"I know. Impossible not to like me, right?"
Jenna smirked. "Did you make fun of his hybrid truck or something?" Country's smile slipped, and Jenna clapped a hand over her mouth. "You did, didn't you!"
"No, I—only kind of."
Jenna laughed out loud, then pulled herself together as their waitress appeared to take their orders and drop off a bowl of seasoned popcorn. Jenna did not order the Black Hills but chose a Cabernet with a middle price point. Country ordered his gin and tonic, and the waitress whisked off toward the bar along the back wall.
"It wouldn't have mattered. He chose his favourites, and that was it."
Jenna raised an eyebrow. "If that story serves you."
"There's a new guy on our team. Same experience."
Jenna grinned. "I'm messing with you, you don't have to prove it to me. But I do have firsthand experience with what an asshole you can be on the ice."
Country’s mouth dropped open. "Are you serious right now? After all the times we played, you're going to throw that at me?" He put a few kernels of popcorn in his mouth.
Warmth spread through her limbs at his instant recollection. "I ended up with a black eye."
"You were beating me by two goals!"
Jenna shrugged. "Not my fault that I had a better slapshot from centre."
"Which comes in handy during a game exactly never." He held up a hand before Jenna could argue. "My turn. Why aren't you a sportscaster?"
"I already answered that."
Country shook his head. "No. You gave me a tongue-lashing for being a judgemental prick. You didn't tell me the story."
"Maybe because the story isn't worth telling."
Country’s eyes danced. "That answer means it absolutely is."
Jenna drew a deep breath. "It's embarrassing."
"Good. We’ll be even for the night."
Jenna scooped some popcorn into her palm. "Fine. Long story short. I graduated, got a job at Globespan as a reporter. I got involved with another reporter there, he ended up getting in with the execs, and they offered him the position instead of me."
"Got involved, like . . . you were dating?" Country’s throat bobbed.
Jenna nodded, then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw their waitress returning with their drinks. She grabbed her glass from the table the second the woman set it down and took a long sip.
"You didn't have a good relationship with the producers?"
She swallowed, barely taking time to enjoy the fruity undertones. "No, I did."
"Was he more qualified?"
"Hell, no. He was less."
"So he got the job when you were a better candidate."
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because nobody thought he was a slut." Jenna gave him a pointed look, and as his mouth turned down, she wondered if she shouldn’t have been so harsh. She didn’t typically give people crap or talk this way with anyone outside of her group of girlfriends. Maybe it was the late hour or the wine that was starting to hit her bloodstream, but her filter didn’t seem to be working at the moment.
