Page 52 of Comeback
“Hell, I doubt you would’ve noticed her,” one of the friends said, his big chest shaking with laughter. “She’s real good. She broke into Big D’s backyard and managed to get some awfully risqué photos in the pool—”
Hm,I thought.Maybe I shouldn’t be hearing this.
I cleared my throat to announce my presence, and the three men turned their heads to see Mackenzie and me. I greeted them with a smile. “Hi.”
The guy who had just been talking about a private investigator took one look at me and slapped Jack’s chest with the back of his hand. “No way, Hath. You started a family already?”
The other man took one look at me and rolled his eyes. “Use your head, Reavo. That can’t be his kid.”
The look of regret in Jack’s eye told me he wished I’d stayed in the kitchen.
What’s going on here?I thought.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” I said, cautiously slowing my approach.
“It’s fine,” Jack said, but I could tell it wasn’t exactly fine. “Emma, I want you to meet my friends, Derek Reaves and Dane DeHardt. We were teammates in Dallas.”
“I thought so,” I said, nearing to shake their hands. “You guys look like hockey players.”
I shook Derek’s hand first. He was the biggest of the group, by far—huge shoulders, huge arms, and a chest as round as a barrel. He wore an orthopedic boot on one of his legs. I wondered if it was hard to keep such a big body healthy.
“Nice to meet you, Derek,” I said.
“Call me Reavo,” he said.
“You got it, Reavo.”
I liked Reavo already. He was as big as a bear, big and strong and hairy on the outside, but obviously soft and cuddly on the inside. You could just see his softness in his big brown eyes.
Then I shook Dane’s hand. Dane was the tallest of the three, but he wasn’t built as strong as either Reavo or Jack. He was wickedly handsome, with a sharp jawline, strong chin, and dark, brooding eyes. His brown hair was tidy and short on the side, but long on top, and slicked back.
“Nice to meet you, Dane,” I said.
“You too,” he muttered, disinterested. I barely knew Dane, but I already had the strong sense that he was one of those guys that was too cool for everything.
“And this is my daughter, Mackenzie.” I turned to her. “These guys are hockey players, Mack. They used to play with Jack. Say hi!”
“Hi!” she pipped, waving her hand at the statuesque men.
“Aw,” Reavo said, covering his heart with his bowling-ball-sized hand. “She’s cute as hell.”
“Right? Isn’t she?” Jack asked.
“Sure is, Hath,” Dane chimed in—before unleashing a gigantic yawn.
Mackenzie scowled at Dane. I think she felt the same way about him as I did. “You’re supposed to cover your mouth when you yawn,” she said sternly.
Dane smirked at her. “You’re right, kid. Where are my manners, eh?”
“You just got schooled by a pre-schooler, D.” Reavo laughed and smiled at me. “She’s great, Emma.”
“Thanks,” I said. “So, do you guys still play? Or are you retired like Jack?”
“Retired,” Dane muttered with a quiet scoff.
“I still play, but I missed all of last year,” Reavo replied politely. He gestured at his boot. “Hoping I can see some ice once next season starts, anyway.”
“Yeah, I still play,” Dane said begrudgingly. “I’m the captain, so I’m obviously not going anywhere. Well, maybe I shouldn’t sayobviously.” He shot a look at Jack. “Right, Hath?”
