Page 114 of Game Changer
“I’ve got a long practice tomorrow.” Scott tilted his head back to give Kip better access. “And I’ve got a thing tomorrow afternoon.”
“A thing?”
“Mm.Sports Illustratedinterview.”
“Oh.”
“And on Wednesday I’m visiting kids at the hospital in the morning. And I’m playing that night. Thursday morning, we have a video meeting, and that afternoon I’ve got another thing...”
The kisses stopped.
“And what’sthatthing?”
“Oh. Um...just a photo shoot. New campaign for Gillette.”
Kip leaned back to stare at him. “Seriously?”
“And then on Friday I play again and—”
“Then you’re hostingSaturday Night Live?”
Scott laughed. “No! I turned that down. God, can you imagine?”
“No...”
Scott looked at him seriously. “You know that stuff is all just... None of it’s important. It all seems glamorous, but all I really care about is hockey and the time I spend with you.”
“The world loves you,” Kip said, brushing a thumb over Scott’s lips. “I’ve gotta share you.”
“Just a little,” Scott said. “They only get tiny pieces.” He nipped Kip’s thumb and flicked his tongue against it.
“Sucks to be them,” Kip drawled.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’msosorry about the job,” Shawn said as soon as he joined the table. “If you want, I’ll never go to that museum again.”
Kip laughed. “It’s fine. I was way underqualified. Like Isaid.”
“You aren’t and it’stheirloss,” Shawn said.
“Exactly,” Elena said, raising her pint glass.
The bar was crowded for a Monday night. Kip looked around the table at his friends: Elena, Shawn, and Maria, plus Jimmy and Chuck, who had taken vacation time to come down to New York for this. It was the first time any of them had met Maria, besides Elena. Kip didn’t hang out with her much outside of work, which was too bad. But she was here now, and Kip was surrounded by a wonderful group of people he was lucky to have in his life.
He just wished Scott could be there.
He tried not to dwell on that. It was not like any of his friends had partners with them. None of his friends had steady partners at all, that he knew of.
“Now that everyone is here,” said Chuck in his booming, happy voice, “I propose a toast. To Kip! A guy you want to hate because he’s so handsome, but you can’t because he’s so goddamn charming.”
“To Kip!” everyone said.
“Yay! To me!” Kip cheered, raising his glass.
Their server was the same one who had flirted with Kip the last time he had been there with Shawn—Kyle. He was still very cute and stillveryflirty with Kip, who couldn’t help but flirt back a little.
“Have you hit that yet?” Shawn asked after Kyle left to fetch them another round.
