Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“Can you imagine the energy?” he says. “First time in that building with fans? Place is going to lose its fucking mind.”
Remy nods. “I heard the lighting alone cost more than my first contract.”
Arch chuckles. “Worth it.”
I eat, listening and nodding when appropriate. Miller does the same. We don’t look at each other, and I’m not put out at all. Silence isn’t awkward when you’re comfortable inside it.
That’s when I see Juno.
She and Evan enter the dining hall together, his camera slung but not raised. They move through the space easily, blending instead of cutting through. Juno chats with one of the nutrition staff, then joins the line. She’s been keeping her distance from me, and I don’t trust that she’s given up. But I’ve been observing her.
Earlier this morning, during drills, a rookie defenseman had slammed his stick against the boards after missing an assignment. Evan shifted instinctively, camera tilting up, hungry for that emotional reaction. Juno stopped him with a hand on his arm, a few low words that I couldn’t hear, but the camera lowered. She watched as one of the coaches gave some words of encouragement to the rookie, but she never recorded it.
Later, a coach lit into a winger near the tunnel, voices raised, frustration spilling out. Juno turned away and physically repositioned herself so the camera couldn’t see.
And yesterday, Miller nearly collided with me coming off the ice, tension thick enough to taste. Evan hovered, waiting.
Juno didn’t chase it, but she could have. Any of those moments would’ve made compelling footage. Instead, she let them go, and it confused me. I know she’s here to get the best story possible, and I know those high-emotion, thick-with-tension moments are golden for someone like her.
But Juno leaned back, let those moments pass, and moved on.
“She’s cool as hell,” Remy says. “Did my one-on-one with her yesterday. Didn’t feel like an interview at all.”
I focus in on the conversation, instantly understanding they’re talking about Juno.
“Yeah?” Boss asks casually. “Where did you do it?”
“She went with me on a hike with my dog. She walked with me, asked questions, listened. No camera. She said that would come later.”
Boss grins. “I know that was no chore. She’s incredibly hot.”
“So hot,” Remy agrees. “The type of hot that—”
“Don’t go there,” I say, cutting in over the words. “Not cool, dude.”
Remy isn’t completely deterred. “I’m just saying what every guy here is thinking, my friend. It’s only a matter of time before someone asks her out.”
Arch likes to push buttons. “She’s single, I’m single. Maybe I’ll go for it.”
“Maybe I will,” Remy says.
“Bet she turns you both down,” I say, confident in the fact that Juno Paxton is all about professionalism. She’s far more complex than I originally gave her credit for. Arch made sure to let me know he was in her corner after their little one-on-one. He’s been singing her praises ever since, and every time they pass each other in the hall, they fist-bump. It irritates me, and the fact that it irritates me irritates me even more.
I take another bite, chew slowly, surprised by the tight pull in my chest. I don’t want the interview. I’ve made that clear. And yet, the idea that everyone else is sitting across from her—giving her access I’ve refused—feels hollow.
And the woman hasn’t pushed. Not once since the parking lot.
It should be a relief, but I find it confusing.
The doors open again and this time, there’s no mistaking the shift in the room.
My jaw tightens as I see Cherry sweep in like she’s entering a movie premiere. Designer dress hugging every curve. Hair glossy and styled. Makeup flawless.
She scans the room, aware every man’s eyes are on her, and spots Miller. She beelines toward our table, swaying her ass the way she always did to make sure she’d be noticed.
There was a time when I loved her and thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I put up with that insatiable need she had to have eyes on her and I could’ve lived with that forever, really, but it was her need to bring me into the spotlight that ruined everything.
Cherry doesn’t notice me sitting at the table and that’s fine. Arch stiffens next to me when he spots her. And how could he not? She laughs loudly, wraps her arms around Miller’s shoulders, and settles onto his lap like it’s a throne.
Classic Cherry.
She pulls out her phone and angles it just right. “Give me a kiss, baby,” she coos, already recording.
Miller plants his lips on her cheek and she snaps a picture. Rather than acknowledge anyone else, rather than actually talk to her husband, she immediately goes into editing and posting mode.
I recognize the action with fingers flying over the phone, cropping, adding filters, posting to every platform imaginable.