Page 70 of Offside Secrets
The microwave beeps as Gavin’s face fills my laptop screen, his scrubs wrinkled and his hair doing that thing it does when he’s been running his hands through it during long shifts. I’m curled up on the couch, laptop propped on the coffee table, the muted glow from the TV reflecting off half-eaten takeout containers and a throw blanket that’s seen better days. The scent of microwave pasta lingers in the air—classy. Even through the pixelated video call, I can see the concern in his eyes.
“So,” he says, settling back in what looks like a break room chair, “want to tell me why my sister is eating sad frozen dinners while being featured in gossip blogs I didn’t even know existed until my colleagues started asking if we’re related?”
I poke at the sad excuse for chicken parmesan with my fork. “You read gossip blogs now?”
“I read them when they’re about my little sister allegedly having a torrid affair with her hockey captain.” His tone is gentle, but there’s a protective older brother lurking underneath. “And before you ask, no, I don’t think you’re some cougar-predator taking advantage of a younger man. The agedifference between you and what’s-his-name is basically nothing.”
“Campbell. His name is Campbell.”
“Right. Campbell.” Gavin leans closer to his camera. “Sutton, I’ve seen the photos. That man is not a victim. He’s looking at you like you hung the moon.”
I set down my fork, my appetite nonexistent anyway. “It doesn’t matter how he looks at me.”
“Because you’re his boss.”
“Because I’m his boss, because there are board members breathing down my neck, because every decision I make gets scrutinized ten times more than it would if I were a man.” The words tumble out faster than I intended. “Because the last thing the Renegades need is their owner becoming tabloid fodder.”
There’s a knock at my front door before Gavin can respond. I glance toward the sound, then back at his face on the screen.
“Someone’s here,” I say. “Can I call you back?”
“Actually, put me on hold for a second. I can wait, and we need to finish this convo while I actually have free time.”
I pad to the front door in my fuzzy socks, already knowing who I’ll find on the other side. Elle stands there with a bottle of wine and a determined expression that usually means she’s about to meddle in my life.
“We need to talk,” she says, pushing past me into the house.
“Hello to you, too. Come right in.” I gesture toward my laptop on the coffee table. “Gavin’s on a video call. You remember my brother?”
Elle’s face lights up as she spots Gavin on the screen. “The heroic ER doctor who saves lives while his sister runs a hockey empire? How could I forget?”
“Elle!” Gavin grins, waving from the screen. “Perfect timing. I was just trying to talk sense into our girl here.”
“About Campbell?” Elle heads straight for my kitchen, pulling a corkscrew from the drawer like she lives here. “Because I have thoughts.”
“So do I,” Gavin says. “And they all involve Sutton stopping her spiral of noble self-sacrifice.”
I sink onto my couch, positioning the laptop so both Elle and I are visible to Gavin. “I love how you two are ganging up on me.”
“We love you,” Elle says, settling beside me with two glasses of wine. “Which is why we’re not going to let you sabotage your own happiness.”
“I’m not sabotaging anything. I’m being practical.”
“Bull,” Gavin says from the screen.
Elle nearly spits out her wine. “I’ve always liked you, Gavin.”
“He’s not usually this aggressive,” I mutter. “This is serious.”
“It is serious,” he continues. “Sutton, can I say something without you getting defensive?”
“When have I ever gotten defensive?”
Both Elle and Gavin give me identical looks that remind me exactly why having people who know you too well is the worst.
“Fine,” I sigh. “Tag-team me. Say your piece.”
Gavin leans forward in his chair. “You know I never wanted to run the team, right? Even before I went to med school, even when Dad was grooming Jimmy to take over, I knew it wasn’t for me. But you? You were born for this.”
