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He raises his index finger to beckon me. “Where were you? I’ve been calling your desk for ten minutes with no answer.”
I open my mouth to speak, but before I can answer, I vomit all over his dress shoes.
Chapter Seventeen
Dean
Skate, train, repeat. That was my schedule for most of the summer and all through the pre-season. Before, I had Kat, hockey, and school. Now, my entire life revolves around hockey. With each week that passes, it’s becoming harder to find the time to talk to Kat. Everything between us has gone to shit since the Draft. Our schedules are always conflicting.
She left me a voicemail earlier when I was practicing with my team. When I called her back, it went straight to voicemail. This happens a lot. I can’t stand the distance between us. Our initial plan to see each other on the weekends hasn’t worked out, not with Kat forced to come into the office six days a week.
On my way to the club, I hit the button on my steering wheel to dial Kat’s number. This time, her line rings several times, but I still get her voicemail. She finished work two hours ago. By now, Kat should be home for the night. I miss her like fucking crazy.
Soon, my team will be in Chicago to play the Blackhawks. At least I’ll have one night alone with my girl. If she doesn’t start to hate me for all of the missed conversations. I made a promise to her that I plan to keep. But our schedules are making a liar of me.
When I pull into the crowded parking lot, I’m surprised it’s a strip club. I thought Scores was a sports bar. Ethan Waters and Will Roman, my new teammates, told me to meet them here for a drink. The guilt of being here without Kat knowing has me on edge. Now, more than ever, I wish she would answer the damn phone. I dial her number once more and get the same result. I don’t want to leave a message on her voicemail about a strip club. I doubt Kat would appreciate that.
Ethan and Will are already waiting for me at the back entrance. Of all my teammates, Will and Ethan have been the most welcoming. They both like to party a little more than I had expected for professional hockey players.
Alex Parker, Tyler Kane, and Carter Donovan are all married with kids. None of them wanted to come out with us tonight. Liam West was moping over his girlfriend, who left him at the alter last month. And Shane Murphy was too busy arguing with his baby mama over custody.
“About damn time,” Will says. “We thought you were bailing on us like the other assholes on our team.”
I shake my head as I approach them. “I didn’t know where I was going. I’m still getting used to the new car. The GPS keeps fucking up and taking me to the wrong places.”
“Didn’t you go to Strick U?” Will says.
“Yeah.”
“So did I. I would think you would know your way around the city by now.”
“Nah, I never left campus much. I didn’t have a car back then or enough money to waste on dumb shit. So, I mostly stayed on campus and hung out with my team.”
“Ethan was supposed to play for the Senators.” Will tips his blond head in Ethan’s direction. “But he pussied out and went to Boston College instead.”
Ethan gives Will a weird look, and a silent communication I don’t understand occurs between them. A beat passes and then Ethan shrugs it off.
Ethan guides me toward the door. “We come here all the time. It’s sort of a rite of passage that started back when Parker was traded to the Flyers. Since those assholes are all married and won’t come out with us, we get to continue the tradition Kane and Donovan started.”
“Is this like some weird-ass initiation?”
Ethan’s laughter shakes through me.
Will howls at my side. “Don’t be nervous, newbie. We got you covered.”
Ethan glances over at Will and shakes his head. What’s up with these two? From what I’ve read, they’ve been friends since high school and somehow managed to end up on the same team. I never see one without the other, the two practically joined at the hip.
Will presses a buzzer to the right of the door. A few seconds later, a beautiful brunette in a tight mini skirt opens the door with a smile.
“Welcome back, boys.” She steps outside and hugs Will.
Will smacks a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Drea.”
“Hey, yourself, Romeo.” She leans into him, showing off an impressive rack, mostly covered by her silky, dark waves. “What brings you here tonight?”
Everyone on our team calls him Romeo because of his last name. But it’s mostly because of his reputation. Will is always in the news with a girl on his arm and getting into trouble because of it. His sister works for The Philadelphia Inquirer and helps mitigate some of the damage. But according to the team publicist, who reamed him out in front of everyone last week, there’s only so much anyone can do for him.
“We have a new teammate we need to break in,” Will says to Drea. “Show him the VIP treatment.”
