Page 76 of Goalie Interference

When Cash and Trinity had left, Hanny asked Diane, “Do you think she’s going to look up my salary for real?”

“Absolutely.” Diane swirled the wine in her glass.

“That’s a little judgmental.”

“Cash always brings home the gold diggers.”

“Diane!”

“Sophie, you know it’s true. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, so he hooks up with women who want to use his money and reputation. Then he can drop them without feeling guilty.”

Sophie’s brow furrowed as she considered. “You think that’s what he does?”

Diane shrugged. “Maybe not deliberately, but based on the women I’ve seen him with? Makes sense, right?”

Hanny lightened the mood. “Sadly, I don’t think Remy and I make enough to attract a gold digger. Now, if we played basketball…”

The oven timer chimed, and we left the topic behind.

It was a great afternoon. I’d always gotten along with Hanny, and Sophie was incredible, but Diane fit in with us too. She and Hanny kept the conversation going, but we all contributed. The food was delicious, and Hanny and I cleaned up after shooing Diane and Sophie away. In the evening, we had wine and pie and played card games. Goober even appeared, after hiding out while Trinity was around. Diane laughed at the way Goober ignored Beast while keeping close, and Hanny swore it was the freakiest thing he’d seen. It was the best Christmas I’d had in years.

Hanny finally stood up, finishing the last of his wine. “I should be on my way.” He pulled out his phone to order a ride.

“I can drop you off if it’s not too far.” Diane had stopped drinking not long after we ate, so she was sober.

“If you wouldn’t mind.” He frowned at his phone. “There’s a long wait for a ride.”

We took the last of our dishes into the kitchen. I promised to deal with them so we weren’t leaving it all on Sophie. She and I saw the two of them off at the door, then returned to the kitchen.

“There’s not a lot,” Sophie said. “Most of the dishes can go in the dishwasher and the rest I can take care of in the morning.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not leaving you with a mess.” I headed for the sink, bending down to get the dish soap underneath the cabinet.

Sophie was right behind me and reached around to snatch away the container I’d just retrieved. “What if you do them in the morning?”

My breath caught. “Do you mean…”

She raised her brows. “I mean we can do something more funnowand do any dishes tomorrow.”

I twisted in her arms so she was pressed against my chest. There was a teasing smile on her face.

“I need to take Beast out one last time.”

“You know where my room is. Come find me.”

Beast took forever to find a bush he’d accept to pee on, but the time outside cleared my head. I wanted to be present, aware and sober if I was having sex with Sophie again.

A little ball of hope was vibrating in my chest. I wasn’t crowding Sophie, but she wanted me. She wanted me to stay tonight. This was the third time, so she enjoyed the sex. And maybe, maybe it could be more?

That was dangerous thinking. Sophie had roots in Austin, and the chances that I’d be playing hockey here after this season were slim to none. Leaning heavily to none. I didn’t even know if I’d be in the city past the trade deadline. If I got another offer to play next season, I’d have to take it, because what else could I do? When winter made the cottage uninhabitable, I had no place to go.

I was able to stay in Austin now, since the team arranged a visa, but I wasn’t an American citizen. I had no job skills beyond playing hockey. At least in Canada I could live even if I wasn’t working.

Beast tugged on his leash, heading away from the main house to the carriage house, and I shoved the thoughts away, pulling him back.

“We’re staying here tonight, bud.” Beast narrowed his eyes and glared.

“Your friend Goober might still be around.”

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