And Hannah was definitely having unwanted thoughts. Or were they?

Ward extended an elbow, his gaze never straying from hers. ‘Well, I guess we should head inside and hope we survive the ordeal ahead – although, I’ve gotta admit, having you here looking like that … it might not be the torture I was imagining.’

‘Was that actually a compliment?’ She laughed. ‘You caught me off-guard by not making some smartass remark for once.’

He duly escorted her into the hotel and they followed the throng of people past the Palm Court and onwards to the Plaza’s renowned Grand Ballroom. She’d always loved this hotel, a classic monument to the city’s gilded age, and she found herself torn between needing to keep things on a professional footing as Ward’s publicist, and wanting just to kick back and enjoy the occasion as his actual plus one in this iconic New York location.

To distract herself, she glanced around at the other guests. Everyone there seemed to be in their element, moving easily through the crowd, stopping and having casual conversations about subjects that mostly involved making money or losing money, or moving to New Zealand before the New World apocalypse took place.

The other hockey players all seemed easy and confident, though most had the same cocky arrogant demeanour that reminded her of her early days with Ward. Their dates all wore expensive couture they clearly didn’t need to borrow, though sadly their faces each looked to have been stretched by the same surgeon.

Some of them looked in her direction, then quickly away when she made eye contact as if easily dismissing her as not one of them, despite the dress. Evidently she wasn’t pulling it off as well as she’d hoped.

Ward seemed to notice her unease because he gently touched her hand. ‘What’s it feel like to be on the other side of the curtain this time? You push us poor suckers out there in the spotlight, while you’re lucky enough to get to fade into the background.’

‘You’re right,’ she whispered. ‘This is … scary.’

‘Believe it or not, you get used to it. I gotta admit, though, there have been times lately when I wonder if it wouldn’t be better just to walk away and try to have a normal life.’

His statement caught her by surprise. ‘What? You love hockey, Ward. You could never just walk away from it.’