Page 8 of Body Check

“Thanks,” I bite out.

“It can’t be easy starting over at his advanced age,” he finishes.

“Oh, fuck off.” I take a drag on my beer. “I’m not that old.”

“Nine years older than me,” the bastard says, with a grin.

Rolling my eyes, I turn it back around on him. “So, when will you ask Hailey out?”

Logan scowls. “Fuck off.”

“What, my sister isn’t good enough for you?” Gonzo chimes in. “You have to go after MacGregor’s sister?”

“I’m not going after anyone’s sister, because I’m not going after anyone,” Logan grits out. “Hailey and I are just friends.”

Logan and MacGregor went to high school together. They’re both from the same small town in Wisconsin. Logan signed with Boston last summer after a few seasons with Minnesota, and MacGregor’s been a mainstay on our first line for years.

He thinks we don’t know it, but everyone sees the way Logan moons after Hailey MacGregor. His best friend’s little sister. Like that won’t blow up in all of their faces.

“How is Cari doing?” I ask Gonzo. His sister graduated from college last spring. “She plays rugby, right?”

“With the Revolution,” he confirms. That’s the city’s women’s rugby team. He signed a three-year deal with the Grizzlies at the start of the summer, bringing him back to his hometown. “Their season starts in the spring.”

“Well, we’ll have to go to a game,” I decide, making a mental note. “Send her schedule to Vanessa in logistics, and she’ll make sure we show up to support her.”

“Thanks, man. That would be great.”

“This team is a family. We all support each other.”

Gonzo grins. “Well, I’m currently living in my childhood bedroom, so I’ve had it up to here with family.”

“You’re staying with your parents?” Logan asks.

“Well, my parents’ house. They live in Florida to take care of my abuela. My brother and sister live there, too.” Gonzo shudders. “I thought about getting a place of my own, but it’s not like we’re home that much during the season.”

“True,” I reply. Harper hated how frequently we traveled. No matter how many years we were together, she never understood the demands of a professional hockey career. She wanted the galas and vacations; she didn’t want to be there for the slog of back-to-back games and road trips.

I know it’s a good thing we got divorced. We were simply incompatible, but I don’t know how to reconcile the life I thought I had with the life I still have ahead of me. I had this picture of how everything would turn out, and now I have to toss it all away. Start fresh.

My eyes flicker across the bar to where Amelia and Andrews are talking. His hand is on her arm now.

Is he making a pass at her? On her first day, no less?

Before I know what’s happening, I stalk across the bar to their table.

“McKittrick,” Amelia says with a smile, nodding at me. “What can we do for you?”

My eyes narrow as I stare her down. “There’s a non-fraternization policy with this team.”

“Oh? Does that mean I can’t grab a drink with a coworker?” Her eyes drift across the bar to my table. “Does that mean you can’t hang out with your teammates outside of the arena?”

“What? No. Of course not.”

“Then why does it matter if an old friend and I grab a drink after our workday?” She cocks her head at me. “Do you interrogate every new hire?”

“No.”

But she’s not simply another new hire. She’s my showgirl.