosure agreement I had signed.
