“I’ve had two bourbons on the rocks,” she says, holding out her hand. “Not even shaking a little.”
I laugh and settle into my seat as the red light comes on for a TV time-out.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her tone now serious.
She’s talking about Keller. My stomach rolls slightly at the memory of how it all went down. “I’m fine.”
“I know you’re worried about Gage,” she says.
“He didn’t mean to do that,” I blurt quickly. “Please don’t punish him for his reaction. He regrets it.”
Brienne snorts. “He most certainly doesn’t regret it, and besides, I don’t punish people.”
Relief courses through me, and I sag into the chair.
“But I am going to fine him,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. “I can’t allow precedent that it’s okay to assault coaches.”
I manage a smile and nod. “I respect that.”
Brienne looks over her shoulder to see if anyone is near us before leaning close to whisper, “But between you and me—and I’ll deny this if you ever repeat it—Keller had it coming. He’s been horrible for this team from the start, and I was looking for one good fireable offense to take him out.”
My mouth drops in shock at such an admission, but I cross my heart. “That secret dies with me. Was he mad?”
“Furious,” she says with a dramatic wave of her hand. “But he can’t complain when I paid the full price of his contract rather than litigating it. He broke enough organizational rules I could fight him on it, but I just want him to go away. The attorneys are ironing out a confidentiality agreement now, but he’s got no problem keeping his mouth shut in exchange for me paying him out.”
“What if he breaks the agreement? What if he lies about what happened and tries to get Gage in trouble?”
“He won’t,” she replies. “That would only make him look bad for the comments he made that led to Gage attacking him.”
My face flushes hot at the reminder it was my scars that disgusted him, and Gage defended me. Brienne notices and makes a good guess as to the source of my angst. “You cannot feel bad about any of this. Keller is a pig, and it’s as simple as that.”
Subconsciously, I pull a lock of hair over my shoulder. I’d kept it in the barrette based on principle, but maybe I need to unclip it.
Not be so obvious.
Brienne swats my hand away, and it surprises me so much I let out a little yip. “Don’t you dare cover up, Jenna Holland.” Brienne glares fiercely at me. “You be you, and you are lovely. If you can’t see past the fact that Keller is a douchebag, try to remember the dozens of people who you talked to today who didn’t have a single negative reaction to your scarring.”
My gaze drifts down to the ice where I see Gage leaning against the board, waiting for the time-out to conclude. He’s laughing at something Boone is saying.
It really only matters what Gage thinks, but Brienne has pointed out something important. I was around a ton of people today, and other than Keller, not a single person even looked at my scars. People here in the box I’ve met for the first time… not one person reacted.
Had that all been in my head before?
Had I imagined that people were put off by me?
Was I just far too sensitive?
I look back to her as I flip my hair over my shoulder to hang down my back. “You’re right. No one made me feel uncomfortable.”
Brienne nods knowingly.
“And Keller is a pig.”
Brienne grins.
“And I’m kind of glad Gage put him in his place,” I add. Brienne holds her fist out, and I bump it with mine. I can’t help but laugh conspiratorially. “You should’ve seen the look on Keller’s face. I’d not be surprised if he peed his pants a little.”
Chuckling, Brienne looks over her shoulder briefly. “I should get back to schmoozing and hobnobbing. I’m glad you and Gage have something real going.”
“I think it’s the most real thing I’ve ever had in my life,” I murmur.
Brienne’s eyes roam over my face. “I like your hair that way… pulled away from your face. You shouldn’t hide all that beauty.”
I blush, and Brienne chuckles again. “God, you’re cute. I’ll see you in the office Monday.”
“Okay,” I say as she stands and moves out of the row. “Have a good weekend.”
She waves over her shoulder, and I turn to watch the game.
Or rather, Gage.
CHAPTER 21
Gage
We did it.
We fucking earned a playoff spot tonight by defeating the Wolves 4–2. And while I rode the wave of euphoria along with the rest of the team, I’m much more excited to be spending alone time with Jenna this evening.
Oh, we did the obligatory partying after. Everyone packed into Mario’s for drinks. Marianne and Daniel joined us and got to meet some of my teammates. It was a joyous occasion, and not only did I have a great time, but so did Jenna.