Georgia no longer worried that her father would trade Leo just out of spite. In fact, it looked as though her office wasn’t going to be issuing any big press releases today. Though Hugh, her dad, and Nate were cloistered in Nate’s office, taking any last-minute trade calls from other teams, it didn’t seem that they were making any big adjustments. They’d traded one of their AHL players from Hartford to Anaheim in exchange for a second round draft pick.
She’d sent out that press release an hour ago—the new guy hadn’t started yet, so she was the one on duty. But the trade wouldn’t make the front page of the sports section, as the Rangers and the Devils had more interesting trades to report.
Still, Georgia sat at her desk, keeping up the vigil. Until three o’clock, anything was possible. Even Leo could still be traded if the other team offered something advantageous. That unlikely scenario would not make Georgia happy, but now she knew it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
They’d decided to get married on July 4th, at a yacht club on the North Shore of Long Island. Apparently Fourth of July weddings weren’t all that common, so that date was still open even though it was just four months away. She and Becca were interviewing caterers next weekend. “We have to hurry,” Becca had said breathlessly. “Only four months to shop for the dress, the shoes, the lingerie!”
Privately, Georgia imagined she might pray for her own death if it took four months to buy an outfit for a single day of her life. But she’d let Becca have her fun, at least for a little while.
She took her ten-millionth glance at the clock today, noting that there were only a few minutes left until Leo’s postseason slot on the Bruisers’ roster was official. When her e-mail dinged a minute later, she leapt on the message. But it wasn’t from Hugh or anyone in the organization. It was from Hockey Hotties.
Dear Miss Worthington, attached please find the proofs from our photo shoot on February 9th. Please have each athlete approve the pictures before March 7th.
She clicked on the attachment and her screen filled with the most amazing photograph. Leo, skin and muscle shimmering in luminous icy light, his powerful thighs outstretched as he skated past the camera.
Georgia just stared at the unforgettable photograph of her fiancé. And she was supposed to let the world have this shot of him? She flipped to the photo of Castro, which was also glorious yet tastefully captured. She closed that picture’s file, though, because it felt weird to gawk at the bare butt of someone she worked with.
Leo, though. He still filled her screen with his beauty. It made her want to run out of the office and find him right now.
“Hey,” someone said from the doorway.
Georgia startled at the sound of her father’s voice. She clicked so hard on the mouse to close the photo that her thumb cracked. Then she turned to face him as casually as possible. Had her dad seen? Did he notice that she’d been staring at Leo’s naked body on her work computer?
“Hey,” she squeaked, and then focused on the real problem at hand. “Why are you here? Is there another trade on the table?” One that he felt the need to tell her about himself? Her heart made the sign of the cross while she waited to hear what he’d say.
Her dad shook his head. “It’s quittin’ time, Princess. Let’s go get a coffee. We’re done here.”
“Oh.” Georgia’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Okay. I’ll get my coat.”
They walked out into the late winter’s watery sunshine, where Brooklyn’s brick buildings rose up in every direction. They turned onto Hudson Avenue, but her father stopped in front of the only restaurant on the block. “Step in here with me for a minute,” her dad said.
“Why?” She looked up at the restaurant in front of her. It was on the fancier side, and she never ate here.
“Humor me,” her father said, opening the door and stepping inside.
She followed him, and the first person she saw inside was Leo. “What . . . ?”
“SURPRISE!” cheered several dozen people.
With her mouth open Georgia scanned all the faces before her. Becca and Leo’s family, including DJ and Lianne. The team. Ari the yoga instructor. Even Silas was here. “Wow,” she breathed. They were all here for her?
The next sound she heard was a cork popping, and that was DJ’s doing. “Gotcha,” he said. “We just wanted to celebrate your engagement in style.” He began pouring bubbly into a row of glasses on the bar.
Georgia was still stunned into silence, but Leo crossed over to her and her father, lifting a hand to squeeze his coach’s shoulder. “Thanks. Well played.” Then he kissed her on the nose. “Say something. I’m worried.”
“This is . . .” she tried. “Wow.” Two waiters had appeared carrying trays of something that looked delicious. “Are those . . . dumplings?”
“Of course.”
She turned around to face her dad, who let a smile crack through his usual crusty facade. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He chuckled. “Should have seen your face when I stuck my head in your office, though. Didn’t mean to panic you.”
DJ handed her a glass of champagne, then kissed her on the cheek. “Cheers, beautiful. I still don’t know why you like my brother. But congratulations anyway. And my door is always open if you decide to throw him over.”
She took the glass. “Thanks, I think.”
“That won’t happen,” her father rumbled, taking another glass from DJ. “She even has a naked picture of him on her computer.”
“Omigod, Daddy,” she protested. “Shut up. That’s, uh, a publicity photo.”
On a bar stool nearby, O’Doul cleared his throat. “I’d like to make a toast. Just a quickie.”
He tapped a spoon on his glass, and the room quieted down a little bit. The bartender hurried to pass out glasses to those teammates who didn’t yet have one.
“Guys,” O’Doul said, raising his glass, “We’re lucky to have Georgia ‘Killer’ Worthington on our team, and now we’ve got College Boy, too. Maybe the kid made a few rookie moves this season . . .” There were a few guffaws at that, even from his coach. “But he made a great decision when he asked Georgia to marry him. So let’s wish ’em all our best.”
There was some more general hooting and catcalling, and everybody drank to their good fortune. Georgia spent the next half hour greeting everyone who had come out to wish her well. She accepted another tight hug from Marion Trevi, and kisses from Violet and Lianne. She took some hazing from the team, and ate some dumplings. Leo received his share of back pats and hugs and jokes.