Page 38 of Play Book

“This doesn’t have anything to do with tall, dark and hockey-playing sexiness, does it?” Autumn asks, narrowing her eyes.

“Wait, what did I miss?” Cheyenne purses her lips. “I swear, I feel like no one tells me anything!”

“You’re never here,” I point out.

“Still. Someone should text me.”

“Well, tell us already!” Bailey Walker says, her eyes twinkling. She’s an actress and screenwriter who’s Jensen Bang’s girlfriend. We worked together early in my career, and though we’re not best friends or anything, we’ve stayed in touch over the years.

“You’re killing me,” Sage Reynolds, another actress who is Bailey’s closest friend, murmurs, sipping her cocktail.

“Okay, okay.” I grin at them. “So, most of you know I went out with Canyon the other night.”

“You were out with him the night your gallery was broken into,” Cheyenne said. “And then he showed up to help with clean-up yesterday. But I thought nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened that night.” I dramatically pause as the waitress drops off more drinks. “Last night was something else.”

“Last night?” Stevie looks confused.

“We were going to have a do-over date,” I explain. “But I was running late, and I’d just gotten out of the shower when he got there. And, you know, one thing led to another. And another. He didn’t leave until five this morning.”

“You hooked up with Canyon?” Bailey grins. “Damn. He’s like the team wild child.”

“And a moody son of a gun too,” Harper interjects. “I can’t believe you got him to chill out enough to get naked.”

“Oh, trust me…” I twirl my drink with a laugh. “He got plenty naked.”

“Did he grunt at you and stuff?” Chey asks, laughing. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh.”

“He laughs. A little.”

We all chuckle.

“So… is this a thing?” Harper asks after a moment. “Are you dating?”

“No?” I make a face. “Honestly, I think it’s just sex. But, you know, really good sex.”

“Is that healthy?” Stevie asks quietly. She went through an ugly break-up not that long ago and I know she’s in therapy, still having a tough time.

“Probably not,” I acknowledge. “But after what happened the other night at the gallery, I refuse to deprive myself of something I want.”

“Are the two things related?” Sage asks. “I mean, just because someone wrote that word doesn’t mean you have anything to prove—in either direction. But I’ve always found friends-with-benefits to be tricky.”

“Oh, come on. You guys are way too serious! It’s just fun. Sexy, passionate fun. And I’ve been without any of that particular kind of fun for almost a year, so I was due.”

“Look, if you’re happy, we’re happy,” Bailey says. “We just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Same. And trust me—if things start getting weird, I’m out. I’ve just always been the careful one. I can count on one hand how many one-night stands I’ve had. I’ve only had three serious boyfriends my whole life, and all three of them broke up with me. So being cautious doesn’t guarantee a good outcome either. I just want to have fun.”

They all look at me for a moment and then Sage lifts her glass. “To fun.”

“To fun.” We all clink glasses and dig into the chips and salsa the waitress has just dropped off.

TWELVE

Canyon

Unlike a lot of my teammates, I enjoy road trips. I like being away from the mundaneness of home while exploring the world. Even if it’s just within the confines of North America. Granted, we don’t have a lot of time for touristy things, but we do get out to good restaurants, the occasional baseball or football game, depending on the time of year, and I know where the best bars are in every city we play in.

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