Page 14 of SlapShot Sweetheart

“Sometimes things just don’t fit together – like you and me.”

“Sometimes you just have to keep working at it and not give up right away.”

“Some would say that is craziness or sheer stubbornness. When do you draw the line and quit – because I see the invisible line, you know?” she whispered back in a hushed voice and glanced at Madeline, curious to see if the woman could hear them. “I don’t want to air our problems around people.”

“There are no problems.”

“We’ve got big ones.”

“Like what? ‘Ow can we have problems when you won’t give me a chance?”

“You had a chance, and you were thirty minutes late.”

“I ‘ad a game, Aimee.”

“So the game was more important than making a good impression?”

“It’s my job.”

“What?” she blurted out, completely taken aback. “What do you mean, ‘It’s your job?’ Are you a gambler? Are you talking about poker games? Is that why you were beat up?”

“I play ‘Ockey professionally,” he said, giving her a soft smile, which made her glance back at the tooth that had fallen out, completely freaking her out at his reaction. “I have a great dentist and ‘e ‘elped me keep my tooth.”

“It looks nice,” she whispered distractedly.

“Merci…”

“Hockey, huh?”

“Yes. Would you like to go to a game?”

“I don’t know anything about hockey. I don’t follow sports or… anything. I mean, I program webpages and do coding – like on computers,” she breathed, looking away from him to where he was holding her elbow.

“Think about it,” he whispered, trying to catch her eyes and she kept looking away, tugging at her elbow to step back from him. “Give it time, think about it, and if you decide you’d like to go – then I’ll get you tickets.”

“I’m not sure. I mean, there’s something going on, and well…”

“Something going on?”

“It’s nothing,” she blurted out, casting her eyes anywhere else but him as her face flushed hotly. “Nothing. I’m talking with someone, and I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.” He stiffened slightly and gave a quick nod as he looked at her closely – and Aimee looked away again.

“Do you like ‘im?” he said tightly, releasing her elbow.

“Maybe?” she confessed nervously. “I don’t have to answer to you but you’ve been so polite that I thought you should know.I barely know him except that he’s awfully romantic with a beautiful voice.”

“I have a nice voice.”

“Asingingvoice?”

“Wait… ‘e sings to you?”

“Once, but that’s none of your business and I don’t know why I’m blabbing on about this. We’re barely acquainted, and this guy seems to know me or see right into me. He leaves me poems, gave me kittens, and… why are you smiling?”

“So you ended up getting a kitten?”

“Two of them,” she replied loftily. “They were a gift.”

“I see. What are their names?”

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