Page 79 of Goalie Interference

“It looks like a real guitar” was the best I came up with. I cringed.

“It’s a dreadnought,” Diane explained. She talked about it being bigger, so that much I could understand, but I was lost when she moved on to fingerstyle playing and a powerful lower end.

“That’s…good?”

Sophie grinned at me while she ran a hand over the body. “Diane, I’m pretty sure he didn’t understand any more of that than you would if he talked about a play in hockey.”

Diane flinched. “Sorry, Remy.”

I shook my head. “No, even if I don’t understand it all, someone talking about their passion is interesting.”

Diane raised her brows.

Sophie said, “He’s listened to me talk about the repairs I’ve done, so I think he means it.”

“When will it be finished?” It looked done to me, though it was missing strings, but what I didn’t know about guitar building would fill a few books.

“Bridge, nut, saddle, finish, tons of polishing —there’s still a lot.”

Again, I didn’t know what that all meant, but I didn’t have to. “How do you know if it’s a good one?”

They exchanged glances. “Quality materials, proper work. But at the end, it’s all about the sound,” Diane explained.

I wasn’t sure which stage would be the strings, but obviously there was no way to check the sound till that was done. Sophie wouldn’t know for a while. “I’ve put shelves together, but I wouldn’t have a clue where to start something like this,” I admitted.

Diane laughed. “I can make guitars, but the one time I tried to build a shelf my wife took my tools away.”

Beast grumbled at my feet. “Thanks for letting me see this. I’m impressed. But I think I need to take Beast home.”

Diane looked down at my dog. “I’d offer to pet you, but I’ve heard that’s a bad idea.”

“He’s better, but still…”

Sophie walked with me to the door. “Thanks for coming.”

“Can I see it when it’s done?”

She nodded. “I can even play it for you.”

“I’d like that.” All of it. The guitar, the playing, the time with Sophie.

The trade deadline was looming, but I refused to acknowledge it.

Chapter 30

Don’t try to sing Queen

Sophie

Would you like to come for dinner?

It wasn’t quite as bold as asking him out, but itwasan invitation, for the two of us, eating… It was date adjacent if not exactly a date. Baby steps.

I shook my head at how I was tap-dancing around the issue. We’d had sex. Many times. Dinner was hardly a baby step after that. But we’d only talked about casual, and I didn’t know how he would feel about dating, especially because of Ollie.

What can I bring?

Beast.

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