Page 79 of Puck Love

Several hours later,we’re standingin Printer’s Alley after midnight looking every bit as clueless as we feel. Or at least, as clueless as I feel. Eli’s just here for the free booze I’ve promised him, and ashow.

“So, you know where she lives,right?”

I grimace. “Notexactly.”

“What? Dude, how the fuck do you expect to find her if you don’t have her number and you don’t know where shelives?”

“I don’t know, I thought maybe we could get one of those maps to the stars’ houses or someshit.”

“You know it’s not Hollywood,right?”

“Do you ever use your mouth for anythinguseful?”

“I do lots of useful shit with my mouth. Just ask the puck bunnies.” He frowns when I glare at him. “Hey, excuse me,” he says, stopping a group of women who’re wearing penis headbands, and very skimpy dresses. “Hi.”

“Hi,” says a hot blonde with a fluffy pinkveil.

“Oh my god, you're you!” a sweet-faced brunettesays.

“Yep, and you’re you.” Eli grins. I roll myeyes.

The woman points to me with a shocked expression and a shaking hand. “And you’re . . .” Her words trail off in an ear-piercingscreech.

“Are you guys famous or something?” a bored blonde standing off to the sideasks.

“Or something,” I say. I'm not being cute. I just have no intention of spending time with strange women when I came here to findStella.

“No! I’d know you guys anywhere,” the sweet-faced girl says. “You’re Eli Boucher and VanRoss.”

Eli could blind astronauts in space with the smile he gives her. “We are. You know your hockey,eh?”

“I’m a huge fan.” She shakes her head. “I mean, I’m a Nashville girl first, sorry, but the Crushers are my next favoriteteam.”

“Well, you just made us the next happiest guys on the face of the planet.” He actually fucking winks ather.

“I can’t believe you’re standing in front of me right now.” She beams, her face turning beet red. “Hey, can I get apicture?”

“Sure, but you gotta do us a favor first,sweetheart.”

“Anything.”

Eli raises his brows. “You hear that, Ross? The lady will doanything.”

I glare at my best friend and decide I need to be the one to hurry this along. “Do you know where Stella Hartlives?”

“Oh, you came here for her, even after she called you a mistake?” She presses her hand to her heart and smiles. “That’s the most romantic thingever.”

“Was she crazy? Look at this guy,” the woman in the bride-to-be sash squeezes my forearm, and I frown because no matter how many random women do this, I still never can get used to being treated like a piece of meat. Though, I guess it’s not that far from what the bunniesdo.

“Do you know where shelives?”

“Isn’t she out atBrentwood?”

“Great. Don’t suppose you know where that is,eh?”

“Oh, it’s like eleven miles fromhere.”

I scrub a hand over the back of my neck. “Ah,shit.”