Page 48 of Fair Play
“Right between your mom’s legs,” I chirp back, grinning when his mouth falls open.
Poor kid can dish it out but can’t take it. He’ll learn.
I snake the puck between his legs and shoot it to Canyon, who passes it to Connor. There’s a scuffle at the boards, Connor and one of the other team’s forwards fighting for control. It’s not pretty, but Connor comes out victorious, snapping the puck in my direction. It bounces off my stick but I manage to get it back and head for the goal. I shoot, knowing it won’t get past the threeguys between me and the net, but I’m fully aware that Canyon, Connor, and Evan Laurenz are positioned to snatch the rebound.
We go back and forth a few times, but as seems to be our luck tonight, we can’t score.
Then I get that tingle again, the one that tells me I’m about to make something happen.
Mr. I-Can’t-Take-A-Chirp gets control of the puck and takes it up the ice, but Canyon gets it away from him, bringing it back into their zone. I’m trying to determine if he’s going to pass it, but he’s looking right at the net, so this is going to be a shot. I need to position myself in case there’s a rebound, and sure enough, the puck hits the post but instead of bouncing back, it drops like a fuckin’ rock.
Their goalie doesn’t know where it is and there’s a limited amount of time before he sees it, so I have to get there.Now.
I come in fast, their goalie knows I’m heading in his direction and twists for a better view, but I’m already there. I’m going too fast for any finesse, so I stretch my body as far as I can and tap the puck with the tip of my stick, giving it a little poke toward the goal line. I see a flash of red behind the glass right before there’s an explosion of pain deep inside my inner thigh.
And when I go down, I can’t get up.
Chapter 17
Billie
The diner is slowerthan usual today, but since it’s my first shift on my own, I’m grateful. It’s raining out, which is probably a big part of the reason, but I’m still skating back and forth to the kitchen nonstop. The one good thing about skating everywhere is that it’s a lot faster than walking—as long as there’s no one in your way.
“Hey, Buddy, can you put the hockey game on?” I call to the bartender as I wait for drinks. “The Phantoms are on.”
He grins. “You got it, B.”
I like Buddy. He’s funny and charming, married with two kids, and makes the best drinks I’ve ever tasted. He’s also a big Phantoms fan, so we’ve bonded over that. He thinks it’s extremely cool that I’m Bodi Michener’s sister, and I’m planning to ask Bodi or Rome to get him a couple of tickets.
Nita wants to go to a game too, so that’ll be fun if we can all go together.
“They’re down 1-0,” Buddy says, shaking his head. “Third period.”
“Keep me posted!” I yell over my shoulder.
“Hey, Billie!” The hostess calls to me and I turn.
A couple of the wives and girlfriends I recognize from the Phantoms are standing at the hostess stand, and they wave.
“Hi!” I wave back as I skate over to them. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a dreary, ugly day so we decided to get out. We thought we’d come have something to eat and sit in your station—Marty told us you were working here.”
“Itoldthem you don’t have a table big enough,” the hostess interrupts, looking grumpy.
“That’s all right.” Nita appears out of nowhere and smiles. “We can put them at table thirty in the back. It’s quiet tonight and I’m sure Billie won’t mind going back and forth.”
“Not at all.” I shake my head. “I’ll seat them.”
I grab five menus and lead the group over to the designated table. “You guys can look at the menus while I get you some water, and then we’ll chat.”
“Thanks.” I recognize Stevie Marchand—she’s a freakin’ supermodel, so it’s amazing to me that she’s here, hanging out in the diner like a regular person. I guess sheisa regular person, but not the kind of person I usually hang out with.
While I’m filling water glasses, Nita comes up behind me. “Thank you for inviting your friends,” she whispers.
“I barely know them,” I whisper back. “My brother has only let me meet his teammates and their families once.”
“Really?” She looks confused.
