“Rico,” she says as if thinking to herself and staring down at him to get another glance at his face. “You don’t hear that name often either. Have we met before?”
“No, I don’t think so. You have the kind of face I wouldn’t forget.”
She laughs, blush spreading across her cheeks. But she doesn’t respond to my stupid comment that sounded like a pickup line, even though it wasn’t intended as one.
The crowds are getting heavier as we pass, and the buzzer still hasn’t sounded, which means we have time to get back to our seats. I hope. But I’m also unsure if I want to go back now that I have Regan’s company. After we loop around the corner, she stops in front of a different concession stand.
“Hey, Joe.” Regan waves to a balding man behind the counter. “Can I get two nachos and two Cokes for my new friends?” She winks at me as she says this.
She has a certain ease about her that reminds me of Charlie. You can be yourself around girls like them. Except, for some reason, she makes me nervous. I think of asking her out as we wait for Joe to fill the plastic containers with cheese. What if she shoots me down? Not that it would matter. It’s not like we will see each other again. What do I have to lose?
Joe hands the nachos to Rico first, and then, the other set to me. Regan takes a chip from my tray, dunks it in cheese, and shoves it into her mouth with her eyes trained on me. We share a moment. With me focusing on her mouth as she chews, it takes me a second before I realize Joe is trying to get my attention to hand me a cup of soda.
“Thank you.” I lift the drink from the counter and hold it up in acknowledgment. Then, I turn to Regan, who has stolen another chip from me. “How is it that you have the hook up around here?”
“I know a guy who knows a guy,” she deadpans, laughing to herself.
“What are you doing this weekend?”
I’m usually not so forward with women. My question surprises me just as much as Regan. I like to check women out, make sure they’re not crazy or up to Charlie’s standards before I ask them out on a date. But I feel comfortable around Regan. Plus, she didn't even know me and went out of her way to get Rico food. The least I can do is return the favor and buy her a decent meal that doesn’t consist of processed cheese and corn chips.
“Umm…nothing much. Are you asking me out, Jameson O’Connor?” She inches closer to me and the tension between us is burning like a lit match.
“Yeah, I suppose I am asking you out. So, what do you say? Do you want to have dinner with me on Saturday night?”
She holds her finger up to her lips, pretending to think it over. The wait is killing me. Say yes already.
Before she can respond, I hear Alex call out, “There’s the man-of-honor. We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
I was so caught up in Regan and getting Rico his nachos that I’d forgotten about the game. How is it I didn’t even notice the buzzer go off, only the people tearing through the halls in a rush to get out of the building?
“I’m right here,” I say, annoyed.
Our entire wedding party follows behind Alex, including Charlie, who has a strange look on her face. She seems confused, but I have no idea why.
Coming up next to me, Charlie does something I least expect when she locks onto Regan. She hugs her as if they have known each other for years.
“How are you?” Charlie asks, taking a step back from Regan to stand next to me. “It’s been a while. Is your dad keeping you busy?”
Regan shrugs. “You know my dad.”
Alex glances at me, confused, and then, back to Regan. “What are you doing out here with Jamie? How do you guys know each other?”
“We don’t,” I interject before she can respond. “They were out of nachos at the concession by our seats, and Regan helped us out.”
“Mind your own business, Parker.” Regan’s tone is playful. She speaks to him as if she’s good friends with Alex.
Who is this chick?
“Oh, shit,” Tyler says, stealing the show with his dominance, as he moves through the crowd to get to Regan. “Are you gonna tell your dad we’re up to no good again?”
Regan blushes, looking away from him and to me. She holds my gaze for a few seconds before rolling her eyes at Tyler. “Will you ever let me live that down, Kane? I was a teenager back then.”
“You’re not a kid anymore,” he jokes, and that earns him an elbow to the biceps from Regan.
“Shut it, Kane, before I shut it for you.”
After Carter exchanges pleasantries with Regan, I start to feel left out of this conversation. Everyone seems to know Regan except for me. And she never had the chance to answer my question.
“So, you’re with Coach,” Regan says to me. “I had no idea.”
“Why? Would you have treated me differently if you had known?”
She nods. “Yes, actually, I would have.”
“Meaning?” I ask, hoping she will elaborate.
“I was about to say yes, but now…” Her voice trails off, leaving me even more confused by the conversation.
What has changed since Charlie and the gang had to show up and ruin everything?
“I don’t mix business with pleasure. Sorry.” She gives my arm a pity stroke that sets my skin on fire.
Why is she sorry?
Regan flashes a tiny small before saying her goodbye’s to everyone in our group, including me. “It was nice meeting you, Jameson.”
“Wait.” I grab her forearm as she walks away. “You never answered my question.”
A sullen expression crosses her face. “Under different circumstances, I would’ve said yes to you in a heartbeat.”
“What circumstances?” I ask, bewildered.
“I can’t get mixed up in my father’s business. I’m sorry. It’s just not a good idea. But I’m glad we met. Come by and see me sometime. I'll make sure you have nachos for the next game.”
Without giving me time to interject, she waves over her shoulder at me, falling in line with the rest of the crowd, as she strolls down the hall.
Charlie leans close and whispers into my ear. “Did you ask Regan out?”
I frown. “Yeah, but she shot me down.”
“She doesn’t date athletes.”
“But I’m not an athlete,” I counter, “not even close.”
Charlie shrugs. “Yeah, but I bet she thinks you are one just by association with me.”
“Why would she think I’m one of your players?” I stare down at my clothes. I’m built, but nowhere near the kind of conditioning that screams professional athlete.
“You’re in much better shape that you realize, Jamie.” She acts nonchalant. “It’s probably for the best. If things didn’t work out for you, it would mess up my relationship with her father, and I can’t have that.”
“Who is her father?” The question of the hour.
“Mike Turner.”
It takes me a minute to recognize the name. “Her dad is the Mike Turner?”
“The one and only,” Charlotte says.
I scratch the stubble on my chin, trying to process the news. Mike Turner is the general manager for the Flyers, a hall of famer, and one of the most legendary hockey players to step onto the ice. “I guess that makes her like hockey royalty.”
Charlie nods. “Yup, which also makes her off-limits to you.”
A challenge. Even though I should stay away, I want to pursue Regan even more, so she can see that I’m nothing like my friends.
Chapter 4
Regan
Jameson is the man-of-honor Coach had mentioned at the game. I hadn’t expected him to be so…hot. Actually, I had no idea what I thought he’d look like. After our conversation at the Flyers game, I had lunch with Coach and told her about all the ways we can accommodate her wedding reception. She’d mentioned Jamie several times, raved about him, even. The only thing I’d known about him before tonight was that he was Coach’s best friend.
I almost said yes to his offer. But onc
e the reality of Jamie being Coach’s best friend had sunk in, and what their relationship means to me, I couldn’t go through with dinner. With Coach and her friends so wrapped up in my father’s business, I cannot interfere. Plus, I don’t date athletes.
Jamie is in ridiculous shape, just as toned and muscular as some of the guys on the team. He’s not a hockey or basketball player. I know everyone in both leagues. But I don’t follow the other sports as much as I should, so what sport does he play? Soccer, maybe? He has the build for it. Coach surrounds herself with professional athletes. If only I knew his last name. Then, I could Facebook and Google stalk him to get his stats and scope out his life.
Five minutes after I get back to my office, Murph walks through the door with a wide grin on his face. He sits in one of the leather chairs in front of my desk and folds his hands on his lap.
“Are you ready for tomorrow night?”
I nod. “Yes, everything is ready. Did my father send you here to check on me again?”
“Maybe,” he says.
“You know you can say no to him. It’s not like you work directly for him.”
“You’re dad is the man, and I do what the man tells me to do.”
I stick my finger in my mouth, making a gagging sound. “Vomit. Why don’t you fanboy some more.”
“I can’t help it that I grew up watching him play. Do you know how cool it is for me to get the chance to work with him?”
“I have an idea. When I was younger, I went to Los Angeles for the weekend with my dad. We sat courtside at the Lakers game, met the players on the team, and had the grand tour of the Staples Center. And they smoked the shit out of the Celtics. Kobe was on fire, the entire team was on point, and the crowd was insane. It was hands-down one of the best days of my life. I had many days like that growing up. I’ve met tons of professional athletes and have hundreds of autographs and signed sports memorabilia. I get it, I do.”
“Then stop giving me shit about it, Regan.” Murph sits back in his chair, getting comfortable. “If Kobe had asked you to deliver a message would you have told him no?”
“Of course not,” I say, without hesitation.
“You just proved my point. Plus, this is part of my job. They pay me to deliver messages, usher high profile clients to their seats, and do anything else they can think of on any given day.”
“You did your job.” I move the keyboard in front of me, staring at the computer screen. “Tell my dad that the everything is ready for the charity event tomorrow. I have the vendors lined up, the staff on schedule, and it’s up to him to make sure his players show up. On second thought, he could come to my office himself next time. We’re in the same building, and I haven’t seen him in days.”
“He’s a busy man. I’m sure he’ll make an appearance at some point.”
“I have no doubt about that. If this event isn’t perfect, I will never hear the end of it.”
“I’m sure it will be great since you planned it.”
“Do you remember what happened last year? The caterers didn’t show for his big dinner. It was a complete nightmare.”
No one understands what it’s like to be the daughter of a hockey legend. My father is the reason Murph has a sparkle in his eyes, as he speaks about him with such reverence. But no one knows him like I do. They don’t see him the same way because they’re too busy placing him on a pedestal. He’s a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. That alone garners him respect and attention.
It’s also the reason everyone treats me differently as if I am some extension of my dad. My entire life I have been his shadow. When guys see me, they only see my father. That’s why it was nice to get asked out by Jamie. He had no expectations, nothing he was hoping to gain from me. He seemed bummed that I refused his offer. I was just as upset that I couldn’t accept.
Murph gets up from the chair. “I need to get back to work. Your dad is probably waiting for me.”
As he walks away, I stop him. “Murph, hold on!”
He turns around to face me, waiting for me to speak.
“What do you know about Coach’s friend?”
“Coach Landry?”
I shake my head. “No, the other Coach.”
“Coach as in Charlotte Coachman?”
“Yes, that Coach. How much do you know about her friend?”
He shrugs, his broad shoulders filling out his fitted shirt. “She has lots of friends, Regan. You need to be more specific.”
Duh, Regan.
“Jamie. He’s her best friend. Do you know him?”
“Yeah, of course. Jamie is awesome.”
“Well,” I say, goading him to tell me more, “what do you know about him? What team does he play for?”
“Team?” He flashes me a perplexed look, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “He doesn’t play for a team.”
I fold my arms across my chest, locking onto Murph. “I was so sure he was an athlete. But he was with Coach. All of her friends are in the business. Is he an agent?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, Jamie is a gamer.”
“As in he plays video games?” Now, I’m confused.
“Well, yes and no. He’s a software engineer. His company designs video games, but he also makes apps and other stuff.”
“He didn’t look like a nerd to me,” I joke.
“Jamie’s a cool nerd. I’ve played a few of the first-person shooter games he designed, and they're kind of bad ass.”
As a girl who grew up on sports, comic books, and video games, I had a strange childhood. I was never the girl who’d brush Barbie’s hair or have tea parties with her friends. Most of my friends growing up were the sons or daughters of other famous hockey players. We had unusual lives, to say the least. My closest friend was a boy until his father was traded to another team, breaking us apart.
It didn’t help that we’d moved back and forth between the United States and Canada for most of my life. By the time I was old enough to attend college, I had chosen a school in Philadelphia to stay close to my dad during hockey season. I never expected to fall in love with the city and move here permanently.
My dad still travels between the U.S. and Canada, mostly because my mother had refused to leave her country. She likes it in the States, but she says it’s nothing like home. I don’t blame her. I like both countries for different reasons, but now Philly is where I call my home. Every few months, I make it a point to visit my mom. She gets upset if I don’t carve out a weekend for her at least once every quarter.
But with hockey season in full swing and all the events we have going on at the Wells Fargo Center, the likelihood of me getting away from here anytime soon is slim. At least I have my dad around, despite how little I get to see him with our busy schedules.
“That’s funny you thought Jamie was an athlete. He’s about as nerdy as they come.”
Hot nerds, who knew there was such a thing?
I’ve always like smart guys. It beats the hell out of talking to a man who’s taken one too many hits and can’t hold down a decent conversation. Since my dad is usually the topic of those conversations, my dates tend not to last long.
“He has the build of one. I just assumed that he was with Coach because she represented him.”
“Aw, man,” Murph says, laughing. “Jamie is going to get a kick out of this the next time I see him.”
I hold my hand out in front of me. “No! Don’t even think about telling him about this conversation.”
“Why? Do you like him?”
“No…I don’t know. We didn’t have much time together before Coach and her friends found us. It was kinda awkward having Parker, Kane, and Donovan hovering over us while we were talking. And Coach is…well, you know Coach. She can be intimidating.”
He chuckles to himself. “Jamie is good people. I’ve known him almost as long as Coach.”
“What else do you know about him? Did Coach and Jamie ever date?”
He laughs so hard he snorts. “No way! Coach and Ja
mie are like brother and sister. They grew up in foster care together. There’s nothing sexual about their relationship.”
I smile at his words.
“Look at you,” Murph says, pointing his finger at me. “You like Jamie. How about that? And here I didn’t think you liked anyone.”
“Why is that?” I throw my hands onto my hips. “Because I won’t go out with you?”
Murph shrugs. “Maybe.”
“You’re too in love with my dad to ever fall in love with me, Murph. It would never work between us. Besides, you’re the closest thing I have to a best friend anymore.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” he deadpans.
“Wanna grab lunch with me tomorrow before the fundraiser?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” He winks in my direction. “Don’t stay too late. If you want me to walk you out to your car, let me know. I’m hanging around for another hour before I head home.”
“Stop by before you leave. Otherwise, you know I’ll get wrapped up in something and end up sleeping on my couch again.”
I’m a workaholic with a habit of working for hours on end without any breaks or concept of time. After Murph exits my office, he leaves me alone and with my thoughts that Jamie consumes. I have to see him again. But how can I make that happen without calling Coach and looking like a weirdo stalker? How would I even approach the topic? She’d think I’m some crazy person.
A computer nerd…I knew I liked Jamie for a reason. We’re kindred spirits, stuck in the shadows of our famous family and friends. If only there were a way to see him again. I need to make that happen.
Chapter 5
Jameson
I spent my lunch break at a goddamn dress shop. Again. That was not my idea of fun. Like most of my man-of-honor duties, they require me to do things outside my comfort zone. It’s weird seeing Charlie so into this wedding shit. Charlie has always been a tomboy, the girl who would rather rub dirt on her face than wear makeup. Now, she’s in bride mode.
I wasn’t surprised when she had suggested to Alex that they order McDonald’s and have their reception at her apartment. That’s the Charlie I know. Not the girly girl who wants some elaborate reception with hundreds of guests and a dress fit for a queen. She’s doing this for Alex. I know it. Alex wants the big wedding with all of his friends, even though he has very little family.
Jameson (Face-Off Series Book 4) Page 4
