“Well, it’s better late than never to say thank you for the drinks. How’s Jake, by the way?”
I literally facepalm myself. She hasn’t shut up about that since the night they met.
“Jake is doing just fine. Come to think of it, you two looked pretty cozy yourself in that bar, strutting your stuff. Want me to drop in a good word for you?”
Beth laughs like it’s hilarious, then sobers. “What, really?”
Jay shrugs. “I’m great at playing Cupid, trust me.”
“Remember what I was saying about sports stars,” I mutter under my breath to Beth, but she’s deliberately not listening to a word I’m saying.
“I’d be fine with that!” She beams.
He pops a shoulder and seals it with a wink. “Leave it with me.”
Beth is practically jumping up and down on the spot in delight. “You two have fun at your dance lesson now, won’t you? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” She winks back at Jay and I stare at my friend, mouth open, wondering what the hell has gotten into her.
“You’re welcome,” she mouths to me as we part ways. Jay is gesturing over to the curb where he’s parked his black BMW XM SUV.
I point a finger at her and am about to retort a snappy comeback when I feel Jay’s hand touch mine, or rather, the bag of equipment I’m still holding from the photoshoot. Glancing up at him under my lashes, his smile makes me forget whatever I was going to throw back at her. Instead, I smile sweetly.
“You ready?” he asks.
“Sure thing. See ya, Beth.”I’ll be texting you as soon as I’m in the car.
Her returning smile is about ten feet wide as she does a little skip step towards her car, parked just down from Jay’s. “See you two later. Have fun!”
“Sorry about that,” I say to Jay when we’re on our way to the dance studio downtown. He punched the address into his navigation system and we find out it’s not far from where he lives, but maybe a little too far to walk since it will be dark when we’re done.
“She’s a real hoot,” Jay says, he’s been unable to wipe the smile off his face for most of the ride. What I’d give to know what he’s thinking right now.
“She sure doesn’t mince with words, and she’ll ditch me in a heartbeat to be your new best friend if you hook her up with Jake Hudson.” Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly true, Beth and I go way back, but despite what she said previously when I brought it up, she sure would love to pick up where they left off last time.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” he muses. “But she may wanna rethink things if she’s looking for a permanent thing. Jake is pretty new to the scene, so he’s just out there having fun for the moment.”
“Aren’t you all?” I quip with a laugh to my tone. I don’t mean it to sound haughty, it just flies out before I can stop it. Jay turns his head toward me; his five o’clock shadow suits the golden glow to his face. And the way the late afternoon sun is coming through the window as he drives bounces off his golden locks, making it seem like he’s suddenly been granted a halo.
I press my lips together, even thinking about that notion is absurd. Nope. One thing Jay will never be is an angel, not in that sense, anyway.
“Have you been reading the sports pages again?” Jay jokes, with a gleam in his eye, looking back to the road. “You know, half the stuff they print in those gossip pages is bullshit.”
I didn’t know this until the night I spent with some of the team that a scandal was exposed by the press with Cindy Carter, who’s Tyler Peterson’s girlfriend and the captain of the Seattle Hawks. Tyler was photographed with Cindy in the park with their dog, Henry, as well as his heavily pregnant ex on the same day. The Seattle Times printed a story about Tyler being the bad boy of the ice and dating both women at once. It wasn’t true. As in, Tyler hadn’t been with his ex for over six months. And his relationship with Cindy was new and being kept secret from the team.
They know firsthand that the things often written in the papers aren’t anywhere close to the truth.
I don’t know about Jay, though. He’s renowned for having a new woman on his arm every five minutes. It’s not that I’ve kept up with him over the years, it’s just common knowledge. “I’m not so sure about that,” I say. “You seem to have a legion of fans lining up to get another date with you.” I’m referring to that girl from this morning, of course. And I don’t mean to sound catty or jealous bringing it up, but I am interested in his reaction.
“Janey?” he splutters.
“Hey, you can’t blame a girl for trying!” I say as I fish my cell out of my pocket so I can text Beth and say thanks so much for blurting that out in front of Jay. I’m sure he’s only seconds away from bringing it up again.
“I’m not interested in Janey. She wouldn’t let up this morning, sometimes chicks are like that.”
“Puck bunnies?” I say, feeling silly even saying the words. But Beth has been looking into the NHL more and more since the night at the bar, and all the lingo that goes with it.
Jay rolls a hand over his face for a second, letting out a breath. I can see the hesitation in his face as his lip curls under and his brow furrows slightly.
Why does he suddenly seem a little uncomfortable?
