"He's always here."

"I don't think he's always here. It's hockey season. He plays a lot of games and he's frequently on the road. Maybe you just notice him when he is here."

"I guess. I don't know. It's hard to forget about someone you slept with when they keep showing up where you work."

"So he's bothering you."

"Not in the least. He ignores me."

"He blew you off."

"No. I dumped him."

Liz threw her hands in the air. "Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know. He's just...there. Reminding me."

"Of?"

She narrowed her gaze at Liz. "Are you sure you're not an attorney?"

Liz laughed. "I'm certain. But I know he's gotten to you, so what it is about him?"

"We had an amazing night together."

"So go have some more. No one says you have to marry the guy, but if you had fun with him, who cares if he plays sports? I know for a fact Ty isn't the settling-down type."

"He's not?"

"No."

Then maybe she'd been approaching this all wrong. Maybe she should just screw his brains out and get him out of her system, and then they could go their separate ways.

"You could be right. I just didn't get enough of him, and he's on my mind a lot. It's not like I care for him."

"Right. You just want more of that hot stuff he's offering."

She let out a snort. "Something like that."

"So go for it."

"If he's interested. Remember, I dumped him."

"Honey, he has a p.e.n.i.s. He's interested. And men are different than women, in case you haven't noticed. If he was hurt over being dumped, do you think he'd still be coming here?"

"Good point." Ty didn't act hurt. He still smiled and waved at her, he was still friendly. He'd just been maintaining his distance.

It was, after all, what she'd asked for. She'd told him it was over.

But now she didn't want it to be over.

Ugh. When had she become that woman?

"I don't know, Liz. He might think I'm crazy."

"We're all crazy. That's what makes women so interesting. Go up and talk to him."

"In front of my date for tonight?"

"Pfft. I'll take care of Dylan. I have some legal matters to talk over with him anyway. And if Dylan had the hots for you, no hockey team in the world would have been able to pull him away."

"Huh. So you're saying I wasn't exactly his type?"

"He likes big b.o.o.bs."

She gaped at her less-than-generous chest, then at Liz. "Why the h.e.l.l did you set him up with me?"

Liz shrugged. "To see if you'd go through with it."

"You are crazy."

"See? I told you." Liz slid off the bar stool and headed over to Dylan, pulled him away from his adoration of the Ice players, and led him to one of the tables. Ever a gentleman, he went where Liz directed him.

Not that Jenna expected him to do otherwise. Liz had a dominating presence and guys tended to do what they were asked to do when she was the one doing the commanding.

In fact, it took less than ten minutes for Liz to return to the bar with Dylan and grab her purse.

"There's a few papers in my office I need to go over with Dylan, so we're heading out."

Dylan shook her hand. "Really nice to meet you, Jenna. You have a great bar here."

"Nice to meet you, too, Dylan. Come back anytime."

She went around to kiss and hug Liz. "Thanks."

Liz's eyes sparkled with mischief. "You're welcome. Now make good use of your time."

It wasn't exactly in her realm of experience to make up with a guy she'd recently dumped. But in order to exorcise Ty from her life, she was going to have to get her fill of him, and that meant eating crow was in order.

Since Dylan had left and Renee was off waiting on her customers, the guys had moved back to the pool tables. Jenna didn't relish the idea of wading into a sea of Ice players to talk to Ty, and getting him alone might be problematic.

She pondered the situation, even considered giving Renee a note to give to him, then thought better of it. What if he shared it with his friends? They'd all laugh.

And this isn't high school, you idiot. Where are your b.a.l.l.s?

Sucking up her courage, she called one of the waitresses over to cover the bar and headed over to the group.

"How's it going tonight?"

"We are great. Steaks were good," Victor said with a smile.

"Hey, Jenna."

Ty smiled at her, seemed friendly.

"Hi."

"Sorry about monopolizing your date tonight."

"He wasn't my date. He was with Liz."

"Yeah, but she brought him here for you. I guess things didn't work out?"

She bit her cheek to keep from saying something she'd regret later. "I guess not."

"Too bad." He leaned against the pool table. "Maybe next time."

"Maybe."

This wasn't going at all like she'd planned. She pivoted to head back to the bar.

"Jenna."

"Yeah."

"Was there some reason you came over here?"

b.a.l.l.s, Jenna, remember? You dumped him. It's up to you to get him back.

She sucked in a breath and turned around, plastering on a smile. "Oh. Yeah. I was just wondering when you had a day off next."

"Wednesday. Why?"

"Would you like to come over? Maybe have pizza or something?"

She saw his brow arch, waited for him to make some remark.

"I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me after that night."

And there it was. She deserved it.

"I changed my mind."

He didn't say anything for the longest time.

That was it. He was going to say no and she was going to be humiliated.

Dumba.s.s. You should have known better.

"I like pizza."

She exhaled. Thank you, Ty. "Great. How about seven?"

"Sure. See you then."

She swallowed, those b.u.t.terflies stomping around in her stomach. d.a.m.n them.

Soon enough she'd send those b.u.t.terflies off to fly around in someone else's belly. She just had to get Ty out of her system. And when she did, the b.u.t.terflies would go away.

TWELVE.

TY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT JENNA WAS DOING.

He'd seen the parade of guys she'd been trying to date-h.e.l.l, he'd sent a few of them her way. He'd also noticed none of them had stuck around. He wasn't too unhappy about that. He'd gambled on setting her up with some of those guys. None of them had been losers. But he also knew her type-him. It had just taken her a while to figure that out.

Maybe he wasn't exactly the man of her dreams, yet here he was, driving up to her place again. At her invitation. She hadn't exactly forfeited the game, but she was obviously trying to exorcise some demons-with him in the starring role of Beelzebub.

He grinned as he grabbed a bottle of wine from the pa.s.senger seat and headed to the front door.

This should be interesting.

She opened the door and he drank in the sight of her dressed in skin-tight jeans and a loose fitting top that fell over one shoulder, revealing skin he wanted to sink his teeth into. She was barefoot, her toenails painted black and white.

Cute.

"Hey," she said, smiling as she let him in.

"Hey yourself. You look nice."

"Thanks. I'm starving, so what kind of pizza do you like?"

"Anything with meat on it."

"Good. That's the kind I like, too. I'll go order it." She looked at the bottle of Cabernet in his hand. "Wine?"

"I like wine. It goes good with pizza."

"It does, actually. Corkscrew is in the right-hand top drawer next to the sink. Go ahead and open it while I call for the pizza. Gla.s.ses are in the cabinet above the dishwasher."

He went into the kitchen, opened the wine, and found two gla.s.ses. He leaned against the counter, letting the wine breathe for a few minutes. Jenna came in.

"You know wine."