Page 49 of The Fake Out

But on the drive home, it was all I could think about. Even when I spent my Saturday night alone working on a new painting. I couldn’t focus on how to mix the colors right for this landscape because all I thought about was if this poor woman was also getting played.

Did Seth do the right thing with her because she got pregnant? Or would he do to her what he did to me?

I shouldn’t have, but I went down the rabbit hole of stalking her Instagram, and what I found made me feel worse. She looked sweet, and all her captions talking about how she’d finally found a good man broke my heart.

She didn’t know about me when they started dating. There was no way. Seth had obviously lied to her. It would have been easier if she were a homewrecker who destroyed my relationship.

Rage crawled up from deep in my stomach. I didn’t want to work in the same shop as that asshole. I was so pissed at my brother for doing this to me. Maybe it was time to cut my city ties for good. I could find a shop closer to home—hell, there was an all-women-run one in town that I’d been to a few times. I didn’t think they were hiring, but I could talk to the owner. Maybe I should cut myself off from everyone and start fresh. That way, I’d finally get over what Seth did.

Chapter Fifteen

BLAISE

“Is your girl gonna come to the game tonight?” TJ asked me from across the table.

We were back home tonight and having our pre-game meal in the players’ lounge. We’d lost two games on the road, and things were looking business as usual for the team. I had been a fan of this team for a long time, so I had that Philly pessimism about me. Not good when you played on the team.

I shrugged. “Not sure. I don’t know if she’s working today.”

I hadn’t talked to Veronica in a couple of days. She texted me some photos of dress options for the wedding, but since then, she’d been radio silent. We might be sleeping together and pretending we were dating, but she made it clear that was all it was. I wasn’t about to get clingy over it.

“What does that have to do with anything?” TJ asked with a furrowed brow.

Noah nudged him. “Veronica lives out in the suburbs.”

“So?” Benny asked. “Lots of guys live out on the Main Line, and their girls always make the trek out.”

I shook my head.

I hadn’t been on the team all that long, but I already felt like I slotted in with these guys. Knowing TJ’s girl helped. Or the fact I was a Holmstrom. I didn’t let it show, but it was annoying when guys asked what it was like to have such a legend for a dad. The only thing I remembered from my dad’s playing days was when he left it all behind because Mom got sick.

I turned around at the tap on my shoulder and was a little surprised to see our head coach, Claude LaVoie, standing behind me. “Blaise, can I have a word before you head out for your pre-game nap?”

I was thankful for the interruption, as it distracted the boys from their interrogation. “Sure. I’m just about done.”

I threw my trash away and followed him into his office. He took the seat behind his desk and steepled his hands.

I uncomfortably took a seat on the other side of the desk, but I felt like I had been sent to the Principal’s office. That was a familiar feeling; I was there a lot as a kid.

“Blaise, I want to level with you. You’re a good defenseman, but I don’t think you’re working to your potential.”

“Okay…”

“You’re great at being a stay-at-home defenseman, and you and Cully are working well together, but with your defensive style and Riley’s ability to put up numbers, you need to be back on the line together.”

I nodded. Riley and I were a good pair, but Logan and I worked well together, too. LaVoie was the head coach, so he was the person in charge of making the lines. I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this.

“Okay, sure.”

“Kid, are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He squinted at me. “You seemed distracted in the last couple of games. I know adjusting to a new system, new team, new locker room hierarchy, and all that bullshit can be tough, but I thought you were slotting your place here.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s family shit. I’ll sort it.”

He nodded in understanding. “Okay, get out of here. I want you well-rested for the game tonight. Your girl gonna come?”