Page 2 of Mister Hockey
The hit hadn’t been enough to fuck him though, right?
“All right, all right. Enough monkeying around,nowyou really are on record.” Neve clicked the red record button. Her voice dropped a half octave and took on a more formal affectation, as if she had morphed into a National Public Radio host. “Hello and welcome to another edition ofSports Heaven, with me, Neve, Denver’s favorite Angel,” she purred. “Today I’m lucky enough to be sitting down with Jed West, captain of the Denver Hellions. Thanks for chatting, Westy.”
“Pleasure’s mine.” He drawled, lifting his empty pint glass in cheers, shoving the tapes to the hamper in the back of his mind.
“Since getting traded from the Sharks, you’ve taken the Hellions all the way twice. Broken one of the longest losing streaks in NHL history and—”
The raucous chorus to the song “All I Do is Win,” emanated from inside her blouse. “Shoot. Hang on.” She hit Pause and fished her phone from the gap in her shirt.
“That’s one hell of a phone holder,” he deadpanned.
“Hush.” Her small mouth went mulish. “A bra is a modern gal’s Swiss army knife. Now. Where was I?” She hit Play and steepled her fingers. “Ah, yes, the Westy magic. What’s your secret?”
“I don’t know. The usual.” He grabbed a napkin shred from the pile in front of him and rolled the thin paper into a neat ball. “It’s like this, see... on full moons I lure a goat onto the ice, preferably a young one. Too old and they get ornery. There’s chanting. Followed by a naked drum circle. Then the ritual sacrifice complete with a—”
“All I Do is Win” blared again.
Neve ripped the phone from her cleavage and frowned at the screen. “It’s my sister. Breezy never calls during a workday. I’ve got to take this.” She clicked off the recorder and slammed the phone to her ear. “What’s wrong?” Two lines dented the skin between her brows. “Okay. Stop. Slow down, way, way down. Breathe. No. That’s hysterical laughter bordering on tears. I want breaths, deep ones from your diaphragm. Warmer. Warmer... better.” She gave a grim nod. “Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yep. No, he didn’t! I don’t care a fig if itisthe weather. I’ve always said he’s asshat. Me? Hmm.” She drummed her fingers, shooting him a considered look. “Got plans for the afternoon?”
“Dunno.” Jed shrugged, not loving the gleam in her eye. “Getting interviewed by you, then going to lift at the gym.”Or commencing an online search for a discreet neurologist.“Why?”
“Tor Gunnar was booked to headline a kiddie literacy event at the Rosedale Branch Library.” She pronounced the Hellion coach’s name the same way aHarry Pottercharacter might curse Voldemort. Taking a swig of ice tea, as if to cleanse the name from her palate, she continued. “He had a charity golf event in Scottsdale and there’s been a weather delay with the airlines. The same crappy system dumping all the rain here is causing flash floods there. His flight’s canceled and that leaves my little sis stuck as a Head Children’s Librarian with no special guest and a community room filling with starry-eyed young hockey fans—”
“Your sister’s name isBreezy?”
“Briana.” Neve smirked. “But I couldn’t pronounce it when I was little and my version stuck. Anyway, she’s asking me to step in as the surprise special guest, but seeing asyou’rehere...”
He got the hint. “You need a volunteer?”
“Why, I declare! What a wonderful, generous offer.” Her exaggerated coo faded back to her usual brisk tone. “Here’s the deal. I love two things in this world: my job and my family. I’m telling you, Breezy performs bona fide miracles at that library. Letting down those rug rats would kill her. And besides...” She drummed her nails on the table’s veneer again with a smug look.
“What?” He crossed his arms, as if the gesture could hide the jealous flame that flared every time he was presented with evidence of other people’s normal, happy family lives.
“Nothing.” She wiped a hand over her mouth, erasing the mysterious smirk. “So... what’s it going to be? Will you heed the urgent call of a damsel in distress? Just remember that if the answer is no, then the topic of my next podcast is going to be about hockey captains who devastate local fans by refusing to support worthwhile community events.”
He threw up his hands in mock annoyance. “I’d have said yes. No need to stoop to Tony Soprano threats.” For all her smart talk, he enjoyed Neve’s company. He didn’t have a sister, but if he did, he’d wish for one like her.
“Nice to find out that your good-guy attitude isn’t an act.” The tension lines bracketing her mouth vanished as she gave him an honest grin. “You’d be surprised how often celebrity athletes suck donkey balls.” She shoved the phone back to her ear. “Breezy? Crisis averted. The cavalry’s coming.”
“Your order is coming out in just a minute.” The waitress bustled to the table and leaned in close. A clump of mascara dangled off the edge of her lashes. “Want anything else in the meantime? More fresh squeezed orange juice... my phone number?”
“Oy! That’s enough of that.” Neve stuffed her phone back down her shirt. “We need that breakfast sandwich and bagel to go.” She began packing her things in quick efficient movements as the waitress retreated. “Follow me over?”
“I know the way.” His condo wasn’t far from the Rosedale library. “Speer Boulevard, hop off on Tenth?” He rose and grabbed his Gore-Tex jacket. “What’s the plan?”
“You’ll say a few words, something short.” Neve shrugged as she stood and strode toward the front door, accepting the brown bags from the waitress and passing him one before paying the bill. “You know the drill. ‘School is cool’ and ‘Reading is for winners’ feel-good stuff. Wing it. Oh!” She raised a finger. “Breezy did mention that the speaker has to share their favorite picture book. Youareliterate, right?” She winked.
“Remember how I played defense for Stanford?” He opened and held the door. “I also happened to major in Finance.” It took effort to keep the edge from his voice. Stereotypes were self-fulfilling prophecies and he had spent years working his ass off not to be another “dumb jock” cruising by on a subpar GPA. In truth, reading wasn’t his favorite, but at least numbers always made sense.
“Finance, huh?” Neve missed his stiffness as she scooted past. “Every time I talk about banking I get withdrawal symptoms.” She snorted at her corny joke. “But in all seriousness, thanks for the Good Samaritan gesture. That was cool, and Breezy’s going to appreciate it more than you could imagine.” Again came that hint of a private smile gone as soon as it started. “Wow, get a load of this rain. We need a snorkel and fins to cross the parking lot.”
“Tell me.” He tugged up his hood. “This sister with the funny name, is she anything like you?” God help Denver if there was another mouthy Chihuahua on the loose.
“Breezy? Not in the least.” Neve opened her umbrella with a flourish. “But she’s my best friend. Let her down and I’ll drop-kick you faster than you can say Bobby Orr.”
Chapter Two
“Let’s try it again. From the top.” Breezy Angel sucked in, straining for the costume zipper, putting herself at risk of serious rib crackage. Who was she kidding; these loosey-goosey abs hadn’t seen a decent crunch in years. They could barely flex, let alone possess the strength to break bone. Sweat prickled the nape of her neck while stars skimmed the edge of her vision. “Oof. Come on, come on,” she huffed, grimacing.
