Maybe she was a glutton for punishment. After all, Jenna hadn’t read her the riot act yet. Might as well let her have a turn.
It was mid-week, so a quiet night. She found Jenna at the bar tending to a few customers who seemed to be regulars. Jenna, dressed in a black tank top and jeans, was talking up her customers, so Elizabeth took a seat at the end of the bar. Jenna made her way over.
“Someone kick your puppy?”
“Your brothers suck.”
She snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know. What would you like?”
“A decent glass of wine. You choose.”
“You got it.”
Jenna poured a glass of red and set it down in front of Elizabeth. “Okay, I can give you a long list of why I think my brothers are assholes, but this isn’t my party. You tell my why you think so.”
She took a sip of the wine. “This is excellent.”
“Of course it is. It’s what I do. Now spill.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to take their side?”
Jenna leaned against the bar and cocked a grin. “Rarely.”
“Gavin’s been restless since your dad’s surgery. Watching the game today, I could tell seeing that first baseman they brought up bothered him. The kid is talented, and I know Gavin feels threatened. Since your dad is recovering so well, I told him maybe he should go back to work. And Mick jumped all over me saying I had ulterior motives.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “Isn’t he over that yet?”
“Apparently not. The worst part was that Gavin stood by and didn’t say a word while Mick was reading me the riot act about how I was only interested in lining my own pockets at Gavin’s expense.”
Jenna looked livid. “What a dick. You’re right. They both suck.”
Elizabeth laughed, raised her glass, and tilted it toward Jenna before taking another sip. “And here I thought I might be making a mistake by coming here and venting to you, since you’re their sister.”
“Hey, I’ll defend my brothers to the death when they’re right. Problem is, they rarely are. They’re men; therefore, they have the testosterone disadvantage. Screws them every time.”
“I hope that’s not a mark against everyone in my gender.”
Elizabeth swiveled on her barstool and grinned at Ty Anderson. “Hey, Ty. What brings you here?”
“Stopping in for a drink and spotted you right off. Can I sit down or is this a male-bashing party?”
Elizabeth looked at Jenna, who shrugged. “It’s your male-bashing party, Liz. They’re just my brothers, and I’m always happy to play along.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Ty, this is Jenna Riley, Gavin’s sister. Jenna, this is Tyler Anderson. He plays hockey for the Ice.”
“Ah. Nice to meet you, Jenna.”
Jenna studied Ty, then sighed. “Another sports jock. My heart goes pitter-patter.”
He grinned. “A fan, huh?”
“Yeah, you know it.”
Elizabeth laughed and turned to Ty. “I think she gets bombarded with all the players here because of Mick and Gavin.”
“Uh-huh. So I’m damned before I even start, huh?”
“Afraid so, cowboy. What’ll it be?”
“I’ll have a beer. Bottled. Not light.”
“Careful there, Ty,” Jenna said as she popped the top off and slid the bottle to him. “Don’t want to put on too much weight, or you’ll have trouble holding your stick.”
He grabbed the bottle and held it to his lips. “Never had any complaints about my abilities with my stick so far.”
Jenna arched a brow. “And you’re here alone? With that charm? Shocking.”
While Jenna went off to tend to one of her customers, Ty turned to Elizabeth. “Who pissed in her corn flakes?”
“She’s always tough on the guys in here. It comes from having famous brothers and fending off all the jocks, plus coming from a family that lives for sports. I don’t think guys like you are her type.”
Ty took a long pull from the bottle, his gaze trained on Jenna as she worked the bar. “Fine with me since she isn’t my type, either.”
“Is that right?” Elizabeth studied Jenna’s short dark hair, slender body, tattoos, and multiple ear piercings. She thought Jenna was sexy and adorable. “What about her isn’t your type?”
“I like them with big tits.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. From the way Ty hadn’t once taken his eyes off Jenna, she figured Ty was full of shit and just hadn’t enjoyed getting shot down.
“I think I’ll go try my luck with darts. See you later, Elizabeth.”
“Later, Ty.”
Elizabeth emptied her wineglass, and Jenna was there to refill.
“Another egocentric jock. Just what Riley’s needs.”
“Huh? Oh, you mean Ty?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s actually a pretty nice guy once you give him a chance.”
“One of yours?”
“Yes.”
“Not my type.”