Page 25 of Penalties and Proposals

“Let’s have fun,” she says with a smile, holding my hand for a moment longer as we stand in the driveway. Not that I’m complaining.

I’m determined to show Willa that this time, with me, things will be different. I’m falling for her, and I’m ready to fight for whatever future we might have together.

CHAPTER 10

WILLA

“May I clear your plate?”

Charlie stands beside me, pointing at my very clean dinner plate. Blushing, I pass it over into her waiting hands.

“Thanks. Guess I was hungry.”

Was Noah a little surprised to show up and find out his biggest fan in Maple Falls is Charlotte “Charlie” Arnold? One hundred percent. Watching his face when she opened the door and he asked if her brother Charlie was home was worth the price of admission.

“Mom’s the best cook around.” Charlie grins at her parents, who sit closely together, watching every move she makes. “Her miso salmon is my favorite.”

“That’s one of my favorite meals to have when I’m training,” Noah shares, passing his plate to Charlie.

“I know. I read it somewhere and figured if that’s part of your training routine, then”—she shrugs—“you’d like it tonight. Now it’s part of my training routine, too. I’ll get dessert real quick. Be back.”

The preteen disappears into the kitchen, and Noah turns to her mother.

“So, Sarah, Charlie said she’s on a local women’s team?”

“She is. She’s been watching ice hockey since she was a little girl—”

“That’s my fault.” Her father, Kurt, chuckles. “I used to sit with her on my knee when I’d watch the Washington Capitals play.” He casts his eyes my way, nodding. “I’m from there, so my allegiance has always been solid.”

“I get it,” I say. “I grew up an hour outside of Washington, D.C., and when we wanted to watch a game, we’d go see the Caps.”

Kurt smiles, holding up a fist in the air. It takes me a second; I stare at it and him, then my eyes flick back to Noah, who is obviously trying not to laugh. Noah looks at my hand, then back to Kurt’s, and it’s as if a tiny light bulb fires up inside my brain.

“Ah!” Giggling, I raise my fist to bump his in return, making the table laugh.

“Kurt coaches the junior league,” Sarah explains, rubbing his back. Her face glows with pride. “He could have played hockey himself if he hadn’t injured his knee in college.”

Noah tilts his head to one side. “What position did you play?”

“Goalie. Loved it. Nothing better than getting on the ice and playing defense. It was a hard job, lotta pressure, but it was for me.” He then taps his left knee. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t for my knees.”

The kitchen door swings open, and Charlie sways back into the room carrying a tray with five plates piled on it, all with something that could be a piece of cake. “Caramel banana bread, homemade by my mother.”

I take a bite, groaning. “Bananas and caramel? This is absolutely divine.”

“I heated up some more caramel to drizzle on top before I served it,” Charlie adds, sitting taller in her seat. She looks pointedly at Noah. “I think I read somewhere that you also like caramel and bananas?”

Noah throws his head back and laughs. “You’ve really done your due diligence on me, haven’t you?”

“Better than you did for me, considering you thought I was a boy.”

Noah throws his hands up in faux surrender. “You got me, and I’m sorry about that. It was pretty silly of me to assume that my biggest fan, who also plays hockey, was a guy.”

Kurt laughs. “She’s the reason there is a women’s junior league in Maple Falls now. Made us help her petition to get names and present a case to the community board. When Troy and Kelly moved here and bought the rink, this one requested a meeting with them to get funding for the team.”

“Now, we have twenty-three players this season, not only from Maple Falls but from a few of the surrounding towns as well.” Charlie beams.

“And I guess you’re playing defense?” I ask, basing my guess on her apparent adoration of Noah.

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