Overnight Sensation(74)

Oh, Jesus. I would’ve waited in the lobby if I’d known I would cause this scene.

The old grump is already shaking his head. “You need to learn how the real world works. And you can’t learn it by ingratiating yourself with a hockey team.”

Heidi has gone white. Her hands are in fists. She looks like O’Doul just before a sudden second-period brawl. “I can’t believe you,” she whispers.

“You’ll believe me by March,” he says. “That’s the point.”

She closes her eyes for a moment. Then they fly open again. She stomps toward a console table against the wall. “This must be from my mother?” There’s a gift box with a ribbon tied around it. Heidi checks the card and then tugs violently on the ribbon. “Ah,” she says, opening the lid of the box. “It’s good to know my parents are on the same page.” Heidi lifts something from the box. A scarf? A wrap?

I don’t speak women’s fashion, but it’s diaphanous and beaded.

“This is very useful!” she snaps. “I can wear it over my Ice Girls’ uniform between resurfacings. Or sell it on eBay. Whether or not you know it, I am a very practical girl.” She drops it back into the box and snatches it off the table. “Let’s go, Jason.” She stomps toward the door and opens it almost before I catch on.

Heidi makes it to the elevator before I’m even out the door. But I hesitate anyway, turning to glance at her father on my way out. He’s standing quite still in his living room, looking like a grenade with the pin pulled.

“Look,” I say, and he turns to look at me with angry eyes. “Don’t punish her for spending time with me. She doesn’t deserve that.”

If possible, his jaw gets even harder.

“She works really hard. I just want you to know that. She tackles the jobs you assigned to her, and she has a side hustle to earn more money.” I shake my head, thinking of all the hours Heidi works. “And she’s a good friend. She’s looking after my teammate who just had knee surgery. And she planned a birthday surprise for my roommate. She’s a good worker, and a good person. She’s impressive. If I were you, I’d be proud, not angry.”

He closes his eyes for a brief second, and then turns his back on me.

Having said my piece, I join Heidi at the elevator bank. Her eyes are red, and her shoulders are tight.

When I pull her into my arms, she doesn’t resist.





28





Heidi


“He doubled my jail sentence,” I tell Jana. “I’m having a dying duck fit, here.”

“Deep breaths, Heidi Jo,” my sister says. “Stress wrinkles the face prematurely.”

“I’ll look like a hag by the weekend, then! Why is he doing this to me?”

“Maybe Daddy is having a midlife crisis,” my sister muses. “He snapped at Mama over the weekend, too. Right in the middle of the country club dining room.”

“Oh, Lordy. Did she lose her squash at him later?”

“No idea. I stayed clear of the two of them after brunch. He was giving Mama a hard time over her credit card bill.”

“What a grump.” Although Mama is known for bringing armloads of shopping bags home every week. And she never worked a day in her life.

Unlike me. “If you happened to watch the Brooklyn game on TV last night, you would have seen me skating with the Ice Girls again.”

My sister giggles. “When’s the next home game? I have to see this.”

“Friday.”

“I’m making a note. Is the uniform awful?”

“It’s the worst. Not just because it’s too revealing—it’s cold. And the jerk in charge is always touching us—like he’s at the grocery store trying to choose a good melon.”

“Ew!” Jana shrieks. “I’m surprised you haven’t kneed him in the walnuts already. Our Heidi Jo doesn’t suffer fools. Tell Daddy. He’d hate that.”

“I will not ask Daddy for help.” There’s a better way. “I’m going to write down everything the guy does and report back to the team owner.” In fact, I’m walking into the Brooklyn Bruisers headquarters right now to meet with Rebecca. “He’s going to get an earful from management.”

“That’s showing him,” my sister says. “Now, you hang in there. If you need money, maybe I could give you a loan from my trust fund. The lawyer could help me with that.”

“Wow. That’s generous of you. If I get really desperate, I’ll ask. I’m only halfway to banking the five thousand dollars I need for my own apartment.” I pause in the lobby to finish our conversation.

“What?” she yelps. “Why so much?”

“Everybody wants first and last months’ rent as a deposit. And then there’s the brokers’ fee. And I don’t own a stick of furniture.” Heck—if you add all that up, it’s more than five grand.

“Come home,” Jana suggests. “Find a job in Nashville.”

“I can’t! Because then Daddy wins.” Also, my subconscious has a brand-new problem with that idea. Jason is here in Brooklyn, my heart whispers.

It’s way too soon to plan my life around his. But my subconscious doesn’t know it.