Page 36 of Power Play
“Not wrong,” I mutter, pulling on gloves. “Sophie’s toaster tried to murder her.”
Ollie perks up. “You stayed at hers?”
“Maybe.”
Jacko grins. “So that ‘fake dating’ thing is heating up, yeah?”
“Define heating up.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“Define sleep.”
Ollie drops his stick in shock. “No way.”
“Way.”
“I thought she hated you.”
“Shedoes. Passionately.”
Jacko laughs. “That kind of passion tends to end in nakedness.”
“It did,” I confirm. “Repeatedly.”
Jonno blows the whistle before I can elaborate, it’s probably for the best, and we spend the next forty-five minutes getting our legs turned to jelly in drills. Dylan doesn’t say much, but I catch him glancing over at me a couple of times with that broody ‘I know you’re hiding something’ look.
After practice, we hit the locker room, all sweat and sharp banter. I’m towelling off when Mike, the team manager, bursts in like a poorly timed pop quiz.
“Right. Listen up,” he announces. “We’ve got a PR event tomorrow.”
Groans echo off the tile.
Jacko’s first to speak. “Is it puppies again? Because last time Ollie nearly cried.”
“They werevery small, okay?” Ollie mutters.
Mike sighs. “No, it’s a visit to the children’s hospital. Local ward, with long-term patients. One of the lads there is a massive fan, he knows all your stats.” That shuts us all up. Mike continues. “Photos, autographs, a bit of stick-handling if they’re up to it. Just be decent humans for a few hours.”
“Define decent,” Jacko mumbles.
Mike looksdirectlyat me. “No flirting with the nurses.”
“I don’t flirt.”
“You flirt like it’s your side hustle.” He raises an eyebrow in my direction.
I raise a hand. “In my defence, they flirt back.”
“You’ll be on camera. No innuendo. No profanity. No making bets with the children about their IV drip speeds.”
Jacko looks offended. “That happenedonce.”
“The coach leaves at ten. Don’t be late.”
As he leaves, Ollie pipes up, “Should we bring anything?”
“Your manners,” Mike shouts from the hallway.
