Page 12 of The Defenseman

"Oh, yeah." Eric chuckled. "Is that place even open? It's, like, ten in the morning."

"Yeah, exactly when they open," Dan said.

Eric shot Dan a look. "I'm surprised you're going," he said. "You're not really the type to ogle waitresses just trying to do their jobs."

There was a bitter breeze that nipped the back of Eric's neck.

"Hey, 'ogle' makes us sound so sketchy," Brett pointed out. "And last I remember, you typically jump at the chance to spend time with potentially interested women you could probably be able to convince to go home with you."

Eric looked away, swallowing a smart retort. He didn't like to admit it, but Brett was right. He did typically like to go out where he knew there would be at least one woman he could interact with, one woman that he knew would be able to go home with to forget for a second that he was a professional hockey player, that he was in the middle of the United States living his dream, so far away from home. That helped him forget that he was alone.

Eric had never been confronted with the feeling of loneliness before. He had never admitted it, especially to himself. But looking at these guys who were huddling together in a parking lot, planning to head to a restaurant filled with beautiful waitresses was not a life he wanted to be part of.

At least, not anymore.

What's the matter with you?a voice in his head questioned. There was judgment in the voice. This has you written all over it. What's gotten into you?

Before Eric could even think of something, an image of Alexa floated into his mind. His heart clenched at the sight and he immediately banished it. The last thing he needed was being tied to his best friend's little sister—especially someone who probably had no interest in him at all beside the fact that he was attractive. Changing who he was over some girl was not exactly what he wanted.

He cleared his throat.

"I'm in," he forced out, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he could not help but sense dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

- - -

Hickory was notorious for its barbeque everything. They made their sauce from scratch each morning. Everything was fresh. The smell was so strong and so succulent, pedestrians and drivers with open windows could smell the food a block away. The restaurant was always busy, especially after 4:00 pm, and they didn't take reservations, so getting a table tended to be impossible. Waitresses were also beautiful and friendly, whether they were serving a bunch of flirtatious hockey players or a family that had just gotten out of church. They had a monthly specialty menu that was always better than the last month and they provided fully prepared meals for the holidays so cooking wasn't a requirement.

When the guys stepped through the doors, the strong odor of barbeque hit Eric's nostrils and immediately caused Eric's mouth to water. He was from Sweden. Barbeque wasn't typical, and yet, being in Texas had changed his tastes. Somehow, he had been trained to salivate over something as messy and succulent as barbeque.

They were whisked away by a heavily made-up hostess in a tight shirt and short shorts. Eric waited for the guys to slide into the booth so he could take an end seat. A couple of the rookies picked up menus but Dan and Eric already knew what they wanted.

Because they got there just as the restaurant was opening, a waitress stopped by immediately to take their order. She had curly brown hair and was wearing tight black pants and a low-cut Hickory shirt. She had red lipstick and long eyelashes and Eric would typically have on his patented charming smile, oozing out as much charisma as he could muster after a morning skate, but, for some reason, couldn't bring himself to even try.

She was exactly his type—beautiful and perky—and, judging by the way her eyes kept shifting over to Eric even when they didn't have to, interested. Typically, he would say a few lines, she would eat them up. He would leave a tip; she would leave her number. That night, they would hook up, and Eric still wouldn't know her name in the morning.

He was obviously attracted to her. There was no denying how beautiful she was. And yet, there was no denying that he simply wasn't interested.

He shook his head when she left, watching her walk away and trying to get himself enthused about potentially sleeping with her.

"Fuck, the girl is fine," Brett said, shaking his head before biting his knuckle. "What, Eric, no comment about it? You're usually laying it on thick by now."

Eric shrugged and took a sip of the freshly made strawberry lemonade she had just dropped off. He decided keeping his mouth shut would be the least suspicious thing to do.

"What?" Dan asked, nudging Eric. "No quip? No smartass comment? You have a thing for a girl or something? You getting serious on us?"

Eric snorted. "I mean," Eric said with a shrug, "if sleeping with your sister is getting serious, then I guess I'm getting serious."

The rookies snickered and Dan shoved him good-naturedly. Eric immediately took another sip of his lemonade, this time making it long and worthwhile. Who knew that telling the truth was the best way to get out of a bind? Even better, Dan was quick to dismiss that anything was going on.

Eric had to make sure to keep it that way. If Dan found out…

He couldn't even finish that sentence.

The best way to avoid any potential suspicious behavior was to try and sleep with his waitress. But regardless of the logistics of this plan, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't even want to.

And it was all Alexa's fault.

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