Page 46 of Behind the Net

In an instant, my mind changes. I want to see this girl outside the walls of my apartment. I want to see her laughing and having fun.

I nod once. “Okay.”

Pippa lights up, and I can’t look away. “Great.”

CHAPTER22

PIPPA

Outside the arena,Donna promises to text Jamie when she gets home as she and her friend pile into the Uber, and we follow the team out to the Filthy Flamingo.

Jordan gives us a flat look as we pile in. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she asks Hayden.

“Hey, sunshine,” he says, laughing, grabbing her in a big hug. “We won tonight.”

She elbows him in the gut, and he pretends it hurts. “I don’t care.” She sees me and gives me a small smile and a nod. “Hey.”

“Hi.” I gesture at the hockey players as they take up the back half of the narrow bar. “Is this okay?”

She snorts. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’m used to these assholes.”

Chairs and tables scrape as the guys rearrange them so we can all sit together. At the back of the bar, a guy stands in front of a mic, tuning his guitar. He looks up and winks at Jordan.

“You hired live entertainment?” I smile wide at her.

She rolls her eyes. “No, that’s just Chris.”

Chris waves at us. “I’m her boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she says, loud enough for Chris and everyone between the two of them to overhear. “We just have sex.”

A laugh slips out of me. “Nice.”

Maybe I can get to the place where I can have casual sex with a guy I don’t care about.

Jamie’s hand lands on my lower back, and he leads me to a seat in one of the booths before slipping in beside me. His arm comes over the top of the booth, his thigh presses against mine, and his scent surrounds me. His position around me feels possessive, like I’m his.

I think about the other night, how he remembers me from high school. How he said I was gorgeous. My throat feels tight. I can’t stop thinking about the intense way he looked when he said it.

A tiny shred inside me wonders if Jamie’s attracted to me. I’ve been the quiet, invisible girl in the background for so long that it feels unfathomable.

Hayden slides into the other side of the booth, along with Alexei, a gruff defenseman in his mid-thirties who doesn’t say much. His nose is crooked like it’s been broken before, but like all these guys, he’s handsome, just in a rougher way.

“Miller gave us a run for our money tonight, huh?” Hayden asks, and Alexei grunts his agreement.

To my surprise, Rory also remembered me from high school. He made me show him pictures of Daisy, so I showed him one of Daisy, Hazel, and me the day we went hiking in North Van, and he studied it with interest. He only started acting like an asshole when Jamie showed up.

Jordan drops off our drinks, and I study Jamie, who studies me right back over his beer.

I know Rory isn’t interested in methat way. I only got platonic vibes from our conversation, but he was trying to piss off Jamie.

The image of Jamie in the upstairs box, jaw clenched tight and jealousy flashing through his eyes, makes me smile up at him. I want to see how this thing with Rory and Jamie plays out. I wonder if they’ll ever be friends again.

“Something funny, songbird?” His voice is a low murmur, and a shiver runs down my back.

I smile wider. “Nope.”

His eyes dance, and even though his mouth is in a flat line, his gaze is warm and amused. “Good. Keep it that way.”

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