Matter of Fact: A Hockey Romance (The Hart Series Book 7)

by M. E. Carter

  Her face pinkens and I know I’ve unintentionally embarrassed her. So she’s skittish. Noted.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. For all I know, tonight could be Trivia Night.”

  I bite back my smirk. “That was actually last night.”

  She looks at me with a question and I can’t help my laugh.

  “That guy over there,” I point to Tucker whose head is hanging low from yet another defeat at the hands of Dwayne. “He’s a friend of mine. Loves Trivia Night, so for a while we would come every week. He used to make us wear these ugly neon green shirts to show we were on the same team. We got to know the owners…” I nod in Kiersten’s direction. “…who are great people so we can’t seem to stop ourselves from popping in whenever we need to let off some steam.”

  The woman takes a sip of her drink and licks her top lip of the remaining liquid. It’s wild how sexy her shyness is. I’m not even sure she’s really shy or if she’s just had a hard day and is unsure of things. Me included.

  “I didn’t know this was a family-owned place. I’m glad this is where the storm brought me.”

  We both look up as the sound of thunder rolls overhead, as if to accept her appreciation.

  We listen to the storm for a few minutes, me not wanting to come across too strong and her, well I can’t speak for her, but she doesn’t seem to mind sitting in silence. We keep our eyes trained on the big screen nestled amongst shelves of liquor. There’s a game on. Baseball. I think it’s the Yankees versus the Astros but I’m not paying all that much attention. My eyes may be looking in that direction, but every other sense is focused on the woman next to me.

  Every time she shifts in her seat, I sense it. Every time she takes a sip, I know it. Every time she takes a breath, I can practically feel it.

  “You two okay over here?”

  Kiersten draws my focus back. From the way the woman clears her throat, it seems I’m not the only one who was here but not all here.

  “Can I have another one of whatever this was?” the woman asks quietly, setting the tumbler down on the napkin and pushing it forward.

  “Amaretto Sour? Sure.” Turning to me, I notice an expression on Kiersten’s face. She knows I don’t hit on women here. This is a safe place for the athletes in the area to not worry about groupies and secret photos and undercover paparazzi. If there’s a woman here, she’s likely attached to someone I don’t want to mess with.

  But this woman is different. I know it and Kiersten knows it. And I already know she’s going to give me shit later for striking up a conversation with a stranger since it’s not my typical M-O.

  “You want another Johnny Walker, Liam?”

  “Yeah. Thanks Kiersten.”

  “Kiersten?” the woman says suddenly. She cocks her head for a second and narrows her eyes before she seems to have a lightbulb moment. “I knew you looked familiar. You’re Lauren’s friend.” Suddenly excited, the woman points at herself. “I’m Ellery. I was on the team with Lauren in college.”

  Lauren? Wasn’t she a gymnast? That would mean this woman, Ellery, was an athlete, too. Interesting.

  Kiersten smiles wide at the recognition. “I was wondering why I felt like I knew you. You look so different in business attire.”

  Ellery smiles and it lights up her whole face. Gone is the woman who looked sad. In her place is a vibrant, bubbly personality who seems to have no issue chatting up an old friend.

  “So, you own this place?” Ellery asks it with a small amount of awe bleeding through her words. It makes me suddenly wonder what she does for a living.

  “My husband Paul does. I sort of married into owning a bar.”

  Ellery gasps, her hands covering her mouth briefly. “Husband! You got married! And the baby?”

  Wow. These two really do go way back for her to know about Carson. Even I’m feeling excited about this reunion and I didn’t even go to school with them.

  “Oh, that’s right. You were there when his birth dad died.”

  Ellery nods with a sad smile.

  Now they’ve lost me. Obviously, there’s a lot I don’t know.

  They continue to catch each other up on the details and I learn a lot of things about them both I never knew. Like how Carson is now in first grade and obsessed with Legos that Paul frequently steps on barefooted. Like how Ellery is an accountant at a small firm owned by her ex-boyfriend’s family. Like how Lauren is living with one of the most recognizable football players in the NFL and will be pissed when she finds out Ellery showed up here tonight and she isn’t here too.

  It’s a regular gabfest that I’m happy to observe, rather than participate in. The more they talk, the more the sadness in Ellery’s eyes seems to fade away. She was beautiful before, but she’s stunning when she’s talking a mile a minute.

  “Kiersten!” Tammy hollers from the other side of the bar. “Order up!”

  Kiersten shakes her head in amusement at the red-headed waitress. “I’ll be back in a few to check on you. And Ellery, don’t leave until I get your number. Lauren will kill me if she doesn’t have a way to contact you.”

  Ellery nods in agreement and settles back into her seat, leaving us to get to know each other some more.

  “You guys have known each other for a while.”

  She shrugs and gulps down a few more swallows of her fresh drink. “Not all that well. They used to invite me sometimes when they would go out. But I always brought my boyfriend along so I guess I never got to know them more than just on the surface.”

  Her brows furrow like she’s considering what she just said and isn’t happy with it.

  “What? What’s making you look sad again? The ex-boyfriend?”

  After another gulp while she considers her answer, she finally responds. “Yes, the… ex… boyfriend. I mean, he only broke up with me today.” That explains the sad eyes. “But I guess I never realized how much I missed out on by being with him. It hit me when I was driving. I gave up my dream job in New York so I could be closer to him. And I chose my apartment because it was the one he preferred. But I guess I never thought about all the little things I missed out on. Like having girlfriends and building those relationships.”

  She turns her whole body to look at me and I can see the beginnings of a tipsy glaze on her face now that her glass is almost dry again. I should have known by her height that she’d be a lightweight. But if she doesn’t drink often, she’s going to be three sheets to the wind if she’s not careful.

  “Do you know if Ann… what was her name? Annika!” She tries to snap her fingers together but misses. “Do you know if Annika is still around?”

  “Jaxon’s wife?”

  Ellery’s eyes widen. Her mouth quickly follows. “They got married?”

  Looking back down at the bar, Ellery bites her bottom lip. I just watch as she processes whatever thoughts she’s having, not wanting to interrupt what seems to be very important thoughts. Or swirling drunk thoughts. I’m not sure but, either way, I don’t want to impose on them. Watching her brain work is intriguing.

  Sighing deeply, she finishes off her second drink and gestures to Kiersten for another.

  “I mean I’m sad, yes.” She waves her hand like the actual breakup is of no big consequence. “But maybe I’m more worried that I wasted all these years of my life planning for a life Kevin never had any intention of having with me, and in the process, I missed out on everything I really wanted.”

  My gut clenches at her words and a wave of empathy hits me. Coming to that kind of realization sucks sometimes. I’m also surprised her thoughts are so coherent.

  Kiersten drops another drink in front of Ellery but doesn’t stop to chat. I don’t know if she’s too busy or if she realizes we’re having a difficult conversation, but I’m grateful she trusts me with her friend.

  Turning to Ellery so we’re facing each other head-on, knees touching, I do my best to let her know she’s not alone.

  “When I was in college, I fell in love with a girl. Dated
all the way until graduation.”

  “And you just broke up and went your separate ways because of a diploma?” She lets out a very unladylike snort and picks up her fresh drink. “Figures.”

  I let the dig slide, knowing it’s the booze talking.

  “Sort of. My job was moving me across the country and likely would several times in the first few years. She wanted to be a teacher and while they are needed all over the country, each state would require different certifications. By the time she would get one, I may be transferred to another state again. So, there was no real way to guarantee she could do the job she loved if she followed me around.”

  “Why couldn’t you follow her around instead?”

  “That’s not how my job works. There are specific locations and they decide where you go.”

  “Are you an Army man?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

  I chuckle wondering if her question is the result of her personality or her amaretto sours. “No. Not an Army man. But same concept. What it boiled down to is our paths in life weren’t taking us in the same direction. Had we forced the relationship, one of us would have ended up resenting the other.”

  “You think Kevin and I forced the relationship?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that. What I do know is your life is taking separate paths now. You can’t know if you should have ditched him long ago.” Although from the sounds of it, I personally think she should have. I’ll never say it out loud, though. “Just like I can never know if I should have stayed with my college girlfriend. What I do know, however, is I’m happy with my life. From what I’ve seen on social media and the few times we’ve chatted, she’s happy with hers, too. We have great memories of our time together and are proud of what each other has accomplished.

  While you might have been happy with Kevin, I have a feeling you’re going to find what makes you happy again. It’ll just take some time to find it. And when you do, you’ll still have fond memories of him but realize it was time to move along.”

  Her hand comes down on my thigh, startling me as she leans in. “You are really wise, you know that?”

  Oh yeah. That’s definitely the Amaretto talking.

  I chuckle. “You are the first person to tell me that. Usually, people call me a meathead.”

  She looks stunned, like it’s shocking that some random dude in a sports bar isn’t touted for his wisdom on the regular. I have to suppress the laugh, even as I glance at Kiersten who gives me a questioning look before mouthing Uber? I nod in response and turn my attention back to Ellery.

  “It should be required learning to hear the deep thoughts of… what’s your name again?”

  This time I flat out laugh. “Liam. Liam Tremblay. If you ever need my words of wisdom again, you can find me through Kiersten who knows people who know people.”

  Ellery being the obvious lightweight she is, sways slightly on her chair. “Wow. She knows a lot of people. I like your name. Liam. Liiiiiiam. It sounds very sexy. But you’re very sexy so it fits you.”

  “Well thank you. I like your name, too.”

  She pops up straight on her chair. “Did you know someone named a fashion line after me?”

  “Really. That’s very flattering.”

  “Well, it wasn’t after me.” Her eyes glaze over as she tries to put it all together. “I think it’s the designer’s last name or something. But it even went to Paris fashion week. You know where I went?”

  “Where?”

  “New Jersey. One time for an accounting conference. Cause I’m in accounting.”

  I can’t hold back another hearty laugh. It seems Ellery has a sense of humor when she’s tipsy which just adds to her attractiveness.

  “New Jersey isn’t bad. The shoreline is nice.”

  She shakes her head sadly. “The closest I got to the ocean was a mural in the Newark airport.”

  “How’re you doing over here, Ellery?” Kiersten asks, sliding up to the bar and resting her chin on her fist.

  Ellery immediately flashes her a huge smile. “I’m doing great! I haven’t even thought about Kevin once.” She pauses, her eyes looking around quickly. “Except right now. But it doesn’t count because this is Liam and he is really sexy and loves New Jersey and fashion week.”

  Kiersten purses her lips slightly and I can see the questions all over her face. I just hold my hands up gesturing that I have no idea how Ellery drew all those conclusions, but I find them cute all the same.

  Turning back to our tipsy friend, Kiersten snatches Ellery’s phone off the counter and begins typing something in. For whatever reason, I’m not surprised Ellery doesn’t have a password on the home screen. She seems a little too trusting. It’s refreshing to meet someone whose default isn’t cynicism, but something I need to remember when she comes here in the future. If she does. I hope she does.

  “You’re not going to be able to drive home, sweety so I’m ordering you an Uber,” Kiersten says as she types. “What time do you want it to come pick you up?”

  “I don’t know. Can’t Liam drive me home?”

  I open my mouth to let Kiersten know I’m fine with that idea, but she stops me before I can say a word.

  “No way, babe. As much as I like Liam, we’re not going to get you in the habit of getting drunk and letting strange people take you home.”

  I huff, the sting of her comment a little worse than I expected. I get it and she’s not wrong—you can’t be too careful, but being lumped in with a bunch of douchebags still smarts a little more than it probably should.

  Turning to me, Kiersten confronts exactly what I’m thinking. “It’s not you, Liam. But if she’s anything like she was back in college, and judging from tonight…” we both look over to see Ellery swaying to some invisible beat only she can hear. “… she’s still very much the same…”

  “Lightweight?”

  “And innocent. Not even a password.” Kiersten waves Ellery’s phone at me before dropping it back on the counter. “Someone’s got to help train her on how to protect herself on her new journey in and out of the bars and clubs she should have been frequenting years ago with Lauren.”

  The idea of Ellery making this a habit without someone there to take care of her makes my stomach hurt. Suddenly the sting of my pride isn’t nearly as important as Kiersten’s point.

  “No offense directed toward you at all,” Kiersten continues. “We’re just hypervigilant about female safety around here.”

  I’ve actually heard that before, just never seen it at play. I guess that’s probably because I’m not a woman.

  “But I could use a favor if you’re willing.”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “I can’t leave this bar but she clearly can’t make it to the Uber alone. You want to escort her out when it gets here? Make sure she gets in safely and the dude knows you have a screenshot of who he is? You know, a little extra scare tactic from a guy of your size?”

  “Oooooorrrr….” Ellery interrupts. It appears she was listening more than I realized. “Liam could take me home and I could have my first one-night stand.”

  Kiersten shakes her head, an amused expression on her face. I’m the one who answers, however.

  “As tempting as that offer is…”

  “Because I’m sexy?” Ellery slurs.

  “Super sexy when you’re drinking,” Kiersten answers with a laugh.

  “I know right? I feel so free.” Ellery begins pulling pins out of her hair, the dark waves falling down her back. It’s thick and wavy, just like I suspected. “I should dye my hair. Doesn’t that sound fun? Almost as fun as getting in my pants. Right, Liiiiiiiam? Did you know I was a gymnast? I’m very flexible.”

  That elicits a hearty laugh from both Kiersten and I. Ellery, on the other hand, leans in on me and I don’t push her away, content to enjoy the feel of her under the guise of helping a drunk patron.

  “You are very tempting.” I flash a wink at Kiersten so she knows I’m humoring drunk Elle
ry right now. “But you are also toasted which makes it a very bad idea.”

  “Toast!” Ellery yells, pushing away from me. “I need toast! Do you have cinnamon, Kiersten?”

  “I don’t. But I bet you can make some when you get home.”

  Ellery’s phone lets off an alert telling us the Uber is right outside. I grab it, take a screenshot of the driver and send it to myself. Not only do I have the information, but now I have Ellery’s number. I’ll text her in the thirteen minutes the app says it will take until she gets home just to make sure she’s okay.

  Yeah. That’s why. It has nothing to do with me hoping to see her again.

  I can keep lying to myself, but it’s time for her to go anyway.

  “Okay, upsey daisy. Your ride is here.”

  Ellery pouts. “Are you sure I have to go home? I’m having so much fun!”

  Admittedly, so am I.

  “If you have much more fun, tomorrow is going to be the exact opposite.” I help her off the stool and gather her things. “I’ve learned over the years it’s best to cut it off early so you have no regrets.”

  “Sooooo many regrets,” she says with a shake of her head and I know I’ve lost her to her thoughts again.

  It’s an easy walk to the car, where the driver is clearly unhappy about driving a drunk home. But seriously, if you don’t want an inebriated passenger, maybe don’t do bar pick-ups.

  Once Ellery is settled, I lean in and look the driver dead in the eye. “Henry is it?”

  As soon as he sees my size, his eyes widen. He nods but doesn’t say a word.

  “I’ve got all your info right here on my phone.” I show him so he knows better than to try and call my bluff. “I’ll be calling this lady in twenty minutes to make sure she got home okay. If she didn’t, my next call is the cops. Feel me?”

  Henry nods again in understanding and I have no doubt he knows I’ll make good on my threat.

  Turning back to Ellery, I brush her hair back and give her a small kiss on the forehead. “Take care, sweets. I’ll see you again, I’m sure.”

  I wait until the car is out of sight before heading back into the bar, where I wait for twenty minutes to send the promised text making sure Ellery is okay.