Page 58 of Hockey Wife

“Don’t mind him! Coven! I mean, really, D.” The woman who spoke first was dark-haired with pixie features. “I’m April.”

She recalled her Bankowski flash cards. April: oldest sister, 33, married to Carlos, daughter Jenny, 3. Doesn’t like cilantro. Weird about food touching on her plate.

“Hi, I’m Georgia. I’m sorry we haven’t spoken until now.”

“It’s all my brother’s fault. Unfortunately, we told him how much we wanted to say hello, which means he tortures us by hiding you away.” This came out in a rush from another dark-haired woman, this one with a strong chin and determined eyes, just like Banks.

“That’s Sandy,” he said. “She’s the worst.”

“I am!” Sandy confirmed, which set them off laughing.

Sandy: middle sister, 31, married to Amy, daughter Scarlet, 6.

“And I’m Kelly, the baby of the bunch,” the third woman piped in. She had lovely auburn hair and dark eyes like her sisters and brother. Kelly: youngest sister, 29, married to Jason, twin daughters, Lottie and Lila, 4. “But I think you must be younger than me, Georgia.”

“I’m twenty-four. Almost twenty-five.” She slid a quick glance at Banks, who was watching her intently.

“She’s the new baby,” Sandy said. “Bro, you are such a cradle snatcher.”

“Yep, that’s me,” he said, which should have been amusing but, judging by Banks’s face, was not. He didn’t like references to their age difference.

April chimed in. “I’m going to get Mom and Gran. They can’t miss this.”

“Nope.” Banks held up a hand. “Let’s keep it tight for today and not overwhelm Georgia.”

“Spoilsport.” Kelly made a face, and everyone but Banks laughed.

“Georgia, you’re even more beautiful in person than online,” Sandy said, “and you are so gorgeous in all the pics we’ve seen. You looked amazing in your wedding photo.”

She did? She’d checked her phone’s camera roll, and nothing existed from that night.

“Oh, that’s so kind of you. This is me, straight out of bed pre-makeup. Bit of a mess.”

“Nonsense,” Kelly said. “I would kill for that skin.”

“Cast a spell, witch,” Banks said laconically.

“You hear how he talks to us?” Sandy pointed. “You’re scaring Georgia away.”

“It’ll take more than some light witchcraft to frighten this woman. She ate my tacos.”

Exclamations of incredulity met this statement.

“They were so good!” Georgia laughed and sent an amused glance toward Banks. “I like ’em spicy. The hotter the better.”

Everyone was laughing, except Banks, who never seemed to find her amusing at all.

“Wait until he starts making you curries,” April said. “They’ll blow your top off.”

Like that kiss. No way did Georgia want to look horny in front of Banks’s family. Quickly, she changed the subject.

“So you’re coming to Chicago to watch your brother play?”

“Oh, yeah.” Sandy raised her hands. “The first two playoff games at home. Best to get in there now in case they get swept.”

Cries of “don’t jinx it!” and “Sandy!” went up while Sandy defended herself vociferously. They were all so raucous and fun, quite unlike their stoic brother.

“And Mom and Gran will be there, too. Gran’s so excited to meet the woman that finally hooked her favorite grandchild.”

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