Page 89 of Wild Ever After
I hold up a hand to stop him. “I appreciate your concerns. I knew them months ago. What’s really on your mind?”
“I just want to make sure your head is right. Leo told me the guys at HTPB wanted to interview you and Jade.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” I still don’t see where he’s going with this. “She turned it down.”
He sighs. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to sound like a dick. I don’t know Jade that well, but I worry this situation is going to get you in trouble, or worse, impact your game. Relationship drama is the worst kind of distraction.”
I nod. I don’t doubt the truth of his words.
“Is she worth it?” he asks.
It’s only because I can hear the real concern in his voice that I don’t feel like hitting him. “Yeah, man. She is.”
He sighs. “Then at least promise me you’ll give me a heads-up if anything should happen. I’ll do whatever I can to have your back.”
“Thank you for that.”
A smile finally lifts the corners of his mouth. “You’re different with her.”
“Yeah?”
He nods. “Yeah, you’ve got that same dopey-ass smile Leo’s had on his face since he met Scarlett.”
“It worked out for them,” I point out.
“I think you’re forgetting the part where he got his A stripped and spent an evening in jail.”
“I’m not planning on decking anyone. Except maybe you.” I grin, so he knows I’m only half-serious.
Jade comes back and the conversation flows easily. Despite Jack’s concerns, he’s all smiles and laughs at dinner. He asks her about what she’s working on, then she asks us about camp today, and pokes fun at Jack’s newest commercial—an ad for a local barber shop. Jack can dish it, but he takes it well too.
By the end of the night, any weirdness between me and my long-time teammate has passed.
“See you in the morning,” I call as he drops us off.
“Later. Bye, Jade.” He lifts a hand in a wave.
Inside, Jade and I head straight for bed. She’s been putting in even longer hours than usual at the office, and I have to be back at the arena early tomorrow.
Climbing under the covers, she snuggles up to my side and rests a hand on my chest, then yawns. “I might be too tired to be your personal masseuse tonight.”
“That’s all right.” I knead at the knots in her shoulders and neck. “Feels like you need it more than me.”
She moans. “Never stop.”
“What’d work need earlier?”
She glances up at me and her expression grows serious. “Melody wasn’t happy with my piece for the print issue next month. Even though I spent all day rewriting it.”
“I’m sorry. You’re a great writer. Don’t let her get in your head.”
I’ve started reading everything she publishes—online and in the magazine. She’s smart and witty. I can see why podcasts and other media have reached out to her. Her personality comes across so vividly in her writing that you can’t help but think, I want to know that person.
“It isn’t the writing she had a problem with exactly. It’s the content. She wanted me to write about the start of the Wildcats season and how it’s impacted our marriage, time together, etc. I guess people find the lives of hockey girlfriends and wives especially fascinating. Anyway, I tweaked it to add in more details about how it changed my life, but she still wasn’t thrilled. I think she was hoping for more of an inside scoop.”
I keep rubbing circles over her smooth skin. I think of Jack’s earlier concerns. Since our initial conversation about keeping my job out of it as much as possible, she’s done just that. I appreciate it. Especially because I know it’s caused some tension at the office.
“Thank you for doing that and I’m sorry she’s giving you a hard time.”
