Page 54 of Hockey Halloween
“Evil genius,” she says.
"He truly is," I agree. "And were the costumes your idea or his?"
I tip my head toward the door because that's where Ryan is currently standing, talking to Theo. She glances over at him and then turns back to me. "My idea. I bought the costumes for more money than I should have and convinced him to wear them."
“For charity.” She nods. I sip my beer. “We don’t have any altruistic intentions for the money if we win. But we should.”
"Altruistic?" she repeats, and I can tell she knows the meaning of the word. Her shock is coming from the fact that I'm using it. "You must be one of those hockey players who got a scholarship to an Ivy and actually paid attention in classes."
"Actually, no. I went straight for the draft," I reply, and fight the urge to ask her to take off her mask. She's got amazing eyes. Mostly blue with flecks of amber and rimmed in gray. Her mouth isn't too full, but not too thin, with just the right amount of pout. "How do you know Ryan?"
“We go way back.” She’s being intentionally vague. I’m not dense.
“You live in San Diego like him?”
She shakes her head. Her costume has that full leather skin-molding hood thing that covers her forehead and goes down past her eyes. Her chestnut hair tumbles out and falls to about her nicely round and perky boobs. There’s not an inch of her body that isn’t on display, being that the pleather costume looks like it was painted on her bare body, and there isn’t anything I see that I don’t love. She’s gorgeous.
“I live here in Vegas.”
“Hometown?”
She shakes her head again. "I'm a kind of from all over. I was born in Boston, spent a bunch of years elsewhere. My parents divorced when I was young, and both kind of became nomads. So I've called Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Seattle, Oregon home when I wasn't in boarding school or college."
. “I went to boarding school too, but I’m from New England.”
I know a little about Ryan because I looked him up when he scored that first hat trick on me. His team bio has him born in Boston, and he went to Harvard. Maybe that's how they know each other?
She's smiling softly at me. "I wanted to go to college in New England. Vermont or Maine, but I got a scholarship to the University of Las Vegas, and that made the most sense."
I smile. “I picked the NHL Draft over college, but I still spent my summers in New England.”
“I love New England.”
I don't tell her that after I picked the draft over college, and my parents cut me off, and I went back to my childhood camp, Magog, every summer as a counselor to sustain myself. I went undrafted the first time I tried, and the second time I was picked but ended up on the farm team for two years before I finally got my shot at the NHL. Her Batman was drafted in the first round when he entered the draft.
“How do you feel about men in embarrassing costumes?”
"Lucky for you, I'm developing a weakness for men in polyester," she teases back.
Her eyes drift to the left, and she swears under her breath. I feel Ryan’s negative energy before I see him lumber into view.
"Hey Hudson," Ryan says, and neither his smile nor tone is friendly as he positions himself between me and his date. "Thought I would come over and offer my condolences."
“For what?” I ask tersely and slowly sip my beer like I’m not thinking about dumping it over his smug head.
“For the fact that I’m going to chase you off the ice again.” He turns to Catwoman. “This is the goalie I was telling you about. The guy who keeps giving me epic stats.”
She rolls her eyes at him but says nothing.
"Well, I figure someone should help you out. Last year, you struggled so hard they dropped you to the fourth line, and I'm actually surprised the Saints didn't waive you," I say, knowing I sound like a total dick, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Even though I just met her, I hope it doesn't make my mystery woman hate me. "You're welcome, big guy, but my assistance has stopped. I’m going to block every shot you take now…” I lean into him and lower my voice so only he hears as I add, “On and off the ice.”
Ryan’s entire body stiffens. “Wha… what? You think?—”
Theo interrupts with a bark as he comes to stand beside Catwoman. He gives her a cocky grin. “Catwoman. Meow. TheoRichard aka Scooby Doo. Is Hudson solving a mystery for you? Like why is your date such a douche canoe?"
"Fuck off, Richard, you nepo baby," Ryan snaps, and Theo looks mildly offended. He hates people thinking he's only in the league because his dad was. It's entirely too low a blow for a little smack talk. Ryan glares at his costume partner. "D, can we talk? Alone."
"No," she replies. Now is that Dee the name or D the initial? I have no clue, and I don't get the chance to ask because the music fades and there's a voice booming out over the speakers asking those participating in the costume contest to approach the stage.
