Page 93 of You Had Me at Hockey

Lilly and I talk a bit more about the evening we’re planning, then other things. She tells me more about her dog daycare that she’s just about ready to open. But all the while, thoughts about Josh and Easton are running through my mind.

“Hey,” I say, striving for a casual tone. “Do you know if Easton had a meeting with his coach yesterday?”

Lilly frowns. “Yeah…he did.”

I nod. “Did he say what it was about?”

“He was annoyed, but he wasn’t very specific.”

“I think I know what it was about. It all sort of just clicked together. I think Josh and Easton aren’t talking to each other and it’s affecting their game.”

Her forehead still furrowed, Lilly says, “Huh.”

“Coach told Josh he needs to communicate better. I didn’t connect it with Easton until now, when you said they used to be friends but don’t talk anymore.”

“When Easton heard Josh had been traded here, he wasn’t happy. I don’t really get it…”

“There’s stuff they’re not telling us.”

She meets my eyes. “I think you’re right.”

“We need to get them to talk.”

She bites her bottom lip. “Oh. I agree. But I don’t know if we should get involved.”

“People always tell me that.” I sigh. “They don’t seem to be doing it on their own.”

“Maybe they will, now that their coach has talked to them. Better he pisses them off than us.”

“You’re very reasonable.” I sigh again.

Lilly laughs. “I try. Let’s see what happens, okay? If they don’t sort things out themselves, maybe we can give them a little push.”

“Okay.”

I so want to fix Josh’s problems for him…this is obviously something that bothers him, a lot. Why does he feel Easton betrayed him? It can’t just be that Easton wasn’t injured and he was. Josh isn’t that small. Unless I’m totally off base and have put two and two together to make five hundred. But I’ll butt out for now. I just can’t stand to think of him hurting.

Chapter 23

Josh

Sara still has a key to my place, but she knocks on my door anyway. I go let her in and it’s kind of embarrassing how much I missed her. I grab her as soon as she walks in, slam the door closed, and push her back up against it to kiss the breath out of her.

“Wow,” She blinks up at me long moments later. “I missed you too.”

I smile. “You were busy melting your credit card on Rodeo Drive.”

The corners of her mouth tilt up. “Guilty as charged. But I bought something for you.”

“Well, okay then.”

I let her come in and take off her jacket and boots. She pulls a small package out of her messenger bag and hands it to me.

I open it to find a leather tubular…container. I don’t even know what it is. I look up at her.

She grins. “It’s a tie holder. For when you travel. You roll them up and put them in there, and they won’t get creased.”

I open it and find…a tie. A gorgeous silk tie in a bright print that’s a little wilder than I usually wear, but hey, lots of the guys dress in way crazier stuff than that.

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