Status: Just a prize!
Straw Shoe
one.
It was hot. Like, too hot. And not just because of the sun.
I sat, idly drinking my beer with Segs aways off to my right, working on landing some girl for the night. Why I asked him to stay longer rather than someone else, I wouldn’t ever know.
After a rather disappointing, post-Stanley season playoff run, a group of us had decided to get away from all mentions of hockey. Someone had gotten wind of a small island off the coast of Georgia, totally free of the sport that employed us. For one week, we all lounged in the sand, forgetting everything about New England. But at the end of seven days, when I still hadn’t manned up, I knew I had to stay.
Behind my sunglasses, I watched Isabella out of the corner of my eye. Isabella-or Lee, as most people called her-had to be the favorite bartender on the beach. And for a number of reasons.
She was fast and precise-two good qualities to have when you’re dealing with a rush of thirsty, hot beachgoers. Lee wasn’t afraid to put an intoxicated patron in his place when they started getting a little too rowdy. (Something we’d all seen out first night at the cabana bar.) But judging by the crowd made up of mostly men surrounding the wooden structure, you’d think the real reason was only on the surface.
She was tiny, definitely more than a foot shorter than me, but what height she had was all leg. Her long hair was always worn loose down her tanned back and her eyes were…
I was sure I sounded like a love sick teenager-a fact the guys loved to chirp me about-but I didn’t care. Lee was the complete package. She was beautiful, smart, and a genuinely nice person. The night we’d all met her, she wasn’t even supposed to be working.
And she was a Boston girl to boot. Could it be any more perfect?
“What’s your boy planning?” she muttered to me, grabbing me a fresh beer.
“Who knows,” I shrugged. “All I know is that I don’t want to be anywhere near the condo tonight.”
Lee laughed and rolled her dark eyes. “That would probably be a good idea.” Suddenly, a grin spread across her face. “You should come out tonight!”
I nearly choked on my drink as she said that. As I coughed, she patted my back and I saw Tyler stifling a laugh.
“Sorry?” I clear my throat.
“There’s a bonfire out here later tonight,” she explained. “It’s technically employees only, but,” she teased me, hesitating. “I think I can get you in.”
“Well if it’s such a struggle,” I laughed.
Lee turned around, getting someone else a drink, but she kept talking. “Oh shut up, Adam. You’ll be here at 8:30. You and I both know it.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
Soon enough, during a lull in the busy afternoon, another resort worker came to relieve Lee. She gathered up her things and said goodbye to Tyler, who was preoccupied with the blonde now perched on his lap. Passing me as she rounded the bar’s counter, she stopped.
“See you?”
It was posed as a question, but she knew my answer.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I assured her.
A smile broke across her face and she turned with a final wave. No doubt she was on her way to Skype with family still up in New England. I wasn’t sure as to why Lee had chosen to move away if she was so close with her family and I wasn’t bold enough to ask, but it made me think a lot.
“Someone’s got a date,” Tyler teased.
“Shut the hell up,” I rolled my eyes. For someone who was such a ladies man, he could be a real kid. “It’s a party.”
“A party that you’re not supposed to be at,” he pointed out. “And she invited you.”
He had a point. Tyler took my nonexistent response as answer enough for him and went back to his ‘friend’. Feeling more and more like a third wheel now without Lee, I jerked my hand back towards our condo, signaling my withdrawal.
As if he noticed.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Once inside the cool air conditioning, I showered, getting the sand off my body. It was still early to be getting ready for the bonfire, so pulling on a pair of boxers; I flopped down on the too big mattress and attempted to close my eyes.
But my thoughts wandered, keeping me wide awake. Not to Lee, but to girls in general.
I’d always been pretty good with the fairer sex, which is what had me so boggled with her. Never before had I stumbled over my words, been nervous or shy, and I sure as hell had never considered changing my off season plans because I couldn’t grow a set and make a move. This was all foreign ground to me.
My last relationship- it hadn’t ended well. I’d met her when I got called up. She’d seemed nice enough at first and it wasn’t long before we were ‘Facebook official’, as she put it. Most of the guys had never liked her and it was a fact that had always bothered me, but I figured it was my relationship, not theirs.
But soon enough, I started to suspect something. She was distant, kind of sliding around me. One day, as bad as I felt about it, I looked through her phone. Sure enough, there was another guy. A hotshot lawyer in New York, for God’s sake.
By playoff time last year, I was single. And with no regrets.
There hadn’t really been anyone since. Sure, I’d had my share of one nighters and the like, but never that sort of relationship.
I remembered something Segs had said a few days before, late at night, just after we’d gotten back from the bar.
“Just bang her already,” his voice was tired and bored. “Just bang her and get it over with. I’m tired of this lovesick puppy shit.”
It was probably the most profound thing Tyler had said since the season had ended. And yet, I didn’t want to just do that. I didn’t want Lee to be another one night stand.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Eventually, my mind stopped whirring and I fell asleep, albeit not for long. Within an hour, my phone started going off incessantly. It was flooded with texts from teammates that had headed back up North. And they all had to do with the looming lockout.
It was just another reason we had all wanted to get away. Meetings were to commence just after the Stanley Cup was awarded and with the Finals having gotten underway the night before, the day was fast approaching. There was no new information, just rumors about Bettman that everyone was up in arms about.
I deleted them all. I didn’t need that bothering me tonight.
I sat, idly drinking my beer with Segs aways off to my right, working on landing some girl for the night. Why I asked him to stay longer rather than someone else, I wouldn’t ever know.
After a rather disappointing, post-Stanley season playoff run, a group of us had decided to get away from all mentions of hockey. Someone had gotten wind of a small island off the coast of Georgia, totally free of the sport that employed us. For one week, we all lounged in the sand, forgetting everything about New England. But at the end of seven days, when I still hadn’t manned up, I knew I had to stay.
Behind my sunglasses, I watched Isabella out of the corner of my eye. Isabella-or Lee, as most people called her-had to be the favorite bartender on the beach. And for a number of reasons.
She was fast and precise-two good qualities to have when you’re dealing with a rush of thirsty, hot beachgoers. Lee wasn’t afraid to put an intoxicated patron in his place when they started getting a little too rowdy. (Something we’d all seen out first night at the cabana bar.) But judging by the crowd made up of mostly men surrounding the wooden structure, you’d think the real reason was only on the surface.
She was tiny, definitely more than a foot shorter than me, but what height she had was all leg. Her long hair was always worn loose down her tanned back and her eyes were…
I was sure I sounded like a love sick teenager-a fact the guys loved to chirp me about-but I didn’t care. Lee was the complete package. She was beautiful, smart, and a genuinely nice person. The night we’d all met her, she wasn’t even supposed to be working.
And she was a Boston girl to boot. Could it be any more perfect?
“What’s your boy planning?” she muttered to me, grabbing me a fresh beer.
“Who knows,” I shrugged. “All I know is that I don’t want to be anywhere near the condo tonight.”
Lee laughed and rolled her dark eyes. “That would probably be a good idea.” Suddenly, a grin spread across her face. “You should come out tonight!”
I nearly choked on my drink as she said that. As I coughed, she patted my back and I saw Tyler stifling a laugh.
“Sorry?” I clear my throat.
“There’s a bonfire out here later tonight,” she explained. “It’s technically employees only, but,” she teased me, hesitating. “I think I can get you in.”
“Well if it’s such a struggle,” I laughed.
Lee turned around, getting someone else a drink, but she kept talking. “Oh shut up, Adam. You’ll be here at 8:30. You and I both know it.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
Soon enough, during a lull in the busy afternoon, another resort worker came to relieve Lee. She gathered up her things and said goodbye to Tyler, who was preoccupied with the blonde now perched on his lap. Passing me as she rounded the bar’s counter, she stopped.
“See you?”
It was posed as a question, but she knew my answer.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I assured her.
A smile broke across her face and she turned with a final wave. No doubt she was on her way to Skype with family still up in New England. I wasn’t sure as to why Lee had chosen to move away if she was so close with her family and I wasn’t bold enough to ask, but it made me think a lot.
“Someone’s got a date,” Tyler teased.
“Shut the hell up,” I rolled my eyes. For someone who was such a ladies man, he could be a real kid. “It’s a party.”
“A party that you’re not supposed to be at,” he pointed out. “And she invited you.”
He had a point. Tyler took my nonexistent response as answer enough for him and went back to his ‘friend’. Feeling more and more like a third wheel now without Lee, I jerked my hand back towards our condo, signaling my withdrawal.
As if he noticed.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Once inside the cool air conditioning, I showered, getting the sand off my body. It was still early to be getting ready for the bonfire, so pulling on a pair of boxers; I flopped down on the too big mattress and attempted to close my eyes.
But my thoughts wandered, keeping me wide awake. Not to Lee, but to girls in general.
I’d always been pretty good with the fairer sex, which is what had me so boggled with her. Never before had I stumbled over my words, been nervous or shy, and I sure as hell had never considered changing my off season plans because I couldn’t grow a set and make a move. This was all foreign ground to me.
My last relationship- it hadn’t ended well. I’d met her when I got called up. She’d seemed nice enough at first and it wasn’t long before we were ‘Facebook official’, as she put it. Most of the guys had never liked her and it was a fact that had always bothered me, but I figured it was my relationship, not theirs.
But soon enough, I started to suspect something. She was distant, kind of sliding around me. One day, as bad as I felt about it, I looked through her phone. Sure enough, there was another guy. A hotshot lawyer in New York, for God’s sake.
By playoff time last year, I was single. And with no regrets.
There hadn’t really been anyone since. Sure, I’d had my share of one nighters and the like, but never that sort of relationship.
I remembered something Segs had said a few days before, late at night, just after we’d gotten back from the bar.
“Just bang her already,” his voice was tired and bored. “Just bang her and get it over with. I’m tired of this lovesick puppy shit.”
It was probably the most profound thing Tyler had said since the season had ended. And yet, I didn’t want to just do that. I didn’t want Lee to be another one night stand.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Eventually, my mind stopped whirring and I fell asleep, albeit not for long. Within an hour, my phone started going off incessantly. It was flooded with texts from teammates that had headed back up North. And they all had to do with the looming lockout.
It was just another reason we had all wanted to get away. Meetings were to commence just after the Stanley Cup was awarded and with the Finals having gotten underway the night before, the day was fast approaching. There was no new information, just rumors about Bettman that everyone was up in arms about.
I deleted them all. I didn’t need that bothering me tonight.
♠ ♠ ♠
1/5All bolded words will be flashbacks.