Moonlighter (The Company, #1)(53)

“Whoa!” Yell Georgia and Leo simultaneously.

I snap the card closed. “Jesus. Lower your voices.”

“What did I miss?” calls Silas from a few yards away.

“Nothing!” Then I look at my three friends, their mouths gaping open in front of me. “It’s not at all what you think,” I say quietly. “She is an old friend who finds herself in a tight spot. That’s why she needed a friend to go with her to a business thing in Hawaii. This—” I tap the card, “—Doesn’t have anything to do with me. But it’s still confidential.”

Leo looks deflated. “Not yours, huh? Because that would be some first-class gossip right there. Mr. Single man takes a walk on the not-so-wild side.”

“You wish,” I tease him. “You smug married people are always trying to flip me.”

“Ah, well.” He shakes his head. “Someday, though.”

As if. “Guys, please don’t say anything about Alex to anyone. It isn’t public yet.”

“Fine!” Georgia throws her hands up in the air. “That was almost really exciting. But I guess I’ll have to go back to watching Love Island if I want gossip.”

“I guess you will.”

“There’s one more thing I needed to ask you about. Who is Anton Bayer? He was just added to an AHL roster in Colorado.”

“Oh, that’s my cousin. Well, my cousin’s kid. Good guy, I guess. I don’t know him that well.”

Georgia makes a note on her legal pad. “Okay. If he’s in town when we travel to Denver, can I schedule a photo op? The press loves that stuff. Families in hockey.”

“Sure,” I say with a shrug. Georgia can spin it that way if she wants, even if my actual family gives zero fucks about hockey.

“Thanks!” She pats me on the arm and then moves away.

“Fifteen minutes, boys!” calls O’Doul, the team captain.

Fifteen minutes is just enough time. After my shower, I slip Alex’s note out of my gym bag and read it.

Listen, Stinkmonster:

This is the note I should have written to you after that debacle in Florida. The I’m-sorry-I-behaved-badly note. So here goes:

I’m sorry I was so abrupt with you when we got off the jet. I was really scared and not thinking straight. Not that it’s any excuse. You were nothing but wonderful to me in Hawaii. I don’t think I’ll forget that trip anytime soon.

The baby and I are both fine. My symptoms stopped within forty-eight hours, and I haven’t had any more trouble. My doctor here in New York shrugged and said, “it happens.”

So I’m back at work, getting ready for my big launch and calling my lawyer every few days to see if they’ve made their move on the paperwork that I need signed. They haven’t approached him yet, though. I think your brother is trying to dig up some more dirt first.

They don’t tell me the details, either because it’s quasi illegal or they think I’m a fragile flower. But I hope to know more soon.

I hope you’re doing great and enjoying the start of the season.

Best,

Alex

I read it twice. It’s a nice note, but it doesn’t say, “Swing by and visit later.” Not that I have her home address, or even her phone number. I never asked for it in Hawaii. I didn’t need to. The security team handled everything.

My brother has her number, of course. I could ask him. But that’s a crap idea. He didn’t like my behavior in Hawaii. He might not even give it to me.

Instead, I do an internet search for Alex’s corporate headquarters. I dial the main number and ask to be connected to Alex’s office. I wait on hold for a while, and then a man’s voice eventually picks up. “You’ve reached the CEO’s office, how can I help you?”

His voice is familiar. “Rolf?”

“Speaking.”

“It’s Eric Bayer calling. Can I speak to Alex?”

“She’s in a meeting.”

Of course she is. “Look, Rolf. I got a letter from her today, and I don’t have her cell number. I need to reach her.”

“I knew you weren’t really the boyfriend.”

“It’s complicated. Can you give me her number so that I can speak with her later?”

“No way,” he sputters. “I’d have to fire myself immediately for giving out her personal information.”

I was afraid of that. “But you can give her mine, right?” I rattle it off, hoping she gets the message. And, more than that, hoping she returns my call. I know I’m supposed to be just a friend. I can live with that. But I’d really like to see her.

When I hang up, Castro is sitting beside me. “So, what’s the real story?”

“I told you. It’s confidential.”

My teammate’s eyebrows lift. “I meant with you, blockhead. She’s having a confidential baby with some other guy. But you’re the one on the beach.” He hands me the old photo from Martha’s Vineyard. I guess it’s made the rounds. I take a good look at it. I see two kids turned loose for the summer to entertain themselves. We thought we were so naughty, but we reek of innocence.

“There’s no big story,” I repeat. “I’ve known Alex a long time. I have a soft spot for her, I guess.”