Romancing the Grump (Appies, #4)

by Jenny Proctor

“All you need is a little hands-on demonstration.” Summer chuckles. “Is that so? Well, teach me then.” He holds up his own glass. “Okay. So this guy is the center, which puts him here.” He drops the glass in the middle of the table. “He’s usually the guy with the puck.” “Yeah, I am,” Van says, cocky like always. Alec pushes two more cups into position. “Over here, we have Eli, who isn’t here because he’s married now and can’t be bothered to show up, but he plays right wing. And over here, there’s Logan, who is left wing. The wings can do pretty much anything, offense or defense, depending on what the game needs.” I should leave. I’m not a part of the conversation, and I want to try to call Blake. But now I’m curious to know what Alec will say about me. And I’m more curious to know how Summer will respond. “Back here is where you have your defensemen,” Alec continues. “That’s where you’ll find Nathan and me. Our primary job is to cover Felix—the goalie—and keep the puck away from the net.” Summer’s eyes lift to mine for the briefest moment, then she looks back at the six-man team Alec organized. “Honestly, when I was watching practice today, it mostly seemed like a free-for-all. Everyone was skating everywhere.” “It only looks like that because the game moves so fast,” I say, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. I don’t know why I’m jumping in, and my teammates seem surprised that I’ve opened my mouth at all, but I keep talking anyway. “There’s always a little ro...