Betty, the actual bartender, appears at his side, arms crossed. “I told him he could live his dream for five minutes since he helped secure the win tonight,” she says, eyeing his foamy pours like she’s already regretting it.
“I never knew you had a bartending dream,” I say as Beckett hands me one of his disaster-level beers.
“It’s a new one. Hit me about five minutes ago.”
Betty arches a brow. “You practically begged me, said you’ve wanted to be behind the bar since you were a kid.”
Beckett grins at her. “If I’d said the dream was five minutes old, would you have let me back here? Sometimes a little white lie helps.”
She shoves his shoulder. “Get out of here.”
“Hey! You said five minutes.”
“Be grateful you got two. Your pours are 80 percent foam. I can’t charge for those. You’re bad for business.”
He laughs. “That’s the first time anyone’s accused me of that.”
“Out,” she orders, pointing toward the crowd.
I chuckle, but my gaze drifts left on instinct. Miranda’s just stepped inside, cheeks pink from the cold, unwinding her scarf. She’s wearing my jersey. My name, my number, across her chest. The sight hits like a punch to the ribs. She catches my eyes and smiles, small and secret, and my chest aches in that way I still can’t get used to.
I ditch my half-foam beer and make my way toward her, but Jaden beats me there, scooping Anna into his arms.
“I missed you,” he says.
“You guys were amazing tonight,” Anna beams, kissing him.
Miranda nods beside her. “You all were. It was such a fun game.”
I grin. “Glad you made it back in time.”
“We barely did,” Miranda says, rubbing her arms. “We landed in a thundersnow storm. That was…not pretty.” She gestures toward the windows, where snow whips sideways in the wind. “Seriously, what’s going on out there?”
Outside, the world’s a blur of white and chaos. April storms are supposed to be gentle—spring flirting with winter one last time—but this one looks ready to pick a fight. Still, I can’t help but find it a little thrilling.
“I don’t know, but it’s fun, yeah?”
Anna snorts. “Fun isn’t the word I’d use.”
“So the flight was bad?” Jaden asks.
“The last forty-five minutes were rough,” Miranda admits. “Lots of turbulence. I thought the plane was going to drop out of the sky.”
Jaden hugs Anna tighter. “Glad you’re safe.”
Anna sighs. “Yeah, me too. Definitely a one-and-done experience.”
Miranda nods emphatically. “Agreed.”
We head toward the back corner, where the team has taken over our usual spot. Bash sits with Ari, and they’re both laughing at something Max just said. He’s showing off a picture of Caroline on his phone. Laney leans against him, looking blissfully content.
“Congrats on the goal, Hollywood,” Ari calls, stealing one of Bash’s fries.
“Thanks,” I say. As the rookie, I don’t get as much ice time as I’d like, but when I do, I make it count.
Gunner raises his glass in my direction, Penny tucked beneath his arm. Everyone leans in to clink their drinks. The familiar camaraderie hums—warm, easy, loud.
Finn elbows me. “Five bucks says Beckett sweet-talks his way back behind the bar.”
