Hot Puck (Rough Riders Hockey 2)
Tate and Andre had wandered back into the audience, continuing with photographs and signatures. Eden refocused on the pancakes Faith had saved while she’d been playing blueberry catch.
Faith’s blue eyes darted to Beckett and back. “That one. It’s the same one I see in Grant’s eyes.”
Eden almost choked on the berry she’d popped into her mouth. “No. That”—she lifted her gaze toward Beckett—“is not even close to that.” She cast her eyes backward to where Grant was washing dishes.
“Maybe not yet. But that,” she said with another glance at Beckett, “is how it starts.”
“Pffft,” was Eden’s response.
“It’s good to see and about damn time,” Faith said, then continued before Eden could respond. “Look at him, hauling in the cash. Mr. Smooth.”
That made Eden laugh. Beckett was shaking a man’s hand while taking a check in the other, his smile on full blast. “At some things, maybe.”
“Oh, really?” The interest in Faith’s voice drew Eden’s gaze back to the griddle. “Tell. I never get enough dirt on that man.”
Eden lifted her brows, “That’s hard to believe.”
“Why?” Faith asked conversationally.
Eden shrugged. “I guess because of the things he does on the ice.”
“That’s work. They don’t take it home.”
Her gaze darted to Faith. “No?”
She made a face and shook her head. “Uh-uh. Great, great bunch of men. Definitely a second family.” She looked up and smiled as she took in the room. “My dad died several months before I met Grant…”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. He was sick for a long time. He was ready. I wasn’t.” She finished wrapping a set of six cakes and paused to watch the crowd, a soft smile on her face. “He was my only family. My mom left when I was young, and I didn’t have any siblings. Grant has a tense relationship with his parents, so it was just us. Until he brought me into this family. Man, it’s really one of a kind. And it only gets better. I think the cohesiveness of the team and their great standings has a lot to do with Beckett’s leadership. He’s all-inclusive. Ridiculously generous with everything—time, resources, support.”
Faith smiled and wrapped more pancakes. “He recruited his sister, who has two young daughters, to be a support contact to Andre’s wife, Nika. They’re so young and already have one son, another on the way. Nika’s told me a number of times that Andre worships Beckett and all the extra time he’s taken to mentor him. And I know Nika would be lost without Sarah.”
Faith sighed. “This group has completed my life in a way I didn’t even know I needed completing.”
“Hey.”
Beckett’s voice startled Eden, and she jumped. Her hand went directly over her heart, and she whispered, “Shit.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice was sof
t, his hands sliding down her arms. “I’ve got to get better about that. I’ll shuffle my feet or something. Are you ready to go?”
“Now? I don’t want to leave Faith with—”
“I’ve got Faith covered.” Grant came up to Eden’s side and took the spatula from her hand. “Beckett told us you didn’t get much sleep on your shift. Thanks for coming out.”
“Thanks for having me.” Eden hugged Faith and said good-bye to the rest of the Rough Riders, then let Beckett pull her into his side on the walk to the car. She held the wrist he slung over her shoulder and toyed with the red rubber bracelet he’d been wearing since they’d arrived.
“So,” he said. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad was it?”
“Depends. Are you asking on a date scale or a getting-to-know-you scale or sheer-enjoyment scale, or…?”
“You ask such difficult questions.”
“Well, I really liked your teammates and Faith, so that was a ten. The fun of it would have to be down there somewhere below six, but take that with a grain of salt. Had I gotten more sleep, that score might have been higher. And I think I learned a lot about you, though you learned nothing about me, so I’d have to even that out at a five.”
“Not true. I learned a lot about you too.”