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Except now I feel like a complete jerk for blowing her off in the lobby.
Ugh, this is all a mess.
“Anyway, go get ready. There’s a PR meeting scheduled after this. I’ll try to get you out of practice in time for you to at least eat dinner beforehand because I have no idea how long it’ll take.” He squeezes my shoulder and then heads for the rink, his assistants already setting up the drill course for us.
With a sigh, I head back into the locker room. It’s fuller than it was when I stepped out, and my eyes find Dylan and Blaze. I haven’t talked to either of them since the article came out.
“Dude, you’re here!” Dylan throws up his hands in surprise. “I figured you’d be at home crying and eating ice cream.”
“Ha ha.” I roll my eyes, though I must admit his humor is a relief—much better than freaking pity.
“I don’t think now is a good time for jokes.” Blaze glares at him before giving me an apologetic frown. “I hope you don’t let them kick you off the team without putting up a fight. I have a really good lawyer if you need one…”
“Thanks, but I’ve got Tucker. He can be a handful, but he’s good at what he does.”
Blaze nods, shrugging into a sweatshirt. “This whole mess is a load of crap. Everyone knows Lacey wasn’t even around when you were dating. She ghosted you more than she showed up when you were in town.”
“I know. But now it’s her word against mine, and after that fight, mine doesn’t look so great.”
“She’s just using you to try to get her fifteen minutes of fame.”
Some things never change.
“Well, I hope she thinks it’s worth it,” I grumble.
Because she’s on the verge of ruining my life.
Chapter Eleven
Nila
Wow, she’s pretty.
I stare at the photo of Lacey Reign, Cameron’s ex-girlfriend, and I can’t help but feel ... jealous.
Her Instagram is blowing up—full of tagged posts about the article. But the farther I scroll through her posts, the more I realize that she only just recently gained a lot of her fame.
I wonder if she used the article as a means of climbing the ladder.
It’s a completely feasible explanation, which would mean that Cameron is the victim here. But if that were true, why hasn’t he told me it’s all a lie? Then again, maybe he’s just rocked by the whole thing? I know I would be.
My gaze drifts out to the ice where the team is currently running drills. It’s easy for me to pick out Cameron from the crowd since he’s one of the tallest. Well, that, and my eyes seem to be naturally drawn to him. It’s frustrating how handsome he is, even when he’s wiping the sweat from his brow.
And here I am staring.
Gawking, actually.
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair as I focus my attention back to Lacey’s Instagram. There’s so much here to sift through, though I know I probably shouldn’t. It’s one thing to snoop, but professionally, there’s only so much “research” I can justify before I have to wonder if it’s personal.
I can’t let it be personal.
So, I close out her profile.
My head starts to spin as my mind replays how Cameron gazed down at me last night at the dive bar before everything happened. I wouldn’t have been looking at my phone—let alone opening that article—had I not been searching for a distraction from the way he was softening while I was opening up to him.
I’m not blind to my innate need to keep people out. It’s no secret that ever since my gran passed, I refuse to let people in.
If I don’t let people in, I won’t lose anyone else.
