Page 5 of The Sweet Spot

“This sucks,” Tangi said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“It doesn’t suck,” Jill said. “No, it’s an opportunity.”

Tangi and I looked at the wide smile on Jill’s face. What opportunity could she possibly see?

“You’ve had too much Riesling,” Tangi said.

“Nope. I have an idea. It’s spectacular, and it’s right downstairs.”

Chapter Four

Brandon

Tangi, Jill, and their friend Wolseley came down the basement stairs. We were all watching baseball while Ethan was on the walkout lower deck, manning the barbecue. I had wanted to go home, but Tangi had asked me to stay, and how could I say no? Ryan, Jeremy, and the rest of the guys had been welcoming, and even Ethan had begrudgingly accepted me. I’d managed to change my departure time, but if I wanted the last flight out, I had to leave in the next hour or so.

I watched the three women march toward Ryan—well, only Jill marched. Tangi and Wolseley seemed to be reluctantly trucking along behind her.

“What are you doing?” Wolseley said, seeming to direct her question to Jill.

“I’m going to make all your problems disappear.”

Ryan was relaxing on one of the sofas, snacking on chips and washing it down with a beer. He stopped when Jill stood in front of him, dragging Wolseley along with her.

“Ryan, let’s cut to the chase. I’m not going to sugarcoat this. You can’t go into camp looking the way you do.”

I’d been taking a swig of my beer, watching this unfold, and I spit it out. Thankfully, I’d managed to swallow most of it down. I was wiping my mouth, still riveted by what I was seeing. I’d known that Jill was blunt, but this was spectacular. I was suddenly glad I’d taken Tangi up on her offer to come by.

Ryan, never one to be confrontational off the ice, didn’t surprise me. He set down his beer and wrinkled his nose in confusion. “What?”

He’d always been one of the more dopey guys on the team, but he was a decent person and an amazing defenseman. And if he showed up to camp the way he looked now, Coach Anthony would have him on a thousand-calorie diet of pure protein only. Okay, maybe nothing that drastic, but he’d be pissed off.

“Look, you indulged a little in the offseason. It happens. But you need to shed some weight before camp. You know we take the promotional shots early, and do you want to look bloated in pictures? No,” she said before he had a chance to answer. “That’s why you need a personal chef, and Wolseley would be the perfect person for that.”

“What?” Wolseley said, her big brown eyes opening wide.

Tangi’s equally shocked expression had me confused, too. Didn’t Wolseley have a restaurant to run? How was she going to make him meals from Minnesota?

“You need a job, right?” Jill said to Wolseley. “I just found you one. And I’m sure Ryan can afford you, right, Ryan?”

My head was spinning, watching the back-and-forth.

“Don’t you have a restaurant?” Ryan asked Wolseley.

He’d asked the million-dollar question.

“Well, technically, yes,” she said, fumbling with her hands. “But not for long. Anyway, it’s not a big deal, and you don’t have to listen to Jill. It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

Now, I wasintrigued.

“An ex-employee of hers is trying to ruin her life, the shithead. Wolseley is looking for a fresh start,” Jill said. “She makes healthy food, which, by the looks of what you’re eating right now, is something you could use a lot of.”

This was pure entertainment, and when I made eye contact with a few of the other guys, I could see they were enjoying themselves as much as I was. Jeremy, on the other hand, didn’t seem to like what his girlfriend was up to. The frown on his face said it all, but he didn’t intervene. Lucky for me.

The look on Ryan’s face was priceless as if Jill had just kicked his new puppy. He set down the chip in his hand and pushed away the beer.

“Jill, you need to stop,” Wolseley said, finally showing some grit. “What you’re doing isn’t very nice.”

“It’s honest,” she said, setting her focus back on Ryan. “Did you not like her food?”

---