Page 102 of The Player's Club

Hannah and I had been preparing for the housewarming party all afternoon. Mac had been helping us, but his agent had called him as he’d been cutting up veggies to talk about something that sounded important. Although I couldn’t help but wonder if Andrea had been asked to call him so Mac could get out of party preparation duties . . .

“How many people are coming tonight?” Hannah asked. She gazed at the huge spread of food on the dining room table. “Because I’m pretty sure this is enough to feed an army.”

“Hockey players are pretty much an army. They inhale food like Pac-Man.” I reviewed my list for the thousandth time, ensuring I hadn’t missed anything. “Shit! The hummus!”

“I’ll get it.” Hannah went to the kitchen and returned with three different tubs of hummus. “All of these?”

“Yeah.” I began opening them. “I wasn’t sure what flavor people preferred . . .”

Hannah stopped me, squeezing my upper arm. “Babe, it’s gonna be fine. Great even. It’s just a housewarming party, not a wedding.”

I knew that. I’d told myself that, but I still wanted to leave a good impression with all of Mac’s teammates and friends. Even though he’d assured me that everyone would be happy with just chips and beer, I hadn’t been so optimistic about the whole thing.

“But what if people get bored and leave early?” I asked, almost talking to myself. “Should I have made it a dinner party instead? Maybe finger foods aren’t enough.”

“Oh my God, Elodie, chill.” Hannah rested her hands on my shoulders, forcing me to face her. “Go get a glass of wine and sit down. I’ll finish up here.”

I didn’t have the energy to protest, so I nodded and followed Hannah’s instructions. After one and a half glasses of wine, I felt a tiny bit calmer.

“Is Mac still on the phone?” Hannah asked as she dipped a carrot in one of the tubs of hummus.

“I guess so. I should go check on him.”

Hannah waved a hand. “It’s fine. I wanted to have some time with you alone.” She sat down in a chair and pointed at me to sit, too. “I like what you guys have done with the place.”

I smiled. I’d moved into Mac’s house—now our house, of course—about a month ago. Although he’d added more furniture since we’d started dating, the place still lacked character. When I’d started putting up photos and artwork, Mac had protested a bit until I’d reminded him it was my house now too.

Behind Hannah was one of my favorite pieces. It was a red ribbon on a dark background. One end of the ribbon was floating in the wind, while the other end was twisted into a loop that would fit around somebody’s wrists. It was a subtle nod to our BDSM lifestyle, but not so in your face to make people uncomfortable. When I’d first brought it home, Mac had just raised an eyebrow and then chuckled.

“It looks more like a home, right?” I said, nodding. “What is it with guys and not decorating?”

Hannah shrugged. “No idea. They save up thousands for a down payment for a house, and then only buy a bed, a TV, and maybe an air fryer if they’re feeling fancy.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “What’s the worst place you’ve been to?”

“Oh God. Um, probably the guy who was using cardboard boxes for all of his furniture? With the mattress on the floor, just to add to the ambience. Best part? The dude was the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company.”

“No! Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Hannah wrinkled her nose. “I had one drink and ditched him when he proudly told me he washed his sheets once a year.”

We giggled like teenagers. Ever since moving in with Mac, I hadn’t had as much time to see Hannah. I didn’t even know if she was dating anyone.

“Brady is supposed to be here tonight,” I remarked, trying to sound sly.

“That’s nice,” Hannah replied. “Is he still single?”

“As far as I know, yeah.”

“Well, I’d imagine he’s not the type of guy to commit to one woman. So his definition of ‘single’ might be pretty loose.”Hannah shrugged a single shoulder. “What about Mac’s parents? Are they coming? I know you mentioned you invited them.”

I winced inwardly. Mac had reached out to Bob and Judy Mackenzie to let them know we’d moved in together and to extend an invite, but they were noncommittal at best—said they’d think about attending. We hadn’t heard from them since, which was close to a month now. I’d tried to get Mac to follow up with them, but he’d been too hurt by their lack of interest.I suspected they weren’t happy about our living together out of wedlock, considering their religious beliefs.

“I doubt they’re coming.” I sighed.

“I thought Mac and his parents were working on their relationship?”

“I mean, it’s better than it used to be. But they’re still not close. I’ve tried talking to them on Mac’s behalf, but Mac got pissed when I told him. So now I just stay out of things.”

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