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“Penny, please. I wanted to congratulate you on the fantastic game…and find out what kind of relationship type I am. So, come on!” she demanded, pulling up a chair while a grinning Lucy moved aside to make room between herself and Jack. “I want to hear it. I’m curious. If you tell me what you know about me, I’ll tell you what I know about you.” She wagged her index finger to include all of players huddled together on the booth seat.

“You know something about us?” Leon asked, irritated.

“Oh yes, a lot. Intimate details. Forbidden thoughts. Everything I need to know to judge if you’re good hockey players and people,” she stated, smiling smugly. “Isn’t that kind of my job?”

Jack raised the glass to his lips to hide his grin. Leon looked slightly panicked, which could be because he wasn’t sure if he was a good person.

“Now tell her what you know about the boss and her prey and relationship pattern,” he muttered. “I for one want to hear what she thinks she knows!”

Penny smiled and moved into the gap Lucy had created. Her leg brushed against his, sending goosebumps scurrying up his spine.

“I like that you show up here and can unsettle Leon with just one sentence,” Lucy remarked contentedly. “That’s a special skill.”

“Yeah, you have to teach me that too,” Fox muttered. “Very useful.”

Leon ignored them all and stared challengingly at Matt, who sighed long and drawn out. “Fine! If you all want me to make things truly uncomfortable…Miss Clark – Penny – you only date losers and deadbeat artists who absolutely don’t fit in with your family because you’re rebelling against your father. You know it won’t work out, though, with these types, which makes you feel safe. You always choose the man with whom you’re least likely to have a successful relationship.”

Absolute silence followed Matt’s words — though Jack opened his mouth in surprise.

Shit. Was that why she liked him? Because it was unlikely that it would work out between them? Because, technically, she was his boss?

The players exchanged uncertain glances until their gazes landed on Penny, who was staring at Matt in amazement…and then she started laughing.

“You’re good,” she finally said, impressed, and the tense atmosphere dissolved. “However, I don’t imagine you came to that conclusion by looking at my face, but by looking on Google.”

Matt grinned. “There were two searches.”

“Hey, that’s cheating,” Lucy complained, but Matt didn’t get a chance to answer because Leon intervened again.

“So, what do you know about us, Clark?” the defenseman demanded, before adding innocently, “More than about hockey, hopefully?”

Penny’s smile remained on her face. She didn’t let his comment unsettle her. “To be honest, what I know about you has a lot to do with hockey.”

“Ah.” Leon didn’t sound convinced.

“Yes, your character reveals a lot about your style of play, but I actually only need your statistics to know everything I need to know,” she continued undeterred. “Fox here, for example, is a born middle child. He always wants everyone to be happy,mediates quarrels, and therefore distributes the pucks better than anyone else. His passing rate is unbelievable. He just wants all of his teammates to be part of the team and to win. Matt here…” She nodded toward the striker. “…takes everything lightly. Everything in his life is a game or not that important, which is why he doesn’t mind losing. He always keeps the team in a good mood and is fantastic at getting back up when he falls. And, according to his statistics, he does it 2.3 seconds faster than any other player. Moreau doesn’t feel like he has to impress anyone but himself. Which is why he is so calm and composed, even when three two-hundred-pound guys are charging him. Jack wants to win, yes, but to do it as fairly as possible. It’s as if he has to show the world that he’s a really good guy. He might not fully believe it himself. Which is why he has fewer penalty minutes than any other player in the NHL and his scoring is fantastic. Dax just loses control completely when he plays in an effort to be the best, which makes him incredibly focused but also a little wild. And you, Leon, you just want to show everyone what a great guy you are. If a player or reporter isn’t impressed by you by the end of a game, you’re dissatisfied. No matter how good you were. Which is why you’re such a fantastic defender who also scores so many goals. You want to prove that you can do both.”

She closed her mouth, which Jack found funny, since all the other mouths around the table were hanging open.

“But…Icando both!” Leon finally blurted out. “I don’t have to prove that. Everyone knows that. Right?” He looked around at his teammates for help, which indicated to Jack that Penny had been right on target with her assessment.

“You got all that from our stats?” Dax asked incredulously.

Jack lowered his gaze and smiled to himself. Yup. Penny wasn’t conventional, but damn, she was good. She had hit the nail on the head for every one of them.

Penny shrugged modestly. “Numbers say a lot about us.”

“Guys, am I the only one who finds that creepy?” Leon whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Why does she need to know all that?”

Penny laughed. “To get to know you better. You didn’t want to talk to me, so I studied you in other ways. But I could stop being socreepyif you’d just talk to me more often. And don’t always ignore me andforgetto invite me to your after-game get-togethers.”

Most of the players stared at their hands in embarrassment, whereas Leon made an annoyed gesture before uttering a torrent of Spanish words, none of which sounded very nice.

Jack was rather certain that no one understood him because their Spanish was crap and Leon spoke incredibly quickly. For his part, Fox opened his mouth to reprimand the young player, but he didn’t get the chance.

At that moment Penny raised her eyebrows and replied in a calm voice – and in perfect Spanish – at least as fast.

Leon fell silent, his eyes wide and his mouth open.