“And how the hell will you get into college?” his father had said. “You’re barely passing high school.”
“The recruiter said they can get me in. On a scholarship even. I could get my grades up, if I tried harder—”
“No, you couldn’t.” His father had planted his hands on Mason’s shoulders, though he had to reach up to do it. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until it gets through that thick skull of yours. God gave you one gift. One incredible gift. That is what you are good at. Focus on hockey, and don’t embarrass yourself by trying to do more.” Dad had shaken his head. “College. You can barely read.”
Mason skated faster to banish the memory. He executed a perfect set of crossovers, and that helped lift his mood.
Yep, still got it.
He moved into position for an explosive start and then took off down the ice and pivoted fast, his signature move against guys who figured Mason was too big to skate with any speed or agility. One of the little figure skaters whooped and shouted, “Swing that mace!” and he lifted a hand to a round of cheers.
Yep, definitely still got it.
“Mason!” This voice came from his side of the rink. He looked to see one of the staff gesticulating wildly.
“Your phone’s ringing!” the guy shouted. “You left it over here!”
“Yeah,” Mason snapped as he skated closer. “You know why I left it over there? Because it rings.”
The young man colored and stammered, “I-it keeps ringing. It might be urgent.”
Mason grunted and reached out a gloved hand. The guy lifted the cell phone gingerly, as if afraid of smudging the screen.
You don’t want to piss me off? You let me skate in peace. That’s why I pay a fortune to rent the whole ice. Because the only sound I want to hear is those kids having fun.
He answered the phone with a growled “What?” as the staff member slunk off.
“It’s Terrance,” said the caller.
“I know. I’ve got this fancy feature on my phone. Call display. Ever heard of it?”
“Have you checked social media today, Mason?”
“I never check social media. That’s why I have you.”
“You really are in a mood. Well, maybe this will help. You’re trending.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I want to hear. I’m trending, again, because I’m the world’s biggest asshole, who let a kid get put in the hospital. And if you say all publicity is good publicity, I will—”
“It’s not about Denny.”
Mason went still. “What’d I do now?”
“It’s about your appearance onVan This Morning. People loved it. You and the writer were adorable. That Ashley is a world-class bitch, and you deflected her like a pro. Better yet, you did it in defense of a lady.”
“Yeah, yeah. I just didn’t like seeing her do that to Gem.”
“Gem, is it? So you do know her.”
“It’s been a while, but yeah, I know her. She’s good people.”
“Better and better. You like her?”
Mason’s hand tightened on the phone. “What’s this about?”
“Do you like her well enough to go out with her? On a date? With some specially chosen media there to snap pics? People loved seeing that side of you, Mason, and they loved the idea of a classmate basing her romance hero on you. They’re hoping this is the start of something. So… maybe it could be? On paper?”
“You want me to go out with Gemma as a promo op? To polish my rep at her expense?”
