Page 81 of Goalie Interference

There was a knock at the door, and a growl. “That’s Remy.”

I opened the door and my heart did a little flip when I saw him. He looked like he’d taken the same line between friend and date as me. He was wearing dress pants and a soft sweater that hugged that broad chest I remembered fondly. He had flowers but not roses. Daisies.

“Hi.” A warm smile curved his mouth and deepened the creases around his eyes.

I’d have kissed him, except Cash was waiting. “Come on in.”

“Thanks. Quiet, Beast.” The dog sat down. Remy held out the flowers. “These are for you.”

I took the daisies and stepped back, following him into the kitchen.

Cash tipped his beer at Remy. “Nice to see you again.”

They shook hands and I pulled out a vase for the flowers. “Since you’re crashing dinner, Cash, you can put out another setting and get Remy a drink.”

Remy looked between us. “If you would like a family evening…”

“Not at all,” Cash said, turning on his public persona. Big smile, charm set to eleven. “Families need a bit of outside influence to keep them from fighting.”

Remy raised an eyebrow. “You two fight a lot?”

Cash moved into the dining room with another plate. “We keep enough people around to prevent that. Plus, we know all our stories so having a new audience will make them better.”

Cash and I hadn’t been close enough to get on each other’s nerves for years, but he was making Remy feel welcome. He asked how the team was doing. I put the finishing touches on the risotto and brought it and the chicken out to the table. The salad was already there.

“How can I help?” Remy asked.

“I’ve got it,” I assured him.

Cash pulled out a bottle of wine from his stash and poured glasses for us. “Since we aren’t driving.”

We’d just settled at the table when Goober appeared from wherever she’d been hiding. She eyed us all, then crossed to where Beast was sitting in a corner. For once, the dog wasn’t snarling. Beast stayed still, and Goober sat in front of him.

Cash looked at us. “What the hell is going on?” Goober was usually a ghost around the place.

I smirked. “I think she has a crush on Beast.”

Cash looked from the cat and dog to us. “Interesting.”

“Yes.” I smiled. “Your cat has made a friend.” I emphasized theyourever so slightly, since I didn’t trust the look in his eye.

“How long will they stare at each other? Is it safe to ignore them and eat? Because I’m hungry and this looks delicious.”

Remy slid the salad toward Cash. “They seem to be more comfortable with each other every time they get together. We should go ahead and enjoy the food after Sophie went to all this effort.”

The meal started well. Cash was good with people, and while Remy was quiet, he wasn’t shy. Cash told stories from when he first got Ollie to play hockey, and laughed at Ollie’s attempts at karaoke. I wasn’t sure if he wanted Remy to feel more equal with Ollie as his coach, or as my ex, but the stories weren’t random.

“I can’t sing either,” Remy admitted.

“Lots of people can’t. But don’t try to sing Queen, then.”

“I feel pretty safe making that promise.”

“But I admire you guys playing at the NHL level. I love hockey and I tried to play, but these days keeping upright on skates is enough without trying to stop a puck blazing at you at high speed.”

Remy set down his fork. “I can’t imagine singing while playing a musical instrument either.”

Cash grinned. “Fair. At least I don’t try to sing and play a tuba.”

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