Playing To Win (The York Bombers Book 2)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  “Really? She really thought that dropping everything and moving down here was a good idea?”

  A shadow crossed his sister’s face, a lingering one filled with sorrow and something else he couldn’t name. Moisture filled her eyes and she blinked it away as she turned her head to the side.

  “Aw, hell. Don’t do that shit, Jenny-Benny.”

  “Do what?”

  “Cry. The tears. Don’t do it. You know I can’t handle that shit.”

  “Then stop being such a dick.”

  “Nice. And you talk about my mouth.”

  Jennifer turned to him again, a flash of anger replacing the moisture that had been in her eyes moments before. “Bite me.”

  “I can’t do this. I really can’t.” Jason muttered the words as he dropped his head against the steering wheel. Once, twice. Once more for good measure. He straightened in the seat then glared at his sister. “Fine. We’ll go inside and eat. But this discussion isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

  He may as well have been talking to himself because his sister had already climbed out of the car. Jason shook his head and got out, hurried across the parking lot to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her.

  “Remember, some of my teammates are in there. Don’t talk to them.”

  “What do you mean, don’t talk to them?”

  “Just what I said.”

  “Do you just want me to sit in the corner? Or maybe I should get a table to myself?”

  “That’s actually a good idea.”

  “Jason! I was joking.”

  “Well, I’m not. They’re guys. Which means they’re all pigs. So don’t talk to them.”

  “Are you putting yourself in that category?”

  Yeah, he was. But he wasn’t about to tell his kid sister that. So he just frowned at her and started walking again, his hand still wrapped around her arm as they entered Mystics.

  It was late afternoon so the place wasn’t that crowded yet. Jason paused just inside, glancing around. Three people were sitting at the bar, their backs to him. A few couples were seated at some of the scattered tables, talking in quiet tones above the music playing in the background. His gaze shifted to the left, resting on the tables shoved together in the far corner.

  Jason raised his hand in greeting then shot another look at Jennifer. “Remember what I said: no talking. To any of them.”

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything as she followed him to the table. Zach and Tyler were already there, as well as Travis, Ben, and Nathan. Jason looked around as he shrugged out of his coat.

  “Harland’s not here?”

  “No. He called me earlier, said he wasn’t coming.” Tyler’s gaze slid from Jason to Jennifer, resting on her for a few seconds longer than necessary before he looked back at Jason. “He’s otherwise occupied.”

  “Yeah. Probably busy playing family.” Zach pushed away from the table and reached out for Jennifer, pulling her into a big hug. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You look great, Jenny.”

  She returned Zach’s hug—a little too enthusiastically in Jason’s opinion—then stepped away. “I’d say thanks, but I’m not allowed to talk to anyone because you’re all pigs.”

  “Dammit, Jenny—”

  Zach cut him off with a quick hit to the shoulder. “You told her that? Look who’s talking. After what happened three weeks ago and the way you’ve been acting since then?”

  “I haven’t—”

  “Ooo. What happened? What did Jason do this time?” A big smile spread across Jennifer’s face as she leaned closer to Zach, eager for the gossip. Jason grabbed her arm and pulled her away, leading her over to the empty seat next to Tyler and almost pushing her into it.

  “Nothing. Nothing happened, and I haven’t been acting like anything. Now sit there and don’t talk to anyone.”

  “Christ, Emory. That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?” Ben reached for his beer and took a quick sip, his gaze bouncing from Jason to Jenny and back again. “Aren’t you at least going to make introductions?”

  Jason took the seat between Zach and Jenny and looked around the table, frowning. Five sets of eyes stared back at him, their expressions ranging from mild curiosity to peaked interest. Jason reached out with his foot and kicked Ben under the table, making him jump.

  “Stop staring, asshole. This is my sister, Jenny. And don’t even think of talking to her. Or looking at her. Just pretend she’s not even here.”

  “Just ignore him. He tends to go overboard with the whole overprotective big brother thing.”

  “That’s not the only thing he goes overboard with.” Zach muttered the words, low enough so only Jason could hear them.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Just what I said. Do you want me to go into details right here and now? In front of everyone?”

  Jason frowned then glanced around the table. Hell no. He didn’t want Zach opening his mouth, blabbing about the past week’s debacle. And that’s exactly what it had been. He’d made a total ass out of himself, chasing Tyler around, asking about his friend who lost the bracelet.

  Not asking: begging. Yeah, he’d actually begged. More than once. Begged. He still couldn’t believe it.

  Jason sent a dirty look in Tyler’s direction, wanted to send something flying his way when the man looked up and smirked. Damn him. He still thought it was fucking funny.

  It wasn’t. And as far as Jason was concerned, he was done. Finished. The mystery woman had vanished into thin air. He’d never find her. So be it.

  Except the thought of not seeing her again filled him with a sense of loss. Which was absolutely ridiculous, because he didn’t know her. He’d only spent two nights with her. Two fucking nights. He shouldn’t be obsessing. He needed to just forget about it.

  “You guys ready to order?”

  Jason glanced at Zach then looked over at Jennifer. “You know what you want?”

  She looked up from the menu and nodded as the waitress appeared at their table. Everyone else ordered, including Jenny, then it was his turn. He glanced up, barely looking at the waitress, then dropped his gaze as he gave her his order: burger and fries, pretty much the same thing everyone else had ordered.

  The waitress was turning away when he called her. “Hey, sweetheart. Can we get another pitcher of beer and some nachos, too?”

  She turned back to him, a flash of anger crossing her face. “Yeah. Sure thing.”

  Jason watched her walk away then turned back to Zach. “What the hell was her problem?”

  Silence settled over the table for the space of two heartbeats before everyone started laughing. Everyone except him and Jenny. Jason looked around, frowning. “What the hell is so funny?”

  “Man, you were right, Tyler. Completely oblivious.”

  “Told you.”

  “Right about what?” Jason looked at Tyler then turned back to Zach. “What did he tell you?”

  “Nothing, man. Nothing at all.”

  Nathan drained his beer then slammed the empty glass on the table. “Do you think he’ll figure it out?”

  “I’ve got twenty bucks that says he doesn’t.” Travis leaned to the side and pulled the wallet from the back pocket of his jeans.

  “No way. Only a fool would think he would.”

  Jason tamped down his impatience and looked around. “What the hell are you guys talking about?”

  “I’ll take the bet.” Zach reached for his own wallet and pulled out a twenty, tossing it to the middle of the table. “It might take him awhile, but I have faith in him.”

  “Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Jason looked around the table once more, taking in the laughing faces and smirks. Ben, sitting across from him, playing with his empty glass. Zach, next to him, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Tyler, at the end of the table, his arm draped across the back of Jenny’s chair as he leaned close to her, his mouth right next to her ear.

  Jason forg
ot about the laughter, forgot about whatever stupid shit everyone was betting. He reached out and grabbed Jenny’s chair, pulling it toward him—and away from Tyler.

  “What the fuck are you doing with my sister?”

  Tyler looked up, his dark brows raised in amusement. “Talking.”

  “Really? By putting your fucking mouth against her ear? Stay the fuck away from her.”

  “OhmyGod, Jason. You’re an ass.” Jenny pushed his arm away, anger—and maybe embarrassment—turning her cheeks pink. “He was telling me what was going on. Stop being such a jerk.”

  “I’m not being—”

  “Yes, you are.” Jenny reached into her purse and dug around, pulling out two crumpled ten dollar bills. She tossed them on the pile in the middle of the table then gave Jason an artificially sweet smile. “My twenty says he completely blows it.”

  The table erupted in laughter. Jason bit back his angry reply, tried to reign in his growing temper. He wanted to say something but he had no idea what—because he had no idea what was going on.

  His gaze darted back to Jenny as she slid her chair closer to Tyler’s and leaned toward him. And damn if the son-of-a-bitch didn’t drape his arm across her chair and lean in to say something to her again. Jason narrowed his eyes and pushed away from the table, ready to forcibly move Jennifer away from the goalie if he needed to. Before he could stand, or even say something, the waitress returned, carrying a large serving tray weighed down by a giant serving of nachos and an overflowing pitcher of cold beer.

  Jason watched as she balanced the tray on her shoulder and placed plates and silverware on the table. There was something familiar about her, something he couldn’t quite place. She had wild dark red hair, thick and curly and long. Wide hazel eyes and smooth fair skin.

  He’d seen her somewhere before, he knew it. Well, yeah, of course he had. Probably right here. But no, that didn’t seem quite right. Here, yeah. Probably. But definitely somewhere else.

  Maybe.

  He narrowed his eyes, studying her closer. She must have sensed him staring because her gaze dropped to his, held it for a long second before dropping lower, to the open collar of his shirt. Was she looking at his necklace? But why? Her mouth pressed together in a tight line as her hand tightened around the stack of wrapped silverware.

  Jason leaned forward. “Do I know you? We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

  Zach erupted in laughter next to him. Jason turned and gave him a dirty look, impatience flaring inside him when Zach tried to cover the laughter with a choked cough. He grabbed his mug of beer and pushed away from the table, his shoulders still shaking with suppressed laughter.

  Jason shot him a scowl. “You’re an ass. You know that, right?”

  Zach just shook his head as strangled laughter escaped him. Jason rolled his eyes and turned back to the waitress, his mind trying to place her. Revelation washed over him, fast and forceful. His breath left him in a rush and he almost stood up, stopped himself at the last minute as he pointed at her.

  “You! You were there. At Calypso’s. With your friend.”

  She hadn’t moved, not even a flinch when he almost jumped from the table. She fixed him with a steady look, practically glaring at him, her eyes cold and brittle. Her gaze remained on his as she shifted, adjusting her grip on the heavy tray. “Yeah. I was.”

  Jason wanted to jump up and dance on the table. Holy shit, he couldn’t believe it! A wide smile spread across his face. “Your friend. Michelle. Do you know where I can find her?”

  She watched him for several long seconds then looked behind her, toward the bar. Jason followed her gaze, not sure who she was looking at. The only people at the bar were the three guys who had been there when they walked in and the barmaid.

  The waitress turned back to him, her frown deepening even more. “Are you fucking serious?”

  And okay, wow. He hadn’t expected quite that reaction. His smile faltered for a second as he looked around, bewildered. “Um, yeah. I’ve been trying to find her and—”

  It happened so fast, he didn’t have time to react. One second he was sitting there, smiling in anticipation of finally finding Michelle. The next second, the waitress was dumping the plate of nachos into his lap. Jason pushed away from the table with a shout and brushed at the gooey mixture of cheese, meat, and sour cream. “What the fuck? Are you fucking crazy?”

  “You are the world’s biggest ass.” She grabbed the pitcher of beer and poured it over his head then stepped back, a wide smile on her face. “Maybe next time you’ll pay attention to what the hell is right in front of you. Asshole.”

  Shocked silence fell over them as Jason swiped at the beer dripping from his hair and face. He looked at the waitress, his mouth open in shock, his mind completely blank.

  He heard Zach shift beside him, turned to watch his friend straighten in the chair. An odd look of admiration and something else crossed his face as he stared up at the waitress. “I think I’m in love.”

  The redhead picked up the empty tray and braced it against her hip, her eyes raking Zach from top to bottom and back up again. She tilted her head to the side and gave Zach a deceptively sweet smile.

  “You aren’t man enough to handle me, sweetheart.” She winked at Zach, gave Jason another dirty look, then spun on one heel and sauntered away.

  Jason sat there in stunned silence, beer still dripping from him, the smell of nachos wafting up from his lap. He watched the waitress walk to the bar, lean across and say something to the barmaid. He shook his head, looked around the table, finally caught Zach’s amused gaze.

  “What the fuck was that all about?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Megan stood behind the bar, her mouth hanging open in shock as she watched the scene unfold across the room. She couldn’t believe Haley just did that. Tossing the plate of loaded nachos in Jason’s lap was bad enough, but to pour the pitcher of beer over his head too?

  Megan closed her mouth and took a step back, with no idea of where she was going. Nowhere, that was where. She couldn’t leave, not when she was the only bartender here right now. And there wasn’t any place for her to go, anyway. What was she going to do, go run into the back and hide?

  No, she couldn’t do that. And she couldn’t jump up on the bar and do a celebratory dance, either. Not that she wanted to.

  Oh, who was she kidding? That was exactly what she wanted to do. No, what she really wanted to do was move the clock back ten minutes so she could be the one to pour the beer over Jason’s dark head.

  Not that she’d ever have the guts to do that.

  She grabbed a damp rag and started wiping down the bar, her gaze on the table at the other end. Haley was saying something to Zach Mummert, something sarcastic, no doubt, as everyone else laughed. Well, everyone except Jason. He was still sitting there, dripping beer, looking stunned.

  Served him right. Especially after showing up with another girl.

  Megan knew she had no right to be upset about that, knew she had no claims on Jason. At all. But still, seeing him walk in with someone else, seeing him hold her by the arm and guide her to the table, had made something inside Megan freeze. She had no idea who the girl was, only that she was gorgeous, with straight, thick hair streaked with gold. Even her clothes—casual skinny jeans, heeled ankle boots, and a snug sweater that fell below rounded hips—were gorgeous, in spite of being so casual and normal.

  She had no idea why Tyler had his arm draped around the girl’s chair, though. And she hated the flash of annoyance that filled her at the sight. She should be overjoyed that the girl didn’t seem to be interested in Jason, not annoyed.

  Her gaze drifted back to Haley, watching as her friend moved across the room toward the bar. A smile teased the corners of her mouth as she approached Megan and rested the serving tray against the brass railing running along the length of the bar.

  “That actually felt wonderful.”

  Megan choked back a laugh and shook her head. “I wish I could
have been the one to do it.”

  “I know.” Haley snagged the rag from Megan’s hands and wiped down the tray. “I shouldn’t tell you this because you’ll probably read more into it than you should, but it took him a while to recognize me.”

  “Why would I read into that?”

  “Um, hello? With this rat’s nest?” Haley twisted several curls of hair around her finger and pulled them out to the side. “I’m not exactly subtle. And he still didn’t recognize me, not at all the first time. So I don’t think it’s that he never realized who you were—I think it’s because he really is a moron.”

  Megan ignored the small flutter in her chest and took the rag back. “It doesn’t matter. I’m over it.”

  Haley’s eyes softened as she tilted her head to the side and studied Megan. “Are you sure? Because you’ve had a crush on him forever. And you don’t look over it.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. It was a crush. I had a fun two nights. But that’s all it was. I knew that when it happened.”

  “Hm.” Haley studied her for a few more seconds then shrugged. “If you say so. Can you pour two more pitchers of beer? I need to go back and get a mop to clean the mess up. And get another serving of nachos while I’m at it.”

  “Why? Planning on drenching someone else?”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  Megan laughed as Haley walked away, then reached under the counter for two pitchers and began filling them at the tap. She noticed movement from the corner of her eyes and looked up, almost jumped in surprise when Jason approached the bar. He wasn’t looking at her, focusing instead on the mess coating his long-sleeve shirt and jeans.

  “Would you happen to have some towels or something I could use?”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure.” Megan moved to the side, leaned down and grabbed a few clean towels from the lower shelf. She hesitated, then grabbed an extra one and wet it at the sink, wringing it out before placing it on top of the other ones and carrying them over to him.

  Jason grabbed them without looking at her. “Thanks.”

  Megan clenched her jaw and went back to filling the pitchers, calling herself a fool. Haley was right, he was a moron. And she was an idiot for even caring.