Maven smiled. “I’m nowhere near as interesting as this one,” she said, pointing to me.
“And he’s nowhere near as jaw dropping.”
Bobby always had a way with the ladies, which was exactly why he was already married at twenty-three.
“Alright, easy there, Bobbers,” I said.
“What, you two dating?”
“No,” Maven answered quickly.
Bobby grinned, looking at me like he saw something I didn’t. “Then I guess I’m free to remark on her beauty all day if I want to, Vinny.”
“And I’m free to tell your wife about it?”
He pointed at me. “You win. Alright!” He blew his whistle, calling his team over. “Well, boys. We have approximately sixty minutes with Vince Tanev.” He grinned at me when they all buzzed with excitement at the confirmation of it really being me. When he turned back to them, he asked one simple question. “Where should we start?”
He was met with silence.
And then, every player talking over each other trying to be the one to answer first.
Once I had on skates and pads, I took to the ice, running drills with the team and offering pointers where I had them. When I’d look over at Maven, Bobby was always yakking it up beside her. The guy couldn’t help himself.
I spent about forty-five minutes on the ice, and the last fifteen taking pictures and signing autographs. Then, with one last hug from my former teammate and friend, Maven and I were back in the car and on our way to the hotel.
I already felt more refreshed, energized by the excitement of the kids at the rink.
“Bobby had some fun stories to tell,” Maven said as we rode across town.
“About all the records I broke at Michigan?”
“More about how many girls you left heartbroken in your wake.”
My smile flattened.
Damn it, Bobby.
Maven snuffed a laugh through her nose. “Don’t worry. I told him it was nothing I didn’t already know.”
I realized then she was preparing a post on her phone, a video of me skating drills with the kids pulled up. I covered it with my hand.
“Don’t.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Don’t post it.”
Her jaw went slack, confusion drawing her brows together. “But…”
“Some things aren’t for public consumption.”
I held my hand over her phone while she watched me, only pulling it away when I was sure I’d made it clear. She kept her eyes on me even after I removed my hand.
And there was something in her gaze, something that was becoming my new favorite drug.
Proof that I’d proven her wrong about me.
Not with any help from my former teammate, it appeared.
I looked out the window for the rest of the ride, and when we got back to the hotel, the rest of my pre-game routine was waiting for me. I didn’t have the nap, but I did have the pasta, and the pushups, the call to my sister and the closet light.
Maven and I didn’t fight, but then again, we hadn’t really talked at all since that night outside the bar.
So maybe it counted.
When we won in overtime against the Pittsburgh Venom, I decided that it did.
Hot Streak
Maven
The Ospreys managed to squeak out a narrow two-to-one win against the Baltimore Railers, sealing them their fifth win in a row. This game hadn’t been as pretty as the last few, and Vince said as much to the reporter interviewing him on the bench after the game.
“As you and the team prepare to head back to Tampa, what’s your focus going to be?” the reporter asked. She was beautiful, professional, with a tailored skirt suit and makeup applied to perfection. She had champagne blonde hair and skin as pale as moonlight. I didn’t miss the way she batted her eyelashes at Vince and leaned in a little closer than necessary during the interview.
“I’m going to continue to play like we’re already in the playoffs,” he said. “Like every game counts. I’m disappointed that I didn’t score tonight, but I’m proud of my team for showing up and getting the job done. I can do better,” he added with a nod. “And I will do better.”
I recorded the interview on Instagram Live from behind the cameraman who was with the reporter. The comments rolled in faster than I could read them.
Tampa loves you, Vince!
Take your shirt off, Vince!
It’s a jersey, not a shirt, idiot.
You did great tonight, Vince!
You played like shit, rookie. What are we paying you for?
My kid can skate better than you, Tanev.
Perry won this game tonight — not you.
I didn’t know how he put up with it, the constant chatter from his fans. Most of them loved him, but some of them were just… mean. It was appalling to me how much they felt like they had claim over him, over the team.
My inbox was so out of control these days that I only checked a handful a day, randomly picking ones to respond to with a heart-eye emoji. I saw everything from letters of devotion to Vince or the team to rants about stats and insults that felt personal — and they weren’t even about me. I couldn’t imagine what Vince dealt with on his own social media. Then again, I imagined he probably didn’t care — not when he was so confident he was the best.
When the reporter thanked him and the interview was over, I followed him back to the locker room. For a moment, he was quiet, his head hanging, a deep line between his brows. I wondered if he really was beating himself up for his performance. Sure, he didn’t score, but he played well. They won.
I could tell from his expression that that wasn’t enough for him.
But when we made it to the locker room where celebrations were already in full swing, he took one deep breath, plastered on a smile, and slipped right back into the Vince Cool persona.
“We’re getting tanked tonight,” Carter said, jumping on Vince’s back. “Five-game hot streak, boys!”
“Maybe Maven here is our lucky charm,” Jaxson added, and before I could protest, he had me thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “We’ll have to kidnap you when your month is over.”
“Put me down,” I said on a laugh, beating my fists on his back. It was like hard stone.
“Only if you agree to go out with us tonight.”
“Put her down.”
Those last three words came from Vince, and it was the deepest I’d ever heard him speak. Slowly, Jaxson did as he asked, and then the locker room was quiet for a moment — all eyes on the exchange.
“Easy, Pidge. I was just messing around,” Jaxson said, and he looked almost scared before a grin split his face, and he eyed Vince like he knew all his deepest secrets.
Vince didn’t respond. He just glanced at me, back at Jaxson, and then sat down on one of the benches to begin the arduous process of stripping out of his pads.
I waited in the hallway outside the locker room, uploading some of the content I’d filmed while the boys took quick showers and got ready to load the bus. We were spending the night in the city, flying out first thing in the morning, and while the guys were ready for a night out on the town, I, for one, was missing what little semblance of a routine I had back in Tampa.
My whole life had been thrown off-kilter, and the more I slipped into this new lifestyle, the less I knew what day it was or what was going on. I did yoga when I could, called my parents, and saw Livia when she was at the stadium, but other than that, my life revolved around Vince Tanev.