Already seated, Jordyn took off her hat and slipped out of her jacket, draping it over the back of her chair. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the musicians, her body moving subtly to the slow rhythm.
A waitress came to take our order, and this time Jordyn requested a dirty martini. I stuck with beer.
“This okay?” I asked her. “The guys thought skating was a bad date for a hockey player, but I didn’t know if a blues club was any better for a musician.”
“I love it.” She beamed a smile at me, and since we were sitting side by side at the small table so we both faced the stage, she leaned into me with her shoulder. “I was a weird kid because I loved blues music. I was always so mad that I couldn’t come to places like this. So…This. Is. Awesome.”
My chest heated with pleasure.
“Chicago is a blues town,” she continued. “Chicago blues was a huge influence on modern rock music. And on me. It’s so inspiring.”
Her appreciation for everything was refreshing. She wasn’t a spoiled diva. Hell, I’d gone out with non-famous women who were more spoiled divas than she was, women who’d turn up their noses at bowling or air hockey or a simple walk along the river. Women who wanted expensive dinners and gifts. Women who didn’t drink beer or eat poutine or stare in wonder at a huge lit-up Christmas tree.
We didn’t talk much; the music was loud so we just listened, Jordyn moving in her chair beside me, head bobbing to the beat, and she applauded enthusiastically after each song. I had no idea if this group was any good, but she seemed to be enjoying it, and that was all that mattered.
When the group finished the set and took a break, we faced each other. Jordyn picked up her martini to sip it. “What an amazing guitar player. Wow.”
“They’re good?”
“I like them.”
I turned my beer in my hand. “So where will you be for Christmas?”
“Los Angeles. I’ve been working on songs for my next album, and we start recording it right away in the new year.”
“Will your parents at least be there?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. How about you?”
“We only have a few days off, but I’m making a quick trip home. I fly to Toronto, and then my sister and I are flying together to Sudbury.”
“Nice.”
“Do you have good Christmas memories?” I was thinking of the fact that she and her Mom lived basically apart from her dad for years.
“Sure.” She wrinkled her nose. “I guess. Like I said, I was an only child, so I got spoiled in terms of gifts, but I always kind of wished we had more family. Neither of my parents had big families, so sometimes we’d spend Christmas with an aunt and uncle and my grandparents, but there weren’t other kids in the family. I watched movies and TV shows about big family Christmases and I felt a little ripped off.”
“Wow, that’s the opposite of me. I mean, there’s only my sister and me, but we have twenty cousins, and family holidays were nuts.”
“Is it still like that? When you go home?”
“Yeah.” I grinned. “Everyone likes hearing my NHL stories.”
“I bet.”
I glanced around the bar. Nobody was paying any attention to us, partly because we were tucked into a shadowy corner. I didn’t mind dealing with fans usually, and I’d been a good sport about what happened at the arcade, but I didn’t want anyone else interfering with the little time we had left on this date.
“I just wish I was playing better.”
Hell, why had I said that? I didn’t want to be a big downer.
She regarded me over the rim of her martini glass, her eyes warm and interested. “You’re not happy with how you’re playing?”
“Fuck no.” I turned my beer glass in my hand. “I haven’t scored a single goal this season. That’s pathetic.”
“It will come. You’re a great player. And you have lots of assists.”
I blinked in surprise that she knew that. “A few. I’m working on it.” I told her some of the stuff Danny was helping me with, and she listened intently.
“I guess it’s easy to say relax about it, but not so easy to do.”
“Yeah.”
We stayed for two more sets, and then it was after midnight and we exchanged a regretful look, knowing we should go.
“My flight leaves at nine in the morning,” Jordyn said with a lopsided smile. “I’ll call my car service.”
She made the call, and we finished our drinks then left the club, bundling up again. The snow had eased up, the streets wet.
“Oh my God.” She was peering at her phone.
“What?”
“There are pictures of us all over the Internet.”
I huffed a short laugh. “Of course there are.” I peeked over her shoulder at her phone.
Yep, pictures of us at Wonder Arcade with fans, and pictures of us alone, sitting at our table smiling into each other’s eyes, and then a somewhat blurry image of us out on the dark street, standing close together, my head bent down to her in what appeared to be a near kiss. I knew it wasn’t, we were just talking about going for a walk, but it looked…intimate.
It was probably going to spread even more. People had been talking about our Twitter bet and our date; they were gonna love this.
I peered at Jordyn’s face. “Are you upset?”
“Nah. It was bound to happen. Actually it’s kind of fun.”
The car was going to be here any minute. “Jordyn. I had a great time.” I moved closer and brushed some of her blond hair away from her face. “I’d like to do this again.”
She gazed back at me with big eyes. “You mean go on another date?”
“Yeah.” I smiled.
“Oh.” She bit her lip. “I don’t see how that can happen. We live in different cities; we have busy lives. You have a crazy schedule, and I’m about to start recording an album.” She tipped her head to one side just as the car pulled up to the curb. I held up a hand to the driver. “This was super fun, and I think our fans will get a kick out of it. But that’s all it is. Right?”
My heart turned to stone and stopped beating. It was just a PR thing to her. Meanwhile I’d been basically falling hard for her, enthralled at learning more about her and what kind of person she was beneath the glamorous pop star image. But maybe she wasn’t that much more than an image, if that was all tonight had been for her.
I kept my face expressionless, nodding slowly. “Right. I’m sure people will love it.” I stepped back and turned to the car. The driver stood next to the vehicle with the door open.
“Thank you for a great evening.”
I hated her getting in that car alone. I hated what she’d just said. I almost felt like puking. “You’re welcome.”
She started to get into the car, then turned, rose up on her toes, and kissed me. Fast. Brief. Hot.
Then she slid into the car, pulled the door shut, and drove away.
Fuck.
* * *
—
We flew to Ottawa Monday ahead of our Tuesday game. I went out for dinner with the team to a nice steakhouse, and of course they had to bring up my date with Jordyn.
“So? How did it go?” Brick grinned. “Did she sing for you?”
“No.”
“Where did you take her?” Rico asked. “I hope you didn’t take her bowling or something stupid like that.”
My eyebrows knit as I gave him a hard glare. “As a matter of fact, we did go bowling.”
Rico guffawed. “Oh shit. Sorry.”
“Did she bowl?” Bomber asked. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my chin. “And she had fun.”
“Huh. Cool. So are you going to see her again?”
One corner of my mouth pushed up. “Nah. It was just a onetime thing. A PR thing for her. Her fans loved it.” It was hard actually spitting the words out because my teeth were clenched so hard.
Brick eyed me with a notch between his eyebrows. “You didn’t ask her out again?”
I sighed and looked at my plate. “I did. She turned me down.”
“Well, you took her bowling, for Chrissake.” Bomber shook his head. “What’d you expect?”
“I thought she was having fun. She was having fun.” I shrugged. “We’re both busy people though, and she lives in L.A., which makes it kind of hard, so it’s probably for the best.” I was trying to convince myself of this, so I didn’t feel like such a big loser.
Everyone else accepted that, but Brick pursed his lips.
“I guess that means you didn’t get any action,” Rico said. “Damn.”