Page 65 of Goalie Interference

“I was trying to think of how to tell you.”

But he hadn’t found a way yet, and I suspected he wouldn’t have beforehand. The party last night had been bad enough. To have that happen at Christmas, where both of our families were together? Every eye on me to watch how I responded? Way to win the competition. And blindside me.

I was done with this. “I have to go.”

“Damn it, I need to go too. But we’re good, right?”

Ollie was being a dick and wanted me to tell him it was fine.Not this time.“We’re divorced, Ollie. We don’t have to be good.” And I hung up.

The good mood I’d woken up in was gone. Damn Ollie. This was why you didn’t stay close to your ex, not if you didn’t have kids to connect you. I went upstairs to shower and get ready for work.

I threw myself into repairing a guitar, pushing aside thoughts of Ollie and his new romance, Dad, Remy and the sex we’d had, and the shitstorm of a Christmas coming up. I even forgot to eat, the next thing snapping me out of my work trance the growling of Beast in the doorway.

Remy looked down at the dog. “I’d knock, but Beast seems to do just as well.”

“Wait, what time is it?”

“Busy day?”

I nodded and crossed to the fridge to get water. “Want a drink?”

“I’m good.”

I swallowed half the bottle. Remy was still there. All my worries came rushing back. “How was practice? Was Ollie weird?”

He shrugged. “He didn’t seem different than usual.”

“He called this morning, and I told him we went to the event as friends so he wouldn’t freak out. And I didn’t say anything about what happened after.”

“Thanks. That’s probably why it was only the usual weird.”

It really was time for the two of us to be exes, not friends.

“I just wanted to stop by, say thanks for going with me last night, and make sure you’re okay? I felt bad about rushing off. Beast was getting kind of desperate, so…”

I’d worried that my psychoanalyzing had upset him. “I appreciate that. It’s not been a great day, but that’s not because of you. Ollie dropped a bombshell this morning and I’m ready to strangle him.”

“What did he say?” Remy’s brows lowered and the man looked good frowning.

He already knew most of my secrets at this point. “The latest is that he wants to bring Maria and her kids to Christmas.”

“You two spend the holidays together?”

That probably seemed strange. But the tradition had been in place long before Ollie and I were married. “Our families have celebrated Christmas together for years. When we were younger, my dad was often touring and Ollie’s dad traveled sometimes, so we made our own holiday group. On our side there’ve been wives and their families come and go over the years. But my dad, Ollie’s, and usually the three of us—Cash, Ollie and me—spend the major holidays together when we can.”

“Is it going to be awkward to be there with his new…date?”

“And her family. Yes, it will.”

Remy’s brow was creased. “Are you close to your dad?”

No.I’d spent my life trying to get his approval and attention, but that didn’t make us close. “Not really. He’s always been more invested in Cash’s career. Honestly, last night was the most attention I’ve gotten from him in a long time.”

“Well, not my place to tell you what to do but that seems like a pretty shitty time. What if you just…didn’t?”

At first I thought he was going to offer to be my date again, and it took a moment for my brain to work out what he really was saying. “Not go?”

“It sounds like people come and go all the time. So if it makes you uncomfortable, why not skip it?”

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