Page 32 of Power Plays & Proposals

"Like pucks and other players?" I teased, patting his hand playfully." I have it under control, but thank you for the offer."

He captured my hand before I could pull it away and brushed his thumb across it. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the tiny gesture. "You know all these things about me, but I don't know enough about you. I should probably know about my fiance'."

"What do you want to know?" My heart fluttered unexpectedly at his words. With my free hand I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear to try and hide the twinge of vulnerability I was feeling all of a sudden.

"Ocean or Mountain?"

His question caught me off guard. I'd mentally started preparing for questions about why I was still single or something.

"Ocean. You?"

"Mountain."

"But you live in Glacier Bay. There's an ocean right there." I shifted on the couch to face Nate directly, my elbow resting on the back of it as I leaned in. I could feel that spark building between us once more, or maybe it had never really disappeared.

There was a charming grin on Nate's face as he told me, "And there are mountains just a short drive away. It's the best of both."

His eyes locked on mine, sparking a warmth that melted away my unease. "Is that why you moved here? To have both?"

He took a deep breath before answering. "No. I moved here because I thought in a smaller city I could fix my marriage to Erin. Then I stayed because Glacier Bay needed players."

"How does it work between Erin and you?"

"She makes demands and I give in because it's the only way I get any time with Penelope. But she's been talking about moving away and taking Penelope with her."

"So you need me." I leaned back, grateful for the reminder. Nate didn’t want me romantically. He just needed a stand-in, and he could have asked anyone. It was good he reminded me, because for a moment there, it had started to feel real.

"I know we're doing this dating thing backward by starting with the proposal, but I have to say I'm not upset by being able to talk to you and see you."

I managed a small smile. "You're not so bad yourself."

Chapter 14

I didn’t know at first what was bothering me, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Practice was perfect for burning through the physical energy, but my mind still felt unsettled. Even as I went through drills and plays, a nagging sense of unease lingered in the background, refusing to be ignored.

Penelope called and texted me every day to tell me how she was doing. Erin wasn't making any unreasonable demands, she’d even asked me how I felt about Penelope taking classes to help her with her art. It was surprisingly unselfish for her, and I could only guess that her sudden generosity was at her lawyer’s behest. My lawyer had assured me everything was underway. The season was going in our favor, and even the press had backed down as they switched their focus to a scandal involving a rock star's drunken wedding in Vegas. But for the last three weeks, something had been scratching away at my subconscious. I hoped I'd be able to figure it out soon, I was starting to go crazy.

Perhaps a harmless practical joke was exactly what I needed to shake off the weight of my subconscious worries. I owed Dan one for taping my gear together. After looking around the locker room, I headed to Dan's cubby and pulled out a little toy spider from my pocket. I taped it to his water bottle before strategically placing it back on the shelf. If he grabbed it like he normally did, when he went to take a drink the spider would be right by his nose.

I returned to my locker and sat on the bench to start pulling off my skates. Lou stomped into the locker room and sat down hard in front of his locker. He started to unlace his skates as he asked me, "Think Lia could score me some of those cinnamon rolls?"

"She only makes those once in a while, I've only seen them at the bakery twice. Maria still refusing to sell to you?"

"Yes! It’s been three weeks, and I even offered to pay her triple the money."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. The entire team had been to the bakery multiple times and it was quickly becoming a fan favorite. Maria had even started renaming some of her goodies after the team. Glacier Bay Bear Claws and Penalty Box Croissants were my particular favorites.

"What did you do?" I asked him.

He held up his hands in an I don't know gesture as Matt came into the locker room and sat on the bench.

"Did you upset Hannah again?" Matt asked.

Lou leveled a glare at him. "My sister is none of your business."

Matt shook his head. "Just asking. She was cursing your name earlier."

"What were you doing with my sister?" Lou asked.

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