Page 290 of On His Team

“Leave mysteriously for ten minutes.”

“I answered my phone.”

Blue snorts.

Stanley points at him. “See? Suspicious.”

I look at Rowan. “Who was it?”

His eyes come to mine. “Hockey.”

The entire room stops.

Stanley leans forward. “What do you mean, hockey?”

Rowan looks at him. “An AHL club.”

Benson sits up so quickly Lucy almost slides off his lap. “Which one?”

Rowan tells him. I don’t know the name, but Benson clearly does. So does Percy, because both of them start talking at once.

“For what?” Benson asks.

Rowan answers, “Tryout agreement. Rest of their season.”

Stanley makes a noise like something is being murdered. “YOU’RE GOING PRO.”

“It’s a tryout.”

“YOU’RE TRYING TO GO PRO.”

Everybody starts talking at once. Percy wants to know the roster situation. Benson asks about their coaching staff. Blue wants to know how many defensemen they’re carrying. Melly asks Benson what a tryout agreement actually means, and then Mara asks the exact same question two minutes later because she wasn’t listening the first time.

I’m sitting there with my heart pounding because that’s my boyfriend and a professional hockey team just called him.

“Rowan,” I finally say when there’s an opening. “That’s fucking amazing.”

“Yeah.” He says it the way he says everything, like this is information instead of a professional hockey team asking him to come play.

I watch him for another second.

Benson asks, “When do they want you?”

“This week.”

Blue looks at him. “This week?”

“Yeah.”

“Did they give you a deadline?”

“Tomorrow.”

Stanley throws both hands up. “What the fuck do you mean tomorrow?”

Rowan closes his laptop. “Doesn’t matter.”

Benson’s expression changes. “Why?”