Will stepped back and turned to Molly while Finn swept up the pieces of brightly colored paper. “Need a quote?”
Another eye roll. “I mean, I suppose.” She shrugged. “If I can’t have the best player on the team to talk to now that Johnny’s gone for an X-ray, I can probably make do with you idiots.” She winked and nudged him with her elbow.
“I’m kidding. Get in here.” She threw her arms around Will. “You fucking did it. Great game, Willy.”
“Don’t call me that.” His muffled voice betrayed his good humor, and his emotions. Will had waited a long time to win, he deserved it. He was a good leader with a big heart and Finn was proud to skate with him.
Molly moved back and hit the button on her recorder. “Mr. Morrison, to what do you attribute tonight’s win?”
Will stuck his elbow on the concrete wall and leaned his head on his hand like he was some kind of model. “Excellent leadership – obviously. I am clearly The Shit and they couldn’t have done shit without me. I basically won all by myself.”
Molly flicked his forehead. “Asshat. This is why I never interview you.”
Will laughed. “I know it’s trite to say that teamwork makes the dream work, but it’s true. Any good sports team is built on a solid foundation. Our team is more than just a team, it’s a family. We each have a role to play and when we do, we function like a well-oiled machine. We ended up three men down out there tonight, and while we felt their absence on the bench, the rest of the guys stepped up and picked up the slack.”
Molly nodded and chewed on the end of her pen. She knew better than to interrupt Mr. Orator once he’d started his soliloquy. The guy loved to talk. But more than that, people loved to listen to what he had to say.
“I think something we had out there tonight that our opponent didn’t, was trust. No matter who was on the ice, they trusted whoever they needed was where they were supposed to be. We practiced drill after drill, practice after practice.” He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the guys had voodoo dolls of me for all the extra practices I called.”
Finn raised his hand. “Oh. We definitely made voodoo dolls – I gave mine a mullet.” He grinned at Molly while he leaned the brush against the wall. “Manifesting that shit.” He scrubbed Will’s hair.
Will retaliated by grabbing Finn in a headlock and rubbing his knuckles across Finn’s skull sending shudders down his spine. “I couldn’t have led the team to greatness without this guy. He’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” Will batted dreamy eyelids at Finn, licked his lips, and burst out laughing – but Finn didn’t miss the deflation of Molly’s shoulders and how her smile lost its spark.
“Betchurass that win was all my doing.” Finn dusted his shoulder.
“Is there anything you think you can work on to improve your game going forward?”
Finn patted Will’s chest. “I’ll take this one, bro. I mean, we kinda won, Molly, so where else is there to go from here?” He stroked his chin. “Oh! I have it. Cheerleaders. Half nekkid cheerleaders would definitely make our game better.” He nodded slow and sage like he was Yoda or some shit, enjoying the crinkles appearing in Molly’s forehead at the mention of scantily clad dancers celebrating the team.
“This too – it’s perfect. What about…” He waved his hand like he was showing her what he was talking about. “An arena full of people all wearing my name on their back.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
The corner of her lips twitched. Was she considering it? Was it an opportunity? He made a mental note to pick her up a jersey with #15 O’Brien on the back. He’d ask her to wear it one night – just for him. He’d sink between her plush thighs, pry her legs apart, and eat her till she coated his face with—
“Finn?” Her eyebrows were raised, and her lips pursed. “Did you have something else to add to the Finn-worship list?”
“A really good blo—”
Will shoulder checked him. “Nope. You’re not going to unleash that dirty mouth of yours anywhere near my sister.”
Molly snorted then her eyes went wide like she realized she’d made the sound out loud. Finn needed to get Will the hell gone so Finn could put his dirty mouthonWill’s freakin’ sister. Maybe that’s where her mind went as well.
Molly popped her hip and jammed her hand on it. “Are you two done fucking with me?”
“Never.” Finn gave her the finger-guns. He knew she loved those. Not. True to form she flipped him off.
“You coming to the bar, Mol?” Will dusted off his suit jacket and smoothed out his dress pants.
Molly shook her head, a faint blush creeping back into her pale skin. “I need to write this up.” She waved her recorder and notebook. “Gotta get it done and submitted before midnight.” She glanced at Finn, uncertainty swirling with heat in those endless eyes of hers.
“That’s a shame. Finn’s buying.” He threw his arm around Finn’s neck but Finn shirked it off.
“Sorry man, I’m out too.”
Will’s jaw dropped. They could count on one hand the times Finn hadn’t gone to the bar after a game. Never mind a championship win. Theirfirstchampionship win. It was suspicious as hell. He’d have to pull out all the stops to make it believable – thankfully he’d laid the foundation during the period breaks.
He scrubbed at the back of his neck, as a flush crept over his entire body. Hopefully she’d understand this was a ruse, subterfuge, designed solely to throw her brother off their scent and was not at all based in fact.
Dear God, please don’t let her believe this is fact.
