Body Check by Deirdre Martin Page A

button-down blouse. She was with a tall, olive-skinned woman who looked like a kid in a candy store.
    His heart sank. He’d come here to unwind with his boys after a rough game, not fend off the publicist from hell. He wished she’d consider where she was and give it a rest for once. She had to know that one mention of PR or Kidco would find him draining his glass and heading back out into the chilly night. He hoped, then, that she had come for the same reason he did, to relax with friends.
    He returned to where he was sitting with Abby and Kevin Gill as Janna circulated amongst the other tables, introducing her friend to his players. His guys were gracious, welcoming. It made him feel proud. Of course, the friend was attractive, so it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was up. But the Chapter House tended to be a friendly place, which was why they all hung out there. Ty knew some people might think it was a real hole-in-the-wall, with its crummy old jukebox, dirt-caked windows, sawdust-covered floors and rickety old tables, but to his mind that was part of its charm. The wizened old bartender had been there forever and had a cache of entertaining tales about his days in the merchant marines that could keep you there all night. The atmosphere was low-key and the clientele were just regular working people, none of whom cared who the Blades were. It was a well-kept secret, a place where they could drink their beer in peace. Occasionally fans would show up, but Ty’s feeling was that if they were clever enough to figure out where the team hung out, then they deserved to share a drink or two with them.
    With the jukebox blasting some old hit from the ’60s—Ty thought maybe it was “American Woman” but he wasn’t sure—Janna and her sidekick eventually found their way to his table.
    â€œAbby, Kevin, Ty—” Her eyes held his for a split second longer than he would have liked—“I want you to meet my friend Theresa.”
    Kevin, ever friendly, raised his mug in salute. “Nice to meet you.”
    Ty echoed the sentiment, as did Abby.
    â€œNice to meet you, too,” Theresa replied.
    â€œWould you like to sit down?” Abby offered graciously.
    Smiling, Janna and Theresa pulled up two chairs and sat down. They weren’t seated for five seconds before Michael Dante, the team’s third line winger, sauntered over from the table he was sharing with Blades defenseman Burke Dalton and the “Russian Rocket,” Alexei Lubov. Dante smiled politely and offered to buy Theresa a drink. His two front teeth were missing. She smiled back, but declined.
    â€œJust one drink,” Dante urged, friendly. “We don’t bite.”
    â€œMaybe that’s part of the problem,” Ty quipped under his breath. Didn’t this Theresa realize that she was surrounded by men who, between them, had more false teeth than the residents of a nursing home? Janna scowled at him while Theresa appeared not to have heard. Realizing that she wasn’t going to change her mind, Dante shrugged affably and left. The scene repeated itself when his teammate, Burke Dalton, approached with the same question. This time Theresa accepted, and with a quick glance at Janna to make sure it was okay, followed Dalton back to his table.
    â€œWell, that was interesting,” observed Abby.
    â€œThat’s one word for it,” Janna muttered, a small frown creasing her brow.
    â€œWonder what Burke had that Michael didn’t,” Kevin mused aloud.
    â€œTeeth,” Janna answered grimly, looking nervously in Theresa’s direction.
    She’s worried about having to baby-sit her friend, Ty thought. And now he was worried about having to baby-sit her, about sitting here and wanting to make sure she had a good time. Why the hell did she have to come?
    â€œCan I get you something to drink?” Ty heard Kevin offering, which annoyed him. He was going to