Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
The expression on North’s face is classic. He looks like he’s searching for something nice to say. “Your sister is a unique individual.”
I snort at the description that falls far short of really pinning down my sister’s personality. “I might need to issue a general warning to the team. Keep an eye out, she’s trouble. I know she hit it off with Tempe at the game and I can totally see those two getting up to no good.”
“I’m sure your sister will be just fine. You’ll have to handle the shenanigans with Tempe though.”
That thought warms me from the inside out. My sister and my… girlfriend… becoming good friends. I could get on board with that.
“What about Stevie’s bar?” North asks.
I blink at him, not following at first as I’d gotten lost in thoughts of Tempe. Again. “Stevie’s bar for what?”
North rolls his eyes. “Farren’s got bartending experience. Maybe Stevie has a job for her.”
“Yeah, I’d thought about that. She’s such a people person, she sort of shines. Still… I wish she’d aspire to something more.”
“That’s big brother talking,” North teases.
“Echoing my parents’ frustrations,” I explain. “The woman has an IQ of like 130 and could be anything she wanted, but she has no interest in college or doing anything more than being a bartender and having fun.”
“She’s young,” North says knowingly. “She’s got plenty of time to get serious about life.”
“Yeah, I know. But sometimes… I look at her and the way she flits through life, and I have my doubts. Unfortunately, my parents have enabled her a bit. When she falters, they’re always there to help her with a soft landing on her feet. I’ve told them they need to let her fail or else she’ll never learn.”
“My younger brother is the same,” North says. “Granted, he’s only seventeen, but I’m not even sure he knows how to fix his own breakfast. My mom is a bit of a helicopter parent in that respect.”
“Was she that way with you?”
North snorts, eyes twinkling. “Fuck no. Both my parents let me sink or swim, but that probably was more my dad’s influence since I took to hockey and he was involved in that with me. Jared’s into music, which my mom always pushed. We’re apples and oranges.”
North and I continue to talk about our siblings and it’s a welcome relief because for every minute I spend comparing my sister Farren to North’s brother Jared, both of us lamenting and laughing, I’m not thinking about my woes with Tansy.
I actually don’t think about Tempe for the rest of the flight. Having North to talk to is a reminder of the solid friendships I’ve formed here. These bonds keep me grounded and remind me why I do what I do, both on and off the ice.
It’s only when we land that I check my messages and I’m jazzed to see a text from Tempe.
Hope the flight was good.
I try not to read anything into it other than a general politeness, but I seize on it as if it’s a clear message from her that she likes me the way I like her. While I’m concerned about Tansy’s craziness and how it could impact Tempe, North is absolutely correct in that Tempe gets to weigh in on the decision as to how this should be handled.
I’ll concentrate on exploring my feelings for Tempe and push back at her to give the same to me.
Up for dinner tomorrow night? My place?
The plane is still taxiing to the gate as I await her response. It doesn’t take long and my pulse skitters. Only if I get to pay you back for what you did to me last night.
Jesus. The thought of her on her knees before me is almost too much to bear right now, but I play a little hard to get. We can discuss it, but I’m not averse.
I get a laughing emoji back from her with another short message: Good luck tonight. I’ll be watching.
And yeah… I like that too.
Tempe will be watching me on TV, which means she cares enough to care that I do well in my job. Knowing that she’ll be pulling for me, wishing me the best, cheering me on… it adds a new element to my already competitive motivation when out on the ice. I want her to be proud of who I am and what I do, and that’s not something I’ve ever cared about in my life, other than my parents and Farren.
It tells me that these feelings for Tempe are legit, and I’m not about to let this slip away.
CHAPTER 13
Tempe
Glancing around at the bar Farren chose, I have to admit… it’s not a place I’d think of going to watch a hockey game. The dark-paneled room has a real singles feel with its crystal highball glasses and fancy twenty-dollar craft cocktails. Urbanites who took advantage of the happy hour specials after work now laugh a little louder from their buzzes and men prowl around the single women sipping martinis and flirting over the edge of their glasses.