Page 100 of You Had Me at Hockey

When Igor has beaten Josh, Josh slings his arm around Igor’s shoulder. “I didn’t want to crush your confidence, so I let you win that one.”

Igor hoots.

This is going really well. Everyone is relaxed and having fun.

Nate and Jay play next. They rack the balls and Nate shoots…and clips the corner of one ball.

“Next time take off your purse when you break,” Nate says, lifting his cue.

“That’s sexist.” Jay shakes his head. “Are you saying women can’t play pool as well as men?”

“Oooooh,” Lilly and I say at the same time. “Careful, Nate.”

He grins and scatters the balls across the table.

“How are we going to do this?” Lilly mutters beside me.

“I don’t know.” I gaze around, spying Josh watching a shuffleboard game. As if he knows I’m looking at him, he turns his head and meets my eyes. He smiles and lifts his beer.

I smile back.

“Easton’s over there.” Lilly points to the long bar against one wall, where Easton appears to be waiting for a drink and looking at his phone. “Can you get Josh there?”

“I’ll try.” Still holding Josh’s gaze, I beckon him as Lilly moves off toward Easton.

Josh starts toward me, weaving among tables.

“I need another drink,” I tell him as he nears me. “Come on.” I take his hand and tug him toward the bar.

He comes willingly and when I stop next to Easton and Lilly, he’s still smiling. We’re all at the far end of the bar, away from the rest of the gang.

“Okay,” I say. I pause and take a deep breath. “Josh and Easton…you two need to talk.”

Josh frowns. “What?”

“You never told me that Easton was a Warrior,” I say quietly. Well, as quietly as you can in a noisy bar. “Why not?”

He stares at me.

“What the fuck?” Easton mutters.

Lilly takes his arm. “Just talk to him, Easton.”

Easton straightens. “Okay. I’ll talk to him. What the fuck is your problem?” He glares at Josh. “You’ve acted like we don’t know each other and you hate my guts ever since you got here. What the hell did I ever do to you? We used to be friends.”

Josh’s face tightens and his eyes flicker. “What the hell did you ever do to me? You have to ask that question?”

“Fuck yeah!”

“Okay, here’s what you did to me. You deserted me. You never came to see me in the hospital. Never bothered to find out if I was okay. Never bothered to find out if I’d ever be able to play hockey again.Ithought we were friends too, but apparently I was wrong.” He pauses. “You just went on about your life, getting drafted, playing in the NHL, and never looking back. Did you ever talk to Hunter? What about him?”

Hunter? I don’t even know about Hunter. I meet Lilly’s eyes.

“Didyouever talk to Hunter?” Easton challenges him.

“I was kind of laid up,” Josh says bitterly. “But he disappeared off the face of the earth anyway.”

“Until a few years ago,” Easton says.

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