Page 1 of Buried Treasure
Chapter 1
Send help.
Sydney stopped brushing her teeth to stare at the text on her phone, waiting for the rest of the message she knew was coming. Waiting… waiting…
And bring donuts.
She smiled and rinsed her mouth out. There were some disadvantages to living next door to Detroit's rookie hockey sensation — the late parties and loud music, for example. But Sydney enjoyed her role as Ryan McCloud's pseudo big sister, probably more than she should considering what she was about to do for him.
She walked over to her closet to pick out shoes, settling on a pair of flashy red high heels to go with her navy blue business suit with a respectable mid-knee skirt. Then she headed for the kitchen to make sure her large black leather purse was packed up with everything she needed for the morning. It was a splurge after she got her bonus last year, but it was totally worth it, especially for mornings like this. She grabbed two bagels from the counter, slathered both with cream cheese, and wrapped them in paper towels before heading out of her condo.
The key for Ryan's door was easy to find on her key chain since he had wrapped the top in hockey tape before giving it to her. She still remembered the look on his face when he handed it over, a mix of apprehension that she would have access to his condo and relief that he wouldn't be locked out again after returning from a long road trip. She didn't mind him sleeping on her couch, but he was sick of it after the third lockout.
Sydney put on a happy smile and slid the key in the lock, making sure to rattle the key to announce her entrance.
"Hey, babe! I know you like donuts, but all I had to surprise you with was a ba—" She stopped, staring at the blonde woman in a t-shirt and panties sitting on Ryan's black leather couch. "Who's that?"
He stood up quickly from his spot next to the unnamed blonde. "Um, this is…" He looked back at the woman, and Sydney was sure he was trying to stall because he couldn't remember her name. Then his eyes snapped back to her and he walked towards her, a secret smirk teasing the corners of his lips. "Listen, I can explain," he stammered. "This isn't what you think it is. Really, honey. I swear."
Sydney threw the bagels on the kitchen counter and put her hands on her hips. "You swear? Really?" she answered sarcastically before turning to the woman. "And who are you? I mean, I don't care except for the fact that I'd like to know the name of the woman screwing my boyfriend!"
The woman jumped to her feet and tugged her shirt down to try and cover up her pink lace underwear. "I should go."
"Yeah, get your pants and go!" Sydney replied bitterly as she watched the woman scamper into the rookie's bedroom. "You better start explaining."
Ryan smiled at her. "Well, I was at this bar last night."
"Yeah."
"And I had a few drinks. Maybe a few too many."
"Maybe?" she asked incredulously.
"I just don't know what happened after that."
Sydney shifted onto her left foot and stared at him as the unnamed blonde came stomping dramatically out of his bedroom with her pants finally on and a pair of high heels hanging from her fingers.
"So you got drunk and slept with another woman?" Sydney asked.
"It didn't mean anything, I swear!" Ryan yelled, shooting a glance at the woman as she quickly grabbed her purse by the door and walked out. "It's just—" The door slammed shut and Ryan let out a breath, his shoulders slumping a bit. "No donut?" he asked casually, reaching for the extra bagel on the counter.
"I have no idea why you even ask for donuts when you know I don't buy crap like that."
He bit off a large section of the bagel. "I know, but a man can hope, right?" he said with his mouth half full.
"So let me guess: you forgot that girl's name," Sydney said.
"It wasn't obvious, was it?"
"I've seen it before. Although maybe it would be better if you stopped bringing random women home from bars."
"Yes,mom."
Sydney gave him a friendly but stern look. "I'm serious. You play fortheDetroit Pirates. Kids look up to you and your team depends on you. Try to cut back on the drinking and the sexing or whatever." She gave him a light squeeze around his shoulders and heard a sharp intake of breath in response. "You OK?"
"Yeah," he told her despite the fact that he was clearly in pain. "I think I just pulled an abdominal muscle in a game the other day. I'm going to have Andy check it out at practice today."
"Andy?"
