Page 27 of O Goalie Night
“Thank you for tonight. It’s been a while since I’ve had a family dinner.”
There are too many things I want to say back. I want to ask him what happened with his family. I want to thank him for everything he’s done for me over the last couple of weeks. Most of all, I want to get inside his beautiful head and find out what he’s thinking when he looks at me so intensely like he is right now.
“You’re welcome.”
His only response is a faint nod before he disappears around the corner, leaving me with sudsy hands and a smitten heart.
CHAPTER 12
FOSTER
“What do you think I’d look like with a moustache?”
Austin is gazing at himself in the reflective walls of the hotel elevator. He rubs his hand over his bare upper lip like he’s trying to manifest one onto his face.
“A sexual predator,” I answer.
“A nineteen-seventies pornstar,” Ben quips, not looking up from his phone. He’s been on it all day, texting all through the lunch we just had at a nearby sushi place.
“A young Tom Selleck,” Will says and when he notices Ben and I looking at him sceptically he adds, “What? All white guys with moustaches look like Tom Selleck to me.”
“Forget I asked,” Austin huffs. “Speaking of forgetting to ask, I’m still pissed you didn’t invite me to your birthday party.”
Not this shit again.
“It’s been four days, man.” Ben sighs deeply. “You need to move on.” Austin has brought the supposed slight up every day since then and we’re all tired of it.
“Move on from what? From you guys throwing a party and not inviting me. You know how much I love parties.”
“Like we told you the first half dozen times,” Will sighs. “It wasn’t a party. Beth made Ben a late birthday dinner and I happened to be there when she invited him. You weren’t excluded on purpose.”
“I’m just saying, she could have invited me, too.”
“She barely knows you,” Ben says, still frowning at his phone.
Austin licks his lips and grins. “Well, maybe I should get better acquainted with her.”
I wait for Ben to threaten him, but he’s too busy tapping away at his phone.
It is going to be a long week. Still, I’ve looked forward to this stretch of away games more than most. I need some distance from my new roommate. Beth Michaels has been consuming my waking thoughts and, as of last night, my dreams.
I close my eyes and once again attempt to block the image of her kneeling in the middle of my bed wearing nothing but my jersey, but it doesn’t work. Nothing does.
I can’t hold back a frustrated groan. Thankfully, my friends assume it's because I’m frustrated with Austin.
“Anyone want to hang out before the game? I’ve got the new season of Project Gingerbread House downloaded on my laptop.” Will’s favourite show follows a dozen bakers as they compete against one another in Christmas-themed baking challenges.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask me that,” Austin says disgustedly as the doors to our floor open.
“I’m going to take a nap,” I tell him. Even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t watch holiday reality tv with him on purpose.
“I’ve got to call Valentina,” Ben grunts as he stalks down the hall, away from us.
Will and I exchange concerned looks. Ben’s been in foul humour all week which is unlike him.
“Trouble in Paradise?” Will asks after Ben has rounded the corner. “Has he said anything to you?”
I shake my head. “Not a word.”
