WAG for Hire

Jordan could feel the nervous energy radiating off Toby as they entered the bar. Although she no longer looked as if she was going to jump out of her skin, she was not relaxed. He supposed it was normal – to be a little nervous. Hell, he was surprised to find himself a little shaky.

It’s not as if he had never introduced them to a girl before – he had on numerous occasions. But then, he had known already that they wouldn’t be around that long; they were just there in the moment. In those instances he hadn’t cared whether or not his friends truly liked the girl in question. Toby was supposed to represent the real thing – a long term relationship and all that came with it. It was important to him that they see the real Toby, and that they like her.

He spotted Marc and Vero in a booth in the back. Max was seated across from them and he could tell they were all engrossed on conversation. He caught Vero’s eye first. She smiled and gave a little wave. “There they are,” he said quietly to his companion. He didn’t think he imagined it when she gripped his hand tighter. He squeezed back, his way of letting her know that everything was going to be all right.

They worked their way through the small crowd and reached the table just in time to get an ear full of rapid fire French between Marc and Max. Jordan couldn’t even pretend that he could keep up. He glanced back to see that Toby had raised both her eyebrows. Jordan gave Vero a questioning look. She responded by rolling her eyes. “Oh, these boys – arguing about the silliest things,” she began before she switched to French herself. She spoke sternly and his teammates fell silent.

Jordan grinned as he took in the sight of two sheepish looking grown men. “And why aren’t you the assistant coach yet?”

“Oh, you like me now,” Vero said as she leaned into Marc, who seemed placated by the move. “But you wouldn’t like it when I was screaming at you to pick up your feet!”

“True,” Jordan conceded. He became aware of how Toby was pressed right up against him now. Her hand had gone clammy in his. The sooner he introduced her the sooner everyone would realize what a great person she was – the sooner she could relax and he could stop worrying that she was going to hit the roof. “Everyone, this is Toby Cross…” All three spoke at once, and Max was extending his hand. Toby gave Jordan a look before she reached out and shook it. His teammate was grinning like a fool. Well, at least Jordan knew they thought she was pretty. “Toby, the idiot trying to hold your hand is Max, the other one is Marc and the pretty lady in the back is Veronique but she lets us call her Vero.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Toby said quietly.

“Have a seat!” Max announced, patting the padded spot right next to him.

Jordan made a face. Using his grip on her hand he helped her into the booth next to Marc. He gave Max a pointed look as he squeezed in next to her. The movement caused Vero to shift to her right and everyone followed suit. “Is this everyone?” It seemed manageable – as long as he could keep Max from being his usual charming self.

“TK called to say that he and Kelsey might stop by. Kris is here somewhere but a blonde walked by and I haven’t seen him since,” Marc explained as he toyed with the bottle of beer in front of him.

Hopefully he’ll stay gone.

Jordan frowned at his sudden uncontrolled thought. He glanced around to be sure that he hadn’t actually said the words out loud. No one was looking at him as if he had two heads. Toby, however, was looking at him as if he was her only life line. He reckoned that at the moment he was. He gave her a small smile, wishing he could lean over and whisper in her ear that everything was going to be all right.

He settled for finding her hand again.



Toby felt less like a freak on display then she thought would. Yes, they were stealing glances at her and Max seemed to have enormous range with his eyebrows but she wasn’t looking for the nearest exit. Next to her Marc was finishing off his beer, grinning in a rather charming way at something Vero had said. She had no understanding of French but from the look that passed between them Toby knew that it was one of those things that couples do – and not about her and her awkwardness.

Vero tore her eyes away from her boyfriend and met Toby’s. “I hear you are a student at the university. What are you studying?”

“Dental hygiene,” she answered, glad that the first question out of the gate was something mild. Earlier in the day she had been convinced that one of them would shine a bright light on her and demand to know every detail about her life and her intentions toward Jordan.

“Really?” Max piped up. “Will you check my teeth?” Before she could even react he had leaned over the table, his mouth open wide. Toby felt Jordan tense beside her and gave his hand a squeeze. If anything, Max was proving to be amusing.

Perhaps Vero didn’t think so because she swatted at him with a napkin. “This is why you don’t have a girlfriend, Maxime.”

Max sat back and an easy grin spread across his face. “I don’t want a girlfriend.” Toby couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the display. Max tilted his head and looked pointedly at Vero. “See? She likes me just as I am.”

“You’ll learn soon enough,” Marc mumbled.

With that out the way, Vero seemed to turn back to her original train of thought. “So Jordan finally decided to find a girl with a brain – good for him.” Toby glanced over at Jordan, with a raised eyebrow. She was able to summarize from Vero’s words and his slightly guilty look that perhaps brains was low on Jordan’s list of what was important in a girl. She had an image of him on a date with a woman whose IQ matched her shoe size. She bit her lip to keep from laughing again. Her little daydream was shattered however when Vero clapped her hands together. “Come on now, out with it. I want to hear my favourite part.”

Toby looked confused. “Favourite part?”

“Vero is a hopeless romantic. She likes to hear how people met,” Marc clarified.

“Oh.” She glanced back at Jordan suddenly thankful that they had had the foresight to think of an answer. With a smile, she turned back to Vero who looked eager for a little tidbit. “It’s nothing too special really – he used to come into the diner where I worked. And uh…” she found herself looking at Jordan again. “…well, I guess I couldn’t resist his handsome face.”

“Oh, poor thing needs her eyes checked,” Max blurted out and almost earned himself another swat from Vero.

“What can I say? I didn’t go there for the food,” Jordan added. “I was a repeat customer for one reason only and thankfully, she is sitting next to me.”

“Great, Staal, now you did it – she’s got that wistful look on her face,” Marc pointed out.

“I don’t see why you are complaining. It should work in your favour later on this evening,” Max countered.

Toby leaned back in her seat, not realizing what a rigid pose she had adopted until then. She was glad that the teasing banter seemed to eclipse her intrusion into the group. The guys seemed more focused on one upping the other than on seeking out possible holes in their story or quizzing her within an inch of her sanity. A waitress came by and took Marc’s empty bottle as well as orders. She, Jordan and Marc decided on a beer. Vero ordered some complicated sounding mixture and Max another Diet Coke. When the waitress left to fill their order, she looked straight at Max (she was beginning to realize it was a dangerous thing to do. “Designated driver?” Toby asked.

Max made a rather glum face. “They have promised me a present. I hope she has a nice set of…” He yelped suddenly, his body jerking back. Toby jumped too. It took her a moment to realize that Jordan had kicked him under the table. “Okay, okay, message firmly received. I will tone it down for the newcomer.”

“Merci, Maxime,” Vero said. A few moments later she was smiling as her brightly coloured drink was set down in front of her.

Toby used her free hand to take her beer. The camaraderie between them all was easily apparent and it didn’t take her long to realize that they were doing what they could to ensure that she was included in the conversation. She began to wonder why she had even been nervous in the first place.

“You strike out with the blonde, buddy?” Max asked with a rather loud laugh, causing Toby to swivel her head away from Vero. She watched as a handsome man with shaggy hair threw himself down beside Max. He must be Kris.

“I never strike out,” he muttered and she realized that like Marc, Max and Vero, he too was French. He held a slip of paper between two fingers, digits to a phone number clearly visible. “I didn’t want to abandon my friends…”

“Bullshit, she had to go, huh?” Marc asked.

“Late shift,” Kris confirmed. He looked straight across the table, right at her and she immediately felt a shift in Jordan’s body. “Well hello.”

In what seemed like one quick movement Jordan let go of her hand, threw his arm around her, and pulled her close.

Toby blinked.



What a stupid move, Jordan thought.

Not only did Toby tense up immediately but from the look Kris was giving him it was clear that the Frenchman knew what Jordan had done. It was a gut reaction really – he never had put much stock into Kris making eyes at anyone he had brought around. But he knew from past experience that Kris could easily divest anyone of their date.

Not that he thought Toby would ever go for a guy like Kris. She seemed too shy, too reserved to ever allow Kris to work his magic over her. Still, he knew the defenseman liked a challenge and he wanted to be sure that Kris understood that she wasn’t one of those girls, the kind whose name he would have forgotten within a few weeks. Kris tipped his bottle toward him.

Message received.

Toby shifted against him, moving away slightly. She brought her hand up and reached across the table. “I’m Toby,” she said.

Jordan watched closely as Kris took her hand. He had witnessed Kris go all out over something as simple as an introduction depending on his mood and how many beer he had consumed. Thankfully, he gave Toby’s hand a firm shake and released it. But there was a smile on his face that told Jordan he had briefly considered wreaking a little havoc.
His arm was still slung over Toby’s shoulder as the conversation returned to something resembling normal.

With everyone else engrossed in a conversation about just how badly they were going to pound the Washington Capitals later on that week, Jordan leaned over so his lips were near her ear. When he spoke, it was in a quiet tone, just for her. “Are you okay?”

Toby twisted a little, so she was looking up at him. “Perfectly fine,” she told him and she gave him no reason to think that she wasn’t telling the truth. For good measure, she smiled.

When Jordan turned his attention back to the group he found Max giving him a shit eating grin. No doubt Talbot thought he was whispering plans for later that night in her ear. He was okay with Max believing that. With a grin of his own, he threw himself into the conversation.

He was laughing at a joke Marc had made at the expense of the Capitals’ most famous player when he felt a nudge in his side. Toby. He looked down, wondering if the hockey talk was suddenly becoming too much for her. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said quietly. Which meant he needed extract his arm and move. He didn’t want to – he had gotten comfortable with her resting against him. He had to comply though. She excused herself as she got out of the booth.

“Wait! I need the little girls’ room myself,” Vero announced and gave Marc a shove. He followed Jordan’s lead and slid out the booth. Jordan was trying to assess the situation as Vero moved to stand next to Toby. Did she really need to go? Or was Vero being Vero and looking for a chance to speak to Toby alone? His eyes moved to Toby’s face and he wondered if she was nervous at being alone with someone he told her always looked out for her friends. “Don’t miss us too much,” Vero told the group before she and Toby disappeared into the crowd.

Jordan watched until he could not see them anymore before taking a temporary seat at the end of the booth. When he looked back, the three guys were all looking at him. “What?”

“I like her,” Marc announced. “A little quiet but then again she doesn’t know any of us all that well yet.” Max and Kris nodded in agreement.

“You got it bad,” Max announced a moment later. “It’s cute really. I can’t wait until you start holding her purse.”

“Fuck you,” Jordan responded immediately. Still, he was glad that Max thought that – he hadn’t realized that his concern for Toby’s comfort and his desire to ensure that the rouse continued would come across as genuine feeling.

“Leave the boy alone,” Kris interjected. “If I had a beautiful girl like that curled up next to me I might be tempted to hold a purse.” He grinned as he took a sip of his beer.

Jordan leaned forward. “I know what you’re doing, you little bastard,” he announced although there was no real heat behind his words.

“It’s not my fault you fall into it so easily. Dance puppet dance,” Kris easily avoided Jordan’s hand shooting out in his direction.

He settled back against the booth, deciding to ignore Kris for the time being. He glanced toward the other side of the bar, hoping to catch sight Toby or Vero. Just how long did it take for a girl to go to the bathroom? He had a vision of Vero locking the door behind her and demanding that Toby tell her everything. He liked Vero but sometimes she cared too much for her own good. Finally he saw them, weaving through the crowd. Toby didn’t look devastated. In fact, he detected a hint of a smile on her face. He stood as the two approached the table.

Kris stood too, his eyes containing a mischievous glint. “Would you like to dance?” He asked, his question clearly directed to Toby.

Jordan mentally added Kris to his growing list of teammates to bump in practice. He stepped in between the two. “Sorry, buddy, I have first dibs,” he announced, turning back to Toby who had raised an eyebrow. He sent her a silent plea hoping she would just go with it. He extended his hand.

She took it – thank God.



Toby allowed him to lead her through the crowd to the dance floor. She turned, her hands automatically landing on his shoulders. “I can barely hear the music,” she told him. She would just have to imitate the others who thought it was good idea to dance in a crowded bar. Jordan’s hands landed on her waist.

“I’m sorry, Toby,” Jordan immediately blurted out.

“For what?” Toby asked. Then she answered her own question. “Oh, for all this,” she said referring to the dance, the cuddling in the booth. He began to sway to the music, apparently able to hear it better than she. She followed his lead. “I don’t know why you have to be sorry.”

“I know you weren’t exactly keen on any of it,” Jordan pointed out.

Toby realized that her body language had betrayed her once again. She was going to give one of them (perhaps both of them) a complex. “Jordan, I was surprised…that’s all,” she said to assure him. “When you put your arm around me – it was unexpected.”

“I should have asked,” Jordan said.

Toby pictured him doing just that and laughed at little at the absurd picture she had painted. “That wouldn’t make sense…for what we are trying to do. We’re supposed to be a couple, Jordan. If people are going to believe us – well, I guess we’re going to have to touch each other and look like as if we actually enjoy the other’s attention.” She took a deep breath. “For instance, we probably look like two eighth graders at their first dance right now.”

Jordan nodded, presumably in agreement before giving her a little tug, closing the space between them. His arms banded around her lower back and she moved her hands to clasp behind the back of his neck. She felt his eyes searching his face. “Are you all right?” He asked.

Toby nodded, noting how warm and solid he felt against her. “I promise to work on not acting so surprised all the time,” she told him. For a moment they just danced amongst the crowd.

Then Jordan’s face changed. “Vero!” He said suddenly. “What did she say?”

“Not much. Just wanted to let me know that she likes seeing you happy and hopes that you stay that way. I suppose it could be taken as a subtle threat but really, I was just touched by how much she seems to care about you,” Toby assured him. “You have good friends – I mean Max is a little much and Kris looks like he is itching to seduce a pack of nuns, but they’re nice people.” She felt his shoulder’s relax under her arms. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who had been nervous for this night.

When the song ended, Jordan must have decided to test her newfound goal of being relaxed around him because he kept hold of her hand as they made their way back to his friends. She found them deep in conversation that stopped as soon as she slid in next to Marc.

“We were just discussing a wonderful idea!” Vero said excitedly as she leaned toward Toby. “I haven’t been to a game in a while. I was thinking of going to watch my Marc pound the Capitals. You should come, Toby!”