Page 8 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

Lydia was my favorite person to work with. She had the kind of personality that put anyone at ease. She was chatty and brought me out of my shell quickly.

It was hard not to be in a good mood when she was around. That was something I desperately needed in my life.

She and her pack owned the diner. One of the alphas, Chance, owned the place through his family. She ran the tables in the morning and kept them in line while they cooked in the back.

There were other workers, too, so they didn’t have to work around the clock, but they were really the face of South Lake Diner.

After she dropped off the food, she moved over to Gavin. “The usual?”

Gavin looked affronted at her suggestion. “No, it’s hockey season, Lydia. I need the protein. I’ll do the meat omelet and some sourdough.”

“Ahh, understood,” she hummed, writing his order down on the ticket.

She bit back her laughter and tossed me a wink as she walked around the counter and slapped the ticket down for her alpha, Max, who just gave her a look and a smirk before getting back to work.

They were so cute it was disgusting.

“What about you? Did you eat this morning?” she asked as her far too observant gaze found me.

“Yeah,” I lied easily. “Just Gavin needs food.”

It was the same song and dance I did every morning. A lie that I could barely sell anymore.

I ate between shifts, and that was about the only time I managed throughout the day, which was fine. The suppressants had started stealing my appetite weeks ago.

My doctor warned me that I was on my last legs of being able to use them. Then I’d have to take a break for a couple weeks before getting back on them, another thing that, apparently, wasn’t sustainable, either.

What the hell else could I do?

If I left Gavin for that long…

I shuddered at the thought, my stomach turning again as I pushed it away. Nope. Not happening.

Headaches weren’t the only side effects, but I was pushing through everything else.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was at least manageable. For now.

I fell into an easy groove of taking orders, smiling at customers, and cracking jokes that I didn’t quite feel.

“There’s my future wife!” Frankie, one of our older alpha regulars called out, giving me a flirty wink.

“Leave her alone, Frankie!” Gavin yelled from his seat in the back.

The old man cackled. He loved to tease us both. I shook my head as I walked up.

“You better watch it. One of these days he’s going to turn into a tough, little alpha or delta.”

There was no way in hell my brother was going to end up a beta. His strength alone, even at his age, was noticeable. It was one of the reasons he was able to move around on the ice so well and keep up with the older kids.

“He knows I’m just teasing you. My heart only belongs to my Gloria. May she rest in peace,” he said, putting a hand over his heart and looking genuinely grief-stricken for a moment before he shook it off. A second later that smart-ass smile I knew too well was back on his face.

Frankie was harmless, and honestly, I liked that he teased me. It made my mornings go a little bit faster.

“What can I get you today, Frankie?” I asked.

I’d already poured his coffee the moment I saw him walking in.

He took a sip of the black liquid, letting out a sigh as he put it back on the table.