“Never dated a hockey player?” Philly asked. I’d forgotten she was standing just a bar’s width away. But she’d been really pleasant to us newbies while she tended bar, so I felt—and this was probably the lovely buzz—that she was one of us. At least tonight.
“Neverknewa hockey player,” I said. “I’m from Nebraska. We’re football country.”
“Ah yes, those big ol’ corn-fed boys. Well then, you know a different, but also pleasing, type of manly body.”
I thought of Blake’s body. Neither the sculpted muscle of hockey nor the beefed-up football body were looks he would ever have. And he didn’t want to, being more of an arty guy.
Which I loved about him, and thought was totally my type. Even being around guys who got football scholarships to many a Big Ten school.
But this room of hockey players had me rethinking that.
“Well, they’re an interesting bunch, Pucks,” Philly said.
I spun back, reluctantly taking my eyes from the Asses of Greatness. “In what way?”
Philly filled the glass of a girl who approached the bar with an empty cup. “You okay, Ches?” she asked her. The girl, Ches, apparently, nodded and pushed her hair off her face while she took a long drink of beer.
“Yep. Aces, Philly. You?”
“I’m good, yeah. Might want to slow down there. Pace yourself. Night’s still young.”
Ches smiled at Philly. “Yeah, probably. He’s not here, you know. I checked his room.”
Philly took a deep sigh and moved the pitcher away from Ches. “You shouldn’t be going to the guys’ rooms without them knowing it, Ches.”
“It’s not like I’ve never been there,” Ches said with a bit of defiance.
Chloe and Abby were still facing the party, but I couldn’t turn away from what was transpiring. It felt like I’d just stepped into the third act of a play.
“True. But not when you haven’t been asked.”
“Is that why he’s not here? Is he avoiding me?” There was more sadness than petulance in Ches’s voice, and I could tell Philly heard it too. She leaned across the bar to where Ches was standing, sandwiched between me and the wall.
“Ches, babe. I’m sorry to say this to you, but it wouldn’t even occur to him to be avoiding you.”
My breath caught and Philly gave me an “it’s true, what can you do?” shrug. But Ches, whether not one for subtleties or not capable of it in her current state, actually brightened. “So he’s not avoiding me. Where is he?”
Philly sighed again and mentally gave in. “They had late practice, then a meeting. Straw’s probably just running behind the other guys. Most of them have only been here an hour.”
At that, Ches downed the rest of her beer (how had she drunk that so fast while I’d sat right next to her?) and held out her empty cup for Philly to refill.
“A half and that’s it. You’re cut off.”
“Philly, don’t be a narc,” Ches said, shaking her cup, then steadying it as Philly gave her exactly half of a cup. “It’s bad enough that you always monitor the pitchers so nobody can spike it with something, but you don’t have to be portion-control warden too.”
“I’m not a narc, but you obviously pre-partied somewhere. You’re two beers from shit-faced, and you are well on your way to making a fool of yourself when Straw walks in. I’m trying to help you out here, Ches.”
Ches pouted. She was a very pretty girl with honey-blond hair that she wore long, stopping just below her shoulder blades, which were bared from a black top that had a deep scoop in the back. She had on a short skirt and ankle boots that I knew had cost a mint because I’d bought the knockoff brand, and they still set me back more than I should have spent. She was tall and thin. Model material, really. The pout would have many men groveling to be allowed to fix whatever problem had caused her such harm.
But I had a feeling only one guy would do for Ches tonight.
“You’re no fun, Philly. You should really just leave the pitchers out for everybody. Who made you Beer Cop?”
“Just trying to keep everyone safe,” Philly said, but Ches had already left the bar, moving through the room, presumably in search of a guy who would not want to be found.
Two players came to the bar and Philly filled two cups each for them, one of which they both downed quickly. The others they sipped while they introduced themselves to Chloe and Abby, who were still turned away from me.
I could have swung around and gotten in on the intros, but I kept facing Philly. “So, what’s her deal? The guy is blowing her off?”
