The Shots On Goal Series Box Set

by Kristen Hope Mazzola

  Sean put his hand on my shoulder and started to usher me out of the captain’s office. “Nervous, McBee?” he asked, digging his car keys out of his pocket.

  “Is it that noticeable?” My cheeks were burning red as I followed him out the doors and to his patrol car.

  He shrugged. “Just a lucky guess. Everyone is a little nervous in the beginning, but don’t worry, I got your back.”

  I melted into the passenger’s seat, thankful to not have a raging dick for a partner. That would have made everything so much worse.

  “So, your parents were cops, huh?” he asked as he put the car in reverse.

  I nodded. “It was kind of a no-brainer for me. I always wanted to be just like them. They were my real-life heroes, ya know?”

  He flashed his toothy, panty-melting smile, and I about damn near fainted.

  How am I supposed to be professional and not swoon over my partner every time he grins at me?

  “Yeah, I totally get it. My uncle was a cop, and I thought it was the damn coolest thing in the world. When we were little, he’d let me and my buddies ride around the block in the back of his car with the lights on and I even got to play with the siren sometimes. I thought it was the best shit on the freaking planet.” Sean was luckily oblivious of my drooling as he talked to me.

  Sean and I spent the day driving around, writing traffic citations and a speeding tickets—nothing to write home about. I didn’t care, though; to me, it was the most thrilling day of my fucking life. I was actually dressed in my uniform, wearing a badge I had earned, riding around with a partner in a cop car, protecting and serving the community that I loved.

  “You did all right today, McBee.” Sean winked at me, putting the car in park in the back of the station.

  I shifted in the lumpy seat to get a better look at my new partner. “Thanks for everything today. I learned a lot.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He rubbed the back of his neck slowly. “Say, would you want to grab a drink with me and a few of my friends tonight? Jordan is guest bartending at a new place and Gavin and I promised her we’d show up.”

  Over the course of the day, Sean had told me all about his friends. Jordan was some type of famous bartender and went all over the country helping failing bars turn their staff around before they tank. I thought it was really sweet that Sean made it a point to support her whenever he could; it really said a lot about his character.

  The big shocker was Gavin—I couldn’t believe my new partner was best friends with the captain of the New York Otters. That was fucking mind-blowing shit to me. Growing up in Brooklyn, the Otters were a way of life—my dad and I never missed a game when he was off in time to watch them. I had so many amazing memories of sitting on his lap watching Gideon Hayes and Reggie Cox dominating the ice back in the day.

  The fact that I was getting invited out with Sean the first day was pretty awesome—I had been worried he wasn’t going to like me or would get sick of how boring of a life I had within the first five minutes of meeting me.

  “I would love to.” I gripped the door handle firmly in my quivering hand.

  Get a damn grip, McBee. It’s normal to be invited out for a drink after a shift.

  Chapter 4

  Whistler

  Gavin slunk onto the barstool next to me. “How was your date?” I asked. By the look on his face, I already knew the answer.

  “Horrid. Simply awful. My mother has the worst damn taste in the fucking world.” He threw his hands in the air as Jordan poured his Manhattan into a martini glass. “Bless you.” He bowed his head in thanks as he took the cocktail from her.

  “Was it really that bad?” Jordan asked, and Gavin flipped her off.

  “She was gorgeous with long blond hair and a huge rack, but she had the personality of a wet paper towel.” Gavin sucked in a sharp breath with his eyes slammed shut.

  “Here’s to another epic fail in Mrs. Hayes’ matchmaking career.” I raised my glass to Gavin’s, and Jordan held her stomach from laughing so hard. “At least this one had a nice set of twins on her.”

  “Sean, don’t be gross.” Jordan shot a sharp look over at me before turning to Gavin. “You know, Gavin, one of these days you’re going to have to tell your poor mom to just cut her losses and realize good breeding isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Jordan was completely right—Mrs. Hayes was just going to have to accept that Gavin was in a slut phase of his life. He wasn’t ready to settle down again after Marsheila, and picking up random chicks at bars was going to have to do until he snapped out of it or got his fill of strange. It was hard for him to find anything other than puck bunnies to deal with his traveling and odd hours, anyway.

  “How’s it been going at this place?” Gavin asked, deflecting.

  Jordan was barley tall enough to reach all the way over the bar. She started shaking a drink over her shoulder. “They’re paying me well to get their staff in shape, so I can’t complain. I like the change in pace.”

  While Jordan was rambling, I saw my new partner was coming through the front door. I frantically started waving as I yelled, “Hey McBee! Over here!”

  “Who’s that?” I heard Gavin ask Jordan as I walked over to Jess.

  “Hey Jess. Glad you could make it.” I put my hand on her shoulder. I would have been a liar if I’d said I wasn’t attracted to Jessica, but she was my partner and completely off limits. I had to keep reminding myself of that unfortunate fact.

  “I told you I would, and I am a gal of my word,” she stated very matter-of-factly with a closed lipped grin.

  “Guys, this is Jessica, my new partner,” I stated to Jordan and Gavin as I felt my heart start to race a bit. I was shocked at how nervous I was to introduce Jess to my friends.

  Her bright blue eyes lit up as she made introductions and took a seat between Gavin and me.

  We all made small talk for a while, and I was glad Jordan and Gavin both took the time to get to know Jess. I’d been nervous as heck for no reason and was glad to be pleasantly surprised at how well they all seemed to get along right away.

  “You know, this is the first time Sean has introduced us to someone he works with.” Gavin took a long gulp from his Manhattan.

  Jessica’s face lit up and she jabbed my arm with her elbow. “I guess I made a good first impression.” She giggled a little at the end of her sentence, and I couldn’t help but feel flushed.

  “You ain’t half bad, rookie. First partner I’ve had who’s at least entertaining to talk to.”

  Right then, Gavin’s attention was diverted to the door as it was opening. A well-dressed guy was holding it for a woman who had my best friend completely mesmerized.

  As Gavin picked his jaw up off the floor, Jordan threw an olive at him. “Hey, creeper, see a ghost or something?”

  The woman shot a quick glance in our direction before she was ushered away by her date.

  “I feel like I know her from somewhere. Did she go to school with us?” Gavin asked quietly, eyes still glued to the spot the woman had just left.

  “Gavin, she’s a little younger than we are—though I’m sure you would have hit that in high school anyway,” Jordan answered.

  He shrugged. “Maybe she just has one of those faces.”

  Chapter 5

  McBee

  A little over a year later

  “Hold on, guys—Seven needs a water break.” Huffing, Myla poured water into her husky’s Otters-themed travel bowl. It was downright adorable how engrossed Myla was in the Otters fandom—from her matching red and blue sweats to Seven’s collar and leash, all the way down to her backpack and keychain, Myla screamed Go Otters. I mean, it did make sense since she was the wife of the Otters’ captain and the sister of the previous year’s MVP, but sometimes it was a little much.

  Stretching, I took in a deep breath of chilly air then checked the running app on my iPhone. “Three miles down, ladies. We’re kicking ass for sure.” Central Park was bustling with early morning runners, bikers, jogger
s, and even a few roller-bladers, all decked out in their winter sports gear to work off their Thanksgiving feasts and gear up for the rest of the holiday meals that were right around the corner. It was my favorite time of year and I was soaking it all in. The crispness of the air, the energy of the city, the excitement of all of the festivities—it was truly the best time of the year in New York City.

  Karla checked on Lilly in her pink and white jogging stroller. “Yeah, if we keep this up, I’ll finally lose this baby weight before New Year’s.”

  My phone started buzzing in its strap on my arm. Retrieving it, I saw my partner’s name lighting up the screen with a few texts.

  Whistler: Are all three of you ladies still joining us tonight?

  Whistler: The Cask and Barrel at six, Jordan has seats saved for all of us to watch the game.

  Me: How could we miss it? We’re obviously gonna be there. Just about to finish up our run. I’ll text you soon.

  Whistler: 10-4

  “Judging by that goofy-ass look on your face, let me guess—Sean?” Myla had a shit-eating grin while packing up Seven’s bowl and water bottle.

  Rolling my eyes, I secured my phone back in place. “He was just checking to see if we were still going to The Cask and Barrel to watch the Otter’s game tonight.”

  Karla had Lilly up in her arms, rocking her back to sleep. “How could we not watch our guys kick some Islander ass tonight?”

  It was crazy to think that only a little over a year had gone by. Our group was so close, and it was hard to imagine a time when Karla and Myla weren’t my best girlfriends or when Sean wasn’t my partner. I had finally found the group of real friends I had always wanted ever since I was a little girl.

  “One more mile?” Myla asked as she started to jog in place. “It’s too cold to just stand around for too long.”

  Right as we were all about to start back up, a brown and white dog sprinted past us, hell-bent on catching a squirrel that was bee-lining it for a tree as a short woman chased after him, screaming, “Dozer! Stop! Dozer!” at the top of her lungs. Her long dark hair flew around as she frantically tried to catch her pup.

  I was close enough that I ran up and quickly stomped on the long black leash flapping behind him. The dog hastily halted, trotting over to me with a wagging tail as his owner caught up to us.

  “Oh god! Thank you so much!” She grabbed the leash from me. “He’s never taken off like that before. Stupid squirrels,” she huffed, hands on her knees.

  Seven and Dozer started playing around a little as I put my hand on her shoulder. “It happens to the best of us. I’m Jessica, and this is Myla and Karla.”

  We all waved as Dozer’s owner blushed a little. “Oh crap, where in the heck are my manners? I’m Jolene, but everyone calls me Joey.”

  A tall man trotted up to us with a red-haired toddler in a jogging stroller. “Hey, love. That dog almost ran the whole bloody park without us.” His brogue soaked his words, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew I had seen him somewhere.

  “Jessica here was able to stop him.” Joey turned to me. “This is my husband, Finn, and our little guy here is William.”

  Lilly started to scream at the top of her lungs, rapidly cutting off our small talk. Karla bent down, picking up her baby to rock her again. “Hey guys, I think I need to get her home. It’s a little too cold out here, and it’s getting close to her feeding time.”

  Finn and Joey waved goodbye as we turned to head back toward Myla’s apartment. It was our routine on my off days. Myla, Karla, the baby, the dog, and I all hung out for the better part of the morning, running in the park and then having an early lunch with mimosas before either hanging out with the guys or watching a hockey game, depending on if the Otters were at home or away. Working as a New York City police officer was my dream come true, but I’d never imagined that when I joined the force, I was really joining a huge extended family within my precinct, plus even more extended than that.

  As we rounded the corner out of the park, an ad at the bus stop across the street caught my eye and it clicked right away.

  “Hey, isn’t that the guy we just met in the park?” Karla was pointing at the same Calvin Klein sign I had been eyeing.

  Myla laughed a little. “Well, who would have thought we were just in the presence of a celebrity and we didn’t even have a fucking clue.”

  Chapter 6

  Whistler

  The frigid winter air wrapped around me as I walked down the block to The Cask and Barrel. I was pretty excited that Jordan was slinging drinks at one of my favorite watering holes again. It was high time she got back to her roots and worked for a relaxed joint. I was starting to get tired of going to visit her at the snobby mixology bars she had been working for. Being one of the best bartenders in the country had her in high demand, but sometimes she took jobs that brought her back to her origins in the crazy industry she loved.

  The Cask and Barrel was already filled with rowdy fans packed at the two bars like sardines. In true Otters’ fandom they were covered from head to two in red and blue with Ollie shirts and jersey’s the Hayes, Cox and Crosby on their backs. It was surreal to see the surnames of my friends gracing the top line of so many fan’s clothing. To me Gavin Hayes, Brayden Cox and Will Crosby were three regular guys, with regular jobs that just so happened to be hockey—to others, they were heroes.

  Sliding up to the side bar where a line of high-backed stools had white pieces of paper taped to the scratched wood with RESERVED bolded on them made me feel pretty important. I took off my coat and was immediately greeted with a dark draft and a kind smile.

  “Ah! You read my mind. How do you always know?” I sank into the chair noticing Jordan was wearing her Crosby jersey as she rang up an order.

  “I’m just good at my job,” she called over her shoulder. “I can always count on you to be the first one to show.” Jordan’s bubbly personality hadn’t changed since the first time Gavin and I met her all those years ago.

  I glanced down at my watch. “Chad should be here any minute, and I can’t believe the girls didn’t beat me.” I threw my coat, gloves and scarf over the back of the chair at the end of the row. “How have things been going with working here?”

  Jordan’s face lit up as she whipped her short black bangs off to the side and out of her eyes. “I fucking love it. Best choice I’ve made in a while. Kyle is an awesome owner, and so is the rest of the staff.” Jordan pointed to the front door, and I turned to see Chad Tomlinson walking in with his Ollie is My Homeboy shirt on.

  He took the seat next to me. “Hey man, how’s it going? Haven’t seen you around the station lately.”

  I took another sip of my beer. “McBee and I have been working a lot of nights lately. We completely got the short end of the stick on that one. How’s the new lady? Word is you’re falling hard and fast.” I usually didn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone’s love life, but with being knee-deep in the holiday season and the never-ending grin that was plastered on Chad’s face, I just couldn’t help but get wrapped up in the magic of all of it. Every time I saw him in passing, he had the biggest shit-eating grin and a bounce in his step. I had to admit that I was happy for the guy. Chad was definitely one of the good ones.

  I was usually the smartass jerk friend who was quick with a backhanded compliment or witty remark and I kind of enjoyed that part of my personality, but it was starting to get a little lonely. With Gavin wifed up and Brayden having a new baby with Karla, the days of shooting the shit with the guys and talking about our weekend conquests were far behind us.

  Tomlinson burst with excitement, turning to me like a middle school girl about to gossip about a schoolyard crush. “Charlie is freaking amazing, a tiny dynamo with killer curves. I’m hook, line, and sinker into this chick, man.”

  Jordan was quick with his bottle of Coors. I raised my glass in the air, and Chad brought his to mine as I said, “Cheers to that, man. I’m happy for both of you.”

  Jordan sl
ammed another draft of my favorite milk stout down in front of me. “Thanks.” I smirked at her.

  Shooting over a quick wink, she glanced down at her watch. “Where the hell are the girls? They better not be late.”

  I held up a finger. “Give me a second, I’ll check on them.” I walked past the three barstools with reserved signs taped to the back of them, waiting to be occupied by the rest of my crew once they arrived. Just as I was about to hit the green button to call McBee, her bright smile and piercing eyes captivated me. My partner had turned into one of my best friends over the last year and I hated to admit it to myself, but there was a small ember of something more growing within me. I fought it hard, but even so, it burned deep down in my gut.

  “Hey,” I greeted all they with a wave before helping Jessica take off her coat and threw it onto the chair that was quickly piling high with all of our outerwear.

  Myla and Karla took their seats, leaving Jessica and me to sit in the middle next to each other. It was normal, but in that moment, I felt anxious. My hands went all clammy. I could feel my pulse in my neck. My stomach flipped and flopped.

  Get a grip, man.

  She’s your partner—completely off limits.

  “What took you guys so long?” I asked.

  Chad hugged McBee as Myla leaned onto the bar to get into my field of vision to answer. “We wouldn’t have taken so long if the babysitter hadn’t gotten stuck on the train. Sorry.”

  I shrugged. “The national anthem hasn’t even started. I think you’re good.”

  Karla kissed my cheek. “You’re always the nice one of the group, Sean. Some people think they can throw hissy fits for no reason when someone is five minutes late.

  Myla stuck her tongue out at her kind-of-sister-in-law. “Just because my brother and you have a kid together does not mean you can make me late to watch my boys play.”