Page 28 of O Goalie Night
“Maybe Valentina’s pissed she didn’t get an invite to the party.”
“For the last fucking time, Austin,” Will moans. “It wasn’t a party. Besides, Ben said she was back in Toronto for work last weekend.”
I’m not sure what’s got my friend surlier than usual, but I wish he’d talk to me about it.
Like you’re talking to him about your problems?I think darkly.
Obviously, his relationship problems and my feelings for his sister are not remotely the same.
So I’ve got a little crush on her. Who wouldn’t? Beth’s beautiful, but it’s more than that. She has this sweet, genuine way about her that I can’t help but be drawn to. And she’s always making me laugh even when I don’t want to.
A week away will give me some much-needed space to get these frequent thoughts and inconvenient desires under control once and for all.
As I enter my hotel room and close the door, the quiet wraps around me like a hug. The noise of my teammates fades away, leaving just the soft hum of the heater and the faint rustle of the curtains as they sway gently against the window. I sink onto the bed, letting the stillness seep into my bones.
A few hours of alone time where nothing is expected of me is exactly what I need before we play Pittsburgh.
I’m about to close my eyes and start my breathing exercises when I get an alert on my phone.
Pulling it up, I see it’s a snowfall warning being issued for Ottawa. Fifteen to twenty centimetres overnight.
Fuck.
That system was supposed to miss the city entirely, but it must have changed course. Now they’re about to get a storm and not only am I away, I haven’t gotten the winter tires put on Beth’s car yet.
I pull up my messages, trying not to read into the fact that I just thought of my Lexus as Beth’s car and type out a message to her.
Foster: They’re calling for a lot of snow tonight.
Beth: I know! 10-15 cm! I’m so excited!
Of course she is.
Foster: 15 to 20 now. The roads will probably be bad
Beth: I’ll drive slowly
Beth: Or I can get an Uber if you’re worried about the car
Of course that’s what she’d think.
Foster: I’m not worried about the car, Beth
I’m sitting up in bed, pulling up a contact I haven’t used in almost a year, my nap long forgotten.
Even in another country, this girl is driving me to distraction.
CHAPTER 13
BETH
Well. This is not what I expected to see as I’m leaving the house this morning.
The snow, sure. It’s everywhere and it is glorious. There’s nothing like the first heavy snowfall of the year. It covers everything like a blanket of white making everything sparkle in the sun. Apparently, we got almost twenty centimetres overnight, which is a lot for mid-November.
What I wasn’t expecting was four men and some sort of oversized truck to be in Foster’s driveway.
“Good morning, Ms. Michaels,” one of the toque-clad men greets me while the others smile and wave. His grey beard is likely keeping his face warm on this chilly day.
