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“You want help from the guy who let you sign a contract that included performing in TikTok videos without telling you about it?” I ask.
“Fair point. Still. This is the kind of thing he navigates. Might as well get his take.”
“Does he know this was a … fake thing?” It’s still hard to get my mouth around a word as untrue asfake.
“No. I mentioned I had a date tonight. I didn’t think it would blow up like this, but I told him just in case.”
Interesting. I mean, it probably means nothing. But still—interesting.
Logan leaves the phone on the table and puts it on speakerphone. “Hey. I’m here with Parker. You’re on speaker.”
“Great,” Jeremy says, and I can picture his slimy face smiling slimily. “The happy couple.”
I roll my eyes, and from somewhere under the couch, Mr. Eds growls. Maybe he’s a good judge of character after all. Or maybe he still just hates everyone equally.
“We were just discussing how to handle this,” Logan says. “What’s your read?”
“How to handle what? There’s nothing to do but embrace Logan Barnes snagging a girlfriend from your hometown who’s as hot as—”
“Jeremy.”
Logan’s voice is like a samurai blade. I’m shocked his phone doesn’t slice in half from the force of it.
Sorry, he mouths to me. When I only shrug, Logan grins. It’s pure mischief.
“He’s not wrong,” Logan whispers.
I elbow him in the side, even as I bask in the compliment.Newsflash: Logan Barnes thinks I’m hot!!!!
“The point is—this is the best possible thing for your career right now,” Jeremy says, sounding like he’s not drinking cinnamon tea. More like a triple shot of espresso.
“No—playing good hockey is the best thing for my career,” Logan says.
“Oh, sweet Logan,” Jeremy says, and I’d like to shove the man into a supply closet alone with Mr. Eds. “If this were just about your skills, you wouldn’t be stuck in Harvest Horror right now. Rebuilding your career is about your reputation and image as much as your skills. You’re not seen as a team player. The fight with the fan made you seem like a liability. And banishing you to the AHL is your penance. I don’t need to tell you this is your chance to prove your personal life won’t negatively impact the franchise.”
Logan leans back and tilts his head up to the ceiling. I try not to get distracted by his neck—the way his Adam’s Apple bobs when he swallows, the faint flicker of his pulse, the shadow of stubble gathering strength to turn into a category five o’clock shadow.
Focus, Parker!
All of this can’t be news to him. Or maybe he’s just used to thinking like a hockey player, not like a team owner. Or a social media strategist—which is what I am. Hearing Jeremy’s words seems to have shaken me back into biz mode. I welcome the shift, because it clears my head a little for the first time since Mia called.
I lean forward and set down my mug next to the phone. “So, what’s the best play here for Logan’s career?” I ask.
“Parker,” Logan says, a note of warning in his tone.
But Jeremy interrupts. “Simple,” he says. “Don’t break up.”
CHAPTER19
Logan
Pain yanks me from sleep,and it takes a few groggy moments with my eyes still closed to register where I am and what hurts.
Especially since alotof things hurt. My back, for one. My head is also throbbing, just behind my eyes. A telltale, up-too-late and need-coffee-stat headache.
But what woke me is unfamiliar—this pain is needle-sharp, stabbing my chest in a steady rhythm.Stab. Stab. Stab.
When I open my eyes, I am face-to-face with a black feline of monstrous size.
