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CHAPTER ONE
Jordan
Jordan Baker crossed the large dining room of The Sin Bin restaurant, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor with each step she took. The Tuesday lunch rush was in full swing, and everything was running smoothly, as usual. Of course, she wouldn’t accept anything less than perfection. Jordan was the restaurant manager and a damn good one, as far as she was concerned. Someday she wanted to run her own place; she was just waiting for the right opportunity to come her way.
Jordan loved being in the hospitality field. She had started at the bottom years ago, and had worked her way up to where she was now—manager of The Sin Bin, one of Pittsburgh’s premier restaurants. And the saying was true: choose a job that you love, and you’ll never work a day.
The Sin Bin was owned by her best friend, Talia Kidd Dash, who was not only Harrison Dash’s wife, but Tyler Kidd’s sister—both Renegades hockey players. It was no surprise, then, that The Sin Bin had an ice hockey theme, with lots of memorabilia on the walls. The iridescent white walls were accented by blue lights, and held framed, signed jerseys, sticks, and photos. But Talia prided herself on keeping it a classy eatery versus a sports grille. This was her baby, well, besides her actual baby—Dakota. Talia and Harrison had become like family to Jordan, too.
Jordan glanced out the dining room windows. The Sin Bin, located on the twentieth floor of City Towers, soared over downtown Pittsburgh. It was a warm and sunny October day. She could almost feel the sun on her face. How lucky she was to work here every day, with such a breathtaking view of the city, along with the Rivers Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Renegades, right across the street.
She couldn’t ask for a better city to live in. Pittsburgh residents loved their sports, especially their hockey team. Being situated right across from the arena where the Renegades played, the establishment welcomed plenty of fans, and The Sin Bin was a hot pre-game destination for them.
Ready to make her rounds to make sure everyone’s meals were satisfactory, Jordan took a moment to adjust her blazer and smooth out her pencil skirt, her favorite outfit for work. Not only did the skirt accentuate her legs, but she felt boss-like. Add stiletto heels with an ankle strap, and she not only felt like a boss, but sexy, too, with great legs.
“Jordan,” Emily said. “Noah Rodgers was in last night looking for you.”
“Well, lucky for me I wasn’t here.”
“Why don’t you like him? He’s really cute!”
That was why she didn’t like him. She avoided Noah like the plague, because he was very handsome and he knew it. He thought he was God’s gift to women. Everyone knew about his reputation in Nashville. He was dubbed a party boy.
Honestly, Nashville should’ve had a PR Person like Paige to help clean up his messy trail of women. But now he was the Renegades’ problem. Of course she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was—the careless way his blond hair hung in his face, his deep brown eyes, and the kind of dangerous grin that made women fall at his feet.
“Emily, he’s just not my type.” Noah Rodgers was one of those guys that her mom had warned her about. And even though her heart rate picked up a little each time she caught him looking at her, she’d never let him know the effect he had on her.
“So?” Emily asked. “Why not flirt back? Live a little.”
“Who are we talking about, ladies?” Talia asked. Curiosity filled her face as she joined the discussion.
“Noah Rodgers,” Emily blurted out with a giggle.
“What about Noah?” Talia asked.
“He’s in here almost every day, flirting with Jordan.”
Jordan shrugged. “I just assumed he doesn’t cook.”
“He’s obviously here to see you,” Talia said knowingly.
“He’s not my type, Tal. So put your matchmaker hat away.” Jordan didn’t have time for dating or a relationship—especially not with a hockey player.
“But you haven’t been on a date in forever,” Talia complained.
“That’s fine, because I’m married to my job.” She pursed her lips, hoping they would take the hint and drop the subject.
Emily, apparently annoyed, left the conversation and went back to work.
“I’m going to give you a little advice,” Talia said. “Sometimes you do need to just have a little fun.”
“That’s what Emily said.”
“If you don’t take a chance, you’ll never know what could’ve been. I mean, look at me. I was trying to let loose, get out of my own head. What I thought was a one-night stand with a hot guy I picked up at a bar turned out to be my soulmate.”
Noah might have been Harrison’s friend and teammate, but he was the type of guy she needed to stay clear from. He was a playboy. Different girl every night kind of guy. Falling for a guy like that was just asking for trouble. Playboys would never commit. And that was why she needed to stay clear. She made that mistake once and wouldn’t put her heart through that again.
“I don’t think he’s going to be my soulmate.” Jordan rolled her eyes. “Besides, I don’t have time for a relationship.”
