Page 6 of One Time Player

She passes me her phone. “Give me your number. I’ll text you when I’m off work.”

I put my number in her phone.

“We’re just hanging out,” she reminds.

“I get it,” I assure. “Thanks, Patty.”

“You got this, Evan.”

Her words somehow feel healing. I don’t need sympathy or my bros trying to make me feel better. I need to get out there and forget about Evie, and that’s exactly what I am going to do.

CHAPTERTWO

Patty

I’m standing outside Focus, a bar/nightclub, waiting for Evan and the girls. I spot Evan first as he gets out of an Uber. He stands to full height and, damn. He is fine. Dressed in fitted black slacks and a light blue dress shirt that hugs his muscles, he looks every bit the hockey player. His lips spread slowly into a grin when he spots me.

“You clean up nice,” he says as he approaches me. I’m wearing a pair of faux leather leggings that hug every inch of me, and I coupled it with a white tank top that’s a little short and shows some of my stomach. I’ve got a faux leather bomber on to complete the outfit because it’s still a little chilly out. With my black wedge sandals, I’m just a couple inches shorter than Evan.

“Thanks.” I smile. “You do too,” I reply, trying to be polite.

“I figured you’d be dressed hot as hell and I tried to come up with a politically correct statement to say to you in the car,” he explains.

My face scrunches but then I begin to laugh.

“Shit. I just screwed that up.” He winces. “I swear I’m usually not like this. I feel like I’m second-guessing everything I do ever since. . .” He doesn’t finish the statement but I’m pretty sure I know what he was going to say. Since his girlfriend cheated on him with the old guy. He doesn’t finish the sentence though because Rosie, Willow, Eden, Ellie, and Amelia are walking straight toward us. They had gone out for dinner together and wanted me to tag along, but my new job means I’m putting in extra hours. I basically had enough time to grab takeout after I left the arena and head home to change.

The girls walk toward us, each of them smiling wide.

Evan turns to look at me. “You invited me out for a girls’ night?”

He’s got a deer in the head lights look about him and I wince. “It wasn’t my original intention. I thought it would be you and me, but I’ve been neglecting my girls since I finished school and started working for the team. I figured we all had the same goal so it would work.”

“Which is?” He looks at me with his lips pinched.

“To hook up and have fun.” I shrug.

He mutters something under his breath and holds the back of his neck as he looks up briefly to the night sky. I think he may have muttered something along the lines of what did he get himself into.

The girls walk up to us, and I introduce Evan. They all look very pleased. At some point they’ve all asked me to introduce them to a hot hockey player, since my dad coaches a team full of them, but I always just eyed them like the suggestion was insane.

Evan shakes each of their hands politely and tells them it’s a pleasure.

As we walk toward Focus, he leans into my ear. “I’m going to take off.”

My stomach sinks. “No, please stay. Sorry about this. The last few weeks were crazy for me with finishing my residency and working for the team. I promise you it will be a fun night.”

“I don’t know,” Evan hesitates, still holding his neck.

“You aren’t going home to wallow over that girl,” I scold because I forgot her name.

Eden hears my comment. “Oh no. Did someone screw you over?” Her brown brows furrow and she seems almost angry for Evan.

“You could say that,” he says, giving her adorable puppy dog eyes. This guy is something else.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Rosie coos, sidling up to his side. She hooks her arm with his. “Wow, you must work out a lot.”

Evan looks over to me and grins, cocking his brow. I grin back.

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