“A short-term goal,” she surmises.
“Yeah… come in, help get it going, and then gracefully step out again.” I sip my beer and think about it a moment before adding, “And come up with another project other than restoring a houseboat.”
“Clearly you like helping people,” Jenna muses. “Hockey is part of your DNA. Maybe you could do some coaching, mentoring, or training.”
“Not a bad idea,” I say, tipping the bottle toward her. “Where to do it, though?”
“Is Seattle your home?” she inquires.
I tap my fist a few times against my chest, looking hurt. “I can’t believe you haven’t googled me and know the answer to that.”
Jenna laughs and shakes her head. “I am no stalker, sir.”
“Well, had you googled me, you’d know that I retired in Seattle. I was with the Storm for seven years, and it’s a nice city, so I stayed.”
“No ties to anywhere else?”
“On the contrary, I have deep ties. Parents, siblings, scores of nieces and nephews. All in the same little town in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa. I’ll probably move back there one day.”
“You’re close to your family?”
“A little too close,” I reply with a laugh. “My parents and siblings are all busybodies. I fend off about fifty texts a day from them checking in on me.”
“You love it,” Jenna says with a soft chuckle, a conclusion she’s drawn just from my demeanor. It’s obvious, the fondness in my voice, even as I complain about my family.
“I love them,” I say simply. A smile ghosts on her face, and she nods in understanding. “I take it you’re close with your family? I mean, I know your sister loves you enough to drive you here from Phoenix.”
“Emory and I are super close, even though we’re half siblings. We share the same father, but her mom died in childbirth. Her dad then married my mom and I came along. We were raised together, and my mom is her real mom in all meanings.”
“That’s why your coloring is so different,” I muse. “Emory of the raven-black hair and pale skin, and Jenna fresh off the beaches of California.”
“It’s a little eerie how close you are. We lived some years in England where Emory’s mom was from, but then we moved to southern California where I was pretty much raised. Emory looks like our father, and I look like my mother.”
I’d assumed Emory had spent significant time in Great Britain given her accent, which isn’t overly powerful but noticeable.
“And Emory’s your only sibling?” I lift the bottle to my lips, take another pull.
“She is, but I have the most wonderful niece… Felicity, from Emory’s prior marriage. When I moved to Arizona last year, it was to help take care of Felicity as Emory had just started her job with the Vengeance.”
“And she dates Jett Olsson, right?” I ask, because Baden’s told me a lot about his prior teammates.
“Yup. She’s the VP of digital marketing and analytics for the Vengeance.”
“And how did you get into—” My words are cut short as a hand claps down on my shoulder.
“Gage.”
I turn in my chair and see Nolan Carrier, one of our first-line defensemen, standing behind me. He glances at Jenna. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replies.
“This is Jenna Holland,” I say to Nolan, then glance back at Jenna. “Nolan Carrier… defenseman.”
Nolan reaches across the table and Jenna accepts his hand for a shake.
“Nice to meet you,” he says politely and then pulls a chair out to my left and plops down. “Listen, man… I really need your help.”
I straighten up in my chair and swivel to face him as I put my beer bottle on the table. “What’s up?”
“So, there’s this friend of Aneta’s here tonight, and I really, really want to go out with this woman. And she’d say yes, but she’s trying to score a date for her cousin who’s visiting for a few weeks. You’d be the perfect option since you’re one of the few single guys on the team who is actually out of puberty.”
I shake my head adamantly. “Absolutely not.”
“Come on, man,” Nolan pleads, putting a hand on my shoulder and gripping it. “It’s one date. Enough to get me in the door. And I’ve been assured she’s hot and smart and all that shit.”
Christ, Nolan’s killing my game right in front of Jenna.
I look at him pointedly. “Can’t you see I’m busy here?”
Nolan glances at Jenna, then back to me. “Yeah, of course. But I’m not asking you to marry this chick. Just go on one stupid blind date so I can have a chance with this chick.”
I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but Jenna pipes up. “You should do it, Gage.”
My head whips her way, and I study her expression intently. Does she not get I’m interested in her? Or is she not interested in me?
Now I’m fucking confused.
She nods at me with encouragement. “It won’t kill you, and who knows… you might actually have a good time. Make a connection.”
Jesus, did I misjudge this? Is this attraction one-sided? I’m trying to get to know her… we were talking about our families, and now she’s pushing me to go out on a date?
“See?” Nolan butts in, giving Jenna a gracious nod. “She knows you should take one for the team.”
I look back to Jenna and she nods. A silent endorsement.
Nolan doesn’t wait for me to answer, instead standing from the table. “Come meet her, Gage. The woman I want to go out with. The cousin isn’t here, but that way she can see I’ve got a date secured.”
“No way—”
Jenna stands, and my head tips to look at her. She smiles. “Actually… I’m going to find Sophie and Baden. We weren’t going to stay long as we have early days tomorrow. But it was good talking to you.”
What the fuck is happening?
I rise from my chair as Jenna starts to move past me, my hand shooting out to grab her wrist.
She turns back to look at me, those honey eyes wide and curious.
“Unlock your phone and give it to me,” I say, releasing her wrist and holding my palm out.
Frowning, she reaches into the tiny purse that she wears on a golden chain across her body and does as I ask. I deftly move to her contacts and add my cell number. I then call my own phone so it buzzes on silent mode, and now I have her number.
I hand her phone back. “Can I call you?”
She appears puzzled. She may have just pushed me to go on a date with a stranger, but I’m going to assume Jenna doesn’t know what’s good for me, or herself, for that matter.
“Um… sure,” she replies, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Great,” I reply, beaming at her.
She nods at Nolan, gives me a last look of bafflement, and brushes by us. I watch her walk out of the room before turning to Nolan and smacking him hard across his chest. “You’re an asshole.”
“What?” he exclaims, rubbing at his sternum. I hit him hard. “Why?”
“Because you basically just set me back on any progress I was making with Jenna,” I growl.