Page 87 of Goaltender Interference

If they could attract talent to Boston, that would only benefit them in the long run.

“Right. Well, you’re welcome here,” Connor told Dakota firmly. “And if anyone does anything to make you feel less than welcome, please let me know. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks.” Dakota flashed him a smile. “Appreciate it.”

Jesse pushed away his empty dessert plate with a sigh. Dinner had been delicious. He’d had the rack of lamb and potatoes and a super fucking tasty lemon cake with berries.

After grabbing another drink from the bar, he glanced around.

Most of the guys had dispersed, some to get more drinks, some to pester the piano player and make song requests. Jesse doubted the old guy knew most of the songs they wanted, but who knew?

The rest of Jesse’s teammates were outside probably, watching the city go by.

Jesse wandered out there, wondering where Connor had gone. He’d disappeared quickly after dinner. For all Jesse knew, maybe he was seasick. Kady was starting to look a little green around the gills.

But when Jesse strolled the top tier of the ship, he found Connor tucked along one side of the railing—staring out at the Portland skyline. The sun had set and it glittered brightly in the dark night.

“Hey,” Jesse said, still a few feet away.

Connor glanced over, his stern expression softening. “Hey yourself.”

“Mind some company?”

Connor shook his head.

Jesse strolled over and they stood in silence for a few minutes, the city slipping slowly by as the boat traveled downstream.

“This was a good suggestion,” Connor finally said, leaning on the railing and letting out a sigh. He wore a vest and trousers, his shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal his strong forearms.Damn. He looked good.

“Glad you liked it.” Jesse studied his face. “You okay?”

Connor shrugged. “Yeah. Just have a lot on my mind.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Not at the moment.” Connor looked over, meeting his gaze. “But maybe some other time?”

“Okay.” Jesse took a sip of his cocktail and, for a few moments, they stared out at the skyline in silence.

“So, it looked like you were hitting it off with Dakota tonight,” he finally said.

Connor raised an eyebrow. “Jealous?”

He was clearly joking, but Jesse gave him a lopsided little smile and shrug. “Sort of? Maybe not in the way you think but it did make me …” He hesitated. “It made me a little envious you can talk to him all night and no one would think twice.”

“Youlivewith me, Jesse,” Connor said with a soft laugh. “We spend a lot of time together.”

“I know. It’s dumb.” Jesse shrugged, still smiling, because he wasn’t upset or anything. “I … I’ve never had to hide being involved with a teammate before. It feels weird is all.”

“Oh.” Connor frowned. “Are you … are you changing your mind about this?”

“No, you dummy,” Jesse said, nudging him with his elbow. “I’m telling you I like hanging out with you. And I feel weird about hiding shit, but I’ll deal. If I want to change my mind, I’ll tell you.”

Connor nodded, glancing back at the city. “That would be good. Because sometimes I get so buried in stuff for the team or the kids, I don’t see what’s right in front of my face. I know it’s not the same situation, or even close to it, but with Viv … I missed a lot of stuff. And I don’t mean the actual holidays and events. I missed the signs we weren’t working. That she was so unhappy. That she wanted out of our marriage.”

Jesse winced. “That sucks.”

“Yeah, yeah it does.” Connor released a heavy sigh. “So if you’re good with being upfront with me, I’d like that a lot.”

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