Page 22 of Dirty Puck

“Baker Reece? As in goalie for the Copperheads?”

“You watch?”

“Of course. I might be old, but I find watching hockey to be quite exciting. You know Bree from the arena, then.”

“Yeah, that’s where we met. Listen, I was an ass when she walked up on me. She and I have been dating, but my mom was with me and she wants to see me married. I didn’t want her saying something to Bree that would freak her out and I fu—messed up.” I corrected myself for the kid. “Went about it all wrong. I apologized. We’re solid now.”

Right then, the door to the bathroom opened and Bree stepped out wearing a towel wrapped around her head like a turban and one across her body tucked under her arms. She froze when she saw us.

“Oh, my god, Mrs. Grazia, I’m so sorry.”

“For what? As he’s apologized for hisegregiousmistake, and knows how tonevertreat you again” —she shot me a pointed glare— “I’m glad you have a boyfriend. You need to have more fun and Mr. Reece?—”

“Please, call me ‘Baker,’” I offered because point taken, and the woman smiled.

“Only if you call me ‘Claudia.’ Or ‘Miss Claudia’ will work. That’s what I tell Benny when I’m working with him. Maybe now Bree will call me that, too.”

“Mrs. Gra—erMiss Claudia?” Bree asked with her voice pitching a couple of octaves up at the end.

“See,” Miss Claudia said. “It’s working already.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. I swear I’d never abandon my responsibilities to?—”

“Have a social life? I’ve wanted that for you since that douche canoe took off. It’s not abandoning your responsibilities to let me have Benny over. I love Benny. I don’t have family, but I have you and Benny.” Shit, the woman useddouche canoe. I had to laugh.

Despite Bree shooting me some hella angry eyes, I had her exactly where I wanted her. There was no way that she’d deny me being her boyfriend now. Not Bree. The last thing she’d want to tell the older woman was that we’d hooked up.

In my day to day, I blocked the shots. Today, I’d scored big.

Point to Reece.

I just hoped, now with additional time on the clock, I could get her to forgive me.

CHAPTER

FIVE

BREE

Talk about being backed into a corner. Either I agreed to this farce or be forced to tell one of the best people I knew, one of the few people in this world who loved me, that while she watched my son, I’d been getting laid by a hookup. I couldn’t tell Mrs. Grazia,er, Miss Claudia—it would take me some time to get used to calling her that—I couldn’t tell her the truth. And not because I felt ashamed of a hookup. I danced naked for a living. Plus, words likewhoreandslutalways infuriated me.

Why were men still allowed these sexual passes and women were supposed to remain completely celibate unless in a committed relationship? I hated the double standard. But it felt somehow disrespectful to Miss Claudia. I couldn’t disappoint her. Ineededher to always look at me the way she looked at me.

“Let me get dressed,” I mumbled, turning around before I started crying like an idiot. “Then I’ll make us breakfast.”

I dashed into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me, and let the frustration spill out in hot, angry tears. It took until I had two legs in my panties, sliding them up my thighs for the door to creak open again.

“You okay?” Reece’s voice broke through.

“Do I look okay?” I snapped, voice thick. “I have to lie to the best person I know or risk disappointing her.”

“She doesn’t sound disappointed, for what it’s worth. She’s a real nice lady.”

“Yeah, she is. But she doesn’t know the truth. Miss Claudia always thinks the best of me.”

“And a hookup would change that?”

“I don’t know. She might feel used.”

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