Grant smiled and waved. Fans lifted their drinks to toast them, but quickly returned to their conversations with the people sitting at their tables.
“Shall we?” Grant jerked his head at the bar.
Vinny nodded. “You know it.”
The hot-headed defender ordered two shots, both for himself, while Grant just got a beer. Most of the players took it easy when it came to drinking—especially during the season. They relied on their bodies being in peak shape so that they were able to play their best.
Vinny...well, he happened to be the anomaly. He would drink heavily all night, wake up bright and early without even the slightest headache, and be ready to give it his all for the group workout—assuming someone didn’t piss him off about whatever random thing made him feel explosive that day.
The defender kicked back both shots, slammed the small glasses on the table, and walked over to a table filled with fans.
Grant grabbed his pint and faced the rest of the bar. Though not everyone was there for the after party, a large number of the people mingling were wearing green and black—the Storm’s colors. He wished he had the confidence to walk over to a table full of strangers and talk like Vinny, but Grant still felt so new. He worried about what to say. He didn’t know the team history and stats like the die-hard fans here did.
Hell, he’d been completely oblivious to the Silas drama at the beginning of the season. Grant didn’t realize that Silas used to play for the Storm until he’d overheard it in the locker room after one of their first practices. Now at the bar with fans, he was worried he would say—or do—the wrong thing and look like an idiot.
Grant’s gaze moved around the room until they landed on a small booth off in a corner. On one side were Miriam and Silas. On the other were Finn and the gorgeous redhead. They were talking excitedly and laughing like they were all the best of friends.
“It’s weird to see Finn and Silas acting like they didn’t have a grudge for the first part of the season, isn’t it?”
Grant turned his head to find Bastian standing beside him. The veteran player lifted his glass of water at Grant.
Grant lifted his beer before turning back to the double date in the booth. Finn was laughing at something his date was saying. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Finn look so happy.”
Bastian shrugged. “Yeah, Emmeline has a way of bringing out that part of him.”
Emmeline.
It was nice to finally have a name to go along with the face, not that it would do Grant any good now. Just seeing the two interact made it obvious that they loved each other. When Emmeline leaned her head on Finn’s shoulder, Grant turned his entire body so that it faced Bastian. “How long have they been dating?”
Bastian, who had taken a sip of his water, started to choke. The choke soon became a hearty laugh. “Dating? They’re not dating.”
“But…” Grant lowered his brows as he glanced in their direction once more. They looked awfully comfortable together.
“Emmeline is Finn’s sister.”
Grant’s cheeks flushed. Oh course she was. Now that he looked at them, he could see the resemblance. While Finn’s hair was more auburn and Emmeline’s a brighter red, they both had similar complexions, and their noses were the same.
“But Finn is going to die when he hears that you thought they were dating. Florida can be pretty messed up, but we draw the line at first cousins.”
Grant laughed to cover his embarrassment at his mistake. “And how much is it going to take for you to keep your mouth shut?”
“Oh, no.” Bastian shook his head and smiled with pure glee. “This is way too good not to share.”
He groaned. “Seriously?”
“Come on, it’s funny.”
“And embarrassing. I hate that I keep making all these rookie mistakes.”
“Alright. It’ll be our little secret.” He slapped Grant’s back. “I’m going to go talk to some fans for a bit. Enjoy your beer, but make sure you do the same. Fans come out to these events because they want to interact with us, not watch us talk to each other.”
Grant looked down at his drink and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
With an encouraging smile, Bastian walked off and started talking to some people on the other end of the bar. Once Grant was alone, he allowed the wave of embarrassment to wash over him. The number of mistakes he’d made was piling up by the minute.
At least it wasn’t all bad. He’d not only found out Emmeline’s name but also that she wasn’t off-limits because she was dating Finn. This was good.
But not nearly as good as when Emmeline walked up to the bar a couple feet from where he stood. She leaned up against the wood countertop and waited for the bartender to notice her. It didn’t take long—shocker—and once she finished ordering a margarita, Grant closed the distance between them. “Hey.”
She looked up and gave him a small smile. “Hey.”
“I’m Grant.”
She turned her gaze back toward the bar. “I know.”
“Oh yeah?” Feeling bold by her admission, he leaned against the counter next to her.
A small smile tugged at her lips. “It helps when your name is on the back of your jersey.”
“But I’m not wearing my jersey.”
“You had it on at the game.”
“It says Vaughn, not Grant.”
She turned her head and looked at him again, the smile on her lips growing slightly. “Fine. After you stopped playing in the middle of the game, I asked Miriam who you were.”
He waggled his brows. “So you were asking about me?”
Still smiling, Emmeline rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Grant pressed his hand against his chest. “Ouch.”
She rolled her eyes.
But the smile on her lips encouraged him to press his luck further. “Wanna hear a secret?”
Emmeline lifted a brow.
He leaned in a little and lowered his voice.
