Page 52 of From Ice to Grace
“Are you forgetting I pay for all the work you do?” I ask, nodding to the very expensive car parked outside, courtesy of my paycheck.
“It’s not enough if you ask me. And you’re not the only one who paid for that,” he says, his voice sharp. “I represent more than ten top athletes across the country.”
I sigh, wanting to take back the words already. My brother is excellent at what he does. At this point, he’d have every right to dump me as a client and it would only make him more successful.
“So what’s the plan now?” Maddie asks, dipping her finger in the mountain of cream in her cup before licking it off. “I mean you have to fix this before you’re kicked off the team permanently.”
My little sister is sitting across from me, her usual dark hair now brushing her shoulders and it looks like she dipped the ends in a can of blue paint. Los Angeles has certainly rubbed off on her, not to mention the Hollywood people she works with.
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Mads.” I shove a napkin across the table at her. “Do you need a spoon?” I ask, unable to keep my voice from dripping exasperation.
“Now where’s the fun in that?” she asks with a sweet smile. She’s twenty-one going on twelve and some days it drives me nuts.
“The way I see it, we have a few options,” Brady cuts in, in full business mode.
“And they are?” I ask, hoping that there’ll be one on his list that’s relatively painless.
“Well, getting a steady girlfriend for one,” Brady says without looking at me, swiping over the list he made on his iPad.
“I have a girlfriend.”
“Had a girlfriend,” Maddie reminds me. “And she doesn’t count.”
Melissa telling me it’s over last night was both a relief and a low-blow at the same time. I’ve never had a woman back out of our agreement. Ever.
And now I have the added bonus of my little sister holding it over my head for the rest of my life. Why I ever told them is beyond me.
“What I mean is that, every season I have one girlfriend, and it’s still not enough for the people.”
The waitress comes and sets down a giant piece of chocolate cake and ice-cream for Maddie. I have a large salad in front of me, while Brady is sticking to sandwiches and fries.
“Yes, Dec, that’s because everyone with a set of working eyes can see that she’s only the one who attends the games. There are countless videos and photos of you with other women. Everyone knows about your little arrangement every season because you’ve never been subtle about it.”
“Well,” I shrug, grabbing a french fry from his plate and jabbing it in Maddie’s ice cream. “It’s always worked.”
“Until now,” Brady says. “Being the guy who sleeps around is no longer going to bring you anything.”
“What about the guy who just plays hockey?” I ask, grabbing another fry. “Why can’t I just be that guy?”
“Ooh, pick me!” Maddie says, moving her cake out of my reach when I try to dip it into her ice-cream. “Because you got suspended. You’re not playing hockey anymore.”
I groan, tossing my head back. “This sucks.”
“We’re stuck with damage control,” Brady says. “You might not like it, but you have to take it seriously, Declan.”
“Can’t I just go play with a bunch of puppies at the pound and spoon Jell-O to the elderly and then I’m all set?” I ask, looking between my two siblings.
“I’m going to pretend you did not just say that,” Maddie says with a small frown between her green eyes.
“Then what do you want from me?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air.
“An actual effort,” Brady deadpans.
“So you’re saying what exactly?”
“I’m saying that you’ve got at least three options here,” Brady says. “You can disappear, lay low and buy some time. Which you have now that you’re suspended.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, grabbing my fork and poking at the lettuce on my plate.
