Page 31 of Playoff
Fitch frowned at me. “Well, I see JJ a lot because we’re teammates.”
“Right. But I meant around the building.”
“I just moved in. But Jess works for a finance firm, so she’s got one of those regular nine-to-five jobs. Her hours don’t overlap with ours much.”
“She works?” The WAGs I’d known in LA didn’t have jobs outside of handling their families and volunteer work.
“Yeah. I guess she doesn’t want to live on her brother’s charity.”
For a moment the room tilted. I blinked at Fitch. Brother? “They’re brother and sister?”
A grin crossed Fitch’s face. “Twins.”
My jaw dropped.
“Obviously with the gender difference, they’re fraternal not identical twins.”
“No shit.” Now that I thought about it, I could see some resemblance. Not enough to be obvious, but some. Brown hair and blue eyes. Her face was rounder, and she was shorter, but close enough that brother and sister tracked.
I swallowed my beer, relaxing now that I knew I hadn’t fucked the guy’s wife. Dodged that bullet. Then it hit. His sister. Another sister. Damn it, I really did need to ID women before I asked them back with me.
“Interested in Jess?” Fitch asked. He was grinning, so I must have given away something.
I shook my head. “Nope, sisters are off-limits.”
“Yeah, probably best, especially with the other issues you’ve got going on.”
Hell yes.
“What can you tell me about them—him.” I corrected myself. “Just to help us get along. As teammates.”
"I don’t know that much more than you. I think everyone in hockey knows about his ex. Other than that, he’s a damned good defenseman. He doesn't lose his temper. No one has been able to provoke him into fighting in a game. And off the ice, as far as I know, he’s the same. If you did ask his sister out, he’s not likely to hit you. Just as well—he’s strong. You must remember, you’ve played against him.”
Little different when he was just an anonymous opponent. Now he was someone with reason to have a grudge. At least we were on the same team.
“He's quiet, doesn't talk about his business, does his job and takes care of things himself," Fitch continued.
Sounded kind of boring to me. Probably hadn't broken a rule in his life. But not likely to cause trouble either. "And the sister?"
Fitch’s eyebrows lifted. "I don’t know her very well. She doesn’t hang out with her brother and the team that often. I don’t think she’s much of a hockey fan. Only comes to a few games or meetups.”
So maybe she hadn’t been lying. Maybe she didn’t recognize me. I couldn’t be sure. She had reasons to try to get close to me. I’d relaxed over the years, as fewer of my parents’ victims had followed me. This might have been the best play to get me yet.
Guys were leaving, some with bunnies. I didn’t dare risk it without checking their ID, and that was going to raise questions. So I left the bar on my own and caught an Uber to the hotel for one last night.
The receptionist waved at me and I sighed. Yep. Another letter, this one made out to Alec Dembroskie. I needed a new place. And tomorrow, when I was moving in with Fitch, couldn’t come fast enough. Into the same building as JJ and his twin.
Jessica and I needed to have a talk. In private. A private that didn’t include a bed. Because in spite of the drama, my dick was still interested in her.
Chapter 14
Be stupid
Alek
* * *
I was up too early again for someone used to the West Coast time zone, to pack what stuff I had at the hotel. Fitch was going to swing by and take me to his new place after practice. According to Fitch, Jessica had an office job, working Monday to Friday, so she shouldn’t be around
