The Slot (Rochester Riot #1)(51)

Over time, she’d become too busy with her work to follow them like a true fan. She did know they had a superstar drafted out of Michigan State named Adam Spencer. The guy was so fast they said he was like lightning in a bottle.

She’d have to pay close attention until Andrew arrived to see if she could get a gander at the spectacular play of Mr. Spencer, a Duluth native who’d played varsity hockey with her brother. She’d met him once at her house and he’d left an impression. That guy was dreamy with a capital “D”.

The hostess returned a few minutes later, directing a blond haired cutie to her table in the bar. Around six feet tall, his hair was spiked up in the front and his blue button down complimented his eyes. Jeans and loafers completed his date look.

My God, we match.

Julia couldn’t keep herself from going there and wondered if Sue had coached him on what she’d be wearing as well. Jesus, could it all get any more obvious? He offered a smile as he took his seat across from her and ordered a local draft beer on tap from the waitress hovering at his elbow.

“Hi there, I’m Andrew,” he said, extending his massive hand across the table.

“Julia.” She smiled as she shook his hand, which was warm and inviting with just the right amount of pressure. Maybe there was hope.

“Wow, Sue said you were a knockout. She wasn’t kidding.” Andrew’s compliment was followed by a low whistle.

“Oh, thank you.” Julie blushed from the roots of her hair to the tips of her red polished toes. She had heard it before, but growing up with brothers, she had been more likely to get teased and tormented about every little thing than to get any validation of her looks. Blake had loved to call her elephant ears and Brock had called her Pigeon due to her slightly inward toes. Thank God she’d outgrown that one before high school.

“So, I hear from SueAnn you’ve lived here in Duluth your entire life,” Andrew commented. “I really like it here so far. The people are really warm and welcoming.”

“Totally. That’s why I started my business here. I’d never dream of leaving.” It was hard to keep the passion out of her voice over her hometown and she didn’t even want to try. Duluth, Minnesota was a wonderful place to live and work. Her only complaint was the harsh winters and the cold wind and weather that blew in straight off the lake.

Julia was glad that Andrew wasn’t firing questions at her like they were in some kind of crazy job interview. Dating had always sucked for her. If it wasn’t her own broken picker, it was her beefy and controlling older brothers jumping in to scare the shit out of any potential suitor who held real promise. They’d find something wrong with the guy and he’d bail. But now … Blake and Brock were married and starting their own families, so they’d backed off. A little. She probably used her family as an excuse, but her friends knew that her fledgling business was her life.

“So, Sue said that you’re a major hockey fan.”

“Yeah, I grew up in a small town and hockey was nearly the only entertainment we had. My brother, Blake Wales, played for UMD. He was a really great center and would have been drafted until he hurt his knee,” Julie sighed. “Career ending injury.”

“That sucks,” Andrew nodded. “Do you like any other sports or are you just a die-hard hockey chick?”

“Just hockey. I never got any of the other sports. Hockey just makes sense to me. And it’s such a rush to be outside in the winter air. You feel so free and alive.”

Andrew rubbed his chin and started droning on about the Vikings. After a while, Julia tuned him out and glanced at the game behind his head. The Caribou were getting murdered. They only had ten shots on goal to the Red Wings twenty-five and they were losing the battle in the corners.

Oh, Adam, where are you? Your team needs you, she thought as she bit into her mozzarella stick dripping in marinara.

“So, do you have a favorite team?”

“Of course, the Caribou. It’s where my brother would have played if he’d been drafted.”

“Really? Even though they’re on a losing streak?”

She glanced at him, only slightly forgiving his ignorance for underestimating her team. What kind of Minnesotan was this guy?

“They’re struggling without Adam, but once he comes back…”

“Spencer’s not coming back,” Andrew said with a shake of his head in the negative.

“Oh, he will,” Julia argued.

Douchebag. Now she just wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.

“What makes you so certain? With an ACL injury that bad, most are forced out of the game.”

“He’ll find a way. He loves the game too much. Doesn’t care too much for the fame though.” Julia thought back to the one time Adam had skated on their family pond with her brother. Blake had been a freshman with a serious case of senior worship. Adam had thrown Blake a bone because coach had said he had promise. Adam Spencer had loved skating outside so much he’d bent down and kissed the surface of the ice.

“You say that like you know him,” Andrew countered.

“I know of him,” Julia replied. “He was a senior the year my brother made varsity as a freshman. I don’t know him well and I’m sure he wouldn’t know me if he saw me on the street.”

You’re such a dick. Why did I even bother coming on this stupid date? Oh yeah, that’s right. Sue insisted I needed to get out more, complete with designer outfit from her boutique.