Page 21 of Gross Misconduct

We let the subject drop.

Once Tangi and Ethan were finished eating, they got up to leave. I thought Jill would do the same, but instead she gave Tangi a hug and told her she would call her the next day. When we were alone, I eyed the last piece of pizza, and she pushed the tray toward me.

“Eat it. I think you’ve been wanting it all night.”

I didn’t waste a second and wolfed it down in three bites. She seemed in awe of that.

“I figure you want to get going too?” I said, waving the server over for the bill.

“I’m off tomorrow. I’m in no rush.”

To think that not too long ago, she probably didn’t want to be anywhere near me. When the server came around, I told her to make us each a bourbon Amaro cocktail.

“Is it good?” Jill asked.

“I don’t have it often, but it’s a nice after-dinner drink.”

“Since I have nowhere to be tomorrow, I’m all in.”

I caught myself staring at her. She had great skin and the fullest lips that were not filled with whatever shit chicks put in them these days. Nope. I couldn’t keep staring. “How are you liking Ethan and Tangi’s condo?”

“The place is amazing.”

“I don’t live far from their place. I don’t have the view Ethan does, but it’s still pretty spectacular. You should come by sometime.” I quickly realized how that sounded, so I felt a need to explain. “You know, for pictures and stuff.”

“Of course,” Jill said. “I’m thinking we need to drop some more hints. I don’t want it to be obvious, you know?”

“I get that,” I said. “But if we are being honest, you looked very uncomfortable with the WAGs.”

“Wags?”

“Wives And Girlfriends.”

“Ah,” she said. “Yeah, I didn’t know any of them, and since I’m staff, I’m not sure they accepted me.”

That didn’t make much sense to me, so I prodded. “Why would they even care?”

She played with her hair—a nervous tic, I deduced—andseemed to mull over my question. “I don’t know. I’m foreign to them.”

A chick as hot as her had all these self-esteem and confidence issues. I didn’t get it at first, but now I understood. She used her crusty exterior as a shield against rejection. I’d seen teammates in Juniors do that, and not one made it to the NHL, and the ones who did burned out pretty fast.

“You’re not going to believe me, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t care. The WAGs meet tons of new women every year. Guys come up from the minors or go down to the minors, guys get traded. The WAGs embrace them all. As for you being staff? You’re no threat to them.”

Our server returned with the drinks, and Jill sipped at hers. I figured she’d use the opportunity to change the subject, but she went right back to it.

“I have a small circle, so I always assume everyone else has a small circle. I sometimes wish it was a bit bigger.”

“You can change that. And you’ll meet people, especially if you’re hanging with the WAGs.”

She grimaced. “Maybe, but it’s all insincere. It’s not like I’m your real girlfriend.”

“They don’t know that, and they never need to.”

Her blue eyes were trained on me, and they really were the most gorgeous eyes I’d ever seen. “Why are you being nice to me?”

I arched a brow. “Being nice? This is who I am.”

She seemed unconvinced, but didn’t argue with me. “The drink is good.”

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