Power Play (10 page)

109

“Maybe you’re right. I should back off a little.”

“Remember when Halloran stressed back in the day for you not to put on airs or let fame cause a swelled head? Don’t you think Alexandra should learn the same? Lead by example, Troy.”

“Okay, I’ll try a softer approach. I agree with you on one point, though. Al’s a little fighter.”

“She’ll make one hell of a Rebels center. Where is she?”

“On the treadmill, at least was before I came upstairs. She’s probably been fucking around since.”

“Better go check; we can’t have a weak player come Draft Day.”

“Oh believe me, Glenn,” Troy said. “Al will be anything but weak if I have any say in the matter.”

***

110

Chapter 23

“How is life in Pittsburgh?” Jennifer asked.

“I need help killing Troy and hiding the body,” Alex replied. “God, Jen, he drives me crazy!”

“Oh come on; living with him can’t be all bad.”

“Try being here for a week and see if you feel the same. I have to sneak to Starbucks for a decent cup of joe. What kind of fool doesn’t keep coffee in the house?”

“It’s not uncommon as you think, Alex.”

“That’s just the beginning. Would you believe he had the balls to tell me a couple weeks ago I was ‘too round in the hips?’ Why not just say I’m
fat?”

111

“You are not fat.”

“I still weighed 140 this morning even after all the rabbit food he and the stupid nutritionist insist I eat. He gives me hell for not jumping on the treadmill at five in the morning like he does or if I try to keep the house decent. Am I supposed to prepare for playing hockey or being an ice bimbo shooting T-shirts into the crowd?”

“Sounds to me like Troy’s keeping your best interests in mind, so I don’t know why you’re complaining. Do you realize how many other girls would–?”

“They would kill an entire village to be in my place; I get it. I have Scottish blood, am headstrong, and used to getting my way.”

“There lays the problem,” Jennifer said.

“More like dealing with a know-it-all, annoying Canadian freak. Troy found one of my empty Diet Pepsi cans in the kitchen wastebasket yesterday and acted like I committed an unpardonable sin. The guy would shit bricks if he knew the kind of stuff Papa and I were limited to eat while we lived in Morgantown. Not everyone comes from a hoity-toity background.”

112

“Uh, Alex…his family wasn’t exactly rich. They worked hard too.”

“At least he grew up in a decent two-parent house and went to a good boarding school. All I had was Papa. He worked three shitty jobs to pay rent, insurance, utilities, all my lessons, keep us in day-old bread, rejected canned goods, tuna fish, hot dogs, mac and cheese, and potatoes. Most of my clothes came from Goodwill. One time Papa had to get help from the church to cover our electric bill. Talk about being embarrassed as hell. I kept telling him I could give up my lessons, but he insisted on me making something of myself. If it wasn’t for his life insurance payout, my moving to New York to pursue acting would never have happened.”

“Now you’re being mentored by one of the AHC’s top stars. Your dad would’ve been proud.”

“Yeah, once he’d gotten past Troy’s weird rituals.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a tad unreasonable?”

“Whose side are you on, Jen?”

113

“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I think most people fail to realize Troy started at the bottom like everyone else, made the same mistakes, and learned from them. I’m only suggesting you become a little more open minded to his ideas, offbeat as some may be to you.”

“I guess for starters I could wear the dress for which he paid an ungodly price to Draft Day, and the treadmill is kind of fun…”

“Now that’s better! Just be a little more flexible for Troy and he’ll likely return the favor.”

“Okay, Jen, you win, but it’s not going to be easy to change on my part.”

“Nothing worth getting is simple, Alex. By the way, Phyllis is a fantastic roommate. Thanks for referring her.”

“You’re welcome. How does she get along with the guys?”

“She and Greg hit it off almost right away. Don’t tell anyone, but I think Beau has a crush. He follows Phyllis around like a puppy.”

114

“Oh my God, that’s hilarious.”

“I think Phyllis likes him too and she’s failing terribly at hiding her true emotions.”

“Well Beau’s hard not to like except his tendencies to be a slob and eat everything in sight.”

“He’s actually more human since Phyllis moved in with us,” Jennifer said. “Oh, and they landed good parts in the same Broadway show.”

“That’s fantastic news! I wish I didn’t have to pass on the
Office Girls 2
audition to move in with Troy. I hear the script’s amazing.”

“That’s another thing I wanted to share. You’re speaking to the new Veronica!”

“Really? Congratulations! Hold on a second…why torture me with the lecture of taking Troy’s advice before dropping a bombshell?”

115

“Obviously I wasn’t Connor Francis’ first choice; he wanted an unknown and had his heart set on you for the role. Connor’s a Rebels fan; so to say he’s thrilled to hear you’re working with Troy in Pittsburgh would be putting it mildly. Anyway, Doris talked the casting director into letting me read for a part, and I was chosen on the spot to play Veronica!”

“Wow, and I missed all the excitement. I’m glad to hear everything’s going well for you guys.” Alex glanced at the clock. “Hey, I have to get off the phone. Troy’s due home in about twenty minutes and I’m not in the mood for another one of his ‘you are slacking off’ lectures. I’ll call again sometime after the draft.”

***

116

Chapter 24

Alex wore ear buds connected to a small music player, oblivious to the world around her and engrossed with keeping a steady pace on the treadmill before the feeling of being watched soon overcame her.

She turned toward the fitness room’s doorway and her eyes met Troy’s.

“What?”　she asked.

He cleared his throat and felt color rise in his neck. “Uh…just wondering where you were. I need to take a shower.”

“Sure, okay.”
Why does he always stare at me like that?
Creepy!

Troy spotted her Diet Pepsi on the treadmill panel, walked over, and handled the can as if it was toxic waste. “What is
this?”

117

“No lectures today, Troy. I have a good pace going.”

“Al, how many times have I told you about drinking this shit, especially during workouts? You could dehydrate yourself, not to mention all the cancer-causing chemicals. I’ll get you some water.”

She got off the treadmill and pouted in a nearby chair. “You suck.”

“You aren’t the first to express that sentiment and won’t be the last.”

“You stink too. Go take a shower.”

“I will soon as I get your water.” He glanced at the treadmill panel’s timer. “Thirty minutes, huh? Good job.”

“See? I’m not so lazy after all.”

“We can do free weights again tomorrow morning.”

“Hey, if I keep working out at this pace, I could enter some amateur strong woman competitions sooner than planned.”

118

“How amusing; all this will benefit you in the long run.”

“I almost forgot to say that left your precious phone behind and got a couple of calls. One from the Rebels office and the other was probably some puck slut. I didn’t recognize the voice.”

Troy quirked an eyebrow. “You
answered
my phone?”

“What was I supposed to do, let it endlessly ring? That would’ve been rude.”

“My voice mail’s always activated, Al; any calls can be rerouted. Would you like it if I answered your phone?”

“I don’t care one way or the other. Are you getting a strange lay tonight?”

Troy looked at the missed call numbers on his phone’s screen. “Not that it’s any of your business, but the supposed ‘puck slut’ and ‘strange lay’ was the sister of an old friend of mine. He’s undergoing treatment for cancer and she likes to keep me updated on his progress.”

119

“Oh…wow. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Matt’s getting better, but the jealous spouse act doesn’t suit you.”

“Who said anything about being jealous? A lot of athletes screw around, so I assumed you had a hot date and wanted to bust your chops about it.”

“You know what they say about ‘assume,’ Al. Don’t touch my phone again. I’ll be back with your water.”

“Ungrateful asshole,” she muttered after he left the room.

***

“I think Troy’s a little mental, Phyllis,” Alex said during their weekly Skype call that evening. “He has peculiar rituals that need done at the same time every day or he’ll go bat shit crazy.”

“A lot of athletes tend to be eccentric,” Phyllis replied, “but he must be doing something right or you’d killed each other long before today.”

120

“Believe me; I considered the idea at least once. He pitched a fit today because I drank Diet Pepsi while on the treadmill and then complained about me answering his phone. Seems I can’t do anything right.”

“I think you’re getting on each other’s nerves with the AHC Draft only a few days away.”

“Maybe that’s the problem. Jen’s right; I shouldn’t whine so much. For each time he drives me nuts, Troy makes up for it tenfold by doing or saying something sweet.”

“Like what?” Phyllis asked.

Alex showed her a photo of Troy holding a stuffed moose. “I found this on someone’s blog while he was in Russia for Internationals. I made a joke about how he looked so cute most women in Canada became pregnant just by looking at this picture. Phyllis, he blushed like a shy kid wearing short pants. I wanted to hug him!”

“Did you?”

“No, he doesn’t seem the touchy-feely type.”

121

“Awww, too bad; you two would make a great couple.”

“Oh no, no, no; anything past mentor-protégé or friendship isn’t happening. Hey, what’s the story I heard about Beau? Jen said he has a thing for you.”

“She exaggerates too much.”

“Oh come on, Phyllis, you may fool some people, but Jen and I know better. Beau may a slob who can’t cook worth shit, but totally reliable when it comes to paying his share of the bills and working. Jen also told me you and he got parts in the same Broadway show.”

“Oddly enough, it was Beau who told me about the auditions. I had to beg Mario to send me for an audition. I didn’t get the original role for which I read, but the casting people thought I was better suited for another.” Phyllis then giggled. “Turns out they were right, since I’m playing the wife of Beau’s character. We’ve been busy with rehearsals and opening night is Tuesday. I’m so nervous!”