Page 91 of Offside Attraction

But this was a risk. Patrick had communicated with Sean and the Snowballs when he first planned to relocate. He talked with most teams in the area. Not that he had a relationship, but he didn’t understand the way Elite League worked yet.

Jordan had made them all promise they wouldn’t say anything about Rhonda even though he knew Chubs and Cam were good. Rhonda hadn’t said anything explicitly but every time the Snowballs came up, she turtled. If anyone was going to break her cover, it wasn’t going to be him or his teammates.

Rhonda slid into the seat next to Jordan, and even after the poker game started, he had to work to focus on anything besides her. Every time he saw her, there was something new to discover. The lines next to her nose when she frowned, studying her cards. The way her fingers tapped on her thigh, or how she let out a little breath before she laughed at a joke.

"So what’s Jordan’s tell?” Rhonda asked.

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "Good luck. They don’t know it.”

Chubs laughed. “He gets more confident.”

“That’s not a tell, that’s my homeostasis.” Jordan put a few chips in, waiting for the flop.

Cam shook his head. “He changes it. He’s pulling psychological BS on us, messing with our heads.”

Rhonda's eyes sparkled. “Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?” Jordan watched the cards, the feeling of her eyes on him making his blood rush.

Rhonda laughed, then put in her chips to match. “What happens when I run out? Do we barter? Strip?”

Chubs nodded solemnly. “Strip. Absolutely.”

Ellie gave him a look. “Did you wear clean boxers?”

Chubs looked down and pretended to pull at the waistband of his pants before Ellie smacked his hand away. Oh, Jordan liked her.

The game continued, and Rhonda fit in seamlessly. She laughed at Chubs' jokes, joined forces with Ellie to heckle Cam, and ended up calling his bluff to win all her chips back and then some.

When the rounds finally ended, Rhonda stood and stretched, her sweater riding up just enough to show a sliver of skin. She glanced down, the sparkle in her eyes telling him she knew exactly what she was doing.

Chubs and Ellie left first, then Cam and his roommate. Rhonda walked into the kitchen with him, watching as he loaded the glasses into the dishwasher.

"Thanks for letting me crash." Rhonda said, her voice breathy. "I should probably get going."

Jordan set the last glass on the top rack and turned to dry his hands. He walked with her to the front door. Rhonda put on her shoes, then turned and paused.

He stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “That was fun.”

“It was.” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder, her breath warming the fabric of his shirt.

She pulled back and dropped her hands from around his waist, then fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. “So. See you soon.”

“I’ll text you.”

Her mouth quirked. “Okay.” She walked out of the apartment, and Jordan had the urge to walk with her down to the lot. To make sure she got into her car okay. But he knew she wouldn’t want that. Or at least, didn’t know how to handle it.

He had to take things slow. Jordan adjusted himself and went back to the kitchen. Not rushing ahead was for both their good. But it still sucked balls.

_____

For the next three weeks, they saw each other as much as possible, which amounted to four face-to-face interactions. Rhonda travelled twice, once to Sylvan Lake and once to Grande Prairie. He joked that she was visiting his hometown, and she almost appreciated it.

She met him once for lunch between shifts, and he met her for a late dinner on the weekend after giving face time with the team after a win against C-Biscuit.

Rhonda told him more about her dad, and he made a point to give up time with her when she needed to see her friends. The last thing he wanted was for her to see any of her old man in him. Since Jordan loved grand gestures, that was already a potential strike against him.

Now it was two and a half weeks before Christmas, and they sat next to each other at intermission for the Nutcracker in the Jubilee Auditorium.

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