Just In Time by Fox Addison

Author:Fox, Addison [Fox, Addison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2013-08-05T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“You look like a woman contemplating sex.”

Avery eyed Grier over the rim of her oversized java mug, the surrounding buzz at the Jitters thankfully loud enough to cover Grier’s bold pronouncement. “How do you know that?”

“Three reasons.”

With a come-here hand wave, Avery sat back, ready to take it all in. “Bring them on.”

“Exhibit one. You have an irritable glow.”

“How is a glow irritable?”

“You’re glowing ’cuz you’re anticipating sex, but you’re pissed about it. I’ve been there, girlfriend.”

Avery decided to keep her thoughts to herself on point number one because the description was shockingly close to the truth. “Okay. What are your other reasons?”

“You’re replacing the need for sex with chocolate.”

“I am not.”

“That mocha has about a billion calories in it and you usually just drink yours plain with skim milk.”

Avery swirled the Twix stir-stick in the froth. “Chooch got me hooked on it. It’s her Special.”

“It hurts my teeth to look at it and you know that’s saying a lot.”

“I ran four miles with fourteen teenage boys. I earned it.”

Grier tapped her forehead. “And you landed yourself a rather colorful shiner as well, so you can add medicinal to its properties.”

“I like the way you think. And the shiner was an accident.”

“Roman’s still pissed about it. He was telling Mick about it earlier when he brought the truck back.”

“There’s nothing for him to be angry about. It was just boys being boys.”

One lone eyebrow rose up over Grier’s cool gray eyes. “I’m not going to dignify that with a response, especially since I heard it was the team’s two little shits who instigated it.”

“Will and Zach had their bully flags flying today.”

“Assholes. I did Zach’s parents’ returns this past tax season and the kid stomped around the house like he was the damn prince of the castle.”

“Neither Will nor Zach are very good and it pisses them off. I could have seen past it but when they started picking on Stink they went from annoying to something else.”

“Stink. The one who—” Grier wrinkled her nose.

“Hockey funk.”

“Yeah. That.”

“Well, he’s clean most of the time when he’s not playing, I mean. The problem is his equipment’s old and hockey players have freshness challenges on the best of days.” Avery took a sip of her coffee as a sweet memory swamped her.

Roman used to race home after practice to clean up before they had a date. He’d scrub his skin bright pink, then go out in the cold. She could still remember the night he actually had ice in his hair because he’d gone out with it still wet.

“The equipment’s expensive, too, isn’t it?”

Grier’s question pulled her from the image of Roman with crunchy hair, and Avery refocused on Stink. “He’s a sweet kid and he loves hockey like it’s his religion. He’s always taken the ribbing pretty good-naturedly, but I think it’s starting to get old.”

“Having a cool nickname that shows you’re a team sport is one thing. When the underlying reason’s used to embarrass you, not so much.”

“You haven’t told me number three.

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