AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As much shit as Lyla had put her through the past month, she had to give the woman a little credit. If Lyla hadn't hired her for the blog, her life wouldn't be as good as it was right now.
When her friends finished singing, Penn handed her a delicious looking mocktail, and Holly held it up in the air. "Guys, thank you so much for coming out today. I'm not big on speeches, but just know that I'm grateful to have such good friends. Now let's eat, drink, and have fun."
The group held up their drinks, clapping and cheering as Holly turned around to face Eli. "Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to me."
"Anything for you, kitten." He put a hand on her tummy and smiled. "Are you feeling okay? The little one giving you any trouble?"
"Thankfully, my morning sickness seems to be strictly in the mornings."
"You're not feeling weak? You took your MG meds today, right?"
Holly rolled her eyes. "Eli, I'm fine, I promise. All good on both fronts, okay?"
"I have to make sure my girl is in tiptop shape," he murmured, kissing her forehead. "I take that job very seriously."
"Well, take a break and clock out so we can go stuff our faces, would you? I'm starving."
He laughed. "Whatever you want. Let's hit the buffet."
* * *
Bella glanced around the room to make sure no one was looking, then swiped a freshly opened bottle of beer from the end of the bar. She creeped up the back staircase to the second floor, desperate for a few minutes of quiet.
Callahan's usually kept the top-level roped off during private parties, and this one was no exception.
Sinking down in the nearest booth, she took a deep swallow of beer, then let out a long sigh.
As much as she loved her brother and his friends, sometimes she felt out of place. Even though a few of the guys and WAGs were only a bit older than she was, she still struggled to relate to them. As long as hockey was the common denominator in the group, she'd never fit in.
She took another gulp of the pale ale and peered down at the frosty bottle. Damn, that was some good beer.
A buzzing noise got her attention, and she searched for the source of the vibration. A black Android phone lay on the seat of the booth, near the wall.
She picked it up and glanced down at the screen. The phone was unlocked, so anyone could use it.
The ethical thing to do was to take it downstairs and give it to Jake, the bartender, in case the owner came back to claim it.
Then again, maybe it belonged to someone at the party. She could skip the middleman and just give it back to them directly if she could find out who owned it.
The phone's photo gallery was probably her best shot at identifying the owner. But when she tapped the brightly colored icon, no pictures came up.
It was completely empty.
"How is that even possible?" she muttered. "Who doesn't have at least one selfie?"
Sighing, she stared down at the phone. One unread text message sat in the notification section. Curious, she tapped the messaging icon.
Hey, John. Same place, same price? How's 9 work for you?
Just as she finished reading the message, the phone was ripped from her hands.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" a deep voice growled.
Bella glanced up—way up—at Kingsnakes defenseman John Cohan. His blue eyes narrowed as he glared down at her and shoved the phone into the front pocket of his jeans.
Wow, he was even better looking up close. His wavy dark blond hair stuck out from beneath a baseball cap, and his full lips were—
Well, right now they were set in a snarl, but even so, the man was hot, hot, hot. Even if he had the temperament of a rabid dog.
