Jaci Burton, page 11
part #3 of Play-by-Play Novel Series
“Anderson was a good addition to the team,” Mick said.
“I have you to thank for that, Mick. If you hadn’t fired me, I likely wouldn’t have been scrambling to pick up new talent and I would have never landed him.”
“See? All kinds of good things came out of that mess. Mom and Dad ended up together. Liz and Gavin fell in love, and Liz got a whole bunch of new clients. And Dad and Liz made up and are friends again and now no one is mad at each other anymore. So sometimes bad things happen for all the right reasons.”
They all looked at Nathan.
“Out of the mouths of babes,” her mother said with a smile as she came into the room.
“You’re right, Nathan,” Mick said, ruffling the teenager’s hair.
Nathan ducked. “Man. It took me a long time to get it to look like that.”
“And here I thought you rolled out of bed and did nothing at all to get that style,” Mick teased.
“Dude. You just don’t know.”
“What I do know is that if you call me ‘dude’ again, you’ll be on toilet scrubbing duty for a week.”
Nathan looked at Mick with a horrified expression on his face.
Tara smothered a laugh.
“Uh, yes, sir.”
Mick rolled his eyes. “I don’t think we have to go that far.”
Jenna did laugh, then they all turned back to the game. She tried to watch the Ice as a whole team, but she couldn’t help but focus her attention on Tyler. He had a magnificent command of the ice and seemed to always gravitate toward the puck. Part of that was his position as a center, but he was fast on his skates and didn’t shy away from the hard action, which often got him double teamed or slammed up against the boards. He took a lot of elbows and hard knocks, ending up on his ass a lot of the time.
He didn’t seem to mind. In fact he was as aggressive as the other players, shoving an elbow or body slamming someone, even if it cost him a penalty. He’d do whatever it took to get the puck and skate away with it or pass it to a teammate.
And often enough it resulted in a goal, so obviously his methods worked.
But the bottom line was, he was exciting to watch, and he got results.
By the end of the first period they were up by one goal.
“Dinner should be ready. Should we head in to the dining room?”
Everyone got up and headed that way. Jenna lingered, watching Ty skate off the ice.
“You’ve got it so bad for that guy,” Liz whispered to her, bringing up the rear with her.
“I do not. I was just enjoying the game.”
Liz snorted. “Oh, yeah. You being such a big sports fan and all.”
She lifted her chin. “Hey, it’s part of my job to know what’s going on with all the games so I can talk to my customers about them.”
“Uh-huh. It’s more like you want to get your hands around his cock again.”
Just the thought of it had her face flaming. “You are so wrong about that.”
Liz directed a bullshit look her way. “Am I?”
“Totally. I’m going to start dating to get you all off my back.”
“Are you? Great. I’ll be sure to find you some awesome men that aren’t in sports.”
“You do that.”
“Consider it done.”
“Consider what done?” her mother asked.
“I’m going to play matchmaker for Jenna,” Liz said with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. “I know a lot of men.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Aren’t you sweet, Elizabeth?”
“Yeah, she’s a peach,” Jenna said as she took her seat at the table.
Tara cast her a hint of a knowing smile, while Liz downright grinned all through dinner.
She’d have to remember to decline the next time the family had a meal together.
ELEVEN
NOT MORE THAN TWO DAYS LATER, LIZ TEXTED HER AND told her she was sending her a guy.
Jenna felt like she was getting some bought-and-paid-for escort, but Liz insisted the guy was a friend of hers, and that he wasn’t in any way involved in sports.
She had to work, but Liz said she’d bring him by after she finished with a client meeting, so it might be around eight or so, which was fine with her since she was stuck at the bar anyway.
With Ty, who had a day off.
She really wished he and his friends would find another bar to hang out in. But since it would be epically bad for her business to tell him and his friends to take a hike, she’d have to suck it up. Sports figures were a huge deal at Riley’s. They made her customers happy, and anything that made her customers happy was good for Riley’s.
It appeared Victor had coupled up with Lisa, the platinum blonde bar bunny who was also a regular, and Eddie had finally come up with the courage to ask Renee out, so now the two of them were dating. And since Ty, Victor, and Eddie were pretty much best friends, it made sense for Ty to hang out with his buddies.
Still, she couldn’t help but think he frequented her bar because of her and his interest in her.
Though he hadn’t exactly acted interested the last few times he’d been in here, not since the day after the wedding when she’d effectively shut him down cold.
God, she’d been such a bitch about it, too. Rude and dismissive, as if what they’d shared the night before hadn’t meant anything at all, when it had been the best night she’d had in at least a year—possibly longer.
Which was why it could never happen again.
Seeing him again reminded her of just how good it had been, which made her want it to happen again, which just made everything worse, and made her bitchy and cranky.
Maybe if Ty saw her moving on with a new guy, he’d move on, too, and they could both get past what had happened the night of the wedding.
She hoped Liz was great at choosing men. This had to work.
Liz showed up a little after ten, later than she thought she’d be. But Dylan, the guy Liz brought with her, was worth the wait.
He was a suit, but hot as hell in a suit. Light brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and the kind of smile that lit up a room. Very tall and well built, and every woman stopped and stared when he walked in. He had an easygoing presence about him that commanded attention. He looked rugged and full of masculinity, but he was friendly. She liked that.
He hung out at the bar with her and Liz, but he was focused on her. She took a break, putting Renee behind the bar since traffic was light.
That meant Eddie gravitated toward the bar and kept Renee company, but as long as she did her job, Jenna didn’t mind.
Dylan drank whiskey and soda.
A man’s drink. She liked that about him.
He was a lawyer. Self-deprecating, funny, charming.
“I travel a lot, which doesn’t leave me a lot of time for dating,” he said.
“I’m always working, so the same.”
He leaned toward her. “I would think you’d get hit on all the time, considering your occupation.”
“Not really. I have regulars. They’re pretty protective. And I don’t date all that often. I’m picky.”
He looked her over. “So am I.”
She didn’t seem at all his type. He should be running with some model or someone in the corporate world, not a girl with tattoos, piercings, and purple streaks in her hair. She wondered what he saw in her.
“What do you like to do in your off time, Dylan?”
“I go boating in the summer. I like the outdoors. Hiking, camping, water skiing, riding my bike. I’m not much for sitting around doing nothing.”
“You must hate the winter, then.”
He laughed. “I spend a lot of time at the gym. There’s a rock wall at my gym and I climb it every chance I get. Fortunately, I have some clients in Colorado, so I do some snowboarding and skiing.”
Not exactly sports, but he was a definite jock. And when Ty came over to talk to Eddie, Dylan’s radar went off.
“Hey, isn’t that Tyler Anderson and Eddie Wolkowski from the Ice?”
“It is.”
“You know them?” He gave her a hopeful look.
“I do. I’m surprised Liz didn’t mention that they were both her clients.”
He turned his attention to Elizabeth. “You never told me you knew them.”
Liz shrugged. “The subject never came up.”
“Man, I’m a huge hockey fan. Can I get an intro?”
“Sure. Come with me.” Jenna took his hand while Liz fumed silently.
This would be comical if it wasn’t so ironic.
“Hey, Tyler, Eddie, this is Dylan Manchester. He’s a big fan of yours.”
Tyler’s gaze roamed over hers before turning to Dylan. He shook his hand.
“Always nice to meet a fan. Hi, Dylan.”
Eddie shook his hand, and before she knew it Dylan had abandoned her for the sports stars.
Fine with her. She had to get back behind the bar anyway. Renee took off to see to her customers at the tables, and Liz pinned her with a suspicious look.
“It’s like you planned this.”
Jenna rolled her eyes as she filled some drink orders. “Now how could I have possibly known he was a hockey fan? You’re the one who brought him to me, remember?”
Liz studied her glass of wine. “Obviously I’m going to have to do a better job of vetting potential dates for you in the future.”
“Obviously. Maybe a questionnaire?”
“You are so funny.”
She smirked. “I try to be.”
“But seriously, Jenna. Doesn’t it annoy you that he’s off with Ty and Eddie?”
“No. Should it?”
“You hate sports.”
“I told you. I don’t hate it. I just don’t want to date anyone who loves or plays it. I get plenty of it here, as you can see.”
Liz sighed. “I was so hopeful with Dylan. He’s amazing eye candy.”
Jenna let her gaze wander down the bar, but it didn’t settle on Dylan. She couldn’t help but gravitate toward Ty. Even though Dylan was drop dead gorgeous, in the middle of a pack of handsome men, it was Ty who captured her attention. He tilted the bottle of beer to his lips, and all she could think of was his mouth on hers, the way he kissed her. She watched his fingertips absently stroke the moisture on the outside of the bottle as he laughed with the guys, and remembered his touch, the way his fingers played along her skin.
She shivered.
“Sorry it didn’t work out with you and Dylan.”
She flipped her attention back to Liz. “No big deal.”
Liz looked at the end of the bar. “Or maybe it’s not Dylan you were looking at.”
“Of course it was. He’s hot.”
“So’s Ty.”
“I was not looking at Ty. That’s over.”
Liz crossed her arms and laid them on the bar. “Is it? Why do you fight the attraction when it’s so obvious?”
“It’s not obvious. He’s moved on and so have I.”
Liz laughed. “You have not. You’ve been watching him the entire time I’ve been here.”
“I haven’t—oh, hell. I have been.” It was pointless to deny it, when the truth was so obvious. “I can’t help myself. He’s like a virus I can’t get rid of.”
“That bad, huh?”
“He’s always here.”
“I don’t think he’s always here. It’s hockey season. He plays a lot of games and he’s frequently on the road. Maybe you just notice him when he is here.”
“I guess. I don’t know. It’s hard to forget about someone you slept with when they keep showing up where you work.”
“So he’s bothering you.”
“Not in the least. He ignores me.”
“He blew you off.”
“No. I dumped him.”
Liz threw her hands in the air. “Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know. He’s just…there. Reminding me.”
“Of?”
She narrowed her gaze at Liz. “Are you sure you’re not an attorney?”
Liz laughed. “I’m certain. But I know he’s gotten to you, so what it is about him?”
“We had an amazing night together.”
“So go have some more. No one says you have to marry the guy, but if you had fun with him, who cares if he plays sports? I know for a fact Ty isn’t the settling-down type.”
“He’s not?”
“No.”
Then maybe she’d been approaching this all wrong. Maybe she should just screw his brains out and get him out of her system, and then they could go their separate ways.
“You could be right. I just didn’t get enough of him, and he’s on my mind a lot. It’s not like I care for him.”
“Right. You just want more of that hot stuff he’s offering.”
She let out a snort. “Something like that.”
“So go for it.”
“If he’s interested. Remember, I dumped him.”
“Honey, he has a penis. He’s interested. And men are different than women, in case you haven’t noticed. If he was hurt over being dumped, do you think he’d still be coming here?”
“Good point.” Ty didn’t act hurt. He still smiled and waved at her, he was still friendly. He’d just been maintaining his distance.
It was, after all, what she’d asked for. She’d told him it was over.
But now she didn’t want it to be over.
Ugh. When had she become that woman?
“I don’t know, Liz. He might think I’m crazy.”
“We’re all crazy. That’s what makes women so interesting. Go up and talk to him.”
“In front of my date for tonight?”
“Pfft. I’ll take care of Dylan. I have some legal matters to talk over with him anyway. And if Dylan had the hots for you, no hockey team in the world would have been able to pull him away.”
“Huh. So you’re saying I wasn’t exactly his type?”
“He likes big boobs.”
She gaped at her less-than-generous chest, then at Liz. “Why the hell did you set him up with me?”
Liz shrugged. “To see if you’d go through with it.”
“You are crazy.”
“See? I told you.” Liz slid off the bar stool and headed over to Dylan, pulled him away from his adoration of the Ice players, and led him to one of the tables. Ever a gentleman, he went where Liz directed him.
Not that Jenna expected him to do otherwise. Liz had a dominating presence and guys tended to do what they were asked to do when she was the one doing the commanding.
In fact, it took less than ten minutes for Liz to return to the bar with Dylan and grab her purse.
“There’s a few papers in my office I need to go over with Dylan, so we’re heading out.”
Dylan shook her hand. “Really nice to meet you, Jenna. You have a great bar here.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Dylan. Come back anytime.”
She went around to kiss and hug Liz. “Thanks.”
Liz’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “You’re welcome. Now make good use of your time.”
It wasn’t exactly in her realm of experience to make up with a guy she’d recently dumped. But in order to exorcise Ty from her life, she was going to have to get her fill of him, and that meant eating crow was in order.
Since Dylan had left and Renee was off waiting on her customers, the guys had moved back to the pool tables. Jenna didn’t relish the idea of wading into a sea of Ice players to talk to Ty, and getting him alone might be problematic.
She pondered the situation, even considered giving Renee a note to give to him, then thought better of it. What if he shared it with his friends? They’d all laugh.
And this isn’t high school, you idiot. Where are your balls?
Sucking up her courage, she called one of the waitresses over to cover the bar and headed over to the group.
“How’s it going tonight?”
“We are great. Steaks were good,” Victor said with a smile.
