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“Any news about the new hockey team they’re putting together in Sin Valley for next season?” Felix takes a pull from his beer.
As soon as he says that, Darius drops his cue stick. “Gotta go take a piss.”
With a surly frown, Archer watches after his brother as he takes off in a hurry. “Why is it that every time someone mentions hockey these days, Darius hustles off like he’s got fire ants in his thong?”
Felix snorts. “Who knows what his deal is? Billionaires are weird.”
All eyes go to Ronan who begins to explain the situation. “We know for sure that there’s definitely going to be an expansion team in Sin Valley,” the hockey player tells us, his tone worried. “But we still have no clue who’s getting drafted to play. It’s hard to get any solid information about what’s going on since everybody’s being so damn secretive.”
I look on in silence, not quite sure what the big deal is. Felix must pick up on my cluelessness. He breaks down the issue for me. “That billionaire guy from Sin Valley—the big shot who owns the Paragons football franchise—”
“Liam Kline?” I ask.
My friend nods. “He’s putting together a hockey team,” he carries on in layman’s terms. “To do that, the new team will be allowed to pick a certain amount of players from existing established teams.” He drops a hand to his brother’s shoulder. “Ronan here is freaking out since he doesn’t know what that means for the future of his career.” I nod, beginning to understand the hockey player’s concern.
“Would it be such a bad thing to play in Sin Valley?” Archer asks from across the pool table. “I mean, it’s less than a one-hour drive from here. Much closer to home than New York.”
“My cousin, Harry, plays football for the Sin Valley Paragons,” I tell the guys, “and as far as he’s concerned, it’s the best of both worlds. He gets to play for one of the best teams in the leagueandhe’s just a fifteen-minute drive away from the family.”
Ronan yanks off his tuque and agitatedly tracks his hand through his hair. “I’m pretty torn to be honest. I’d love to be closer to home. But I also love my team in New York. Plus, there’s so many variables with getting traded. What if the new guys are a bunch of assholes who don’t know how to play hockey? The Troopers almost made it to the championship last season. I don’t want to get traded to a new team just to end up at the bottom of the food chain in the league.”
“Well, the uncertainty sucks. And it’s definitely no fun, packing up your life and starting over in a new town. Trust me I know all about that. But honestly, there’s really no point in sweating something that’s completely out of your hands. If you’re going to stress yourself out about it, you might as well wait until you’ve got more conclusive information.” I shrug.
Ronan nods slowly. “You’re right. You’re right.” With a heavy sigh, he claps a hand on my shoulder. “Y’know, you’rewayless of an asshole than you look like. The necktie is misleading,” I hear him mutter as he leans over the pool table, lining up his shot.
“Uh, thanks,” I say.
Archer gives me a suspicious side-eye. “The necktie is throwing me off, too. You seem all right, I guess, but I’m keeping an eye on you for now.”
Felix jabs his elbow into my ribs. “See? Told you about the necktie, dude.”
I resist the urge to scowl. “My necktie is classy.” I defensively smooth down the fabric with my hand. What do these clowns know about fashion anyway?
“All jokes aside,” Felix says to me in a rare serious moment, “You’ve been an awesome help at the clinic so far. I know you have a really great family of your own and you’re really close with them, but I just want you to know that you have a spot here with us for as long as you want it.” He sends a commanding glare around at his brothers. “You’ll fit in. I’ll make sure of that.”
Ronan merrily lifts his beer bottle in salute. “You can be a part of our band of brothers. Argh!” he says, goofily imitating a pirate. “From now on, you’re the honorary Brighton brother.”
I feel my eyebrows arch. “The honorary Brighton brother?”
Ronan’s gaze narrows at me. “We don’t hand out that title willy-nilly, Mason. The Brighton name carries a lot of clout around here.” He lifts his chin with an air of importance. “Especially with the ladies.”
I resist the urge to laugh. “Good to know.”
I can tell he’s not lying about that. They’ve all been getting their fair share of female attention from the women here tonight. If I’m not mistaken, I heard some girl mumbling about an ongoing opinion poll on which Brighton brother is the best kisser. Not sure if that’s a joke or not but it sounds sort of nasty, if you ask me.
“Come on, Arch.” Felix slaps the eldest Brighton boy on the upper back. “Make the guy feel welcome.”
Eventually, Archer does a grumble-shrug sort of thing. “Fine. Whatever.”
Can’t lie—this little moment of camaraderie hits me in my homesick chest. I really miss my crew of cousins from back home. So I’m touched at the idea of maybe fitting in here. “I appreciate it,” I tell the guys.
Looks like the Brighton brothers are actually warming up to me. Unlike their icy cold little sister.
Karli…Can’t stop thinking about the girl. I’ve been denying it this whole time, but despite my dedication to following my two—very important—rules, it’s true. In fact, every time someone with long, dark hair walks into the bar tonight, for a split second, I actually find myself hoping it’s her. And then I have to tamp down my disappointment when I realize that it’s not.
My ears perk up when the conversation turns toward my troublesome roomie.
“I’ve got to say I’m starting to get sort of worried about Karli moving back home,” Felix is saying after sinking a solid ball and shifting around the table to continue his turn.
