Chapter 16
For one of the first times in his life, Ryan got to a bar right as it opened. But tonight also wasn't a normal night. It was his birthday and he was twenty-two years old now. He even did some "adulting" as Sydney called it and reserved some tables a few days ago just in case. He wasn't sure if it was too late to make a reservation or not, but it didn't really matter in Detroit. He was Ryan McCloud. Any restaurant or bar always seemed to find space for him.
It also helped that The 3-1-3 Bar had just opened and they needed the extra publicity to compete with some of the other rooftop bars springing up all over Detroit. Ryan saw the place when he was walking home from breakfast one morning with Lucy and thought he would check it out, maybe get some free drinks out of it or something. Plus, it was two blocks away from his apartment. If this worked out tonight, he could guarantee he would be back here with the guys and make this one of their bars.
"Hey, Ryan."
He turned to see a tall skinny blonde standing next to him, a black 3-1-3 Bar t-shirt tight across her chest, her skirt barely as long as the waitress apron she was wearing tonight.
"I'm Amber."
"I can tell by your name tag," Ryan said before quickly averting his eyes from her name tag.
"Can I start you off with something?"
"Jack and Coke," he said.
She nodded and walked away as Ryan took a quick peek at her ass before turning away. That felt wrong tonight. Normally, he enjoyed taking a quick peek at a woman in a tight shirt and short skirt. But normally, he didn't have a girlfriend — or whatever Lucy was to him.
Just as Amber left, the team started rolling in. Matt Jackson, the team's goalie was first and, just like all goalies, was just a bit left of normal. Not in a bad way, of course. More of in a drummer kind of way. Goalies and drummers were very similar. They both have to be wired a certain way to think, "Hey, let me pick that thing that has the most equipment and the most pressure trying to keep everything going well for the people in front of me." But he was also one of the coolest guys to have around. Nothing phased Matty.
Logan came in with his girlfriend, Max. Last year, Max was covering the team forThe Detroit Heralduntil the paper shut down. It gave her the chance to toss away her journalism ethics and have a personal relationship with someone she used to write about. She now ran a non-profit program for kids who wanted to learn how to play hockey.
"Ryan! Happy birthday!" She gave him a big hug. "Can you come to the Kids Can Skate opening camp in three weeks?"
Ryan let go and looked down at her. "So that's the only reason you came?"
"That's what she said," Logan said from beside her.
Max rolled her eyes and gave her boyfriend a stern look. "Anyways, you know how excited the kids get the first week of camp and I need a young player who can keep up with them."
Ryan smiled, trying to hide the fact that he was internally cringing at the word "young" to describe him. He was twenty-two now. He wasn'tthatimmature, which was what she was really implying with the word "young."
"I can never say no to you," Ryan said. "Just give Logan the details."
"Will do."
"And promise I don't have to be the end of the dragon because Logan goes too fast and it's a pain in the ass to keep up."
"Holy crap, the two of you need to go back to third grade."
"Hey, I resemble that comment!" Logan yelled.
"We know you do," his girlfriend said. "Now… where's my drink?"
Amber the waitress apparently had impeccable timing, walking over with a tray with Ryan's drink and some glasses and mixers. Another waiter was behind her with a few bottles of booze. Table service wasn't cheap, but it wasn't everyday that one of the Pirates' star defensemen turned twenty-two. The waitress started unloading the trays before grabbing Ryan's drink.
"Here's your Jack and Coke." Amber handed him his glass, her fingers lingering on his just a little longer than they should. She looked up at him with wide eyes and a wicked smile. "And if you need anything else, I can show you around the place anytime."
Ryan knew exactly what that meant. Amber wasn't the first waitress to offer him that option. There was definitely a waitress or two that he had accepted that kind of offer from. He usually needed Sydney's help to get them out of his apartment the next day. There was no way that was going to happen tonight.
"That's really flattering, but I'm here with someone."
Amber quickly pulled her hand back, her face becoming more professional again. "Sorry, I didn't see anyone here with you."
"Oh, she's on her way."
Ryan put the stir straw to his lips to take a drink. He always liked to get a few sips first because it helped him to not spill it on his shirt later on and make a mess of himself.
