Page 16 of Mistletoe Face Off

“I don’t know. I guess they're all a little self-interested for my liking.”

“Have you met many?”

“A few. I married one, too. Big mistake.”

So she was married and now she’s not. I try not to smile about that.

“I'm sure not all of them are the same.”

She quirks a brow. “You know a few?”

“I'm just saying not everyone is cut from the same cloth, just because they happen to play hockey for a living.”

“Maybe,” she concedes, but it’s unconvincing. “Hey, I don’t suppose you know how I could get in touch with Harrison Clarke, do you?”

I almost choke on my Coke.

“You okay there, Santa?” she asks, patting me on the back.

“Went down the wrong way,” I croak. “Why do you want to talk to Harrison Clarke?”

“My boss wants me to do a story on him. Apparently, he's got something in his past he wants me to find out about.”

Instantly, my heart begins to beat like a drum. I work hard at keeping my tone neutral when I ask, “Do you know what it is?”

“No, but I need to find out. There’s a lot riding on me getting a good story from all these Blizzard Christmas events.”

“Why?”

She lets out a heavy breath. “There's this promotion I've been after at work for a while. It’s in the National News Team, which means moving from Lifestyle to hard hitting stories.”

“Doesn't her dad help support her?” I ask, and quickly add, “I'm sorry if I'm overstepping a line here.” Because I know I am.

“No, it's fine. My ex isn't exactly winning a Father of the Year trophy this year, or any other year for that matter.” She looks over at her daughter, happily coloring away. “He's not great at turning up for things when he makes promises to her, and he'snot one to part with his cash too easily, despite the fact he earns a more than decent living playing hockey.”

So that's why she doesn't like pro hockey players. Her ex.

“This promotion isn't about money for me so much as getting to do what I got into journalism for in the first place. No offense, but covering what a bunch of guys who're good at hitting pucks into nets do to raise money for charity during the holiday season isn't exactly the end goal for me.”

“Weird. Your ex. Is he in the NHL?” I ask, and I realize I'm holding my breath as I wait for her response.

“He plays for the Denver Thunderwolves these days.” She twists her mouth.

Her ex plays for our team’s arch nemesis? I wonder which one her ex is. “We beat them last night.”

“We?”

“I’m a Blizzard fan,” I reply quickly to cover my mistake.

“Of course you are. You know, I went to school with Harrison Clarke?”

I can't resist asking, “What did you think of him?”

“I didn't really know him that well. We were into different things, but he always seemed like a nice kind of guy. A lot of the jocks were pretty in your face, you know? Loud and obnoxious, full of themselves. He wasn't like that.”

I bite back a smile. “So, you liked him, huh?”

I'm fishing. Sue me.

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