He steps out into the hall and pauses, looking over his shoulder, that same awful sneer in place. “And you were never anything to me, Queenie. You were a means to an end. And a mistake, since I got where I wanted to be without you to drag me down. Seems to be the story of your useless life, doesn’t it? You’re everyone’s mistake.”CHAPTER 21

CRASH AND BURN

Kingston

My phone buzzes with messages from my family, wishing me good luck tonight, and my buoyant mood only increases the closer I get to Queenie’s office. I need to suit up for the game, but first I want to stop and tell my girlfriend the good news and steal a few kisses.

Corey comes around the corner as I reach Queenie’s office. He’s dressed in his suit—he’s always name and brand dropping, like people are actually impressed by what he wears. We all know what his salary is. He’s a big earner, but he’s no Rook Bowman. He smirks and starts whistling a funeral march as he heads in the opposite direction I am, toward the locker room.

I don’t like that he was down here, where he could potentially run into Queenie without me around to make sure he keeps his distance. I stop by her office, but she’s not there, which amps up the anxious feeling that’s making my shoulders tight.

Jake’s office door is open, so I pop my head in there, too, but it’s empty. I decide to check the copy room, on alert because Corey came from that direction. I round the corner just as Queenie does, scaring the crap out of her and causing her stack of papers to flutter across the floor.

“Shit!” She presses one hand against her chest and the other against mine. “You scared the hell out of me.”

I run my palms down her arms. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see you before the game, and I passed Slater in the hall. He was coming from this direction, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Did you run into him too?”

“What?” Her eyes lift to mine briefly and then dart down as she crouches to pick up the scattered papers. “Oh, no. I didn’t run into Corey.”

I help her gather up the pages and notice the tremble in her hands. “Are you sure you’re okay? Your hands are shaking.”

She exhales an unsteady breath. “I’m fine. You just scared me, that’s all. I was in a bit of a rush, wanting to get to the arena so I can meet up with the girls.”

“Why don’t we walk down together?”

“Okay. Sure. That would be great.” Her smile is still tremulous, but I did scare the heck out of her, so it’s understandable.

We drop off the stack of papers on her desk, which is always a disorganized mess, but she seems to know where things are. She shuts down her computer and grabs her purse, rummaging around in it for her jersey—the one I bought for her a few days ago—with my name and number on the back.

She pulls it over her head, and I take it upon myself to smooth out her hair. Of course, the innocuous contact always makes me want to touch more of her. I follow her into the hall. She fumbles with her keys, so I take them from her and help lock up. We speed walk through the building to where it connects to the arena, fingers threaded together.

“Hey, I have some news.”

“I need to talk to you about something,” she says at the same time. Her cheeks are flushed, no longer pale, but something still seems to be off.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything is fine. Good. It can wait until later, after the game. What’s your news?”

“You’re sure you don’t want to talk about it now?”

She bumps her shoulder against my bicep. “I’m sure. Tell me what’s going on. You seem excited.”

“My family usually makes a trip out here to see me play at least once a season, and Hanna’s birthday is coming up so I thought it would be great for them to visit around then. You know, since this one will be kind of different now that my relationship with her has changed some.” I tap my access card on the sensor and open the door for Queenie. Silence gives way to the sound of hockey fans in the distance, and my excitement ramps up.

She squeezes my hand. “I think that’s a great idea. When’s her birthday again? I know you told me, but I’m terrible with dates.”

“In a couple of weeks. My family usually stays at my place, so it can be hectic, and often it’s for, like, a week or more, but it’ll be a great time for you to meet everyone.”

“Meet everyone? Like your entire family? All at once?” Queenie’s voice is pitchy again.