Slap Shot(59)
She smiled. “No, not at all, it’s a nice dilemma. As I already told you I’ve known Rick a while now, and this is the first time I’ve actually seen him with someone.” She paused. “And I want him to be able to come to the party with you as his date if he wants to. And, of course I want you there too.” She pulled a woolen hat onto her head and frowned. “Is there anyone else who can take over the practicalities on the night so you and Rick can enjoy the party together?”
“As it happens, yes. Lately my assistant Maddie has been taking on extra responsibilities, and I was thinking of letting her attend events on behalf of Best Laid Plans. Saturday would be a perfect opportunity for her to run the show. I would still be there if she ran into difficulties—”
“But unless she did, you would be our guest.” Carly rubbed her hands and her face lit up. “Great, that’s set then.”
I grinned. “Are you sure?”
“Well, only if you’re sure you want to come to the party?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s going to be great.”
Carly linked her arm with mine and gave it a squeeze. “It’s all set then and you’re going to love the other wives and girlfriends. Brooke is just great, though about to give birth so no champagne for her. Mae, of course you already know and Raven’s girlfriend, Tyler, is a scream.” She leaned close and lowered her voice. “And often Fergal, the Vipers’ owner, brings Giselle. He’s married, but not to her.”
I widened my eyes at this bit of gossip.
“They are apparently just friends, but she’s the tall, supermodel type with sharp eyes and an even sharper wit and he never takes his eyes off her when she’s around. She’s nice, Brooke knows her really well. The guys just all go along with it and nobody would dare ask the boss outright what the situation is, though of course it’s obvious to anyone with two brain cells that they’re sleeping together.”
“And his wife has no idea?”
Carly shrugged. “If she does she turns a blind eye. I guess being married to a multimillionaire can make some women very forgiving.”
I nodded and thought of sharing Rick with another woman. A shiver snaked up my spine. Just the thought of someone else touching his body, kissing his mouth made me feel nauseous. I’d never tagged myself for the possessive type, but I guess I’d never fallen so headlong in love with someone the way I had with Rick.
As Carly and I chatted, the noise in the stadium gradually grew to a loud hum. Glancing around, I noticed that all the seats were taken. The smell of hot dogs and nachos was getting stronger and the Vipers’ alligator mascot was circling the ice, his head wobbling as he bobbed to the music and threw sweets into the crowd.
Suddenly the lights went out and the whole arena plunged into darkness except for two huge Vipers logos illuminating each half of the ice.
“Here they are,” Carly said, clapping wildly as the Vipers shot like bullets from the tunnel onto the ice.
Rick was out first with “Lewis” printed across his back in thick black letters. My heart did a flip. Even though it was less than an hour since I’d seen him I missed him.
He did a lap of honor, punching the air with his stick and looking completely impenetrable. The crowd went wild, chanting his name and holding up their scarves as if they were flags. I glanced at the giant screen above the scoreboard and saw his dark eyes sparkling through the cage of his helmet.
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with pride. That big man in the even bigger outfit down there was my boyfriend. He had to share himself between fans and his team but at the end of the day he was mine. We would go home together.
I pulled in a shaky, excited breath of cold air. He was clearly adored by Vipers followers, they were frenzied when he passed near them. The group of guys behind me were shouting about his four hundredth captaincy. The words “legend”, “awesome” and “out of this world” seemed to dominate their conversation.
“You think they’ll win?” I yelled across to Carly.
“Yes, but not easily. The New York Islanders are their greatest nemesis, it’s always a tough match.” She grinned. “But if they do win the celebrations are wilder than ever.” She smiled wider and a naughty glint caught in her eye.
I laughed and clapped along with the crowd. Carly pointed out Brick, Wolf, Phoenix, Raven and the newcomer Todd Carty, a formidable team of huge bodies, padded and protected, gliding gracefully over the ice. The lights went up and the opposition pelted out of the tunnel, dressed in blue and orange. The crowd hissed so loudly I thought my eardrums would never recover and I almost felt sorry for their outnumbered fans whose claps and cheers went unheard.