Page 3 of Wild Love
“That’s it?”
“I’ve gotten really good at letting criticism and condescending assholes roll off my back.”
I think he means his father. I don’t know a lot about John Maverick Sr., but I know that the few times Mav has talked about him, he lost a little of the playful, fun demeanor that he’s known for.
“Well, I think you’re doing okay. Plenty of people are waiting in line to ease the burden of your success and celebrate by getting naked. In pairs, apparently.”
He grins. “Could have been you. We all hung out upstairs and then went to The Hideout. I was looking for you. Where were you?”
“I went out for a little while, then crashed so I could get up early and run before work.”
“Date?”
“Yeah.” A guy I met online—total waste of time. I knew within seconds we weren’t compatible. I sigh. “I cannot tell one more guy my favorite color or pretend to care about the places he wants to travel to someday. I’m so over it. I need a change of scenery.” I spent twenty dollars on drinks last night, and for what?
“What are you doing this summer?” He leans back on one elbow.
“I applied for some internships, but so far, nothing. It looks like I’ll be staying in Valley and working at the Hall of Fame.” I bump my shoulder against his. “Maybe I could start a coffee and dry-cleaning service for the chicks that come out of your apartment in the morning.”
“Not unless you’re moving to Minnesota.”
“What?” I pause, bottle to my lips.
“That’s why I was looking for you last night. I wanted to talk to you.”
I stare at him, trying to make sense of the words coming out of his mouth. “Talk to me about what?”
“I, uh, signed with the Wildcats,” he says.
Maverick came to Valley already drafted by the NHL team, the Wildcats. This isn’t news. Except. “Oh my gosh!Signedas in…”
His eyes hold mine. “I’m not coming back next year.”
* * *
I textthe girls for an emergency group lunch, and we meet up on my hour break between work and classes so that I can fill them in on the Maverick news.
“I can’t believe it.” Reagan digs through her purse for gum and then offers it around the table. “When did this happen?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, pushing away my plate. My stomach is a ball of knots. “He told me this morning. None of you knew?”
Ginny raises a hand. “Heath told me after the championship game. I would have said something, but he made me promise not to until Maverick announced it.”
Her boyfriend and Maverick are best friends, so it makes sense he knew before the rest of us. Still, I hate that I’m just now finding out. The championship game was weeks ago.
“Did anyone else know?” Reagan asks. “I don’t think Adam did because he’s terrible at keeping secrets from me.”
“I did.” Sienna raises her hand from the table the same way Ginny did. She’s dating Rhett and the newest addition to our friend group. Newest, but no less important. I don’t know what I’d do without these three.
“That’s why he went to Minnesota,” she adds, and the pieces start to fall in place as I think back to Maverick’s actions over the past month. If he were anyone else, the signs would have been obvious. The trip to Minnesota, the extra partying, doubling up on girls.
I can’t imagine him not living downstairs from me or hanging out with all of us upstairs. He routinely makes me roll my eyes at his incessant flirting and over-the-top shenanigans, but he’s part of our friend group. An integral part.
All my friends are dating hockey players. I live next to them, I party with them, I even work with them doing recruitment tours at the Hall of Fame.
It really is the end of an era.
“Is Heath leaving too?” Reagan asks Ginny, her gaze narrowed.
