Body Checked (Salt Lake Pumas #2) Read online

  I honestly wasn’t sure what to say. In my experience, most people did need to understand what I was getting at before they were willing to concede that I might know what I was talking about.

  Even at work, where people knew that I had a degree in graphic design, I still felt that I had to explain my ideas in a way that made sense to them before I could be trusted to do my own thing.

  “That’s… pretty rare, as a quality,” I answered. “Being willing to assume that someone is right when you don’t have any real evidence that they are.” Except, of course, that I’d been the person reading those magazine articles. I liked finding things that bound me together with whoever I was reading about.

  I took another mouthful of food. “I bet there’s some women who read those articles and think ‘yes! He likes hiking and so do I, that means we’d have something to talk about,” I teased.

  “I don’t want to talk about hiking,” Will frowned. “That would be very misleading.” He seemed to think more about that. I wished I could read whatever was going on in his head. I was quickly learning that when Will was thinking about something, he had a habit of biting his lower lip.

  It shouldn’t have been sexy, but it definitely was. It was hard to peel my eyes away. I managed, focusing on the salad, which was more and more delicious with every bite.

  Finally, whatever Will had been thinking seemed to come to a conclusion. “So, I guess when they asked me what I’d like my life to look like in five years, they probably wanted me to say more than ‘have five Stanley Cups’?”

  I laughed, the sound bubbling up from my stomach. I couldn’t help it. The answer was so straightforward. And yet, I was sure, so much not what the interviewer had been looking for.

  “They probably wanted something a bit more personal,” I agreed. “Like the fact that you wanted to adopt a dog. Or that you’d thought about taking up gardening. Something… surprising.”

  That was what I most liked learning about Will. “People know that you play in the NHL, so they can assume that you want to win the Stanley Cup without being told,” I pointed out.

  “Haven’t you ever wanted to know more about someone than what was obvious?”

  Will shrugged. I honestly wondered if the answer was no. It couldn’t be, though, surely? Everyone had wanted to know something more about someone else. “I’m just not that interesting,” Will informed me before taking a bite of his salmon. He reached for his water, washing the food down.

  “I suppose I have,” he finally told me. “But not about... Not like Wayne Gretzky, you know? I don’t care if he likes to hike, I want to know how it felt to break Espo’s single-season goal score.”

  I had no idea who ‘Espo’ was. At least I’d heard of Wayne Gretzky. “Yeah, I get that,” I said. “And I think people want to know that, too. What it feels like to do something amazing. But… the answers aren’t always that satisfying.”

  Will raised his eyebrow at me. I carried on. “Could Gretzky really tell you what that feels like? Or would you have to experience it yourself?”

  I didn’t point out that not all athletes were particularly good with words. I trusted a novelist or a poet to tell me how something felt more than I trusted a random NHL player.

  “I don’t know,” Will shrugged. “But that’s what I’d be interested in hearing about,” he defended. “You asked me if I’ve ever been interested in learning things about people. That’s something I’d be interested in learning.” And okay, I could see the logic in that.

  Will sighed then, shaking his head. “I don’t just care about hockey. I suppose I don’t particularly think other things about me are very interesting, so I don’t see why someone else - a stranger at that - would want to hear about them.”

  I shook my head. It was hard to understand how Will could think himself uninteresting. “Well, I’m basically a stranger, and I want to know things about you,” I said. “Maybe I wouldn’t have asked whether you like hiking or the beach, but I asked whether you’d pick a different house if you could.”

  And I was interested in the answer. “I liked what you said, about having taken the time to make this place a home. I think that says a lot about you. You want to make the best of what you have. You don’t obsess over making every decision the best it could possibly be.”

  I’d seen the same thing with Teddy. “Some people are just interested in people,” I pointed out. “And you can take my word for that, if you like.”

  It made Will laugh. But he bit his bottom lip again, clearly thinking over what I’d said.

  Watching his face as he thought was pretty compelling. Again, I wished that I could read his mind. Whatever was going on in it seemed as fascinating as learning more about Will. Something seemed to occur to him because I saw Will shake his head, like he was telling himself off.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” he told me. “Do you want some dessert after your salad?” he asked, surprising me at the change of topic. “It’s in my diet plan. After lunch I always have a bit of ice cream,” he explained, mistaking what my expression of surprise was.

  “How could I say no to ice cream?” I teased and Will beamed a wide smile at me.

  “Exactly,” he agreed. And just like that our conversation was pushed to one side in favor of him getting some chocolate ice cream for us. We didn’t return to topics as in-depth as what Will liked or didn’t like but by the time I was leaving his house - with many thanks for my DIY skills - I felt like we knew each other better.

  And more so than that - we’d actually agreed to meet again, even if it was just Will taking Vega for a run.

  Chapter Seven

  Will

  I found myself quite unwilling to have Lacey leave. We chatted over the ice cream. While I would hardly tell her this, I liked getting to know her. When she asked me if I’d never been interested in learning more things about someone, all I had been able to think was how much I liked getting to know her.

  Spending an afternoon with Lacey just reminded me how much she kept being on my mind. And why.

  Lacey was funny, but she was also a lot more than that. I enjoyed how confident she was about things, including DIY. I found myself not minding her questions either. Normally, I might’ve felt it a bit much but with Lacey... It just felt so genuine, like she truly cared what I thought and how I felt about things.

  And now we also had arranged to actually see each other again. At least for long enough for her to hand me Vega. But already, I wondered if Lacey might be interested in getting breakfast with me or something.

  That seemed... maybe a bit much. It was hard to balance wanting to talk to her more and not wanting to lead her on. Lacey liked romance, so I hardly imagined she was interested in... well, whatever. I didn’t do relationships. That probably counted as very anti-romantic.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have too much time to think about it. Luke, my captain, texted me to invite himself over for dinner, which suited me just fine. Like I had told Lacey, my diet was pretty boring. For dinner, I ate chicken. Every day. So I had loads, cooking for Luke wasn’t going to be hard.

  The only real difference was that I had to make sure none of the things I used were ingredients he was allergic to. Luke was notoriously allergic to a variety of things. Cooking for him wasn’t the most straightforward thing to do. I prided myself on being good at cooking, though, so we made do.

  Over dinner, I listened to Luke’s complaints about El, the new nutritionist. I didn’t point out how he seemed really interested in her. Luke wouldn’t appreciate it, I was sure. And besides, could I judge if my mind kept going back to Lacey and the way she’d smiled at me?

  After dinner, we agreed that since Luke was there anyway we might as well play some video games. Before I knew it, three other guys had joined us once Alfie had found out we were hanging out.

  “We brought beer!” he defended, making me laugh.

  “It’s cool, I don’t mind. I know that you all follow Luke around like little sheep,” I teased.
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  Only Alfie looked affronted. Ross and Elias just laughed. They’d been on the team long enough to know I didn’t mean anything by it. Luke was our captain, and he was a good one. We’d all follow him wherever he chose to lead.

  “Yeah, and you’re their guard dog,” Luke teased. It was something he called me occasionally, even before I’d adopted Teddy. And I supposed I’d kind of brought it on myself, talking about sheep.

  Ross settled himself on the couch. “Did you bring anything other than beer?” he asked. “I ate, but I still feel hungry.”

  Alfie hadn’t brought snacks. Fortunately, I had loads of vegetables on hand, already cut up for snacking. I brought those out. Ross fell on them like he hadn’t seen food in a week.

  “Is having a dog in the house cramping your style?” he asked.

  “What style?” Alfie joked before frowning at the vegetable snacks. No one was surprised when he didn’t touch a single one, instead just getting another beer. Alfie’s dislike of all vegetables was equally ridiculous and well known by the team.

  “I’ve got plenty of style,” I informed Alfie. “But no,” I admitted. “I don’t think it’s cramping my style at all. If anything, Teddy’s probably helping it.” If it hadn’t been for Teddy, I’d never met Lacey. The fact that that was the first thing to come to my mind was worrying. Lacey and I were... we didn’t even know each other. So why couldn’t I get her out of my mind?

  Shaking my head, I reached to snatch the Playstation controller from Elias. “Maybe he’ll cramp my style more when he’s 150 pounds,” I muttered.

  Luke stared, his distraction losing him precious seconds as my virtual car tore away from the starting line. “That sounds pretty massive for a dog,” Luke pointed out. “I mean, I guess you’ve got the room…” Despite the fact that Luke was our captain, my house was slightly bigger. He’d been nagging me to fill it with a Foosball table for ages.

  “You went all in, Green,” Ross teased. “From no dog to the biggest dog in the world.” Everyone laughed. Hopefully, Teddy wasn’t going to the biggest dog ever. But it would be just my luck.

  Alfie took a swig of his beer before asking, “Isn’t it going to make it hard to go home for holidays? You can’t just leave Teddy here for weeks.”

  He had a good point. I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about what I’d do with Teddy when it came to going home. But, at the same time, I didn’t care much for visiting home. It felt more like a chore than anything. Maybe using Teddy as an excuse would be pretty good.

  “I’ll probably just stay here,” I answered. “I can always fly my mom out if she wants to come, but last year she went on a holiday to Hawaii instead of spending Christmas at home.” Which I hadn’t minded, because spending the holidays with just my mom felt... weird. And I had zero desire to spend it with my dad and his new family.

  Luke’s attention seemed to be fixed entirely on trying to close the distance between our cars. But I knew he’d been listening when he piped up, “You can always bring Teddy to Thanksgiving at mine.”

  Despite the fact Luke couldn’t cook, he always hosted Thanksgiving for whatever players couldn’t go home. Or didn’t want to. I’d been a couple of times and it was always a good laugh.

  The Pumas felt a lot more like a family, even if we were eating take-out wings and beer.

  “You have to bring food for him, though,” Luke added, nudging me in the ribs. “I don’t earn enough to feed an 150-pound dog.” We both knew that wasn’t true. If I could afford to feed Teddy, then Luke definitely could.

  “I’ll just let him eat Alfie.” I shrugged before laughing at the yelp that Alfie gave.

  “Fucking rude,” he announced, snatching the controller out of my hand so he could rush past Luke’s car. I could hardly object. Alfie was definitely better at this game than I was. Maybe I’d let Teddy eat Elias instead.

  Somehow, Luke managed to push Alfie off the track, taking the lead and winning the race in quick succession. He cheered loudly, making Teddy give an unexpected bark of surprise.

  “He’s not used to having so many people around,” I commented, patting my leg so Teddy could come over for some petting. I didn’t mention that this was the second time today he’d had visitors. Having the guys ask me about Lacey was the last thing I needed.

  “He’d better get used to it,” Luke observed, watching as Teddy laid his head in my lap. “Are you going to bring him to the rink? Maybe once he gets a bit bigger.”

  No one laughed. They all knew Luke wasn’t joking. The Salt Lake City rink was our home. The few Pumas with kids had all brought their babies to the rink at least once. They needed to get inducted!

  Ross frowned. “Wait until you’re back on the ice,” he suggested. “Otherwise you might jinx it.”

  I chuckled at that. “If I bring Teddy, you’ll have to let Felix bring all four of his dogs,” I pointed out to much humming. The guys would probably love it, but it seemed a bit weird to bring a dog the way that other people brought their families. As much as Teddy was now my family, he wasn’t actually my kid.

  “Are you just trying to find a reason to bring your girlfriend?” Elias teased. My eyes widened, head snapping to Ross.

  “Oh? Since when have you got a girlfriend?” I asked. I couldn’t remember the last time Ross had dated anyone.

  Ross shrugged, but he couldn’t hide the grin that spread across his face. “It’s been a couple of months,” he admitted. “Since we all split up for the season break. I met her here, and I…”

  Ross wasn’t blushing, but his cheeks were slightly rosier than usual. “Well, I canceled my plans to go home so I could hang out with her all summer.”

  That was quite an admission. “How come we’ve never met her?” Alfie asked.

  It was funny to watch all the guys turn to Ross, waiting for his answer. Seeing everyone so invested was kind of sweet. Not a word I’d normally associate with the guys, but it was still accurate.

  “When would you meet her?” Ross pointed out. “Apart from family skate once a year, we don’t do stuff that invites partners. Should I have brought her tonight?” He raised a fair point.

  Elias and Alfie hummed at that. I reached out to slap Luke’s back. “I’m sure the captain will organize something now he knows there’s complaints,” I joked. Yet, at the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’d be weird not to be able to bring anyone but my dog.

  Luke looked thoughtful. I recognized that expression. Luke might not say anything right now, but I knew he would think this over in the next few days. I was willing to bet that, before the end of the season, there would be an event that Ross could invite his girlfriend to.

  “I’m not sure Jade would have enjoyed this,” Ross said, waving a hand towards the screen. “She doesn’t play video games. Or drink beer.”

  I’d never thought about it, but Ross was right. I couldn’t imagine Lacey sitting down to a racing game and beers, either. Not that Lacey would be who I would invite, obviously! We hardly knew each other.

  “No offense, Will,” Ross added. “Your hosting skills are top-notch! You’ve got vegetables and everything.” Alfie frowned.

  Ross’ assurance made me laugh, I hadn’t at any point questioned my hosting skills. Especially considering that the guys had more or less invited themselves over. Still, I hardly minded. It was a good evening. Hanging out with them made me forget how I still wasn’t able to play.

  Soon, though. It would be soon, I told myself.

  “Especially since you never beat any of us at the video games,” Elias teased.

  “Oh, fuck you, I’ll take that as a challenge,” I announced, taking the controller from Elias to show them just how much I could beat their asses.

  After that, the evening turned a lot more competitive and less talking about girlfriends and dogs - apart from when I had to take a break to take Teddy out. It was nice to have the house so full. Hopefully, soon I’d be back on the ice and things would return to normal.

  An
d if all the chatter helped me keep Lacey out of my head? Well, that was just an added bonus.

  I woke up the following morning earlier than normal. It took me a moment to realize why. There was... God, an almost excited feeling low in my stomach. I knew I shouldn’t feel like this, the same way that I knew that I needed to stop thinking about Lacey. Yet, knowing it wasn’t making that happen.

  But I did my best to look at this as a favor I’d do for anyone. I was going running anyway, so taking Vega with me wasn’t hard. It was even on my way, I realized, once I’d looked up where Lacey lived.

  It was less than a ten-minute run to get there. Catching my breath, I made it to Lacey’s front door, hesitating only briefly before knocking. It took her a moment to open the door. From the way Lacey looked, I knew I’d woken her.

  “I’m here for Vega,” I offered, before grinning at what she was wearing. Lacey’s pajamas were covered in pictures of Vega. “Custom present?” I asked teasingly.

  It took her a moment to understand what I was talking about. I could tell Lacey wasn’t usually a morning person. I might have felt bad, but she’d invited me to come pick up Vega.

  Finally, she plucked at her shirt, giving me a flash of the creamy skin underneath. I had to bite my lip and look away.

  “Revenge present,” she answered, the corner of her mouth tilting into a smile. “I got my moms t-shirts with their cats on one Christmas. These were my next birthday present.”

  She gave a slow spin. The shorts left most of her leg exposed. I couldn’t help but admire the muscles in her calves. “Like them?”

  I realized that the answer was very much a yes. Lacey looked adorable in them. At the same time, she looked hot. I had to tell myself not to look down. That didn’t quite work when Vega appeared next to Lacey, bumping against her bare legs.