Page 8 of Stick Side
Ben glanced back at Cassidy. “I’d love to.”
“Perf,” Cassidy said. “Are we ready to go then? My car can fit five if anyone needs a ride.”
“I’ll just be a minute,” Melody answered. “I want to say a quick hello to my dad before we head out.”
Cassidy shot her a two-finger salute. “Okey dokey.”
Ben watched as Melody walked off in the direction of the coaches’ offices. He appreciated the gentle sway of her hips and the subtle bounce of her ponytail as she moved away from them.
Based on the snippets of conversation Ben had overhead about the girl whohadn’tgiven Cassidy crabs, as well as his so-called penchant for cougar bars—though maybe Melody had been joking about that?—Ben didn’t think Melody and Cassidy were a couple. Still. The two shared an easy camaraderie. Ben wasn’t sure what the nature of their relationship was. Maybe they were just friends, but Ben couldn’t rule out friends with benefits or some such arrangement. Clearly, more investigation was in order. This was certainly something he felt he should know before he risked making a play for his teammate’s girl.
Chapter 4
Melody
Melody,Eric,Alexei,andBen had barely stepped through the front doors of Eric’s Gold Coast condo before he was hailed over to the concierge desk.
“Good evening, Mr. Cassidy,” the attendant greeted in a practiced voice that carried across the gleaming marble-floored entryway. “A parcel was delivered for you.”
The man dipped down below the countertop and reappeared holding a box. He didn’t waste time depositing it on top of the desk. “Here we are, sir.”
Eric sauntered over and retrieved the package. “Thanks, Norm.”
A look of curiosity crossed Eric’s face as he evaluated the shape and size of the box. Melody wasn’t surprised when he started pulling off the packing tape. Most people would rather wait the five minutes it would take to open their mail in private, but not Eric. If curiosity were an Olympic sport, he would be a gold medalist many times over.
Eric released a soft sound of surprise when he pulled back the flaps of the box and revealed a rather sizeable quantity of lettersand small packages. He lifted an embellished envelope and brought it to his nose. Melody wasn’t standing that close to him, but the envelope must have been heavily scented because the subtle movement was enough to send a potent dose of perfume wafting her way.
Eric’s nose twitched. And no wonder. The envelope must have been drenched in the cloying scent if she could smell it.
“It’s fan mail,” Eric explained as he tossed the letter back into the box and repositioned the flaps.
“Ah,” she responded.
Melody couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life she was leading that her friends could be so nonplussed about receiving boxes of fan mail. As much time as she’d spent with Eric and some of the other guys over the past few months, she still couldn’t wrap her head around it.
“Have a good evening, Mr. Cassidy,” Norm ventured.
“You, too.” Eric tucked the box under his arm and ushered the group toward the elevator.
The door opened as they approached. Ben stepped in and held it.
Melody noticed an amused smile on his face as she stepped into the elevator. Based on his next words, she would wager that Eric saw it, too.
“Just you wait,” Eric said as he moved farther inside and repositioned the package in his arms. “I may have been voted Chicago’s most eligible bachelor”—a title Melody wondered if he might be a little too proud of—“but you’re a native Illinoisan. I imagine you’re going to get just as many letters and—”
Eric cut her a look and paused before continuing. “—and general fan mail.”
Melody was pretty sure he’d amended whatever he was going to say on her account. She just barely held back the impulse to roll her eyes. She appreciated the way Eric tried to shield herfrom the seedier aspects of his fame, but she’d been around professional athletics long enough to know about the racier correspondence some of them received.
Alexei cut into her thoughts. “I love playing hockey in America,” he said as the elevator doors closed behind him. “The fans are so much more engaged. In Russia, we love our hockey, but fan mail is not so popular.”
Melody just nodded. She’d have to take his word for it since fan mail, both domestic and foreign, had never been a part of her life.
Once inside Eric’s apartment, Melody slipped off her shoes and hung up her coat before heading into the kitchen.
Given that Ben and Alexei had been lured over with the promise of a movie night—a rare opportunity afforded by their early game—Melody suspected the guys would head into the living room to look for viewing options. She was happy to let them have at it while she busied herself in the kitchen. She was confident in their cumulative ability to agree on something worth watching.
She moved around Eric’s kitchen with easy familiarity as she unloaded her groceries and fished through the cupboards for the cutting boards, serving platters, and other items she needed. Everything was exactly where she’d left it. No surprise there. Eric rarely stepped foot into his own kitchen to do more than grab some premade food and pop it into the microwave.
