Good Boy (WAGs #1)(46)

My feet freeze on the staircase, though, because I see Mama Riley sitting in the third seat in. At six-feet-and-change, even from the back she’s easy to spot.

“What’s the matter?” Jamie asks, waiting for me.

“Um…” Shit! I haven’t spoken to Blake since the world’s most stressful baby shower. He hasn’t called or texted, and he didn’t turn up either of the nights I visited my brother. He might even be avoiding me. “Let’s get some food first,” I say quickly. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

He gives me his version of an irritated look—a flicker of disapproval and then a relaxed shrug.

I drag him back into the crowds and into line at a mac-n-cheese stand that calls to me. “Okay, this is going to sound crazy.”

“Yeah?” Jamie is reading the menu, unconcerned.

“A couple of weeks ago I was Blake Riley’s date for a thing.”

“A thing?”

“A family party.” It’s the kind of story I would have told Jamie for giggles, except that Blake’s reason for needing a date was so awful I ended up keeping it to myself. “It’s a long story, but he told his family we’re dating.”

Jamie snorts. “You and Blake Riley?”

“I know, right?” My laughter has a tinge of hysteria in it. “It was a favor. He was supposed to tell his mom that we broke up later. But I don’t know if he did yet.”

Jamie turns to me with laughing brown eyes. “So, the Rileys think you’re either his girlfriend or his ex, but you don’t know which.”

“Right.”

“Well, this will be entertaining.”

It’s our turn, so Jamie steps up to the counter and orders mac-n-cheese with pulled pork for both of us, along with two beers.

I pull out my wallet, but my little brother waves off my twenty. “My treat.”

He and Wes are always treating me, damn it. This whole year is all about regressing. Back in the dorms again. Back to being broke. Fun times.

“You know…” Jamie hands me our beers. “If you’re smart, you’ll string this fake relationship out another week.”

“God, why?”

“There’s a benefit thing. It’s black tie, which blows. But Hozier is playing.”

The beer bottle stops halfway to my mouth. “Hozier is playing? Like, live?”

“Like, yeah!” He snickers. “For three hundred guests at a thousand bucks a pop. All the players get a plus-one.”

“Can I go with Wes?”

“No fucking way,” Jamie retorts, lifting the tray off the counter. “I’m going with Wes. It’ll be the first big charity thing I attend with him. Didn’t I choose well?”

“But…I like Hozier more than you do.”

“Says who?”

“Maybe Blake would bring me as payback.” Except he doesn’t owe me any favors now. Damn. It. My life is short on fun right now, and it’s definitely short on thousand-dollar concert tickets. I freaking love Hozier, though.

“You get the inside seat,” Jamie says as we descend again toward row E.

“What? No.”

He chuckles. “Just save my eardrums this one time.”

Reluctantly, I take my seat next to Mama Riley. “Hi there,” I say with false cheer.

Her dark eyebrows lift in surprise. “JESSICA!”

My God, she’s loud. “How have you been? Lovely party you threw. I’m still thinking about that brisket.”

She beams. “Thank you! How come you’re sitting here?”

Uh-oh. Does that mean Blake and I broke up? “Well, um, sorry. These are Jamie’s seats…”

She slaps me on the back with a hand that’s shockingly large for a woman’s. “Thought you’d be in the WAGs box! Both of you!”

“These are great seats,” Jamie says, helping me out. His smile is pure amusement. “The WAGs box is fun, too, though. But I’m always hung over the morning after hanging out in there. Right, Jess?”

“Um…” I don’t even know what the WAGs box is.

Luckily, the game is starting. We all rise to sing “O Canada,” which I really don’t know. But that’s okay because Mama Riley belts it loud enough for all of us. I’m approaching deafness by the last “WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEEEEEEEEEE!”

When I turn to my brother for a shared glance, something blue catches my eye. In his ear. Jamie is wearing one of those disposable earplugs.

“Omigod, where did you get that?”

“Hmmm?” he asks, passing me my dinner.

The starting lineup is announced, and when Blake’s name booms from the loudspeaker, Mama Riley cheers so loudly that I almost spill my beer.

Then the game starts, and the action is right in front of us. I’ve never seen an NHL game before, since I’m more of a football fan. But our seats are great and the fast-moving game is addictive. Blake is pretty incredible, too. He’s not as fast and slippery as Wes, but he’s just so forceful out there. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to look up at two hundred and fifty pounds of Blake Riley charging you for the puck.

I have an inappropriate shimmy near my goal crease just thinking about it.