“You don’t like your ass bitten. Noted,” Seb quips, and I give him a tight smile. He sees this is really bothering me so he turns serious again. “He cheated?”
“Yep.” I feel shame just thinking about how I found out, so I leave out the gory details.
He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, and then he puts his hand on my knee gently and gives it a small squeeze.
“You need me to prove you wrong,” Sebastian announces in a soft but confident voice that I can’t help but be soothed by. “Prove to you that all hockey players aren’t two-timing, lying, hotheaded dirt bags. And I’ll do that.”
I don’t respond because I don’t know what to say. I mean, I know what I’m thinking—it’s that Ireallywant him to do just that and prove me wrong. I really, really do. But I don’t dare admit that out loud.
Chapter 32
Sebastian
Jordan and Jessie’s driveway is already full of cars so I park at the curb in front of his house. Shay is staring out the window at the large stone-and-wood home. Jordan didn’t renovate like I did. He simply bought a new masterpiece. The house is stunning, I have to give him that. An impressive stone turret right through the middle of the house where the front door is, with a koi pod at the base and clean modern cedar siding on the rest of the structure. It’s unique and eye-catching and clearly expensive. Shay hops out of the car before I have a chance to do the gentlemanly thing and help her.
She walks next to me as we climb the driveway and her eyes glance at every car. “Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Range Rover. It looks like a luxury car lot.”
“Speaking of cars, do you have one yet?” I ask casually.
“No, but I’ve found one online I’m going to make an offer on,” she mutters back.
“What is it?”
She glances at me sheepishly. “Let’s just say it would stick out like a sore thumb on this driveway.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulder and lean down to whisper in her ear. “As long as it’s reliable, it doesn’t matter. I just need to know you’ll be able to get to and from my place safely.”
I punch the doorbell and wait. My plan is to spend fifteen minutes here, to appease Avery’s ridiculous superstitions, and then take Shay to our real date—which I’d been fervently setting up via texts and emails from my phone all day while I endured that golf tournament. I’ve never, ever gone to this much trouble to impress a girl, and I’m nervous as hell.
The door swings open and Jordan is standing there. He’s barefoot, wearing a bright red apron over his jeans and a T-shirt that saysGood Lookin’ Is Cookin’and he’s holding a ladle in his left hand. “Hey! Come on in!”
We step into his massive entryway and as he closes the door he yells over his shoulder. “Seb’s finally here, Avery. It’s exactly like two years ago so call the league and tell them to just give us the Cup. That’s how this superstition thing works, right?”
Shay smiles at that dig and I chuckle. “You’re such a troublemaker.”
“Someone has to point out his insanity,” Jordan remarks and leans toward Shay. “Sorry you have to witness this. I swear not all hockey players are nutbars like Westwood. Seb will get you out of here as soon as possible.”
She smiles at him, and so do I. Jordan isn’t just the bumbling putz he likes to pretend he is. I put my hand on the small of her back and guide her toward the large kitchen at the back of the house. The smell hits us before anything else. It’s delicious and my mouth starts to water. Shay says, “Smells amazing.”
We enter the kitchen and it’s brimming with people. Jessie is standing over the stove, in an apron that matches Jordan’s, stirring a huge pot of chili. Avery is sitting at the island with a Pabst Blue Ribbon in his hand. My sister is leaning on the same island directly across from him. She must have just got here because she’s pulling the Tupperware containers with the cornbread she made out of her tote bag. I glance into the attached family room and see Chooch slumped over on the couch looking miserable. The reason for his misery is sipping a glass of white wine beside him.
I turn to Jessie, and she knows exactly what has my face twisted up in horror. She steps away from the stove and hugs Shay hello and then meets my eye. “Avery invitedeveryonewho was here two years ago. Because, you know…everything has to be exactly the same.”
I turn and scowl at our captain and hiss, “They broke up.”
Avery looks a little guilty, but not guilty enough, in my opinion, and he simply whispers back, “It’s a couple of hours. It’ll be fine.”
Jordan and I exchange glances. Shay catches the exchange. “Everything okay?”
“Sure,” I say and give her a quick smile. “I want you to meet my sister.”
Stephanie puts the last of the cornbread on the island and comes over to us. She gives Shay a bright, friendly smile. “I’m Stephanie. I didn’t get a chance to say hello earlier.”
They shake hands and Shay looks a little embarrassed. Luckily, my sister picks up on it and adds, “I don’t blame you for bolting. I would have hightailed it out there too if two random chicks showed up at my boyfriend’s house at nine in the morning. I just would have run over him with my car first.”
Shay laughs, and the ashamed look disappears from her face. “Sadly, I don’t have a car right now. But I’m glad to officially meet you.”
Stephanie pulls her away from me. “Have you met everyone else?”
