His fault, really, but he was the one who was going to have to do something to change that.
He handed her the glass of wine.
“I was just telling your friend Trick here that he’d better get his ass in gear if he wants his stats to be as good as yours before the season starts,” Stella said.
“Oh, a statistician in our midst,” Drew said.
“Yeah, but I think she has her math wrong, because I’ve outshot you three to one.”
“My math is never wrong, Trick. Just ask Carolina.”
“I’m afraid Stella is right on that,” Carolina said.
“Yeah? How would you know?”
“She’s a hard-core hockey fan, and follows every player on the Travelers. She probably knows your stats better than you do.”
Trick leaned back to observe Stella. “No shit. Are you some kind of mathematician?”
Stella laughed. “No. I’m a dancer. But I’m very good at math.”
“So, you’re smart and beautiful. Score two for you, Stella.”
Avery moved over and pulled up a chair next to Carolina. “And you’re some kind of . . . designer, right?”
Carolina smiled at Avery, surprised he remembered her at all from their brief meeting at the mission on Thanksgiving. “That’s right.”
“What kind of designer was it again?”
“Clothing.”
“Oh. So you’re big into fashion and stuff.”
Carolina smiled. “Yes. You could say that.”
“And you’re friends with a hockey stats geek.”
“Hey,” Stella said, giving Avery a glare.
Avery laughed. “Touchy, touchy. Sorry. A beautiful, dancing, hockey stats genius.”
Stella nodded. “Better. And now you owe me a beer for the insult.”
“Consider it done. But how good are you at pool?”
Stella slid off the stool. “I’ll kick your ass at pool. Especially after that geek comment.”
Carolina shook her head and watched Avery rack the balls. Stella shrugged off her jacket, much to the admiration of all the guys.
“Get over here, Carolina,” Stella said. “You’re going to play, too.”
“I haven’t played pool since college.”
Drew came up next to her. “So? Afraid you’ll get beat?”
“Not a chance.” She took off her jacket and went to pick out a cue. “Stella, let’s show these boys how it’s done.”
Two hours later, she had won two games and lost two. All in all, not bad. Stella, of course, was kicking major butt, not surprising considering how good she was at pool.
“Your friend is a hit with my friends,” Drew said as they stood and watched Stella line up her shot.
Carolina grinned. “Men love Stella. And she’s a natural with them, always so comfortable around guys.”
“And you’re not?”
She shrugged. “Men don’t naturally gravitate toward me.”