Face Offs & Cheap Shots (CU Hockey 2)

As if conjuring her out of thin air, my sister can be heard around the whole fucking bar.

“Teddy Beckett!”

Oh, shit.

I turn toward where she stands at our table with her hands on her narrow hips. I want to scowl, but as soon as I see her, it’s impossible to be mad.

Her long blonde hair is professionally styled in that easy curl she loves, her eyes bright, but her collagen-filled lips are pouted in disgust.

I stand fast and try to climb out of the booth, but my teammates are staring at her like she’s an illusion. I shove them out of my way.

“What are you doing here?” I finally get free. “You’re supposed to be in Greece.”

“No. We’re supposed to be in Greece.” Tears spring to her eyes.

“Aww, shit, what happened?” I don’t give her a chance to respond before I’m wrapping her in my arms.

“I can’t believe you abandoned me, Teddy.”

I burst out laughing. “Always so dramatic. I thought Harvard would’ve removed that and filled you with pretention by now.”

“No, that happens sophomore year.” She steps back and wipes her nose.

“Aww, Baby.” I wipe a tear off her cheek.

A throat clears beside us.

All the guys in the booth are watching in confused fascination. All except Jacobs, who’s flicking his cold gaze between the both of us.

I’m about to introduce him when he says, “You’ve clearly got shit to work out.”

Yeah, I do. Guess I’ll introduce him later.

I turn back to my sister. “Okay, let’s get out of here and you can tell me what the asshole did. Let me settle my tab.”

I don’t get far when Rossi slides out of the booth and stands with her. “Hey.”

That’s when I notice how every other guy is staring at her.

I go back to them and grab her arm. “How about you wait outside for me?”

Baby waves to the guys as she saunters out.

She’s gonna be the death of me.

I pay fast and meet her outside. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

I throw my arm around her shoulder as I steer her to a row of restaurants off campus.

We only get halfway there when she stops and stomps her foot. “He doesn’t listen to me!”

“He doesn’t listen to anyone.”

“There we were, on the boat along the coast of Santorini, and Dad was saying how the business needs new ideas and a new direction and how Teddy is going to make a difference when he graduates.”

No pressure.

“So, I started telling him about what I learned in my econ class this year, and he shut me down without hearing any of my ideas.”

My poor sister only wants to make Dad proud. She wants him to see her like he sees me, and I would give anything for that to happen.

It feels like the logical thing.

I don’t want to take over Dad’s company. Baby does. I’m getting my C-grade average to keep my spot on the team, but I’ve come close to failing many classes. I’ve thrown money at tutors over the years to teach me enough to get me through exams.

Baby, on the other hand, is smart. She goes to Harvard, for fuck’s sake.

So why is our misogynistic father so content on making me the future CEO of his stupid company? Honestly, I don’t even know what his company does. It owns other companies, and then they own companies, and they’re all under the one Beckett Enterprises conglomerate.

I’m convinced Dad doesn’t listen to Baby or me to make sure we both grow up to be as unhappy as he is.

“Okay, change of plans. We’ll get food to go, alcohol, and then we’ll drink ourselves stupid like we should’ve been doing all along in Greece. Plus, I’ve already got a head start on you, so you might be able to drink me under the table tonight.”

“That will be the beginning of making it up to me for abandoning me in Europe.”

“Hashtag first-world problems, babe.”

She sighs. “You’re right. Sorry. You didn’t have plans tonight, did you?”

“Uh … not any that I can’t cancel.” Unfortunately. “How long are you here for? Actually, how did you know where to find me? You’ve never visited me here.”

“Please. My brother and hockey. When the arena was empty, I went to the nearest bar. Wasn’t hard to find you. I know my Teddy.”

“Ugh, if you’re going to stay with me, you need to quit it with the Teddy shit. I’m TJ or Beck here.”

“Okay, Teddy.”

Wow, that really is annoying. I almost want to take my phone out and text Jacobs a sorry, but all I manage to get out is: Raincheck?

By the time me and my sister get everything back to the dorms, he hasn’t replied. I don’t know if that’s a confirmation or an invitation.

Once my sister passes out in my bed, I’ll go find out.

17

Jacobs

Rossi is the only one I can convince to stay out with me after everyone else calls it a night, and after a few hours of watching me drink myself stupid, he’s done too. I’m not sure how he gets my drunken ass back to the dorms, but with the way my focus blinks in and out, it’s clear I’ve overdone it. Even in my ineb … inebri …