Page 92 of Rookie Move
Leo chuckled to himself just imagining it.
He left the dressing room, but hesitated in the hallway. The lounge wasn’t appealing to him, because food and company weren’t what he needed right now. Instead, he headed into the stretching room, which was empty. He sat down on the mats and began to loosen up his hamstrings, reaching slowly for the arches of his feet and breathingdeeply. The yoga instructor would be so proud. Then he got up on one knee to stretch his hip flexors.
The stretching routine almost worked. But Georgia’s tentative face kept looming in his memory. The bittersweet smile she’d given his mother before they’d left after dinner...
Argh. Here he was worrying about her again. When there was a hockey game that needed winning.
“Hey,” Silas said from the doorway. “Got a minute?”
“Sure.” Leo flopped back onto the mat and lifted his legs to stretch his lower back. “What’s up?”
Silas came into the room and sat on the neighboring mat. “Remember I told you that your room had a fucking eject button under it?”
“Shit.” He remembered that all too well. “Why do you ask?”
“I have a buddy in Vancouver. We played together in college.”
“Yeah?”
“He called me to say that he and I might be teammates again. There’s a rumor that he’s going to be traded to Brooklyn.”
Leo sat up fast. “Wait. Traded for who?”
Silas winced. “For you, man. I wasn’t sure I should even mention it. Don’t want to throw you off your game tonight. But...” He cleared his throat. “I know you have some complications here. Thought you could use the heads-up.”
Leo wasn’t one to panic. It was one of the reasons that he did so well at hockey—he was calm whenever things swerved in an unexpected direction. So this news didn’t throw him into a tailspin. If another NHL team wanted him, that meant his stock in the league was rising. But...
Georgia.
“Christ,” he said. And then a chuckle rose up in his chest. A few things became clear to him all of a sudden. Georgiawasn’tafraid of commitment. She was afraid that he was about to be shipped several thousand miles away. He laughed, feeling better than he’d felt all day.
“Are you going to let me in on the joke?” Silas asked. “I like gallows humor.”
Leo shook his head. “It’s just a cosmic joke, right? The universe is giving me the runaround today. But I’m good. It will all work out.” Either he’d be traded or not. “You’ll have a roommate either way, man. Me or your buddy from college.”
Silas shook his head. “That’s not the reaction I expected.”
“Eh. There are worse things. Maybe this will get me out of the next black-tie benefit.”
“Now that’s looking on the bright side. I got that e-mail today, too. Don’t forget to put your date’s name in by the end of the week. Maybe that Amy chick is available to accompany you.” Silas cackled.
“Aren’tyoufunny. But you know what? Last time you didn’t have a date at all. How’d you get away with that?”
“I could tell you my secret, but it’ll cost you.” The goalie hooked one ankle over the other one and grinned. “Your favorite publicist makes a date mandatory because she thinks it improves our behavior if there’s women at every table.”
Leo snorted. “Hell. She’s probably right. How do you get around it? I’ll pay up.”
“This one’s on me. But don’t tell anyone. You just make up a name. Put any name on the list. Then, the night of the party, your fictional date stands you up. It’s the simplest thing in the world. And the bonus is that if it’s a sit-down dinner, you can eat twice. Some of these fancy caterers are stingy.”
“God, that’s so obvious. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Silas pointed to his head. “Genius. Right here.”
“I’m using that. Because it’s been a shitty day, and I won’t be able to convince a certain publicist to be my date.”
“No?” Silas shook his head. “Sorry.”
So was Leo. Although now he knew why Georgia was freaking out. She must have heard the trade rumor in the C-suite. Maybe Becca told her.
