Page 38 of He Has Game (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
“Oh look at your beautiful ring. What a gorgeous diamond.” She looks into my eyes with a warm almost teary smile. “He must have paid a bundle for that.” Then she takes me into a tight hug. Grace joins in the hug too.
“I think we’re causing a scene,” Grace whispers in my ear. I close my eyes, as if all the stares will disappear if I can’t see them.
“Maybe we should go to the powder room,” Mary says as she sweeps us up to leave the room as the emcee takes the stage and the lights go down for the fashion show to start.
“Maybe you should leave,” Sherry shout-whispers.
One of the other women at the table says, “If you’re asking them to leave, it’s the same as asking us all to leave,” I turn as we’re walking away to see Chelsea standing up to Sherry. The support of the team’s girlfriends and wives suffuses me with the best kind of armor as Sherry backs down. Chelsea winks at me as I mouth a thank-you and warm satisfaction spreads through me like fairy dust. Mary leads us into the carpeted corridor outside the hall.
We don’t make it into the ladies’ room before she rounds on us, mostly aiming her wrath at me since I work for her. Grace knows I’m a lowly intern, but Caroline has no clue, so I hope she doesn’t notice I’m being treated like an errant employee.
“What the hell was that? I thought we were trying to make nice with Sherry. The last thing we need to do is give her more reason to want to get even. Because we both know she’ll take it out on Finn and double down on her efforts to convince her husband that the team needs to trade him.”
“I don’t get it, Caroline says. What the hell’s going on here?” We all look at her.
Mary says, “Sherry’s husband is the CEO of the Boylston Foundation, a major charitable partner of the Brawlers organization and good friend of the Brawlers owners. He has a lot of influence—take my word for it--and Sherry has persuaded him to ransom Finn’s neck for their support. We’ve temporarily struck a truce with old man Boylston because Finn is engaged now and convinced him Finn will no longer be a threat of any kind to his wife or anyone else. Not that he ever was.”
“Of course he wasn’t.” Caroline’s mind spins with calculation so obvious her skull may as well have been made of glass.
Flicking a glance at Mary, I check to see if she’s on the same page as I am. I think Caroline will make an awesome ally.
* * *
Two dayslater Finn returns from his road trip and I’m more excited than is wise to see him. Having spent the better part of the time in his absence working on my novel, the novel of my heart, I can’t help my romanticism taking control. Tomorrow there’s a game and then on Sunday we have a visit to the children’s hospital.
The team won two of three on the road and are ready for the playoffs. Finn should be in a great mood and I wonder when I’ll hear from him. I’ve restrained myself from texting or calling him since I know he’s not a fan of either. He’ll visit me when he’s ready, I’m convinced, so I’ve taken to cleaning my apartment as if it’s an operating room—if operating rooms were romantic, broody places—to be ready for the possibility.
Someone buzzes downstairs.
After,, a minute I open my door and he’s standing there. Holding a bouquet of roses.
