it through some sauce. "No."
"His first name isn't Alex?"
"No again." I popped the food into my mouth then reached for the glass of iced tea, hoping the two women would get the hint. I don't think they did because Jacqui leaned closer and studied me long enough that I had the insane urge to squirm in my seat.
"Then you're luckier than you realize, cher."
"Lucky? Sure, if you say so." Yeah, Brandon and I were both lucky that we weren't saddling the other with an unwanted spouse. My lock ran out after that point. I was in a city I wasn't familiar with. I had no money and no job and no chance of getting either. At best, I figured I had maybe one night of having a roof over my head—only because the man sitting next to me was entirely too trusting for his own good. The only clothes I had were the few outfits I'd crammed into my rolling duffle bag before coming down here a week ago—which was pretty much my entire wardrobe.
But hey, yeah, I was definitely lucky.
Not.
I pushed the mostly empty plate away then sat back and studied Jacqui. If watching her made her uncomfortable, she didn't show it. Then again, I had a feeling she was probably used to being the subject of a few stares.
Or maybe not. This was, after all, New Orleans.
"You wouldn't be interested in buying a wedding gown, would you?"
"Do I look like the marrying kind, cher?"
"Not to wear. To resell or something."
"My shop doesn't do consignment."
"I wasn't looking for consignment, I just need to sell it outright."
"Bad memories?"
"No. Lack of funds."
"Hm." Her gaze met mine for a long minute and I wondered what she thought when she looked at me. What did she see? A con artist? A woman down on her luck? A hopeless loser?
I wasn't any of those things so she could think whatever she wanted and it wouldn't bother me. At least, it shouldn't.
"Bring it into the shop tomorrow, cher. I might be able to find someone who can take it off your hands."
I swallowed back my surprise and nodded. "I will. Thanks."
"And after that, you can join us for the game."
I didn't bother to hide my confusion when I turned toward Addy. "Game? What game?"
"The Bourdons."
"The who?"
"The Bourdons." Addy motioned toward the men around us with a small nod. "That's who they all play for."
"They who?" I glanced over at Dylan but he was engrossed in conversation with the other men and not paying any attention to us. I turned back to Addy and wondered why she and Jacqui were both smiling. "Them?"
"Yes, them. They're hockey players."
"Hockey players?"
"Yes. My daddy owns the team. The Bourdons."
I opened my mouth then just as quickly closed it. I wasn't sure what I was more surprised about: the fact that the woman across from me had actually referred to her father as Daddy with a straight face, or the fact that the men around us were professional athletes.
I sat back and let my gaze wander back to Dylan as thoughts and possibilities spun through my mind.
Maybe my luck was starting to turn. Maybe stumbling into Dylan's apartment by mistake had been the big break I so desperately needed.
Chapter Five
Dylan
"Is it always so crowded down here?"
"Yeah, pretty much." I placed my hand in the middle of Morgan's back and steered her out of the path of a few lurching drunks. She stiffened at my touch and I started to drop my hand and apologize but she smiled and stepped closer. Probably she was just glad not to be run over.
Maybe.
I was getting mixed signals from her and wasn't sure what to think. For the first part of the night, she was mostly aloof, holding herself back from everyone else. And why wouldn't she? She didn't know anyone there except me. Technically she didn't know me, either, but my mind kept skirting around that small fact. I was also skirting around the fact that she was practically a married woman. Okay, technically she wasn't—but she could be. If she hadn't run away this morning, she would be.
So why the hell was I feeling myself being pulled toward her? Yes, she was cute, but she wasn't really my type. My type tended to be blonde and curvy with no interest in strings of any kind.
Morgan was a redhead—maybe. Mostly reddish brown. Was that same thing? And while she had some curves, they weren't all that big...although she did have a nice ass. Not