This is news to me. “Really? In what context?”
He scratches his head, avoiding his teammates who are openly smirking now. “When we discussed the coffee shop.” He nods stiffly. “Yeah, we talked about the coffee shop all the time.”
“You never bring up the coffee shop,” Tate saysmatter-of-factly.
Brendan’s lips tighten. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned it to someone.”
“Never heard you bring it up.” Leo shrugs. “Sorry, man.”
Brendan frowns, appearing genuinely irritated now. “I’m sure it’s come up at some point.”
“Well, the only thing that’s come up lately is Jaxon,” Rourke dishes out. “He definitely didn’t trust Jax around you. Or any of the single guys on the team.”
Brendan’s brow furrows. “You know what? I need to talk to the other coaches before we board. Excuse me.”
He storms off toward Coach Jenkins, leaving me standing with his grinning teammates.
I turn to Leo. “Is Victoria coming this weekend?”
“Not this time. She’s helping my mom move apartments this weekend.”
“And Jaz is home with a sick baby,” Brax adds. “She sent me a picture of Rosie.” He holds up his phone, showing a baby girl passed out on Jaz’s shoulder.
“Aw, poor girl.”
“Most of the WAGs stayed home, except you and Lauren,” Tate adds.
“Oh.” I try to hide my disappointment. Without the other wives and girlfriends here, I’m stuck hanging out with Lauren or Gabriella, who still hasn’t shown up yet. Brendan already made it clear he doesn’t want me disrupting his work routine, which means I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands this weekend. The only reason I’m here now is because he needs a fake girlfriend and I need a vendor contract. That’s the whole equation.
Which means I should probably figure out how to act like I know what I’m doing. Because I have absolutely no idea how a coach’s girlfriend is supposed to behave in public. Should I be the crazy fan screaming during the game or sitting quietly in the background? Will Brendan want to spend time together after the game, or does he prefer hanging out with the team?
I want to ask Brendan, but someone yells that it’s time toboard the bus, which means I’m flying completely blind. Maybe I can corner Lauren and get a crash course in hockey-girlfriend etiquette.
I try to catch up with her as we pile onto the bus, but she and Tate immediately link hands and take seats in the back. The bus fills with players who apparently all have a favorite seat, leaving few open spots.
Gabriella boards the bus at the last minute and slides next to Miles, clearly jazzed that she gets to talk to the goalie. Never mind that she’s his athletic trainer, and I specifically told her this was a terrible idea.
She waves across the bus to me, then gives all her attention to Miles.
Feeling completely out of my league, I stand in the aisle, looking for any available seat. And that’s when I see one right in the front: an open seat next to Brendan.
“Mind if I sit here?” I don’t want to assume anything after he told me he needs to focus on his job this weekend.
“Okay,” he says, then hesitates, “though I’ll probably be working most of the trip.”
“No problem. I have an audiobook that will last me the entire trip.” I try to sound breezy instead of deflated.
I’d questioned whether I should have driven myself, but this is the cheapest weekend getaway I can afford. Free transportation and lodging means I can actually take a break without it costing me a thing.
Which makes it more disappointing that the other girlfriends aren’t here, since Brendan’s clearly distracted by his work. Even Gabriella and Lauren will be busy since they work for the Crushers too.
Jaxon boards last and immediately spots me. “Hey, Scarlett!” he says with a grin before noticing Brendan’s icy glare. His smile drops so fast, it’s almost funny. “Oh, hey, Brendan. Didn’t see you there.”
Brendan’s jaw clenches. “That’sCoachMarco to you, Jaxon.”
“Right, Coach.” He looks nervously between us. “Good to see you both.”
“You too,” I call over my shoulder as he practically sprints to the back of the bus, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Brendan.