Wildcat

by Rebecca Jenshak

  “Well then, we need to have a proper coming out party.” She claps her hands. “Photo shoot at my place tonight?”

  “Maybe tomorrow night?” I ask. “There’s somewhere I need to go tonight, and I need to stay under the radar. Can you come with me for moral support?”

  “A secret mission?” My best friend looks way too excited. “Absolutely.”

  When we get to the arena, Jade laughs. “When you said under the radar, I thought we were going somewhere new and exciting.”

  “I’ve been to every home game so far this season, except the one we worked at Wild’s.” Which basically felt like being there thanks to all the excitement of the nearby bar. “I can’t miss this even if Leo and I are…” I trail off. “Whatever.”

  “Okay, fine. Two games in one season. I might be Coach’s favorite daughter at this rate.” She links her arm through mine.

  I call Lindsey when we’re inside. She comes out to the lobby where Jade and I wait.

  “It’s so good to see you,” she says and hugs me. “How are you?”

  “Hanging in there,” I say, then I introduce her to Jade.

  Lindsey tells me how the brewery event was really successful and that the drama only made it so that people talked about it even more. She smiles and chats away in her usual excited, fast-talking voice. I’m glad I didn’t screw things up between us.

  She stops and lets out a breath. “I should get back in there. I might have a break after the second period. Are you sitting behind the bench?”

  “Actually, I was wondering if you could get us into different seats? Something a little farther away.”

  Jade hitches her thumb toward me. “This one is trying to go unseen.”

  I don’t want to be a distraction. And I’m also afraid Leo might take one look at me, snarl, and then avoid looking in my direction the rest of the game, further smashing my heart. I know, I know, it’s what I said I wanted.

  I’m still worried that I’m not good for him in the same way he is for me, but I can’t deny how much I miss him.

  “Gotcha.” Lindsey nods. “I think I have just the spot.”

  She leads us up to one of the suites. A group of women turns to watch us walk in. I spot Maverick’s wife, Dakota, among them, and she smiles, easing some of my trepidation.

  “Hey, girls,” Lindsey says. She hugs several of them, including Dakota, then waves Jade and me over.

  “This is Coach Miller’s daughter, Scarlett, and her friend, Jade. Is it cool if they sit up here tonight?”

  “Leo Lohan’s girlfriend,” one of the women says as she nods and looks me over.

  I don’t have time to correct her before Lindsey says, “This is Quinn. Honorary member of the group.”

  “The group?”

  “Wives and girlfriends,” Dakota says. “Quinn is dating one of the equipment managers.”

  “You brought me to the WAG box?” I screech at Lindsey.

  “He’ll never think to look up here.” She winks. “Now everyone get together so I can snap a few pictures before I go back down to the ice.”

  “Evil genius.” Jade laughs.

  We hang off to the side while Lindsey takes pictures of the Wildcat’s girlfriends and wives. It isn’t a big group, but within a few minutes, I feel at ease here. No one asks me about Leo, at least not until the game starts.

  I pull out my Lohan jersey from my purse. I’ve worn it every game. It feels like bad luck if I don’t. Also, I still want to pretend I’m his girl.

  Dakota takes the seat beside me. “Johnny doesn’t know I’m here either. I came up this weekend to surprise him.”

  Dakota’s still in college in Arizona. I don’t know how they do it, only seeing each other a couple of times a month, but as we watch the game, she tells me she’s planning on moving here as soon as she’s done with school. The huge rock on her left ring finger sparkles as she claps for him.

  “Now, I’ve waited as long as I can stand. Tell me what happened with you and Leo. Maverick is a terrible gossip and said Leo’s been a total grump all week.”

  “It’s complicated,” I say.

  Jade leans over me. “Some asshole called Scarlett a hooker at an event, Leo hit him, may or may not have been arrested.”

  “Go, Leo,” Dakota says.

  Jade shakes her head. “Then this one ended things.”

  “That isn’t the entire story, but yes, our relationship was turning into one big distraction,” I say. “Hockey is everything to him.”

  “I get that.” Dakota gives me a reassuring smile. “There’s a lot of pressure on them.”

  The view of the game from here is nice, but I miss my seat behind the bench, where I can see every expression on Leo’s face as he comes on and off the ice. Though maybe it’s for the best because even being in the same space as him, nervous energy bounces through me. I twist my hands in my lap and worry my bottom lip.

  The game is fast-paced, and at the end of the first, neither team has scored.

  “Doing okay?” Jade asks as she sits back down with fresh drinks.

  “This is torture,” I admit.

  She rests her head on my shoulder. “Maybe you should talk to him.”

  “And say what?”

  “I don’t know, I miss you, and I want to be with you.”

  I tilt my head and purse my lips.

  “What? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it is, but—”

  “No buts. If it had been me there that night, I would have gladly gone to jail to hit that dude. And I bet any other guy would have done the same thing if it was their girlfriend.”

  Dakota’s listening in and nods emphatically. “She’s right. I mean, I barely know you, and I’d like to take a swing at that asshole.”

  “You can’t live your life hoping bad shit won’t happen,” Jade says. “Manifest your dreams.”

  I laugh softly.

  “Which is why I decided to get engaged.”

  My head snaps around, and I stare wide-eyed at my best friend. “What?! Sam proposed?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “This sounds like a story that needs drinks.” Dakota stands and goes to the bar at the back of our suite. She comes back with three vodka tonics, and Jade starts in.

  “You know how all of my story ideas were getting shot down by my editor?”

  I nod along.

  “Well, I finally came up with a killer angle. I’m going to write a weekly column chronicling my experience from engagement to honeymoon. Finding a photographer, picking venues, the perfect wedding planner, invitations…” She trails off waiting for me to comment.

  “I don’t understand. Sam didn’t propose?”

  She rolls her eyes. “God, no.”

  The game is lost to us as Jade tells Dakota and me how she was scoping out a jewelry store to do a write-up on wedding rings when she found herself trying them on and imagining herself as the bride.

  “So you’re not really engaged?” I ask at the end of her story.

  “Sam has agreed to go along with it.”

  Dakota leans in. “Okay, stupid question, but how are you going to pull off a wedding at the end of this when you’re not really engaged?”

  Jade waves it off. “I have months, maybe a year's worth of content to drag this out.”

  I laugh. “Well, it’s bold.”

  “Manifesting my dreams,” she says happily. “Now, what is it that you want?”

  “Leo,” I say without a second thought.

  The final buzzer sounds with the Wildcats winning by one. I see him skate off the ice with the rest of the team. I could swear he looks right at the empty seat next to my mom.

  Jade squeezes my leg. “Then you need to talk to him. Now.”

  “I’ll text him,” I say, nerves making my fingers shake as I pull out my phone. After the way I walked out, I’m not so sure he’s going to be as eager to see me.

  “I have a better idea,” Dakota says. “Come with me.”

/>   41

  WHERE SHE BELONGS

  LEO

  She didn’t come. Yeah, she walked out of my house six days ago, and we haven’t talked since, but her not showing up here tonight feels a hell of a lot more final. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the first time she doesn’t come in a month is after things with us went south.

  “The guys are heading to Wild’s,” Ash says.

  “I don’t think I’m feeling it tonight.” I run a towel through my hair and get dressed.

  “All right. Lord of the Rings binge? Strip club?”

  I laugh a little. “Go on without me. I have to hit the media room anyway.”

  “Hey,” he says and grabs my shoulder. “No comment.”

  He says the two words slowly and then smiles big.

  Fucker.

  “Lohan!” Maverick calls my name from across the locker room and beckons me. I don’t feel like talking to anyone else, so I make a motion that I’m heading in the other direction and start toward the interview room. Jack is already there, answering questions from the podium.

  Blythe walks over to me and offers a smile. “Nice game.”

  “Thanks.”

  She lingers.

  “I know the drill. Say ‘no comment’ and smile. I won’t let you down.”

  She quietly laughs and shoots me a sideways glance. “They’ve already been prompted to keep all questions on the game. If they go rogue, I’m here to deal with them.”

  “Thank you.” The last thing I need is to cap off the night with another jog down memory lane of my actions the past few weeks and how I lost my position and the girl.

  Jack takes his last question, and I push off the wall.

  “Hey, Leo.” Blythe stops me before I go upfront. “You have this. If you don’t know how to answer a question, you can always fall back with a good shrug or shake of the head, say how much you enjoy being a part of this team.”

  The room buzzes with noise as Jack thanks the reporters and waves. A few shout out final questions, hoping he’ll answer, lots of flashes go off. They’re still focusing on him when I take his spot and adjust the hat on my head to show more of my face.

  Nervous energy makes me shift on my feet. I fiddle with the zipper on my team jacket and nod to the first reporter. He lobs me an easy question about L.A.’s defense.

  I answer with confidence, but as soon as I finish and the next reporter starts to speak, I hold my breath. Whatever Blythe said before the interviews seems to have worked, and I settle in, feeling more like my old self with each one.

  On the surface, I’m cool, calm, and collected. But as I blather on about hockey and tonight’s game, I realize on the inside I’m not any of those things. Even if I play every game perfectly and ace every interview, I’m never going to be the same.

  Scarlett isn’t here, and she won’t be here unless I do something about it.

  “Final question,” Blythe says from the side of the room.

  I wave to a reporter in the front row. I realize my mistake too late. I’ve never seen her before, and she has that eager and wide-eyed look of a newbie. New reporters are a pain. They think their big break question is just around the corner, and they don’t hold back any punches. She smiles nervously and glances at Blythe, like she knows she’s going to get shot down as soon as the question leaves her mouth.

  I recite no comment in my head over and over again, while I wait for her to deliver whatever hardball question she has up her sleeve.

  “Your personal life has gotten a lot of attention this season.” She pauses, and Blythe steps forward. She continues on, speaking faster, “It isn’t the first time that you’ve had bad press. There was the incident in Boston your rookie season.”

  “That will be all for tonight,” Blythe says, giving me an out.

  “No, it’s fine.” I hold up my hand to stop Blythe from intervening. So far, she hasn’t said anything that isn’t straight facts.

  The reporter blushes. “I only wonder how you drown out the noise after something like that and come in and play a game like tonight where you’re so sharp and focused?”

  I rest my hands on either side of the podium. “We have a great group of guys with a lot of talent. Coming to work every day is fun.”

  She nods. I can read the disappointment on her face from my bullshit answer. Blythe smiles proudly. She should. She crafted it herself.

  I think of Scarlett. What’s she doing? Where is she? Does she feel empty on the inside like me?

  I’d do anything to get her back. An idea hits, and I run through it at lightning speed, like I’m skating down the ice trying to read the play. Ah, fuck.

  A few reporters stand to leave, but as soon as I start speaking again, they all freeze and retake their seats.

  “You want to know how we drown out the noise? The truth is we don’t. Not really. Even the most dedicated and focused guy has his moments. How can we not? The very reason most of us play the game is personal. The people in our lives are a part of that, and yeah, when our relationships are rocky, then it sometimes shows out there.” I hang my head. “These guys on the team are like family. On the ice, we protect one another. Above all else, we’re a single unit with a single goal.”

  I look to Blythe, and she nods, encouraging me. That’s because she has no idea where this little speech is going. I’ll apologize later.

  “I fell in love with my coach’s daughter, and when people attacked her and our relationship, my instinct was to protect her, just like it would be out there with my guys. Then a lot of people told me the best thing for everyone was if I stayed silent. And that probably is what’s best for the team, maybe even for me, but it isn’t fair to her. I love this team. I’m proud to be a part of it, and I give a lot to it because I want us to win. You can play the best defense and still lose. I lost the girl because I was so busy protecting everyone that I forgot to ask myself what really mattered. That stops right now. Make no mistake about it, I’m still here to win, and when I step out on the ice, I will do everything in my control to be a good teammate and player, but right now… I need to play a little offense.”

  I take off with reporters calling after me. I blaze past all of them and head straight for the door. Some follow, but I don’t have time to care. I’m on a mission.

  Johnny Maverick is in the hallway and steps beside me like he’s going to say something.

  “Not now, Maverick. I need to find Scarlett.”

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you.” He jogs beside me to keep up. “She’s here.”

  I stop. “Here?”

  He points to the far end of the hallway, where family and friends wait for players.

  She’s here. All the air is knocked from my lungs. My legs can’t take me to her fast enough.

  Her expression is impossible to read, but the Leo Lohan jersey she’s wearing isn’t. She’s mine. We belong together. She’s my most important teammate.

  I circle her waist with an arm and kiss her. She lets out a shocked squeak but then lifts up on her toes and places her arms around my neck.

  Everything else feels insignificant without this. Without her.

  Flashes bring me back to reality. When I finally look up, it’s to see a crowd of people, including the reporters I just left.

  Scarlett tries to hide behind me, but I take her hand and pull her to my side. Right where she belongs.

  42

  DICK OVER DONUTS

  SCARLETT

  “Why is everyone staring at us?” I whisper as Leo tightens his grip on my hand to keep me next to him.

  “Probably because I just told them all I was in love with you and going to win you back.”

  “What?” My voice is shaky as I look up at him. He grins, waves at the reporters, and pulls me farther down the hallway to a quiet area that’s off-limits to the media.

  The smell of his soap is like a hit to the memory bank, unlocking all the feelings I’ve tried to repress since I last saw him.

  “Yo
u came,” he says, and his gaze drops to take in my jersey.

  “Of course I did.”

  “None of this matters without you.” He fists the material at my hip. “I’m sorry that I didn’t do a better job of protecting you. And I’m sorry if I scared you or embarrassed you by hitting that guy. I’ve spent the last few days going over it and over it.”

  “And?”

  “I still want to hit him.” One side of his mouth lifts in a rueful smile.

  “I love that you stood up for me, but I hate that you needed to. I don’t want to be the person that causes the drama and distractions in your life.”

  “Too late,” he says and leans in close. “I’m officially distracted. Besides, everyone deserves to have someone risk going to jail for them. I love you, dream girl. I have a lot of bail money.”

  “I love you too.” So much. “I want to be good for you.”

  “You are.”

  We have things to figure out, but I know I want to find a way to do this.

  “Say it again.”

  “I love you, Leo Lohan.”

  His grin is slow, and he’s quiet for several seconds like he’s soaking in my words.

  Blythe steps up to us out of breath. “You two might want to take security when you leave. They’re camped out waiting for another glimpse of you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Leo says to her. “No comment would have made things easier, huh?”

  She laughs. “What fun would my job be if you always did what I said?”

  I’d been standing with Dakota and Jade when I was waiting for Leo, and they find us, bringing along Maverick, Ash, and a few other guys from the team.

  “Dude. That was amazing.” Maverick slings an arm around Leo’s shoulders. “We have to celebrate.”

  “Wild’s?” Ash asks.

  “Nah.” Leo looks at me. “Party at my place.”

  Ash chuckles. “For real? Hot tub?”

  “Yep.” He pops the p. “You’ll let the boys know? I need an hour’s head start.”

  Jade hugs me and makes her excuses to find Sam, so they can talk about her, or I guess, their engagement.