Page 57 of In His Skates

Leigh hooks her arm with mine and steers me toward the red carpet. I do my best to get into the zone and channel her. I’ve seen her on the red carpet more times than I care to admit. Whenever she attended a televised event and I wasn’t busy, I’d tune in to watch her. If she finds out I followed her career like that, she will never let me live it down.

We breeze through the step and repeat, then finally enter the charity event. Even though I’m not myself, I do feel more in my element now. I scan the room, searching for Simon. We usually stick together on such occasions. Unfortunately, it’s Jack who I spot first, and boy, he’s not happy to see us together. I completely forgot he was trying to score with Leigh yesterday.

“Your buddy Jack just gave me the death glare,” Leigh mutters.

“You shouldn’t have flirted with him. Now he thinks I swept in and stole you from under his nose.”

“I only did that to annoy you.”

I glance at her, relieved and pleased she confirmed what I already suspected. “I know.”

She narrows her eyes. “Don’t let that go to your head.”

I step closer, rubbing my hand on her abs and smiling. “Too late, babe.”

Her pupils dilate, and her breathing catches. It’s still super bizarre to witness all her emotions while I’m staring at my face. But now, I can look past the weirdness and actually see Leigh behind my own stare. My stomach feels strange, like there are gremlins inside me, and my skin tingles.

A throat clearing breaks the moment. I step back and face whoever interrupted us. It’s Coach Edwards with his daughter in tow. I’m still in a daze and forget for a second the situation we’re in.

“Good evening, sir,” I say.

He glances at me, arching a brow. “Well, good evening, Leigh. I’m glad you could make it.”

I get on with the program and put on a show. “Of course. I couldn’t say no to Key.”

“Wow, you’re so pretty,” Amber, Coach’s daughter, says.

“Oh, thank you.” I know I should say she’s pretty too, but I feel weird saying it, so I go with “I love your dress.”

The teen blushes and blurts out, “Thank you. It has pockets!”

I’m not sure what to say next, and Leigh is unusually quiet. A little help from her would be appreciated. No sooner do I think that than she says, “Do you want to take a selfie with Leigh?”

Amber’s eyes turn as round as saucers. “Oh, I’d love to.”

Leigh steps away from me so Amber can take her place.

“I can take your picture, hon,” Coach Edwards offers.

“It’s okay, Dad. A selfie is better.”

I pose for Amber’s camera, and she snaps a bunch of photos that will probably look the same. Then she proceeds to talk a mile a minute about all of Leigh’s projects. I can’t keep up, and after a while, my mind sort of checks out. It’s only when Coach mentions Mrs. Elliott’s name that I return to the moment.

She’s a widow in her late sixties who’s been a sponsor of the Royals for decades. She’s the one who likes to flirt with us players and can sometimes get handsy. I meant to give Leigh a heads-up about her specifically, but in the aftermath of the drama with Bobbi, I forgot.

Mrs. Elliott has a champagne glass in her hand, and her eyes are already glassy. Great. Drunk Mrs. Elliott is the fucking worst.

“Oh, hello, Keanu, darling. I was wondering if you’d show up.” She invades Leigh’s space, giving her a hug and kissing her super close to her mouth.

Barf much?

“Of course I’d come.” Leigh steps back, smiling, but in a chilly way. I don’t blame her.

Bobbi’s comment about Leigh’s past comes to the forefront of my mind. The assault implication was obvious. I can’t let this woman put Leigh in an uncomfortable situation that’s probably triggering to her. As myself, I can’t be rude to Mrs. Elliott without getting into deep shit with the team’s administration. But as Leigh, I can intervene without repercussions.

“Good evening, I’m Leigh Matthews.” I offer Mrs. Elliott my hand. “Keanu’s girlfriend.”

The woman’s eyes turn round as she blanches. “Girlfriend? Oh no. You’re taking my favorite player off the market without warning?”