Mikah pivoted to Liam. “Yeah, we haven’t seen Bianca around, for a while.”
Liam rose, mumbled words under his breath, and said, “Equipment room.” And then he was gone.
* * *
Willow was in the tunnel ahead. Piper had avoided Willow all week by using email to relay messages about work. Now, when work was done, she’d run into her.
Piper rubbed her arms but did not see a path around her. They both might work at the stadium, but she was not showing Willow the ropes, she simply wanted to escape to the bleacher section without engaging.
Willow seemed oblivious to her intent. She walked straight up and paced her. “Why do the players sharpen their skate blades so often?”
Piper shrugged. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t tell Willow.
Willow wore a white half shirt with little strawberries embroidered over the fabric. Her body spray smelled of strawberries. “Why do referees freeze the puck?”
Did she look like the NHL handbook? Piper didn’t answer.
They passed the hallway with the gift bag table. Twenty-three shiny blue containers covered the top. Why hadn’t Willow dropped the guys’ tokens off at the bus to go to the team’s hotel? The Snowers traveled tonight after their home game, so the gifts needed to be loaded. Piper gestured to the table but couldn’t form the question. Willow should have taken the hint by now that she didn’t want to speak with her.
Willow shrugged. “Guys won’t like what you put in there.”
Piper’s shoulders tensed. Loofah, beach-scented bubble bath, specialty coffee, they’d love those treats. Positive reinforcement for their recent good behavior. Dahlia had reported back only nice feedback on everything she’d picked thus far, and the guys had definitely stopped flinching every time she entered a room, most of them anyway. Why was purity so horrifying to a twenty-something athlete?
Willow made a duck face, kissing the lucky puck mounted on the wall and took a selfie. “Guys like porn channels and liquor.”
Piper’s eyebrows arched. Maybe they did, but most companies didn’t provide those perks. How to phrase that…while holding her face still and resisting bugging her eyes at Willow. Forget it. She preferred not to look at Willow. Because pre-wedding, the last time she’d gotten a good look at Willow, Willow had been under her boyfriend making her into a fool. So many smashed strawberries.
Willow huffed out a sigh. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
Which this? There were loads of trespasses to unspool. Willow wearing her ex’s favorite fruit. Willow doing missionary with her ex-boyfriend last V-day. Willow getting a job at her place of work. Willow pestering her now.
Willow nodded with her head down, her eyes closed, and palms open—in a gracious Mary Magdalene statue pose. “I forgive you.”
Piper’s head jerked hard as the betrayal rollercoaster she was riding took a swift turn. “Excuse me?” There, she’d found her voice. She stared until Willow met her gaze.
Willow blinked first. “Warren fell for me. Deeply.” She rubbed her ring finger, which still wore a sizeable, strawberry-shaped pink diamond. “Not the best timing as he was just ending things with you.” She shrugged one shoulder.
Re-writing history? Piper was including the shifting views of Anne Boleyn in her thesis. Did Willow think Piper was stupid enough to re-envision events Piper had witnessed firsthand?
Piper and Warren had had romantic dinner plans at his place. Piper had run an errand on his side of town and had gone to his house early. She saw what she saw, and from that point forward and forever more was well over Warren. The failure she’d felt for not correctly reading his character and the sting of misplaced trust…those lingered.
“Love is love.” Willow’s lips hardened, making lines in her red lip stain. “But for you to know a piffle about him and not bring those concerns to me so Warren and I could work out the situation together…” She shook her head. “Instead, you shared the gossip with every friend and family member I have, on my wedding day.” She sprinkled her words out slowly. “My therapist says I’ll definitely get a star in my crown for accepting your actions as…not…malicious, for the sake of our working relationship. But a little sympathy would not be amiss, if not an apology.”
Never. Piper’s body filled with shocked adrenaline and her fists tightened. She needed out of here and to reach her sister, someone on her side who knew the whole story.
The conference room door swung open, releasing the hockey players. The distraction saved her from replying.
Kiernan came out first, slicked back dark hair, helmet in hand. “Piper, Willow, hey.” He gave Willow a flirty nod. “Busy this weekend?”
Willow winked. “Ask me again if you make a point tonight.”
Gah. She was so heartbroken over her deep love.
Kiernan slapped the lucky puck. “You got it.”
Liam came out next, massive padding making him take up a ton of space, then Mikah, big and imposing in his gear.
Her heart fluttered and tightened. Was Willow going to throw out suggestive words to Mikah also? Find out his favorite dessert and smash it all over her body? Piper did not want to witness that.