Page 4 of Power Play

“An old hook-up from the season?” Colin teased. “Did you forget her name?”

“They hate when you do that.” Erik nudged Grant who rolled his eyes.

Why did this have to happen on our first night here? I was tired and had wanted to order room service and get to bed early, but when the vets on the team invited me out, I couldn’t say no. It was rare for them to extend an invitation to the rookies—well, not Noah. He was an anomaly.

The potential to make a good impression and maybe even wiggle my way into their inner circle vanished the second my eyes connected with hers. I didn’t see her until she was already at the table, otherwise, I would have approached her first. Well, maybe not. I would have at least been on guard. Okay, I probably would have left, feigning an illness or something to get out of there as fast as possible.

I was a coward, sure, but at least I would have been saved from public humiliation. And in front of the captain.

They were never going to let me live this down. This was the exact sort of thing they clung to forever, bringing it up at the most inopportune times. I’d seen it done to nearly all the guys at the table, and for the past two years, I’d been able to fly under the radar.

“Well?” Hartman’s stern look made me cringe. He wasn’t asking for a laugh. He was using his captain’s voice.

“She’s an ex.” That was too casual of a label, but I didn’t want the third degree from any of them.

Colin’s eyebrows shot up. “And I thought I messed up.”

Grant chuckled. “Lucy pretended you didn’t exist, but at least she never threw a drink on you.”

A few of the guys joined in the laughter while I pretended like I wasn’t completely out of the loop. Their inside jokes and shared memories were intimidating enough in the locker room, out in the real world it was just further proof that I was an outsider.

“I take it things didn’t end well?” Noah prodded.

“Not exactly,” I mumbled. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about her or what happened for so long. I didn’t want to uncover the locked box I’d pushed all those memories into. It was the only way I could function, especially at the beginning. I had to block it out in order to focus on playing hockey and furthering my career. If I’d let myself hold onto her and what we had I would have withered away in the darkness.

She hated me and she had every reason to. I didn’t just break up with her. I disappeared.

That captured the attention of the table and they quieted.

“Sounds like a story.” Erik wagged his brows.

I’d heard Dad and a few of the other guys complain about how much this group loved drama and gossip, even referring to them as school girls. This was my first experience being at the center of it. I was not a fan.

“We dated in high school,” I offered, hoping that would be enough.

“So what? Last year?” Reese asked, earning a few laughs.

“Four years ago, actually,” I replied lamely.

“I thought you were in the Major Juniors?” Noah added.

“I was.”

Erik leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You naughty boy.”

“Isn’t dating against the rules on most teams?” Derrek asked.

I shrugged. “Depends on the coach. It’s not an official rule.”

“But it was for you.” Erik’s grin widened. “Wasn’t it.”

Running away to the restroom was a tempting option at this point. Unfortunately, that would make everything worse. I had to face them now and minimize this before it became a whole thing.

“I kept my personal life off the ice. It didn’t affect my training or how well I played, so it never came up.”

“How long were you two together?” Reese asked from the other end of the table.

“Two years.”