Page 16 of These Pucking Boys

“Do you think you have enough, Melissa?” Tammy asks in a sarcastic tone.

Without looking up from my phone, she replies, “I had to make sure there was one decent picture of you. Would it kill you to keep your eyes open for a second, woman?”

“Shut up. I didn’t close my eyes.”

Tammy steps closer to Melissa to look at the photos. I stay back and watch the duo. They seem to have the kind of friendship I have with Katrina. Danika and I, on the other hand, weren’t like that. Looking back, I think she only enjoyed having a walking disaster as a friend so she would always look like a rockstar.

I should reply to Katrina’s texts before posting tonight’s pictures on social media.

“Can I have my phone back, please?”

Melissa looks sheepish. “Oops. Sorry, I got carried away.”

“Thanks. Now I need to take pictures with all the players on the team.” I glance around the room from our vantage point. Even though I don’t follow hockey, it’s easy to spot them in the crowd. They’re taller than most. But I don’t see the guys I’m searching for.

“If you’re looking for the Unholy Trinity, they’re probably hogging the pool table,” Melissa chimes in.

I whip my face to her. “There’s a pool table here?”

“Yeah. Do you play?”

The corners of my lips twist upward. “I don’t play, I slay. Let’s find those boys.”

CHAPTER 8

JUNE

The pool table is at the far end of the restaurant, and I’m not sure if it belongs or if it was brought in for the party. It doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the décor. It’s out of place, just like I am. But I’m glad it’s here, because playing pool is one of the things I do well. My father had an old pool table in the garage, and he taught my brother and me how to play. Much to August’s chagrin, I was a better student than him. My dad said I was a natural.

The Unholy Trinity—as Melissa called Lachlan, Ryan, and Jake—surround the pool table. Ryan and Jake are playing while Lachlan watches with a beer in hand.

He’s the first to notice us walking over, and he immediately stands straighter, almost as if he wants to make a good impression. If that’s the case, surely he doesn’t want to impress me.

“It didn’t take long, did it?” Melissa asks Ryan and Jake.

“What?” Ryan’s eyes widen innocently. “You went through the trouble of getting us a pool table. The least we can do is play.”

“You’d better have made your rounds and talked to the sponsors already.”

“Don’t worry, Melissa. We socialized, and we’ll continue to make our rounds after I kick Ryan’s ass.”

“Who’s winning?” I ask.

Ryan twists his face into a grimace. “Jake, but not for long.”

I look at the table and notice more striped balls than solid. In fact, there are only two solids left, plus the eight ball.

Jake snorts. “Watch this.” He chalks the cue and bends over the table, getting into position to take his shot. He ditched his suit jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves, showcasing corded muscles and veins. Damn, the look’s sexy as hell. He glances at me, catching me staring. Usually, I’d look away, but I hold his stare. He smirks and then winks before focusing on the ball he wants to hit, and then the cue ball. With a powerful strike, he sinks his target. A minute later, the game is over.

“God dammit!” Ryan blurts out.

Smiling, Jake lifts his hand. “Pay up, buddy.”

Ryan fishes out a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill from his pocket and shoves it into Jake’s hand.

“Do you play, June?” Lachlan asks me.

“Yeah, sometimes.”

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