Dropped Gloves (Five for Fighting #5) Read online

  Thankfully the guy was traded or just fell off the world shortly after the date. If Lisa had to spend even ten minutes on opposite sides of the arena with that guy, she would’ve quit her job. A shiver snaked through her body just thinking about it.

  “Come on, Lisa. It wasn’t that bad.” Casey smiled as brightly as she could, showing off her perfectly aligned teeth. The way her green eyes sparkled like she knew some secret always threw Lisa off.

  “You’re joking. The guy asked me to have sex with him right there in front of you and Dylan.” Lisa started shaking her head side to side. “No, that’s not right. He asked if I wanted to go back to his place and play hide the salami.”

  Casey had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. That clued Lisa in on just how serious Casey took the whole matchmaking deal. She could claim she was just trying to find someone for all her friends so they could have the great life she and Dylan shared, but she enjoyed watching the mistakes as much as the matches.

  Lisa was almost thirty and it felt like she didn’t have a lot of time left to spend on mistakes. She wasn’t doing great on her own trying to find a guy, but that was the disadvantage of working all the time. Finding the guy she wanted to marry would take the perfect alignment of the stars, and Lisa was fine waiting for that to happen.

  The chuckles from her companion went on for another few seconds, giving Lisa a chance to look around the suite they were settled in for the game. Lisa usually sat down in the stands, even though she’d been invited upstairs before. They considered her part of the team, which was a little odd since all she did was sing a song or two a night.

  The executive suite the players’ wives sat in was far beyond the luxury Lisa was used to. The heated leather chairs that felt like sitting on a cloud reminded Lisa she was out of her usual comfort zone. Not to mention all the fancy catering that had been set out on granite-top tables and the two large flat screens, with one showing the game below and the other tuned to another game.

  Singing anthems didn’t really pay the bills, so most of her time was spent waitressing. Needless to say, chilled caviar didn’t make it to her dinner table. When she wasn’t at the diner, she was writing music and recording whenever she could. Like tons of other people out there, she hoped one day someone would fall in love with her voice and sign her to a label.

  After moving from her tiny hometown across the country to be where she thought she could be noticed, Lisa realized that every other country bumpkin in the world had the same dream. The word bumpkin drove her crazy, but it seemed to be what the talent agents she talked to wanted to brand her.

  “So I was a little off with Tim,” Casey’s words brought Lisa out of her thoughts. The wording Casey used caused a scowl to transform Lisa’s face. “Okay, maybe little isn’t the right word.”

  Casey lifted her arms out in front of her defensively. Lisa was trying to pay attention to the game. It was just past the ten-minute mark of the second period, so the game was halfway over. Making it through the whole game with Casey prodding her wasn’t going to be a lot of fun.

  “Who’s the guy?” Jumping straight to the details would hopefully get the pain over quickly. Lisa didn’t know much about the players, but she was pretty sure she could come up with excuses to not spend time with all of them.

  “Don’t you think it’d be more fun if it was a surprise? I promise he’s not going to ask to play hide the salami.” The snort as Casey finished her words didn’t exactly instill confidence.

  “No, I don’t think it’d be more fun. It’s not like your house offers the chance to excuse myself to the bathroom to climb out a window to get away.”

  Lisa lived in an efficiency apartment out of necessity. Casey and Dylan owned a house barely bigger than her apartment, and they had two small children living in the space. Lisa had a dog, but Pepe didn’t take up anywhere near the room children did.

  “Why do you think I invite people over instead of going out to a restaurant?”

  “Because you enjoy watching people squirm,” Jasmine Truedel voiced from behind them.

  Casey intimidated Lisa, but she was scared to even make eye contact with the former actress. She was more beautiful in person than seeing her on a movie screen. Being on the other end of the looks spectrum made Lisa uneasy around the woman.

  Lisa didn’t turn around to acknowledge Jasmine visually, but she did nod slightly. If they stopped to do a quick poll, chances were everyone in the suite would agree with Jasmine’s words. Lisa wasn’t close with any of the people around her, but she knew most of them by reputation. Pointing out her awkwardness around Jasmine didn’t really convey how uneasy being around the hockey wives and girlfriends made her feel.

  “That’s unfair, Jas. I just think it’s rude for people to disappear from a dinner without saying goodbye.”

  Hands settling on the back of Lisa’s chair caused her shoulders to jerk up and forward some. “Don’t worry. Not all of us bite,” Jasmine whispered into her ear.

  “And you think I like watching people squirm. I’m sure Lisa hadn’t even thought about us being a cannibalistic cult yet.”

  Listening to Casey and Jasmine go back and forth could have made for an hour or two of enjoyment, but Lisa wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to listen before running out the door.

  “Truth be told, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have thought that, but let’s get back to you telling me who you’re trying to set me up with this time. I didn’t ask last time, and we both know where that got me.”

  Since Tim hadn’t remained on the team long, the horrible experience didn’t live on longer than the first date. He seemed like the kind of guy who needed to be told a couple of times it wasn’t going to happen before he moved on.

  “Can the rest of us at least try to guess who Casey thinks is your perfect guy? It might not be fun for you, but we’re always curious to try to get into the workings of Casey’s matchmaking mind.” There was a slight hint of excitement in Jasmine’s voice. Lisa could feel the other woman’s hands grip tighter on the chair as she waited for the answer.

  Lisa’s life had become a bit of a joke, so hearing others wanted to play a game at her expense wasn’t too surprising. The idea of prolonging her excuses to get out of dinner wasn’t preferred, but it would give Casey less time to beat her over the head to get her to agree.

  “Go ahead. No one in this room knows anything about me, so I’m kind of curious who you guys see me matched up with.” That wasn’t exactly the truth, but it sounded polite enough.

  “Curt,” someone yelled out before Lisa finished talking.

  Lisa didn’t know who all the women were, and the one who spoke didn’t bother turning around from her chair down in the front row. Lisa also didn’t know who most of the players on the team were. She came to the arena, sang and then sat in the stands to show her support. Sports in general weren’t really her thing, but she watched along and pretended she understood what was going on.

  “Really?” Casey was quick to comment. “We’ve already mentioned things with Tim didn’t work out, but you think she’d hit it off with Curt.”

  Jasmine huffed a laugh. Lisa wanted to ask her if she’d sit back in her chair, but didn’t want to be rude.

  “I heard he hasn’t taken a woman home in over a week. Sounds like he’s looking to settle down to me.” The original woman who suggested the guy provided evidence to back up her choice.

  Lisa wished she had one of the programs they handed out at the door to at least be able to put a name to a face. She was curious what the guy looked like and whether he was one of the guys on the team who looked like they’d had their face smashed in a few too many times from other guys’ fists. Lisa was pretty sure she didn’t have half a chance with most of the pretty guys on the team.

  “It’s not Curt. Any other guesses?” Casey didn’t explain further, but it sounded like the guy had never been considered. That alleviated some of the fear Lisa had that Casey would set her up with every single player until
one of them stuck.

  “How about Taylor?” Jasmine suggested, diving right into an explanation before Casey could question the choice. “He’s one of the older guys on the team, so he should be past the point of crudely propositioning someone, and he’s a huge fan of country music. That’s what you prefer to sing, right?”

  The question was unexpected. Lisa sat up in her chair and finally turned to the woman who’d become part of the conversation five minutes prior. Lisa still wasn’t ready to make eye contact, so she focused on Jasmine’s nose. It was small and perfect, just like Lisa thought it would be up close.

  “Why would you say that?” Lisa didn’t hide her confusion. Jasmine had guess right, but she only sang anthems at the arena.

  Jasmine’s full red lips turned up at the corners as she smiled. “I know you’re a woman of mystery, but I figure with that accent you’re trying to master, chances are good you were a little more country than pop.” Jasmine scrunched down slightly in her chair, making it impossible to get away from her chocolate colored eyes. “And before you say something about just being an anthem singer, there’s no way with the talent you have that that’s all you want to do in life.”

  Lisa just stared at the woman for a few seconds while she thought about a response. She tried to tell herself it wasn’t because the intenseness in Jasmine’s eyes made it impossible to look away, but she decided lying to herself was silly. Jasmine could easily stop a person in their tracks from just one look.

  When Lisa could finally look away, she glanced over to Casey, wanting to hear whether the guess was right. The sly smile on Casey’s face really didn’t spell anything out.

  “Taylor is probably a good match, but I’m actually working on getting him with someone else. If things don’t work out, maybe I’ll reconsider.” She shrugged and waited for the next guess.

  Evidently everyone thought they were matchmakers, and ten different women shared who they thought Lisa should date. There were a few names Lisa recognized from watching games that she could match with faces. She didn’t need to wait for Casey to turn those ones down. Anyone who had shorter hair than she did and used three times the amount of hair products wasn’t a great match for Lisa.

  “Are you trying to hook her up with a married man?” Jasmine asked. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s what we’re down to now.”

  Lisa’s eyes had moved around the suite, trying to watch everyone as they made their guesses. She wanted to see if anyone was really making jokes at her expense or if they were just having a little fun. No one seemed to spit out sarcasm or venom.

  “I’m in the business of making couples, not breaking them up.”

  “Really? I wasn’t aware you charged for your service? John never showed me a bill.”

  It was hard for Lisa to tell if Casey and Jasmine were actually friends. Something told her that they spent more time arguing than having fun. Or maybe arguing was what the two women considered fun. If that was the case, Lisa wasn’t going to fit in well with them. Any kind of disagreement generally had her trying to find a place to hide. She’d spent over half her life trying to get away from arguments, so she was close to perfecting her skills.

  “You know what I mean, Jas. I don’t know why no one thought to guess Ryan. I know he’s new, but he’s been around long enough that someone should’ve thought of him.”

  The way the room quieted so a pin drop could be heard didn’t settle well with Lisa. Most of the group was following the conversation, but there had been side conversations going on the whole time. Even the kids in the suite seemed to sense something was up and quieted down.

  “You want to match innocent little Lisa up with the guy on the team no one likes?” There was clear disbelief, and maybe even a little disgust, in Jasmine’s voice.

  Lisa took offense to the innocent comment. She hadn’t grown up in the city, but she wasn’t totally green in the way things worked.

  “The guys on the team just aren’t used to him being on their side. It doesn’t help that not one of them have beat him in a fight. If they just let their egos simmer down a little, they’d have no problem with him. Anyway, the team isn’t who I’m trying to have over for dinner. I think Lisa and Ryan will have plenty in common.”

  Through the whole process of sitting around while guesses were thrown out, Lisa hadn’t really gotten involved. She figured it was better to be invisible, but they were coming to the end of the game, and that meant her input was finally needed.

  Until Jasmine had spoken up, her plan had been pretty simple. She was going to claim she had an early shift at the diner and staying out until midnight wasn’t in the cards for the night. Hearing the innocent stereotype thrown at her changed things a little.

  “What time do you want me to come over?” Lisa knew she’d regret the decision eventually, but in the moment it seemed like the right thing to do.

  She had no idea who Ryan was, only that he was new to the team and it sounded like he was a fighter. Sadly, it sounded like he was a pretty good fighter, so his face may not be totally broken. That didn’t mean he’d pass as an underwear model like some of the team, so Lisa would just have to wait and see how mismatched they were based on looks.

  Growing up, looks had never been that important. Coming to the big city changed that. Some agents took one look at her and dismissed her mousy brown hair and dull brown eyes. Or maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t a size two with boobs that stuck out a mile in front of her.

  “You can’t be serious. At least do an internet search of the guy before you make a commitment,” Jasmine suggested, bringing Lisa out of her little pity party “It sounded like you didn’t want to be set up from the get go, and you were absolutely right when it comes to him.”

  “Don’t listen to her. Before he joined the team he was the only player out there to get her husband off his game. Jasmine doesn’t like to watch John miss saves. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but the only times she’s been quiet is when she’s been pouting because of the two goals that have gone passed him.”

  Lisa hadn’t noticed, but at the moment she was more concerned about how much Casey’s expression had softened once Lisa had agreed to dinner. It was hard to figure out how to take the slight changes in her smile and eyes. She’d been smiling most of the time, but it somehow seemed sincerer.

  “I’ll let you two work whatever is going on between you when I’m not around. For now, I just want to finish watching the game and make it through the night without plotting your death.” It wasn’t a great idea to threaten Casey with death, but putting the idea out there would hopefully keep the other woman from pushing too much.

  “Once you and Ryan hit it off, Jasmine isn’t going to have a leg to stand on.” A disgruntled scoff behind Lisa told her otherwise, but Casey didn’t let that stop her from her thoughts. “You already know where the house is, so after the game, just head that way. I don’t know how quickly we’ll be able to get everyone together, but it shouldn’t take us too long.”

  At the very least that gave Lisa another option to get out of things. If Casey and Dylan didn’t show up with their crew within thirty minutes, they couldn’t complain about her not being there when they showed up. It was a little rude, but Casey knew Lisa wasn’t interested in the setup from the beginning. When things didn’t work out the way she wanted, it wasn’t like she could really complain.

  Chapter Three

  Ryan was fairly certain he’d made a wrong turn. There were no lights down the gravel road he thought Dylan claimed would lead him to their small home. He’d been warned they didn’t live close to town, but Ryan hadn’t prepared to be part of some horror movie setup.

  As he was looking at the side of the road, hoping he’d find a place wide enough to reverse directions and give up on the idea of dinner, a faint glow finally appeared as he crested a hill. Faint was a bit of an understatement. A house lit up like an airfield, and the fact that it looked to be just the right size for a doll, told him he was in the right place.


  Slamming on the brakes, he was able to make the turn into the driveway. Dylan and Casey didn’t seem like the most private people, so it was interesting how remote they were being right next to a city with millions of people. Ryan felt like his life was somewhat remote since he’d moved, but that wasn’t from a lack of trying to be around people.

  There were a couple of cars parked in front of the well-lit house. Ryan’s eyes were focused on trying to figure out if his large frame would even fit in the front door, so he somewhat unconsciously pulled next to one of the cars and came to a stop. Dylan was a little smaller than him, so he assumed things would be okay, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

  His coach had warned that the family would probably take a few minutes to get there, and since no one came running out to greet him, he was fairly certain he beat them home. After putting the car in park and removing the key from the ignition, Ryan sat back and closed his eyes.

  It was almost midnight and he’d been talked into a blind double date. He didn’t generally like dates when it was him picking the woman and the restaurant. Having no idea who he was setup with and having dinner at his boss’ house seemed like a giant step backwards.

  A soft knock on his window startled him and his eyes flew open. It was so quiet out in the middle of nowhere that he hadn’t realized one of the cars wasn’t empty. It was either that or the woman he found staring at him was just as lost as he’d felt moments before.

  Without the beacon coming from the nearby house, Ryan wouldn’t have been able to make out any features on the woman. As it was, he thought he could see things pretty clearly. Some people probably wouldn’t have considered the girl-next-door vibe she was giving off a mark of beauty, but Ryan didn’t find her to be plain.