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A second later, Coach came lumbering to me with a clipboard and dry-erase marker in hand. He snapped his gum. “Got any other ideas, Loverboy?”
“Actually?” I asked, feeling my adrenaline pumping. “Yeah, I do.”
38. Josie
I wasn’t going to have a voice left tomorrow. After the first goal, the momentum of the game shifted, and although it was still a close one, the Crewmen were able to pull off a win.
“We’re supposed to go to the family room after, but since it’s Stevie’s first game, wanna hit the press conference?” Claire whispered, shooting me a conspiratorial look.
“Are we allowed?”
Claire shrugged. “Not sure, but I always sneak in the back anyways.”
“We’re sneaking somewhere?” Stevie’s eyes lit up and she licked her lips at the prospect.
“Umm,” I tried to tamper down a chuckle, but when she went all mission mode, she reminded me so much of Tyler.
“Come on, you’re not a teacher right now, let’s break some rules,” Claire said.
Stevie rubbed her hands together. “Yeah, let’s break some rules.”
A mixture of uneasiness and excitement swirled in my chest. “So long as we don’t get in trouble,” I said hesitantly.
Claire rolled her eyes, then grabbed our hands and pulled us forward. She dragged us into an elevator and through a few cement hallways until we got to a huge, packed room where I felt completely out of place. Everyone else was in business attire while we were still in our jerseys.
After about fifteen minutes, Griff, Duke, and Tyler walked up onto the stage and sat behind a long black table with mics. I couldn’t get over how official Tyler looked sitting up there. And freshly showered, he looked insanely attractive. I kind of hoped he wouldn’t see us because I was afraid he’d be mad, but that very minute, Duke nudged him and pointed directly at us.
Tyler’s face lip up with a smile and he shot us winks.
“Did you see that? He saw us!” Stevie bounced excitedly.
When the press conference started, Griff and the Coach handled most of the questions, but then a reporter asked, “How’d you come up with that play for the first goal, Griff?”
Griff tried to keep a straight face, but Duke next to him started laughing, and then they were both losing it. Tyler’s face flamed red. He gave Griff a negative head shake.
“Well,” Griff rubbed a hand over his bearded jaw to keep it together. “I think you should ask Jetts.”
Tyler sucked in his bottom lip and shook his head. He blew out a resigned sigh. “Fine, I didn’t make it up.” When he looked up at the room of reporters, a grin played on his lips. “I got it from a hockey romance novel. They’ve got some really accurate plays in there.”
The room erupted. Cameras flashed, more reporter’s hands shot up, questions were shouted at him, but Griff clapped Tyler on the back and talked over them. “Tyler here, he’s for the ladies.”
I couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else in the room.
Duke leaned back on his chair to balance it on the edges like a child. “I didn’t even know he could read. Who woulda thought he’d be reading chick stuff?”
Tyler looked flabbergasted. “Hey, more men should read romance novels. It was like straight up reading directions for hockey and matters of the heart, okay?” He said it firmly, but the tips of his ears were turning red.
I had to cover my mouth to muffle a giggle. I could only imagine what the headlines were going to read tomorrow.
“Can I read a hockey romance novel?” Stevie whispered up to me.
“Not the kind I read,” Claire snickered quietly.
“Umm, maybe in a couple years, yeah? I’ll find you a good hockey action book though, yeah?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“Where’d you get the romance novel?” a reporter asked Tyler then.
