Page 82 of In His Skates

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You can’t compare the situation. Meeting a popular director isn’t even remotely in the same level of difficulty as trying to play pro hockey when the last time you held a stick you were ten.”

She sighs. “I wish I could have done a better job at being you.”

“You actually did.”

“How? I blew it at the game and got you on injured reserve.”

“You stood up to my father.”

I cringe the moment I hear the word roll off my tongue. It seems old habits are hard to break.

“I don’t know if that was all me or if alcohol played a part in it.”

“Do you know how many times I got drunk during those god-awful dinners and never said a word to him?” I shake my head. “No, it was all you.”

She grows quiet and looks out the window. I want to know what she’s thinking, but I don’t want to pry.

She’s probably freaking out that you’re going to ruin this meeting, Keanu.

Fuck. Why did I have to think that? Now I’m nervous.

“We’re here,” Bobbi announces, surprising me. That was the quickest car ride ever. Or maybe I was spiraling so much, I lost track of time.

Leigh gets out of the car first, followed by me, then Bobbi. We’re in front of an upscale restaurant in LA, but it’s not a trendy place, so it offers more privacy.

Leigh reaches for my hand and squeezes a little before we walk into the restaurant together. There’s a group in front of us, and to distract myself, I glance around to see if there are any other celebrities here tonight.

Leigh drops my hand suddenly and steps back, hugging her middle. Her eyes are wide as she stares at a man walking in our direction.

Bobbi curses under his breath, “Son of a bitch.”

I’m tense in an instant, but I don’t have a chance to ask who the man is before he’s in my space, greeting me as if I was his girlfriend or someone he fucked.

“Leigh Matthews…” His voice is seductive and puke-inducing. “Always a vision.”

He tries to hug me, but I shove him back, a knee-jerk reaction. “That’s close enough.”

He seems surprised, then narrows his eyes. “I see you’re still the same uptigh⁠—”

“Finish that sentence.” Bobbi steps in front of me. “I dare you.”

I’ve never seen him so riled up before. I look at Leigh. She’s ashen, and despite her new height, she seems small. Her reaction combined with Bobbi’s protective stance clues me in that this asshole did something to her that scarred her so profoundly, she’s shaking where she stands.

The asshole laughs in a mocking way, as if he doesn’t truly believe Bobbi will do anything to him.

“No, let him finish that sentence, Bobbi. I want to hear it,” I say.

The man looks at me, curling his lips into an odious smirk. “Uptight. Bitch.”

My fist connects with his smug face faster than he can blink. His head rears back, and when he comes back from the blow, his nose is bleeding. “You fucking bitch! You broke my nose!”

And probably Leigh’s hand too with the way my knuckles are throbbing.

“Is there a problem here?” a tall man with silver hair and wearing a sharp suit asks. Next to him, there’s a younger guy with thick black-rimmed glasses. He’s dressed more casually, but I guess his clothes cost a fortune.

“Yes, your client just punched me,” the asshole whines.

The older man looks at me. “Is that true, Leigh?”