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I sigh and give him a sideways look. “Did you just come here to chastise me?”

He chuckles and raps his fingers against the bar counter. “I came to check in on you. And to soothe the sting of my team not making it to the playoffs,” he adds, frowning.

“Speaking of playoffs,” I say, wincing, “I need to ask you a favor.”

CHAPTER THREE

Hazel

“Did you say playoffs? As in hockey?” I interject, even though I should probably keep the words to myself.

As soon as I saw Levi Carmichael in my bar section, my stomach dropped. I genuinely think the man hates me. That’s the only thing that can explain how cold and dismissive he is around me and other staff members.

“I did,” the older man says with a grimace. “I’m the general manager of the Detroit hockey team.”

I blink, stunned. “Are you Rhodes Bonavich?” I ask, my jaw dropping in awe.

If he looks shocked that I just dropped his full name in the conversation, he doesn’t show it. “I am,” he admits with a smile.

“Wow, my dad is a huge fan of yours. He followed your entire career. My whole childhood was hockey, believe it or not. Despite it, I chose to play golf in high school and college,” I ramble, still holding their drinks.

I bite my lip and place the beer and the Manhattan down in front of the two men who look at me like I’m an alien.

“Are you from Michigan?” Rhodes asks.

I nod vigorously. “I am. I moved here for college, got a golf scholarship at the University of Hartford.”

“I didn’t know you played,” Levi says, taking me by surprise.

It’s something in the way he says it, like he should have checked into my background or something, that makes my spine straighten.

“I do. Well, I did,” I say, deflating a little. “Hard to find the time now that I’ve graduated,” I add with a wince. It's hard to do anything nowadays with a mountain of medical bills to pay for my dad and a certification that I can’t get enough hours to complete.

“D1?” Levi asks, green eyes narrowing on me as he takes a sip of his drink.

I grit my teeth at his cold perusal and the reminder of my failed college career. No, Mr. Coldface-Carmichael, I had to take a semester away, which completely fucked my chances of turning pro after college and getting on the Epson tour.

I don’t say that. Instead, I paste on a smile and say, “D2. I’m working on my LPGA certification right now though. Won’t give up the dream to go pro someday.”

“That’s wonderful,” Rhodes says with a genuine smile.

I smile back and change the subject. “Can I get you anything else while you wait for food? Peanuts? Pretzels?”

“We’re good,” Levi says in his deep voice.

I swallow and walk away, focusing on making drinks for other patrons.

Rosie comes by when she has a free moment. “How’s it going with Levi and the silver fox he brought in?”

“Shh, be professional,” I chide.

She rolls her eyes and steals a cherry from the garnish bowl. I slap her hand away and give her a glare. I love Rosie, but she’s not exactly known for following the rules. As much as she’s saved me and covered my ass, she also got me in plenty of trouble in college.

“I was working the check-in desk earlier and got a peek at the reservations this week,” she says, biting her lip and raising her eyebrows at me.

I sigh and lean in. “What’s the tea?”

“Ezra is coming to town. He and Levi have a bunch of times booked on the calendar throughout the next week.”