Page 23 of Stick Side
As their waitress walked away to put in their orders, Melody’s cellphone trilled, indicating she’d just received a text message. “Oops. Sorry. Let me just turn that off,” she said as she reached into her purse to silence her text notifications.
As she did so, she couldn’t help but see the message that had come in.
Unknown Number:Hey there, beautiful. I just got home from a drink with the guys and couldn’t help but think how much more I would’ve rather seen your pretty face staring at me from across the table. When can I see you again?
Her phone trilled with a second text notification.
Unknown Number:In the event you’re more used to receiving such messages than I am to sending them, this is Benjamin Logan. :-)
“Well, hellohello,” Shawna intoned. “And just what do we have here?”
Melody glanced up from her phone to see Shawna staring at her like a cat who had just spotted a choice canary.
“In the year that I’ve known you, I’ve never once seen that smitten schoolgirl look on your face before,” Shawna commented. “Spill.”
“Who’s the message from, Mel?” Pam encouraged with an equal amount of curiosity.
Melody could feel her cheeks heating. Honestly, she’d probably blushed more in the days since meeting Benjamin Logan than she had in her entire life. There was just something about him that brought out feelings in her she’d never experienced before. Apparently, her cheeks thought this fact was worth visual acknowledgement.
Melody’s lips pulled into a shy smile. “Benjamin Logan,” she offered up.
“Ohhh,” Shawna hummed. “Sexy number twenty-three. Yummy.” Shawna toggled her eyebrows suggestively.
The action made Melody laugh.
“Mmmhmm . . .” Annie added approvingly. “He’s a sexy one all right.” She shot her sister a playful look. “And possibly just as virile as Pam’s hockey man.”
“Please,” Pam said, looking truly pained, “I beg you. Stop referring to my husband as virile. I don’t deny that it’s true, but there’s something very disturbing about hearing my sister call him that.”
Annie inclined her head thoughtfully. “Fair,” she agreed. “No more comments about my brother-in-law’s virility.” Annie mimed zipping up her mouth and locking it with a key.
“Thank God,” Pam said with feeling.
“So why is our newest player texting you?” Shawna asked. She was like a dog with a bone when she wanted to know something.
Melody filled them in on movie night at Eric’s and the way Ben had been kind enough to bring her lunch. She deliberately left out the way she’d woken up to find herself cradled in his arms. It was an intimate detail she preferred to keep to herself.
“Awww. That’s so sweet,” Annie gushed. “I don’t know him, but I like him already.”
“I agree,” Pam concurred. “Based on everything Kevin has told me about him, he sounds like a quality guy. Solid boyfriend material, I think.” Here, Pam smiled in encouragement.
“I think so, too,” Melody admitted. “Maybe. I mean, I hope so.” She bit her lip hesitantly. “But . . .”
“But you’re worried about dating a professional athlete?” Pam guessed. “Given their reputation for being players both on and off of the ice?”
“Yes,” Melody affirmed. “A similar topic came up over lunch yesterday. Ben left me with the strong impression puck bunnies and the NHL hookup culture aren’t really his style. I believe him, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit at least a small part of me might still be troubled by the possibility.”
“I get it,” Annie said supportively. “Women are constantly throwing themselves at these guys. With opportunities lurking around every corner, it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t be tempted and either slip up or wind up deciding they don’t want to be tied down.” Annie glanced over at her sister before continuing. “I’d worry about Pam here, but don’t let her sweet, motherly air fool you. She’d turn Kevin into a eunuch if he so much as looked at another woman.”
Pam laughed before lifting her cocktail glass and saluting her sister. “You’re not wrong,” she confirmed. A smile that would have done the Black Widow proud lingered on her lips.
Melody felt her mouth stretch into an appreciative smile. Even without the threat of dismemberment, she couldn’t picture Kevin ever stepping out on his wife. He was too loyal.
Melody could only hope Ben might be cut from the same cloth. He seemed to be. And yet, after everything she’d been through with her ex, she was more than a little gun-shy.
The laser beams that Shawna called eyes fixed on Melody. “And?” she probed, her manner direct, but not unkind. “Ben being a professional athlete might be part of it, but I can tell there’s some other reason why the idea of going out with him makes you uncomfortable. What is it?”
Melody recognized the perceptive look in Shawna’s eyes. She sighed heavily. “Does nothing get past you?”
