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“I’ll ask Gail to call her,” I say, gruffly. “Make sure Lucia picks up.”
Sawyer eyes me suspiciously. “So, are you guys together or something? What the hell is going on?”
It would be easy to tell him we’ve been seeing Gail since New Year’s, that she is, or was, one of the girls at Cupid’s Court. But since that’s not only my story to tell, I keep that to myself.
“Or something,” I confirm, grinning when Sawyer looks like he wants to punch something. Turning my attention on Soren, I add, “See you at home.”
Then I leave the locker room to go find Gail.
Mickey
She’s still seated in the arena, clutching my laptop to her side as though it’s a lifeline she refuses to let go of.
“Gail!” I call out her name, striding toward her.
“Mickey?” She says my name like she’s questioning whether it’s me or not. Cute.
Reaching her, I take one of her white locks and twirl it around my finger. “In the flesh, sweetheart,” I grin, though it feels forced. “Can we talk?”
She looks around. “Here?” Her voice is guarded, and why shouldn’t she be? Everything about me is off, from my tone to the way I’m moving.
“Maybe not here,” I grimace. “Somewhere private,” I suggest, gesturing toward the exit with a tilt of my head.
Sighing, she follows me out of here. When we reach my car, I open the door for her, which earns me a glare that’s anything but grateful. “Fine,” she exhales. “We can go to my place.”
I get into the car and drive us to her apartment. The air between us is charged, and I can feel her eyes on me now and then, but I keep my gaze on the road. It’s only when she speaks up, her voice soft yet laced with accusation, that I turn to look at her.
“I saw the pictures, you know. From the night you left your laptop.” I can hear the hurt beneath her words. “You left me this,” she taps her fingers against the laptop resting in her lap, “and then you left to spend time with puck bunnies. In what world does that make sense, Mickey?”
Yeah, I can see how that doesn’t make any sense at all. “Nothing happened, Gail.” My grip tightens on the steering wheel.
“Really?” Skepticism clouds her tone, and I don’t blame her.
“Really.” I park outside her apartment and kill the engine, turning to face her fully. “I needed a distraction. But alcohol was the only thing I indulged in.”
“Sure didn’t look like it from the tabloids.” Despite her attempt at nonchalance, the tremble in her voice betrays her.
“Fuck the tabloids.” The words are harsh, but my touch is gentle as I reach over, thumb brushing against her knuckles. “Do you really think I’d show you my past just to go wet my dick with someone else?”
Sighing, she opens the door and gets out of the car. As we walk up to her apartment, I keep waiting for her to answer me, but she never does. Not when she turns expectantly to me, waiting to get let into her home, or when I hand her the keys so she can do the deed.
If emptiness has a scent, it’s what Gail’s home smells of. Even though it hasn’t even been that long, it smells empty, vacated—stale. And cold. Since we made sure to cut the heating and electricity before leaving, it’s no surprise that it’s freezing.
“Motherfucker!” Gail curses.
I follow her into the bedroom, feeling like I’m stepping onto fresh ice—slick, unpredictable, and cold enough to make your bones ache. Gail’s shivering as she rips her coat away from her body and kicks her boots off. Then she climbs under the sheets, her teeth chattering as she tries to make herself comfortable.
“S-so freaking c-cold.”
“Come here,” I murmur, shrugging off my own jacket before sliding in beside her. The bed creaks under my weight, an echo of protest in the silence. She scoots close, seeking warmth, and I wrap my arms around her. For a moment, we’re just two people trying not to freeze.
She moves around so she’s facing me. “Talk to me, Mickey.” Her voice is soft, but insistent, her breath warm against my neck.
My heart hammers against my ribcage like a puck slamming into the boards. Where the hell do I even begin? “I assume you read about Simone and me,” I say.
She nods against my shoulder. “Yes.”
“I was so happy,” I admit, ripping off the Band-Aid. “Being with Simone was everything I ever wanted. So when she told me she was pregnant, I was ecstatic. I even proposed to her.”
