Page 93

Ever since I stood my ground and refused to work for the client accused of raping the underage girl, Simon has been keeping me on a tight leash. I spend days and half of the nights at the agency.

Today is no exception. Since Evan had an away game anyway, I don’t mind. At least this way I can get some work done.

To make matters worse, Valentina and Sid have been found out. To be honest, I suspect the two of them didn’t even try to keep a low profile. Good for them. I double-check my message against Valentina’s, making sure it conveys that sentiment.

She’ll be spending the whole summer on set for her shoot, while Sid has time off. If they can’t see each other there, their only option is to plan a date for their next secret get-together a year from now.

Evan and the team weren’t thrilled. But I’m doing everything I can to make Valentina’s life as easy as possible.

Which isn’t a simple task. Even her biggest fans can turn into internet trolls if something doesn’t suit them. They seem to forget that their favorite actress doesn’t belong to them.

I scan the latest news.

There’s talk of a fight between Sid and Evan. The “Valan” fraction is wishing Sid a fatal hockey accident. The “Sivas” are celebrating that Valentina has gotten rid of Evan, the bore, and has finally given in to the man who’s her equal.

The fact that neither side has even the slightest clue what really happened makes the whole thing laughable.

Not for those involved, though, when online anger turns personal.

Given the circumstances, it’s a miracle that Sid and Evan are playing on the same line. Every chance they get they make a point of celebrating together after every goal they score.

A new clip from the last game pops up in my feed. After a goal by Sid, which followed an assist from Evan, Sid plants kiss on Evan’s cheek. No matter how many times I see the clip, accompanied by all sorts of bizarre comments, I can’t help but laugh at Evan’s bewildered expression.

The poor guy doesn’t know what to do with himself. Sid’s closeness is making him uncomfortable. Not because it’s Sid, but because it might look gay and give him away. Sid is completely unaware of the speculation from three months ago about Evan’s sexuality. Which makes the whole thing even funnier. For me. For Evan, it’s stress.

Even though I don’t have anything to do with Evan’s situation anymore, because of Valentina I’m forced to deal with him and his online presence. I’m going through a roller coaster of emotions, somewhere between laughing and wanting to scream. That’s why it’s important to keep work and personal life separate. Even though I’m sure my work isn’t affected by this, I sometimes have the urge to post a comment:

Evan and I are together, and we’re friends with Valentina and Sid. No matter what you guys come up with in your fandom, we’re all adults who make our own decisions.

Of course, I don’t do anything like that.

I carefully draft a letter to Derek to coordinate our next steps, get to work on SEO, keyword and hashtag research. A dream, I think to myself sarcastically. Every single day.

I stretch out in my chair. I’ve had enough for today.

Everyone’s left by now, which I’ve already told Evan. The coast is clear, and I wouldn’t mind if my ride showed up.

I glance at the clock in the corner of my tablet. Evan should be stopping by soon. Right at that moment, a message from him pops up.

I’m in the underground parking garage.

I quickly type my reply. Great. I’ll pack up and be right over.

The dots in the reply box are bouncing. I’ll head up quickly. My car’s in the visitor parking lot.

Okay?

Restroom.

Alright. Now I can even log out of my accounts properly.

After a few minutes, the elevator beeps. I can hear it clearly in the quiet of the night. I walk into the open-floor area and see Evan by the entrance.

We’ve only made it through the first round of the playoffs, but he already has a gorgeous full beard.

I walk up to him with a grin. “Hey.” My fingers twitch. I want to touch him. I lean toward him and plant a light, feathery kiss on Evan’s lips. His stubble tickles slightly.

He immediately pushes me away. “Parker, are you crazy?”