“What in the heck has gotten into Beau Bradford this past week? He looks amazing out there. He looks like a new man.”
“Beau's a player who, in his first few years in this league, rightfully earned himself a reputation as a pest; a player who gladly stooped to chicanery to help his team win. But … look at his play on this goal. Look at the determination he showed. Look at the foot speed, the soft hands, theskillwe never even knew he even had! Normally at this level, what you see is what you get with a player. But Beau is showing us he's added a new dimension to his game. This is so rare, folks, we're witnessing something special.”
“It's like Beau Bradford woke up one day and decided to stand up and declare to the hockey world:'Look at me. I'm serious. I'm the real deal. I can play this game just as good as anyone else in the world.'”
They seemed just as shocked and disbelieving as I was, watching it all unfold.
But it was real.
It was happening.
He was becoming a great player before the world's eyes … and maybe a great boyfriend, a greatman, in front of my eyes.
***
Piper clapped her hands giddily. “That'ssogreat, Cammy. But I wish you wouldn't keep things like that from me.”
“I told you why: I'm so afraid of jinxing it.”
“Jinx? Damn, girl, the way things are going, I don't think you have anything to be afraid of.”
“Shhh!” I shushed her.
“Anyhow, Iknewyou two were a thing, by the way.”
“How the heck would you know a thing like that? I haven't told anybody.”
“I've got a source.” She sealed her lips.
“Sure. Of course you do.” I gave a doubtful laugh. “Unless your 'source' is one of Beau's teammates, I don't think so.”
But Piper's cheeks began to blush and she quickly turned away from me and busied herself.
Wait a minute.
I rushed to her side and yanked on her shirt sleeve. “Piper Eaglestorm!”
She passed me her guilty eyes. “Yes?”
“Are you talking with one of Beau's teammates?”
“Um.” She averted her eyes. “Maybe?”
My jaw fell wide open. “Who?!”
“Jack Cameron,” she muttered.
I remembered him: the hulking, baby-faced defenseman we'd met at the club. The guy whose shoulder she'd fallen asleep on.
“Jack Cameron! Oh my God!” I squealed. “For all the grief you've given me over keeping secrets! You've been secretly dating a Blizzard player of your own?!”
She clicked her tongue. “Well, we're not dating, first of all. We're justfriends.”
I folded my arms. “Oh. Right.Sure.”
“Seriously! We haven't done anything together at all. We've only talked, and mostly through texts.”
“Mmm-hm.”
