Poor Collin looks flabbergasted that she blew him off. Collin is a bit of a player and women don’t normally ignore him. It’s a new experience for him much as it was for Hutch when I did the same to him.
“I’m Jonathan Hutchinson. Everyone calls me Hutch.” He holds out his hand for her to shake, which she does. He actually winces a bit. Lucy is a lot stronger than she looks thanks to all the workouts she has to do for basketball.
“Careful there, Lucy. He has to have his hand to play hockey.”
“He’ll be fine. Are you a cheater?” she asks outright.
“No, I’m not. I’ve only had two girlfriends in my life and I’ve broken up with both of them before I started dating again. I have more respect for women than that.”
“His mother seemed to raise him right,” I put in, wanting Lucy to like him.
“Apparently not if he’s going through other people’s phones.”
Boy has the good grace to blush.
“So where are we going? I’m starving.”
“I looked up a place that’s around the corner from here that the guys will be able to eat at. It’s called Duley’s. I’ve never been there, but they have good reviews.”
“Then lead on before I get hangry and really light into your boy.”
We all go outside and pile into Hutch’s Jeep, Collin leaving his car in the parking lot of the hotel. He did grumble about having to pay to park there, but what did he expect? Parking in any big city is precious.
“I got tickets for you and Lucy to tonight’s game,” Hutch says. “Not sure either of us will get to play, but I’m hoping you’ll both be there.”
“How did practice go?” I ask.
“We finally got to meet the team, but we didn’t get to practice with them. I worked with the coach for my position most of the day and then we hit the weight room.”
“Not what you were expecting?” Lucy leans through the seat and flips on the radio. She does this in my car too. I think she does it to annoy people, but she denied that when I asked her. She said she hates the silence as much as I now love it. Then again, she was home alone a lot with her mom in the military and her dad working long hours. Her parents aren’t divorced, but they don’t live together most of the time. Her dad wanted to raise Lucy in West Virginia where he and her mom were raised and her mother agreed it wouldn’t be good for her to be shipped from base to base.
“No. It’s actually an easier pace than what we do on the college team.” Collin reaches through the seat and flips the radio off which earns him a glare from Lucy, to which he replies, “Daisy likes the quiet.”
She frowns and looks at me. “Really?”
I nod. “It makes me feel safer to be able to hear what’s coming.”
Hutch looks shocked I admitted that, but I’m used to telling Lucy everything.
She breathes in and out loudly. It’s not a sigh, but you can read a lot of emotion into it.
“Well, I’d planned to go out to a club or something while I’m here, but I will be content with a hockey game and going somewhere after the game.”
I feel bad. She wanted to go party and the thought of going to a club where its loud gives me hives.
“Maybe Collin can take you?” I suggest. “He loves parties in general so I’m guessing he likes to go clubbing too.”
“Sure, I’ll take you out to some of the nicer places. I can get into a lot without standing in line.”
“Perks of being a well-known hockey player?”
He nods. “I take full advantage.”
“I bet you do.”
He smiles slyly, but before he can say anything, Hutch pulls into the restaurant parking lot. The place is small and the building is in one of the older brick buildings in town and very quaint looking. We all pile out after Hutch parks and go inside. It’s busy, but then I expected that since it had such good reviews online.
“Jonathan Hutchinson?”
