Page 61 of Arresting the Hockey Player
Amber stares at me, unconvinced. “Sure, right. Whatever you say.”
“I’m not!”
“Because you still have the hots for Noah?” Amber asks, wagging her eyebrows at me.
I roll my lips together, contemplating how to answer. “I don’t deserve to be happy until Noah and his son are reunited.”
Amber exhales heavily and comes to sit beside me on the sofa. “That’s a tall order. I mean, he’s doing everything that he can, legally, to gain custody, but it isn’t an overnight process. It turns out the mother, Jasmine, doesn’t want to relinquish custody of her son anymore. Something about her husband promising never to hit them again. And she’s fighting for full custody.”
“That’s bullshit!” I stand, pacing the length of my apartment, which doesn’t give me much room. “She can’t do that to him.”
“Yeah, I know. She’s a real bitch,” Amber says. “I mean, the woman kept the fact Noah was a father a secret from him, then dropped the bombshell and doesn’t want his involvement. What kind of person does that?”
Amber seems to know more about Jasmine than I do.
She pulls her legs up beside her on the sofa, watching me diligently pace the room. “You’re going to destroy your hardwood floor if you keep that up.”
“It’s laminate,” I say and force a smile. “What do you know about Jasmine?” Noah told me nothing. The man is full of secrets.
He’s been all over the news, with the press interviewing him about the arrest, the allegations, and his performance during the most recent games that he’s played. He’s always smiling and polite and manages to subdue the press with a laugh.
But there’s more behind the surface and the superficial grin he gives them.
He’s made it clear that the topic of his son is off-limits. That he’s in an ongoing custody battle and can’t comment further on the matter.
“Jasmine is his ex-girlfriend. That’s all I know from Jasper. I heard that she cheated on him and eloped with her current husband, Grant Brass. I don’t know if that’s fact, though.” Amber climbs off the sofa and grabs my arm. “Enough about Noah. We’re going out.”
Forty minutes later, a half a bottle of hairspray, and six outfit changes, we’re finally ready to hit the clubs. Amber insisted on doing my makeup and picking out my clothes for tonight.
I’m sporting a black leather skirt and a red shirt that barely covers my midriff. It’s cute as sin, but I haven’t worn it in ages.
She also insisted I wear thesex boots,which she calls my leather boots that lace up to my knees. They are sexy, but I wasn’t feeling it or the outfit until I put both on.
I swear she’s got it in her mind to get me laid tonight.
I glance in the mirror as I swipe the fiery red lipstick across my lips. Damn, I look hot, but I’m not sure a random hookup will fix a broken heart.
“Let’s go!” Amber shouts, practically dragging me out of the apartment. That’s usually my doing, insisting she come with me to college parties or bars for a fun night out.
Tonight, I want to stay in, lounge in my pajamas, and eat a bowl of Rocky Road ice cream, which feels fitting because that describes my current love life.
We walk to the nearest subway together.
“Do you mind if we hit the club near my place?” Amber asks.
I honestly don’t have a preference tonight. “Whatever you want. It’s your birthday we’re celebrating.” I force a smile, doing my best to get in the mood for a night of dancing and drinking.
“Perfect. There’s a new bar. It’s super cute and stylish. I’ve wanted to check it out with Jasper, but he’s been so busy this season that we haven’t gone out as much as we’d like.”
“I always took you more for a homebody.”
“Oh, I am, but Jasper likes taking me out, and I don’t mind being his arm candy,” Amber says.
We head across town together, and there’s a line already beginning to form for the bar that Amber wants to get into. We stand at the back of the line, the cold air assaulting my thighs. Everything north of my boots is frigid.
The line moves slowly, and I glance at my phone.
“Expecting a call or text?” Amber quips. She sees right through me.
