Risky Business (18 page)

Harper tapped her pen against the score sheet. “You know I love your mystic side, Marlena, but I have to disagree with you this time. I think we make our own choices and whatever happens as a result is on us.”

Marlena smiled serenely, then sipped her beer. “The universe has a way of pushing its agenda.”

Presley leaned forward. “I agree with both of you, depending on the day of the week and how work's going and whether I'm having a bad hair day. But, Allison, before we get off topic too much, I'll tell you what my mom swears is the universal rule for women.”

Harper lifted her beer and turned to sit in her seat sideways. “This, I've got to hear. Your mom is a riot.”

“She says that a woman is fated to have two men in her life: the man she has children with, then the man she gives her heart to.”

There was a beat of silence. Allison agreed, at least for her situation, because she hoped someday to find true love, but she couldn't figure out why Presley's mom would think that's a universal truth for women the world over. Janie was happily married, or at least that was Allison's outsider impression. Her parents were happily married. Or, rather, just plain married; they weren't all that effusive about their happiness.

Olivia broke the silence with a chuckle: “And I thought I was a cynic. Sheesh. Remind me not to tell that to my parents—who've been in love and happily married for thirty-five years. They renew their vows every five years.”

“Okay, I'll bite,” Harper said. “Why does your mom think that, Presley? Besides the fact that your biological father is an asshole.”

Presley's brows flickered up. “There is that. But she says it takes having children and getting older to find out who you truly are and what makes you happy. And to gain the confidence to believe that happiness is more important than security.”

Harper nodded. “I didn't know your mom could be that deep. She's always the life of the party at Locks when she's there.”

Allison didn't think she was there yet, believing in the importance of happiness above all else, probably because her security and future were still so up in the air.

Harper raised her glass in a toast. “And it takes getting older and wiser for women to figure out that we're better off providing for our own security.”

“I'll drink to that,” Presley said.

They all clinked glasses. Before Harper's toast, Allison hadn't put it together that Harper and her friends were all single business owners, though Presley was engaged, so that statistic would be changing soon.

Harper owned the tavern. Presley had her own bookkeeping firm. Olivia, in addition to being a high school teacher, co-owned and managed an apartment complex with Liam, and the week before, Allison had learned that Marlena owned a holistic healing and yoga business. Allison couldn't wait for her life to settle down enough for her to take a yoga class.

Allison had joined their ranks. That realization made her proud. She'd come a long way in a short time. She still had a long way to go before she was even half the businesswomen that her new friends were, but with her and Theo's truce, she was confident that she'd get there.

Olivia sighed. “I still wish I had a man to be my partner in one of Marlena's tantric sex classes.”

Allison nearly choked on the beer she was drinking. The first impression she'd had of Marlena being serene and sweet was quickly becoming more complicated in a very interesting way.

“Not what you had in mind when I told you I was a holistic healer?”

“Uh, no.”

Marlena offered her a sly smile. “There's all kinds of different types of healing.”

Presley's finger sliced through the air. “Do not get her started singing ‘Sexual Healing.' Every time she does, I get it stuck in my head for days. Wait—too late.” She groaned.

Marlena laughed and started to sing the chorus, but her song was eclipsed by applause as the players took to the ice to warm up. Katie kicked and squealed. She loved this part.

Allison's heart got all fluttery at the sight of Theo in uniform, skating hard and fast around the rink, utter focus written on his features. Knowing what his skin tasted like, knowing how excellent a kisser he was, made him look even sexier and manlier than he had before.

When the Bomb Squad players rounded the corner, putting Theo on a direct path past the scorekeeper's table, his eyes were on Allison. Her cheeks flush and her pulse sped at his approach.

She hadn't felt this way since eighteen, when the boy she'd dated was the water polo team captain at his college. It was a giddy mixture of lust and pride that the star athlete, the stud of studs in the game, only had eyes for her.

She didn't know whether to smile, wave, or play it cool. She settled on what she hoped was a private smile, subtle and just for him. He didn't smile back, but he touched the Plexiglass with his glove as he zoomed past.

She hummed under her breath. It was going to be a long game. And she was going to need to kiss that man again when it was done, of that she was sure.

Harper leaned in with a nudge to Allison's shoulder. “He doesn't hate you anymore.”

“No. We agreed to a truce.”

“I don't know how you managed that, but I'm impressed. Really impressed. What happened?”

She wasn't sure, honestly. She must have looked pretty pathetic last night, scared for Katie, Chelsea nowhere to be found, braving the storm to get medicine. “I think he finally took pity on me.” She knew that wasn't it, but it was the best answer she could come up with. She knew intrinsically that Theo's actions the night before had been about more than pity. He definitely hadn't kissed her out of pity, even if that had been the original reason behind his hot cocoa gesture.

“Theo doesn't believe in pity.”

All right, she'd try a different answer then. “I'm giving him Lanette, free and clear.”

Harper nodded approvingly. “Good for you. There's nothing Theo loves more than that boat. And hockey, of course.”

“The gesture is years too late, but it's the best I can do to right Lowell's wrongs.”

She was saved from further discussion by Chelsea, who slid a beer onto the table in front of Allison, then poked her between the ribs. “You didn't tell me he was going to be here playing hockey tonight.”

“Who, Theo? You knew that.”

“No, Brandon. I had no idea. I mean, he only has one leg. I could have used the warning that he'd be here,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, adding a head tilt toward the ice. She said it in a panicked way, which probably meant that the two of them had already slept together. Just terrific.

“I didn't know I was supposed to fill you in on that.” Anxious for a subject change, Allison gestured to the bleachers. “Chelsea, these are my friends. You already know Harper, and this is Olivia, Marlena, and Presley.”

Chelsea waved her nachos in their direction and gave them a perfunctory greeting, but all her focus was on Brandon. Olivia, Marlena, and Presley greeted her back, though it was clear they weren't all that impressed with Chelsea, which was understandable because Allison wasn't all that impressed with her at the moment either.

As if he could sense that he was being discussed, Brandon turned. His gaze went first to Harper, then to Chelsea. His expression turning as panicky as Chelsea's tone had been. Yep. They'd slept together, all right.

He skated their way.

Chelsea groaned. “Shoot. This isn't good.”

Allison agreed. With Harper right there, this was bound to be awkward.

“Really, Chelsea?” Allison muttered under her breath.

“What? You knew it was going to happen.”

“Hi,” Brandon said to Chelsea. “What are you doing here?”

He sounded defensive, as though her presence meant she'd misrepresented herself as a no-strings-screw. Like he fully expected her to turn into his groupie now or make romantic demands on him.

Chelsea tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking much younger than the worldly-wise twenty-four-year-old she was. “Hi. Um, you play hockey.”

On her other side, Harper shifted, diverting Allison's attention. She expected to see hurt in Harper's expression, but she had her gaze locked on Brandon and the only emotion present in her eyes was challenge.

“Uh, yeah,” Brandon said. “I think I told you that.” He rolled his eyes like he was trying to think back. “I can't remember, actually.” Finally, he acknowledged Harper with a look in her direction. “Hey.”

“Having fun?”

Yikes. Awkward didn't even begin to describe the mood.

Brandon's expression hardened save for a fire that had lit in his eyes. He slid over to stand directly before Harper. “Don't be like that. You made your choice—and it wasn't me.”

Harper twirled her pen. “I hope you score the winning goal tonight.” The statement oozed subtext in every harshly spoken word.

They stared at each other for a long, heavy moment. Then Brandon swallowed hard. “I can't steal the glory every game.”

Harper's brow raised, calling him on his lie pointedly enough.

They stared at each other for the span of another breath before he shook his head and skated away.

Behind Harper, Marlena, Olivia, and Presley sat in uncharacteristic silence, looking concerned for Harper.

Chelsea set a hand on Harper's shoulder. “I figured you and he had an understanding, but he hurt you. I'm sorry for my part in that. That wasn't my intention.”

Harper pasted a weary smile on her lips. “You don't have anything to feel bad about. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope he didn't lead you on like you two were exclusive.”

“No. He and I were very clear up front about where this was going, which was nowhere.”

“Good. Going nowhere is all he's capable of. Or, more accurately, all he wants to believe he's capable of. Usually, it's the girls he sleeps with who get the wrong impression. They start dreaming up a future with him and sit rink-side like ice bunny groupies.”

Allison had called it, why he'd looked so alarmed about Chelsea's presence. But, boy, he couldn't have been more wrong about Chelsea.

Sure enough, Chelsea groaned. “Not me. I didn't even know he played ice hockey. I just thought he was one of Theo's friends.”

Presley cleared her throat. “What did he mean by ‘you made your choice'? I thought he was the one who kept pushing you away.”

“Complicated,” Harper said. “He professed his feelings for me once, but it wasn't right. He wasn't any different then than he is now. He wasn't willing to change for me, so he made his choice, too.”

Marlena gave a melancholy smile. “I get what you're saying, Harper. I've been in that same situation. It doesn't matter how much you like a guy. If your instinct is telling you he's not good for you, then you have to honor that feeling. I think you're right to stay away from Brandon.”

“Thank you, Marlena,” Harper said.

“When have you been in that kind of situation?” Olivia said.

Marlena shook her head. “It's no big deal. I only mentioned it now because Harper's not the only one who's been through that.”

Chelsea had quietly been eating her nachos while Harper and her friends talked. Now that she was past the Brandon crisis, she was back to acting odd, probably planning her escape from Destiny Falls.

Allison returned a few of Katie's toys that she'd thrown on the floor, then scanned the players until she found her own Number Sixteen, who happened to be skating her way. This time, Theo stopped in front of the table and pulled a face at Katie.

“How's Katie? Any sign of fever?”

“No. She's a little tired and sniffly, but no fever. I would have stayed home with her if she'd had one.”

“I was worried about her with how cold it is here at the rink.”

Allison patted the puffball at the top of Katie's knitted cap. “I've got her bundled up good.”

They both watched Katie follow a cluster of players as they whooshed past Theo's back. She squealed and reached out, trying to touch them.

The hint of a smile settled on Theo's lips. “She's enjoying this.”

“She likes the movement of the skaters and the noise of the crowd. It gets her so excited that it wears her out. I bet she'll be asleep by the end of the second period.”

“As long as you don't fall asleep during the game.”

“Are you kidding? Not a chance.”

He nodded toward the Kegerators' goal. “You see over there, the men in blue fleece? They're Wounded Veterans International officials. We weren't expecting them tonight, but I think Duke knows something he's not telling us. Make sure you stick around after the game.”

The buzzer warning of the game's imminent start drowned out her answer. Katie's arms and legs flailed in surprise, then she started to cry. That buzzer was the only part of the game she didn't enjoy.

Theo cringed and skated backward. “That's my cue.”

“Good luck.”

He spun away to face the center circle, where he knocked gloves with the Kegerator captain and got ready for the puck drop. Allison didn't try to be subtle as she watched him bend over, resting his stick and hands on his knees while he waited for the drop.

Chelsea poked her in the shoulder. “You were so lying about what's going on between the two of you. Truce, my ass.”

“I'm with Chelsea on this,” Harper said.

Allison smiled, but she couldn't find it in her to take her eyes off Theo's butt. “What's a truce supposed to look like? Why don't you two tell me so Theo and I can work on it?”

Allison was keeping it together with a Cheshire Cat smile until Marlena started singing the chorus to “Sexual Healing” again. This time, Olivia, Presley, Harper, and Chelsea joined in.

Lucky for Allison, the song or the teasing didn't last long because the ref blew his whistle and the game got underway.