"Business?" His slur was getting more obvious. "Well, here's to business. And to getting the hell out when you had the chance."
We clinked glasses. Coming to the bar was a mistake. This could have been me if I'd stayed.
"Beckett Shepherd. I'll be damned."
I turned. This time it only took me a second to place the face to the voice. The familiar man was older, more weathered, but his grin was the same.
"Carmichael!" I stood.
"You got it, buddy."
We hugged. His back smacks were just as hard as Paul's.
Evan 'Locks' Carmichael pulled up a chair and sat next to me. "I heard you were back in town."
"Word travels fast." I wondered what else he'd heard. "I didn't know you were still in town." As a defenseman, Evan was solid and dependable. After I left, I had no idea what had happened to Evan.
"What are you drinking?" He flagged down a cute waitress with long brown French braids. "Can you get this man another of…"
"Glenmorangie, single malt.” I shook the glass.
"Make that two. Thanks, Katie."
"You got it, Mr. Carmichael." She smiled.
"Another brewski for me too. And some hot wings for everyone at the table.” Wick held up his mug. Katie nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
Evan shrugged out of his jacket and stretched his arms over his head. "What brings you back to the mountains?"
Unlike Paul, Evan looked good. Sure, there were lines beside his eyes when he smiled, but his muscled arms and a very decent watch on his wrist told me he had his shit together. He was wearing a button-down shirt that actually fit, and his gold wedding band glinted in the dim light.
"I'm here on business. What about you?" I deflected. "What are you up to?"
"I own a well-drilling company." He shrugged like it was nothing. "It keeps me busy."
Wick slapped Evan's shoulder. "Don't be humble. This asshole lives up the mountain now."
Up the mountain. He was doing well. Those houses started at over two million. "That's great, man."
"It's honest work. Everybody needs a well." He accepted his scotch from Katie. "I've got a crew of eight guys and I'm thinking about expanding into geothermal."
Evan wasn't just doing okay. I worked in development now, and his business was lucrative. "Geothermal, that would be great around here." My mind shifted to the development proposal. Maybe Evan could be part of the project. The potential business connection was exciting, but I needed to finesse him with some small talk. "Are you married?"
A grin spread across his face. "Five years next month. Do you remember her Sarah Hannah? She was a year behind us."
“I don’t remember her, but congratulations."
"We've got two kids. Mikey plays hockey. Molly is on the ski team, and she’s better than me now. We try to get out on the mountain every weekend."
"That's great, Locks. I'm so happy for you." Like Paul, my words said one thing, but something strange pricked in my chest. Was it jealousy? I had an expensive condo in the city that sat empty half the time. My relationships rarely lasted longer than six months because I was always working.
"Thanks. It's not exciting compared to your life. I think you hung up the skates a little too early though.”
“My knees made that decision.” I shrugged like it hadn’t devastated me. "I'm in real estate development now." That was the end of my update. There were no pretty wives from high school, or Saturday morning ski lessons. "I'm getting you guys a new sports facility. I'm talking about two ice pads, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and maybe even some indoor courts."
It sounded good. The town needed something like this. A part of me also felt like I needed something to impress Evan.
"Man, that would be incredible. Mikey is six and has to play hockey an hour past his bedtime because there's no ice time. Maybe we could even get some bigger tournaments here." He leaned in. "Tell me more."
