Page 60 of Playmaker
The girl’s expression lit up once again. “She’s so cool!”
“Uh-huh, and she’s only about four-foot-ten.” I glanced at the girl’s father, then back at her. “Are you fast?”
“I’m the fastest!”
I laughed. “Well, being small and fast is good. Keep practicing—you’re not too small.”
She squealed with delight. At least her dad had the decency to look chagrined, and he mouthed, “Thank you,” before I moved on to the next fans. I hoped he really did get the message. Considering he was here with her and she was playing hockey at all, she already had a leg up on me when it came to support from her father. If he could stop wringing his hands about her height, she’d probably do just fine.
As I started down the line again, I realized Lila had been watching the whole exchange. When our eyes met, her soft smile did things I really didn’t need to be thinking about right now. Just the fact that she’d accepted my invite for the weekend still had me off-balance.
Don’t read to much into it, Sabrina. Friends travel together, too.
As we continued walking, Lila tilted her head slightly toward the girl and her dad. “Think she’ll be on this side of the barrier someday?”
Grateful for something to focus on besides my suddenly spinning head, I shrugged. “Well, we got here. No reason she can’t.”
Lila’s smile almost made me trip over my own feet, but I managed to keep my balance, and we continued down the line.
When we were nearly to the end, I glanced up ahead. There were some reporters waiting to interview us, and a few of the players from the men’s league were milling around since they didn’t really have anywhere to be for a while.
I caught a glimpse of my brother. Then another face caught my eye, and I stopped so abruptly, Lila almost ran into me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I…” No amount of media training could pull the“what the fuck?”out of my expression.
I hadn’t expected to seehimhere. My brother, yes; he’d always been a vocal supporter of the WHPL, much to our father’s dismay, and he’d texted me saying he was super excited about this weekend. Not a surprise to see his big grin as I came up the red carpet.
Seeing my ex-husband?
Ugh. Seriously?
Lila’s hand on the small of my back both startled me into the present and blanked my brain, and I turned to her. Eyes wide, she asked again, “What’s wrong?”
You’re touching me. Please don’t stop.
“Ugh… I’m good. I’m good.” I shook myself, finally managing to school my face so I didn’t look like a deer in the headlights. “Ty’s here.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” she muttered, unaware of my brain again jerking to a stop when her hand disappeared from my back. “Why ishehere?”
“No idea.” I pushed my shoulders back. “But he’s not ruining tonight.”
“No, I think he’s ruined enough nights for you.”
I snickered. “You’re not wrong.”
She laughed and elbowed me, and when I met her mischievous gaze, some of my irritation melted away. Funny how quickly she’d gone from being the object of my aggravation to the salve I needed when someone else got on my nerves.
We continued up the red carpet toward my brother and ex, and I counted myself lucky that Ty had been talking to a reporter during my mental record scratch. He hadn’t noticed me staring at him, so he wouldn’t be able to rub it in my face. Someone probably had noticed and would tell him about it later, but at least right now, he’d been characteristically oblivious.
As we inched closer, I hoped someone important would call him away and he’d be elsewhere when I reached the end of the carpet.
No such luck.
I was about ten feet away with Lila right beside me when Ty tilted his head and narrowed his eyes the way he always had when he was irritated with me. In an instant, my nerves about crossing paths with him gave way to pure annoyance.
“Well, look at that.” His media smile had never looked so cold. “You made the All-Stars. Even if it’s not therealAll-Stars.” He was clearly trying to make it sound like a joke to anyone who was listening, but I knew better.