Chapter 19

On Thursday morning,Jack walked up the porch steps of Country's ranch house. He"d only been here once before. They"d played shinny on the pond and had a bonfire back when Country lived here alone. From what he"d heard, Jenna had moved in three weeks ago and they'd set up a studio there in the house where they filmed all their livestreams.

Jack raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open before his knuckles hit the wood.

Country pulled him into a hug. "What the hell, bud, I haven"t seen you in ages."

"I was at the game Tuesday."

"You didn"t come to the pub." Country pulled back and motioned for him to come into the house. Jack stepped in and took off his shoes.

"Yeah, we had to scoot."

"Press has been a bit much, eh?"

Jack sat on the couch in the living room and scanned Country"s bookshelves. "That"s why I"m here. So I don"t piss anyone else off."

Country laughed and dropped into the chair across from him. "Good luck with that. If you ever want to feel good about yourself, read some of my YouTube comments."

"Never read the comments." Jack lifted his hands behind his head and stretched over the back of the couch. He"d made that mistake when his name and player profile first exploded in articles and posts all over Canada.

"So." Country leaned over his knees. "How are things?"

"Good. How are things with you and Jenna?"

"Good."

"Good."

Jack"s chest tightened. The guys on the Snowballs were his best friends in the city, and it seemed wrong to keep such a big secret from them. He couldn"t tell Tyler and Brett, but Country understood living in the spotlight. He had to deal with the same kind of celebrity. He got away with saying whatever the hell he wanted on his livestreams, but Jack had never once heard him throw one of their teammates under the bus.

Jack cleared his throat. "I signed a contract."

"For next season?"

Jack shook his head. "I wish. No. A contract with Delia."

Country"s brows pulled together, the wheels turning in his head. "You"re going to have to give me a little more than that, bud."

Jack dropped his hands and rubbed his palms on his jeans. "She and I are together for publicity purposes." He let that sink in a moment. "I contracted for appearances and social media?—"

"No. Shit." Country laughed out loud. "What day is it?" He pulled out his phone and opened the calendar.

"It"s past April Fools if that"s what you"re wondering."

Country looked at him in disbelief, then launched into twenty questions. Jack gave him the best answers he could. Saying it out loud made him hyperaware of how much extra time he'd spent with Delia. He"d done more than the minimum, and ever since he"d started asking himself why, he couldn"t stop. Why did he think to text her at night before going to bed? Why did he think of her when planning anything with work or the team?

He"d had to force himself to touch her. To kiss her. But not because he didn"t want to. It was exactly the opposite. He wanted it too much.

So, he"d dropped into playing a game with himself. Wanting things he shouldn"t and justifying why it was reasonable to have them given their business arrangement. It had worked up until Tuesday night at the game. When he"d seen her sitting in the stands. Then every rationalization sagged and broke apart like a toothpick and marshmallow bridge.

"I don't know, bud. I saw the pictures. You two don't look like you're pretending." Country raised an eyebrow.

Jack had avoided going online since Tuesday. He'd answered his chats and checked his email, but he wouldn't allow himself to open up his apps. He'd long since deleted his old profiles since previously, every time he logged on, there would be some memory popping up of him and Angie. Now it was him and Delia. He didn't want to see that other Jack. The one who could hold Delia's hand without guilt and kiss her in the stands.

When Jack didn't say anything, Country sobered and let out a long exhale. "If I can give you some advice?" He rapped his knuckles on the coffee table between them. "It"s okay to want to be happy."

Country's words cut through all the chaff and sank deep, brushing the surface of the inky well gaping inside him since Angie died. He"d tried to bury it. Tried to ignore it. When that hadn"t worked, he"d gotten damn good at closing it off most of the time, even if it meant turning his back on everything connected to it. He lived comfortably in the top half of himself, floating on the surface and never allowing himself to dive deep.

It's okay to want to be happy. Like hell, it was. How could he be happy when she was gone? When she didn't get to feel that jolt of electricity in her chest at a touch or the rush of adrenaline from a kiss?

"I lost my fiancée, Country." The words scraped out of him. Rubbing his throat raw. "She died three years ago."

Country watched him. "I won't pretend my experience is equal, but I know what it feels like to lose someone." He told Jack about his time in Toronto. How he had a ring and was planning to propose to Jenna, and then she'd slipped through his fingers.

Jack thought in some ways that would've been worse. To know the person you wanted still existed but you couldn't have them. To wonder why and get no answers.

"By some miracle, I got a second chance." Country rubbed his palms across his jeans and leaned forward. "That's probably a dick thing to say."

Jack shook his head. "I'm happy for you, bud." He sniffed and stretched out his back, then drew a deep breath. "Would you have moved on? Eventually?"

Country stood, catching sight of something out the window. "For twelve years, I tried. I think with me and Jenna . . . I don't know. There was something here that told me it wasn't finished." Country put a hand over his heart, then dropped his head. "Sounds hippy dippy, I know." He walked to the door and opened it as a sleek, black car turned off the county road and parked next to Jack"s truck. Delia.

Jack quickly swiped at his eyes and cleared his throat. "Thanks, bud."

Country looked back. "My advice still stands, eh?" Jack nodded, and Country motioned to the hall. "Will you yell out back and tell Jenna she's here?"

_____

When Jack meandered back into the living room, his head felt clear from the fresh air. That lasted all of two seconds once he saw Delia standing in the entry.

". . . I assumed you"d already had plenty of media training," Country finished. Jack hadn"t heard the beginning of that sentence, but he saw the effect of it on Delia"s cheeks.

She flushed as she stood upright after pulling off her boots and plastered a smile on her face. "I have. I just wanted to be supportive. Plus, I"ve been writing all morning and wanted to see Jack." When neither of them responded to that, her eyes narrowed. She looked between Country and Jack. "You told him, didn"t you?"

Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again. How had she caught on to that in the ten seconds she"d been standing there?

Country grinned. "He did, but I promise your secret is safe with me. Jenna and I?—"

"Jenna and I, what?" a voice called from the kitchen. A petite woman with long, blonde hair stepped past Jack and strode toward Country. She planted a kiss on his lips, then took off her coat and hung it on the hooks mounted to the wall next to the door.

"Jenna and I know what it"s like to play games at work." Country raised an eyebrow, and Jenna shot him a look.

"I don"t want to know why that"s coming out of your mouth right now, and—" she held up a hand. "Don"t comment on that, please."

Country smirked. "I"ll save my thoughts for later."

Jenna rolled her eyes, then looked between Jack still standing in the entrance to the hall and Delia next to the door. "I"m sorry that was your introduction to what I"m hoping will be a much more professional?—"

"They"re not dating. It"s fake," Country interrupted. He reached out and pulled Jenna against his side, sliding his fingers into the front pocket of her jeans. Jack watched Delia notice that detail and his blood hummed.

Jenna blinked, but the announcement didn't throw her for more than a second. "Well. No wonder you need some training."

Delia looked at Jack, with an, Are you sure we can trust them? look in her eyes. Jack nodded once.

"Let"s get going, then." Jenna led them past the kitchen into a bedroom at the other end of the hall that contained no furniture other than a desk and chairs. Though the room was bathed in natural light from a tall window along the side wall, a ring light stood on a telescoping stand, pointing from the opposite direction. A webcam was mounted between dual monitors on a tripod, and there were two microphones suspended from scissor-arm stands on either side of the desk.

A squeak escaped Delia"s lips, and Jack turned. "You going to be okay?" he teased.

She fanned her face. "Sorry. I"m not even into hockey, but I watch your highlight reels. They"re hilarious."

Country looked a little too pleased with himself as he pulled two chairs off the back wall and set them in front of the desk.

Jenna sat in her swivel chair and rested her elbows on the polished wood. "We"re playing it cool, but both of us were dancing in the kitchen to ‘Shiny People' an hour ago."

A smile stretched across Delia"s face, and Jack"s heart stumbled. He"d looked up the lyrics to that one yesterday. Shiny people, in the neon glow, Dancing fast, and living slow. He hated them.

"Did you write it?" Country asked.

Delia fiddled with the hem of her sweater. She shook her head. "Nope. IndieLake isn"t a fan of my lyrics."

Jenna frowned. "You had lyrics for it?"

Delia sighed. "I have alternate lyrics for all my songs, but I think it"s going to be a while before I get to use them."

Jack cocked his head. "Do you know them?"

"Know what?"

"Your lyrics." Curiosity itched at his throat. He could hear the melody in his head and wanted to know what words she would've chosen to come out of her mouth.

"Yeah." Delia pursed her lips.

"Ooh, what are they?" Jenna leaned forward on the desk. Jack silently thanked her for jumping in so he didn't have to ask.

Delia shifted in her seat. "I'm not going to bore you by reciting the whole thing."

Jack grinned. "Just a stanza?"

"How do you know what a stanza is?" Delia's eyes narrowed, and Jack's skin heated. He might have been searching up more than just her lyrics.

He threw an arm over the back of his chair. "I was doing research."

"On what?"

"On music. You researched hockey rules, so I thought I should probably know something about what you do."

Delia's expression was unreadable. He liked that he could surprise her. Put her off balance. Again, a little too much.

Country leaned over the desk. "You two are doing homework on each other? Adorable." Jenna smacked his arm.

Jack's heart sped as Delia's shoulders curved inward. Was he embarrassing her? "Delia, you don't have to?—"

She cleared her throat and started to recite. "Shiny people, gleam so hollow, Draped in smiles they barely swallow, Mirrored hearts, so thinly veiled, In their glow, the truth impaled." Delia drew a breath. "There. One stanza." She gave him a pointed look.

Jack's stomach flipped as her words built images in his head. It was his laughing face staring back at him with cold eyes, his chest with a hole plunged through the center, and his heart on a spike. Shiny people. Those lyrics were ten thousand times better than the ones he'd found online.

Jenna"s expression hardened. "They wouldn't let you use those?" Delia shook her head. "Let me guess, "you"ve got so much to offer and you just need to put in your time until you"re more experienced?" Or, my personal favorite, "what you have to offer isn"t right for our target audience.""

Delia"s eyes widened. She didn't have to answer for Jack to know Jenna hit it right on the head. Thinking of Delia hearing those things from her record company made his throat burn like he'd struck a match and swallowed it. It was wrong. Delia's songs were popular, but if even he, an emotionally castrated, testosterone fueled, mitt dropping player, could see it, how could a music producer be so blind?

Jenna put a hand on Country"s arm and clicked her tongue. "She"s like I was ten years ago. Just so sweet and naive."

"When were you ever sweet and naive?" Country raised an eyebrow.

Jenna smiled with knives. "Delia, just remember they don"t own you. Even if you think they do." She shook her head. "I know how easy it is to forget."

Delia"s smile slipped a bit. The urge to reach out for her hand rose like a tidal wave, but then Jack remembered they didn"t have to keep up any ruse here. Good. That was good. He drew a breath, and the moment passed.

"What am I thinking? We should've saved all of this for the livestream. You two, get over here." Jenna moved her chair.

Since they were all there, Country had suggested they do a fifteen minute rapid fire session before the training, and Jack knew Lisa would love the idea. Delia and Jack pulled their chairs over and squished in behind the web cams, and when they wouldn't fit, Jenna got them a small bench. They sat down and both almost fell off the ends.

Jenna pointed. "Put your arm around her, Jack. Create more space."

Delia's eyes flicked to his, then she sat and leaned in. As Jack's arm settled around her, something flipped in his chest. He thought about what Country had said. There was something here that told me it wasn't finished. Jack's heart had laid dormant for so long, he didn't know if it had anything left to say.

Delia clapped her hands over her mouth. "I can't believe we're doing this. I'm going to be on your channel!"

Jenna adjusted the camera. "Trust me, this is a symbiotic relationship."

The feed went live and, thankfully, Jack didn't have to do much work. Jenna and Country were permanently riffing off each other, and any questions they sent his way had to do with hockey which was so second nature, he didn't have to think. Especially because he trusted them not to ask him anything controversial.

When they were about to end the stream, Country turned to the two of them. "I have one more question, and it has nothing to do with music or hockey."

Delia pursed her lips. "You're making me nervous."

"No, it's a good one. We've had Brangelina, Bennifer, and now Tayvis, so what's your couple name?"

Delia and Jack looked at each other. "Deliack," Jack said just as Delia blurted, "Marrison." They both burst out laughing.

It took a minute for Jenna and Country to finalize the stream and post it on their various social channels. Delia and Jack replaced the bench along the side of the wall and took their previous seats on the other side of the desk.

Jack turned to Delia. "Marrison?"

"Don't even! You went with the digestive disorder!"

"Alright, Jack. Let's get on with it." Jenna opened her tablet, and Jack sat straight.

"I'll be a model student."

"Jenna won't know what to do with that." Country grinned, and Jenna rolled her eyes.

She moved through rules, some obvious and some not so obvious. Jack listened as best he could with Delia next to him, running her finger over the arm of the chair and wetting her lips. He'd never thought so hard about not touching someone in his life. It definitely impacted his retention.

Then they moved into role-playing, and Country was disappointed there weren't costumes. Jenna put his comments up as the example of what not to do while Jack did his best to answer with her rules in mind. Not easy or motivating with Delia grinning from ear to ear every time Country pulled out a juicy innuendo. After listening to her laugh at his jokes during the livestream and then seeing her hanging on his every word during the training, Jack had to work hard not to shoot daggers at his friend.

"That's all I've got." Jenna closed her tablet.

Country looked at his watch, then grinned at Jack. "Pond's still frozen. Want to dangle?"

Jack ground his teeth. "I didn't bring my gear." He wanted nothing more than to take Country out on the ice. And he wanted Delia to watch.

"It's not in your truck?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope. Stays in the dressing room."

Country grinned. "That's right, you're big time. I've got extra skates and a stick."

Delia turned. "I've never seen you play in person."

"But you've seen me play not in person?" Jack asked.

Delia flushed. "I—yes, online. Your highlights are everywhere." She looked down at her hands a little too quickly.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins. "I'll play. As long as the two of you lace up." Jack pointed at Delia and Jenna.

Delia's head whipped to Jenna. "Do you know how to skate?"

Jenna tried to play it off, but Jack had heard stories. Jenna played hockey in college. She'd handed Country his ass more than a few times. "I'm alright. You?"

Delia balked. "The last time I skated was in high school gym class."

"That wasn't that long ago." Jack grinned.

"Let me add: I almost failed gym class. I had to do extra credit by organizing equipment and cleaning the floors."

Jack's smile widened. "Sounds like you could use a refresher."