Bad Reputation

by Nicole Edwards

  “Hmm. Special occasion?”

  “Yes.” I shoot her a smile over my shoulder. “You’re here.”

  As I expect, Cassie rolls her eyes and then with her wineglass in hand, she grabs my beer.

  While I dump the food onto the plates, Cassie heads outside to the covered patio that overlooks the vast acreage behind my house.

  Although I’m a tightwad when it comes to money, you wouldn’t know it by looking at my house. Four bedrooms, four and a half baths, sitting on a whopping fifteen acres is quite the homestead if you ask me. However, I got the place for a steal because the owners had been desperate to sell since they were relocating up north. That and the house hadn’t been updated when I bought it. I’d been here a solid year before Cassie finally convinced me to sink a little money into the place to spruce it up a bit.

  Eventually I caved, putting in hardwood floors downstairs, new carpet in the bedrooms, granite countertops in the kitchen, all new appliances. I even had the master bathroom redone. Cassie might have helped in the design area. Had she not pitched in, I probably would have gone with beige everything. Decorating is not my forte.

  “Have you decided when we’re going to go see the folks?” I ask when I join her outside carrying both plates.

  Cassie takes one from me. “Whenever you want. But I thought we’d plan to be there for Chief’s birthday. He’s turning sixty this year.”

  Chief is what I call Robert. Being that he’s a fire chief—or was before he retired last year—it makes sense. Since it’s confusing to call both of my fathers “Dad,” it was the way it worked out.

  “I’m down with that.” I take the seat across from her. “Plus, it’s right before they go on their yearly cruise.”

  “Where are they going this year?” Cassie asks, picking up her fork.

  “Another Caribbean cruise.” I take a sip of my beer. “Dad says they need to soak up as much sun as possible to make up for the horrific winter they had.”

  Cassie purses her lips. “Winter? What’s that? It’s been so long since I’ve seen one, I forgot what it means.”

  It’s true, Texas is vastly different from Wisconsin. Like night and day.

  “How are they doing, anyway?” Cassie forks salmon into her mouth, then moans.

  I have to look away. The woman has no fucking clue what it does to me when she does shit like that.

  “Good as far as I can tell. Chief’s not nearly as antsy these days, or so I’m told.” My dad had a difficult time after he retired, finding it nearly impossible to sit around and do nothing.

  “Is he gardening?”

  I nod. “Trying to.” I laugh. “Dad says Chief is too impatient for that, too.”

  Cassie giggles. “I can totally see that. Maybe he should take up something else.” She meets my eyes. “Restoring cars? Wasn’t he looking to get an old truck?”

  I shrug. “He’s talked about it, but you know Chief. He talks a lot.”

  Cassie’s eyes soften. She loves my dads as much as I do.

  “Well, then I say we time it for Chief’s birthday. I can talk to my brother, see if they want to come over.”

  “And your mom?”

  Cassie grunts.

  I never can get a straight answer from Cassie when it comes to her mother. I know their relationship is strained. It always has been, from what I can tell. There’s a lot of resentment on Cassie’s part. Then again, Betty doesn’t make it easy to like her. She’s very self-centered and has the outlook that life has done nothing but shit on her. She’s a product of her own making, but you couldn’t convince her of that.

  It’s clear Cassie is not going to commit to talking to her mother. “Well, I know Chief would get a kick out of your nieces being there.”

  “And Matt,” Cassie notes. “You know how competitive they both are.”

  That’s an understatement.

  Being that Matt is a Detroit fan and Chief is my biggest fan, they tend to go all out when it comes to trash talking in relation to sports.

  I remember the first time we introduced Matt to my fathers. It was a little awkward at first, but Cassie and Matt are really close. Apparently, they depended on one another a lot growing up and time and distance hasn’t changed that. But that first night, after dinner, there was a little shouting match that ensued because Chief was insistent that Green Bay was going to the Super Bowl. I don’t remember who Matt was rooting for at the time—he’s more of a bandwagon football fan since he’s mostly into hockey—but he was insistent Chief was out of his mind. It was a passionate conversation, to say the least. Needless to say, I think my dads like Matt as much as they like Cassie.

  It’s kind of cool that Cassie and I grew up so close to each other. We lived in neighboring towns, probably fifteen minutes apart. Our paths never crossed, but that proximity has allowed my dads and her brother to become friends over the years. They even hang out from time to time when we’re not there.

  “So, how’s work?” I ask before filling my mouth with food.

  “Busy. We’re putting the final touches on Vegas. We’re counting down in weeks now, not months.”

  I nod, encouraging her to continue.

  Cassie wipes her mouth with a napkin, then picks up her wineglass. The move is casual, but I can see some hesitation in her eyes.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No. It’s just…” Cassie smiles and it actually reaches her eyes. “Tom called me into his office on Monday.”

  I lift an eyebrow at the mention of her boss’s name. Cassie talks about the guy all the time. She admires him greatly, I know. “And…?”

  She giggles and it sounds almost hysterical.

  The girl is confusing the hell out of me.

  She sets her glass down and clasps her hands together before leaning closer. “He presented me with the opportunity to be the keynote speaker this year.”

  I have no idea what that means, but based on her expression, it must be a big deal, so I respond how I think she expects me to. “Holy fuck.” I put down my fork and grab my napkin. “That’s some serious shit, huh?”

  “Always eloquent, Mr. Barrett,” Cassie teases.

  “I try.” Smiling, I reach for my beer. “This is a good thing though, right?”

  I can see the color rise in her cheeks. “Yeah. Definitely good. It’s a big deal, too.”

  “Are you going to do it?”

  She shrugs. “I’m not sure yet.”

  I can tell she’s lying. Cassie’s going to jump at the opportunity. “Whatever. You can’t fool me, Desrosiers. I can see the excitement in your eyes. You want to do it.”

  “I do, yes. But that doesn’t mean I’m not terrified of the idea.”

  “You’ll be great. People love to listen to you spout about all that nonsense.” Half the time I have to tune the woman out because I can’t keep up. Not that I’m a dumb jock or anything, but she talks about shit that I have zero interest in like statistics, projections, and outlooks. Yeah. No, thank you.

  “Nonsense?” Cassie barks out a laugh, which makes me chuckle. I love messing with her.

  “All that techno crap,” I add.

  “Tech,” she corrects. “Not techno. That makes me think of music and disco balls.”

  “Same difference.”

  Grabbing her fork, Cassie shakes her head, then resumes devouring her food. The two of us eat in silence for a few minutes and it’s companionable like always. It gives me time to process all that Cassie told me, which makes me think about what’s on the horizon for me.

  Honestly, with the season now over, I have no idea what that entails.

  Not yet anyway.

  Cassie

  “This is really good.”

  Chase doesn’t respond and I glance up to see him staring out in the distance, clearly lost in thought. I figure he has a lot on his mind now that the season is over and the Tornadoes didn’t make the playoffs. They’ve been close for the last few years, but for whatever reason, they seem to fizzle out right when
it matters most. Not that I want to mention it. The last thing I want to do is to bring him down.

  That’s when an idea comes to me.

  “Why don’t you go to Vegas with me,” I blurt. “In June.”

  He cocks his head toward me, his blue eyes locking on my face. “Vegas? With you?”

  “Yeah. It’ll be fun. I’ve got some conferences to attend, plus the keynote, but I’ll be free at night. We can go out, paint the town. Natalie’ll be there.”

  “You and me in Vegas?” He sounds skeptical. “With Natalie?”

  “Yes.” I sit up straight.

  Chase pushes his empty plate away and grabs his beer. “The vice president of app development wants to take me to Vegas?”

  I really don’t think he’s faking the bewildered look on his face. It makes me laugh.

  “Do you not want to hang out with me, Mr. Bad Boy of Hockey? Are you worried your image will be tarnished if you’re seen with me?”

  He pretends to consider that for a moment. At least I think he’s pretending. The guy does enjoy making fun of me when it’s work related. He says I’m too prim and proper, always looking for the end goal. I call it professional, but to each his own.

  “When does your off-season training start?” I ask, wanting to ensure our schedules align.

  “June twelfth,” he offers.

  “Then it’s perfect. The trip is from the first through the fifth. You’d be back with time to spare.”

  “And you’ll really go out?” he asks. “You won’t expect me to spend time with all your stodgy friends.”

  “They aren’t my friends,” I proclaim. “They’re my colleagues. And they’re not stodgy.”

  “They are.”

  “They are not. But no, I won’t expect you to hang out with them. We’ll do our own thing.”

  I see the moment he decides to do it. For whatever reason, I breathe a sigh of relief. Having Chase there to keep my mind off everything won’t be a bad thing. He claims I work too much anyway. So, it’ll do me some good to let my hair down and have some fun.

  “Fine. I’ll go. But that means you have to come over this weekend.”

  I frown, pretending to hate the idea already. “Really?”

  Chase grins, a move that takes him from good looking to probably one of the most attractive men in the world. Honestly, the guy is my best friend, but I’ll admit, I find him hot. Not that it’s something I would ever act on. I much prefer to keep him in my life and everyone knows that once you’ve tested out Sin’s mattress, you’re history.

  I knock back what’s left of my wine. “What’s this weekend?”

  “My annual end-of-season party.”

  I groan. “You mean I have to come over and deal with all your stodgy friends?”

  Chase laughs. “I’ll be sure to tell them you said that.”

  “You do that.” And Chase knows I wouldn’t miss his party for the world. It’s always a blast. “Can Natalie come?”

  Chase gives me a look that says, You really have to ask?

  I pretend not to notice. “You know if I don’t extend an invitation, she’ll show up anyway and crash the party.”

  “Like last year?” he teases.

  I laugh at the memory. Natalie is crazy, there’s no denying that. I think she’ll be the first to admit it, too. “Just like last year. Remember, I found her in your bed?”

  Chase throws his head back and roars with laughter. I assume he’s remembering it.

  Two hours into the party, I went in search of Natalie, only to find her lying in Chase’s bed, snuggling up to his pillows. Thankfully the woman was fully dressed, but she was pretending—at least I think she was pretending—to be making out with his pillows. She said if she couldn’t have him, she’d have the next-best thing.

  Personally, I think the next-best thing would at least be another hockey player, but what do I know?

  “Yes, she can come,” Chase states. “But I’m locking my bedroom door this time.”

  “You locked it last time,” I remind him.

  Chase’s smile widens as he gets to his feet. “That’s right. She picked the lock.” He grabs our empty plates. “Hold that thought.”

  He returns a minute later with the bottle of wine and another beer. After he refills my glass, he pulls out the chair beside me and flops into it. By rote, I kick off my sandals and place my feet in his lap.

  “So needy, Desrosiers,” he grumbles with a grin as he grips my foot and starts to knead the arch.

  I fight the urge to groan. The man gives good foot rubs.

  “Just remember, Natalie is off-limits,” I tell him, leaning back and relaxing.

  “Same goes for my teammates,” he responds.

  “I have absolutely no interest in your teammates,” I reassure him.

  He narrows his eyes. “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about Natalie.”

  “Oh, come on. She’s practically begging me for a chance at Marky Mark. She said if you’re not available, she should have her pick of the Tornadoes.”

  Chase shakes his head. “No way. That woman will run roughshod over them. No way am I going to deal with a whiny forward when she breaks his heart.”

  I can’t help but laugh at that because it’s so true. Natalie might pretend to be totally boy crazy, but she’s actually pretty focused. She likes to have fun, but she has no interest in hooking up with a hockey player for one night. Her words.

  Can’t say that I blame her.

  “All right. What do I need to bring to the party?”

  Chase pins me with a curious stare. “Do you think Natalie will get the catering set up?”

  “You haven’t done that yet?” Chase is a procrastinator through and through. “You’ve got what? Two more days?”

  He grins. “She’s a miracle worker.”

  I sigh. “I’m sure she’ll do it. If you ask her nicely.”

  Chase groans. “Fine.” He shoots a sideways look at me. “But don’t blame me when she calls in a favor.”

  I can only imagine what Natalie would ask for. “I’m sure you’ll survive.”

  “I don’t know about that. Have you met her?”

  “What else?” I ask. “You’ll have food and booze?”

  “Yep. And it’s your responsibility to steal everyone’s car keys when they arrive.”

  “I’ll assign Natalie to that task,” I inform him. “She’s better at it than I am.”

  Chase reaches for my other foot and this time I do groan, my eyes closing. God, that feels good. When I open my eyes, I see Chase staring at me. There’s a strange look on his face. “What?”

  He seems to shake it off. “Nothing.” His eyes roam to the distance once more. “Just remember, no hooking up with my teammates.”

  “We’re still talking about Natalie, right?”

  He doesn’t answer right away, but when he does, the mumbled, “Yeah. Natalie. Right,” doesn’t sound all that convincing.

  Chapter 6

  Chase

  “What about Cassie’s friend?” Marky Mark asks, glancing between me and Deter. “Natalie, right?”

  Why I decided to go to lunch with the guys is beyond me. I should have known what was coming. They told me they wanted to hang out, talk about the party, see what they could bring. These guys never want to talk about shit like that.

  Of course, I fell for it.

  What they really want to do is find out how many chicks will be there.

  “She’s single, right?” Mark implores me with a curious gaze.

  “Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Dan Deteron questions.

  “Not anymore.”

  “New week?” Deter jokes.

  “Fuck you.”

  Seriously, these guys are about as commitment-phobic as I am. However, Marky Mark does tend to seek out semi-long-term relationships. And by that, I mean more than one night. He prefers a week, two tops. I think the last girl he hooked up with—Ashley, maybe?—lasted a whole nine days.

 
; “So?” Mark turns his attention to me again. “Is she single?”

  I nod. “Single and off-limits.”

  “You can’t call dibs, Barrett.”

  “Trust me, I’m not,” I admit with a grin. “She’s a friend of Cassie’s. Plus, she works for her.”

  “Okay, fine.” Mark grabs his water glass. “Is Cassie up for grabs yet?”

  I realize the strange growling sound that follows his question is actually coming from me. I shake it off and clear my throat. “She doesn’t date hockey players.”

  It’s not a complete lie. She doesn’t date hockey players, but it isn’t like she has a rule against it or anything.

  Both Deter and Mark laugh knowingly. They love to give me shit about Cassie. Ever since the first time they met her, they’ve been insisting that I’m harboring a secret crush on the woman. My only recourse…Deny, deny, deny. However, I’m not above letting them think they might be right. Cassie’s my best friend. Hence the reason I don’t want her mixed up with the likes of Deter or Mark. Or myself, if I’m being completely honest.

  “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of single ladies at the party,” I tell them both, grabbing another slice of pizza.

  They both grin. “We just like to give you shit, Barrett,” Deter notes.

  Of course they do.

  “So, what do we need to bring?”

  “I’ve got Natalie catering it,” I inform them. I sucked it up and contacted Natalie last night since Cassie downright refused to do so. It took some sweet talking on my part, but the woman finally caved. And yes, she did say that she would be calling in a favor one day, so I’m on the hook for that.

  “So there’ll be plenty of food. What about booze?” Mark inquires.

  “Bring whatever you want, but understand that Cassie and Natalie will be taking car keys. You can find a corner to camp out in or cab it home.”

  They both nod in agreement.

  “The whole team coming?”

  “Yeah. I got the last RSVP last night.”

  “Holy shit, Barrett. You’re a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve hired a cleaning service. I’m not worried.” I am worried. A little. Granted, the parties in the past couple of years have been relatively tame, but I learned after the first one that keys had to be confiscated in order to avoid the unthinkable.