Part 10 (1/2)
”Perfect. I feel like s.h.i.+t.”
”Want some granola?”
”Maybe.” She moved past him and grabbed a c.o.ke out of the refrigerator. There was nothing like a sugary c.o.ke to help with a hangover. Unless it was a Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra greasy fries. Pure hangover heaven.
”How's Bo this morning?”
Chelsea raised the c.o.ke to her lips and chugged half the can. ”Still asleep,” she said when she lowered the soda. She had a vague memory of her sister and Jules making out while Chelsea was busy flirting with a tourist from Ireland. She'd ask Bo about it later. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and joined Jules at the kitchen table.
”How are things working out with Bressler?” he asked.
”The same. He resents that I'm there and gives me c.r.a.ppy stuff to do.” She took a bite, and the crunching in her head was so loud she could hardly think past the pain. ”A bunch of hockey players came to his house and drank beer yesterday.”
”You mentioned it last night, but you never said who showed up.”
Chelsea thought of all those huge men in one room. She had to admit that she'd been a little intimidated. Not so much by their size. Most people were taller than she and Bo, but she'd seen them play hockey. She'd seen them slam into the boards so hard, the wood and Plexiglas shook. She'd seen them slam into other players equally hard. Walking into that room yesterday had been like walking into a wall of testosterone, but Chelsea was an actress. She'd auditioned in front of casting directors and producers, and she'd learned a long time ago to master her nerves. To appear calm and cool on the outside, no matter what she walked into. ”There was the big Russian guy, Vlad,” she answered.
”Did he drop his pants?”
”No.”
”Good. I'd heard he doesn't do that as much as he used to. Who else?” Jules took a bite and waited for her to answer.
”Let's see. A guy with a black eye.” Within a few seconds of meeting the players, she'd discovered they really weren't intimidating in person. They'd seemed like nice guys. Well, except for Mark. Although, surrounded by his teammates, Mark had been more relaxed. And yes, nicer. For him.
”There are quite a few guys with black eyes.”
”I think his name was Sam.”
”Sam Leclaire. He scored sixty-six goals this season. Ten of those-”
”Stop.” Chelsea held up one hand. ”Spare me the stats.” She'd had to listen to him and Bo argue goals, points, and penalty minutes all the way home from Ozzie's, and frankly, she'd wanted to shoot them both.
Jules laughed. ”You remind me of Faith.”
”Who?”
”The owner of the Chinooks. When anyone starts talking stats, she goes all cross-eyed and zones out.”
Chelsea remembered now. The beautiful blond who'd been given a long, slow tongue kiss by the new captain, right in the middle of the Key, while an arena full of fans screamed and cheered them on. ”Shouldn't the owner of the team know about stats and stuff like that?” Chelsea tried another bite; this time she chewed slowly.
”She just inherited the team last April. Before that, she was like you and knew nothing about hockey. But she's picked up the important stuff real fast.” He shrugged. ”Now she has Ty to help her.”
”The captain?”
”Yeah. They're in the Bahamas.”
”Doing what?”
Jules raised his green eyes from his cereal bowl and just looked at her.
”Oh.” She put the spoon down, unsure if her stomach could take more. ”If she has Ty to help her out, are you worried about your job?”
He shook his head and shrugged again. ”Not really. I think Ty's going to take a job as a scout or have some role in player development, so she'll still need an a.s.sistant. I'm going to talk to her about my role when she gets back.”
”When's that?” Personally, she'd hate to think her job was up in the air. Well, any further in the air than it already was with Mark Bressler.
”Hopefully before the big celebration party.”
”There's a celebration party?”
Jules sat back. ”The cup celebration at the Four Seasons next month. The twenty-fourth maybe? It's been put together in the past week, but I'm sure Bressler got an invitation. Or will shortly.”
Of course he hadn't mentioned it.
”If you don't get an invite, everyone is allowed one guest. You can go with Bo.”
Speaking of her sister, Bo moaned long and loud as she moved down the hall toward them.
”d.a.m.n you, Chelsea,” she croaked. ”I haven't been this hungover since the last time I visited you in L.A.” She shuffled to the table and sat down. ”Did you make coffee?”
Chelsea shook her head and handed her sister the c.o.ke.
”I did.” Jules got up and poured Bo a cup.
”We're getting too old for this,” Bo said as she laid her head on the table.
Chelsea secretly agreed. They were both thirty, and at some point in anyone's life, partying to excess lost its appeal. It just got pathetic, and before a girl knew it, she was one of those women who lived life on a bar stool. She tried another bite of her cereal and chewed carefully. Chelsea didn't want to become one of those women with gravelly voices and overly processed hair. She didn't want bad teeth and leathery skin. She didn't want a boyfriend named Cooter who was doing ten to twenty for armed robbery.
Jules set the coffee in front of Bo, then returned to his place across the table. ”You girls smell like the old Rainier brewery before they shut it down.”
Bo raised the coffee to her lips. ”You're not allowed to talk about beer for two days.”
”Okay.” Jules laughed. ”Mini Pit.”
Last night, when Chelsea had told Bo that the hockey players called her Mini Pit, Jules had laughed until he'd choked. Neither twin had found it quite that funny, but to make Bo feel better, Chelsea had confessed that they called her Short Boss.
”Not today, Jules.” Bo set the coffee down. ”Where's your s.h.i.+rt?”
Jules grinned, raised his arms, and flexed like he was in a body-builder compet.i.tion. ”I thought you girls might enjoy the gun show.”
”Please,” Chelsea moaned. ”We're already sick.”
”I just vomited in my mouth,” her sister added.
Jules laughed and lowered his arm. ”I'll put the guns away until later.”
”G.o.d, I hate it when you're all cheerful. Why aren't you hungover?” Bo wanted to know.
”Because I was your designated driver. You don't remember?”