Page 30 of Puck and Prejudice

“Because Iknowher. I don’t expect you to understand, Darcy.”

Hell. He calls me Darcy only when he’s truly pissed.

“Help me understand, then.”

“What’s the point? You treat me like I’m a little kid who can’t make good decisions. I get that plenty from my parents. I didn’t expect it from you.”

I push my hair back. “I’m sorry, okay? Put yourself in my shoes. What would you do if you thought I was making a mistake? Would you just let it happen?”

“I wouldn’t have hired a PI behind your back. I’d talk to you first.”

Remorse makes my chest heavy. He has me there. “You’re right. I should have talked to you first. I fucked up royally. How can I fix this? I hate that we’re fighting.”

He watches me for a couple beats, then shakes his head. “I’m not sure you can.”

That feels like a punch to my stomach.

Chad’s shoulders slouch forward as the aggression leaves his body. “Are we done with this conversation? I’m tired. I just want to go home and sleep.”

“Yeah, we’re done.”

He walks out, but I stay put. Guilt sits in my guts like a lump of old bread. I get now that hiring Larry was a mistake. I hate that I’m the reason my best friend is hurting. It’s not even about the Stanley Cup. I might have ruined Chad’s chance at happiness for no good reason, and that’s much worse than not winning the Cup.

I might not be able to regain Chad’s friendship, but I have to fix the mess I made. And there’s only one person who can help me.

Izzie Bennet.

Instead of going home, I head to Triana. I have no idea if Izzie’s working tonight, but it’s a place to start. If we’d won the game, we probably would have gone there for a drink or two. But since we lost, no one was in the mood to go out.

It’s almost midnight, and the place is as busy as ever. I make a beeline to the bar and try to spot Izzie. I don’t see her. Hell. Is she off tonight? Wouldn’t that be my luck. I flag a bartender anyway.

“What can I get you?”

“Is Izzie Bennet working tonight?”

He frowns. “What do you want with her?”

My spine goes tense. What’s with the bad attitude with people who work here? “I need to talk to her.”

“Haven’t you done enough?”

“Excuse me? Do I know you?”

“No, but I know you and what you did to mess with Jane’s relationship with your buddy.”

I grind my teeth. So that’s why this guy is giving me the death glare. “Listen, I know I fucked up, and I’m trying to fix it.”

He arches a brow. “Really? You’re going to fix it? Does your sudden interest in helping Jane and Chad reconcile have anything to do with the fact that your team is sucking ass right now?”

“That’s not why I’m here,” I grit out. “If she’s off tonight, I’ll just try her house.”

I turn to leave, but he says, “She’s not home. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but she’s working the late night shift at the vet clinic.”

My brows arch. I wasn’t expecting this guy to help me at all. “Do you have the address for the clinic?”

He releases an exasperated sigh. “Hold on.”

A moment later, he slides a business card across the counter. “Here. Don’t make me regret this.”

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