Page 40 of No Pucks Given
Chapter 36
Siobhan
The Legacy’s season was just kicking off. Preseason came on quickly, but it was good to see Carter busy again.
As he jumped into the new hockey season, my shooting schedule became lighter as theShady Oaksstory arcs were redefined. My character Celia’s storyline had been tamed down. Her sister got caught for the poisoning scheme, and she was settling back into trying to get healthy. The big storyline forShady Oaksright now was how a gang was trying to take over Demi’s bar. So Demi was the one getting all the crazy lines as she tried to keep control of her bar.
With more time at home, I wanted to do something special for Carter since he was normally our date planner. Tonight, it was my turn to take control of our little date night.
I would have loved to go out on the town and go to one of the cool exhibits, but it was too much of a security risk. Packages continued to be left for me, including at a couple of the hotels.
After nearly a year of dating, I’d figured out the ins and outs of his diet. He could chow down on a shit ton of food, but at the same time, he was worried about fat and protein content. Tonight was one of his favorite meals: chicken alfredo with a mix of regular and veggie pasta and steamed broccoli on the side.
But the real highlight for tonight’s date night in was not the dinner. No, it would be the fact that there were five miniature dachshund puppies staying at our place for the night. Demi’s dog had a litter seven weeks ago, and she asked if we could help puppy sit the little ones to help with their socialization and for them to experience what it was like to be away from their mom. So I set them up in Stephanie’s old pack and play, then I lined it with lots of pee pads.
They were small fuzzy balls with those iconic rounded ears and pointy faces. Since they were so young, they didn’t quite look like typical wiener dogs just yet. But the worst thing about them was that they were ridiculously loud. It seemed like at least one of them was yipping and trying to get another puppy to play with them at all times.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when strong arms wrapped around my waist. It reminded me that I still had a lot to learn in my self-defense lessons. I still froze up when I got scared.
But then my senses kicked in, and I settled down. First, the smell of sandalwood and tobacco cologne mixed with ice hit me. Then, the bristle of his closely shaven beard grazed my neck. So it was no surprise when I heard Carter’s distinctive voice say, “What do we have here?”
“Puppies," I answered. He used one of those light, airy voices, but I was a little worried he might get mad if he thought I overstepped by bringing the puppies over.
He chuckled as he unwrapped his arms from my body, and when he turned me, I saw his huge smile. “I see that, but are they visiting, or are they ours?”
“Just visiting,” I said as I scooped up the puppy with a pink collar on it. Right now, it was just named Pink Girl while the other one was Blue Boy, Purple Girl, Green Boy and White Girl. She immediately squirmed and started to lick my hands. “Figured you wouldn’t mind. Demi will pick them up when she’s done filming or when we want to give them back.”
He picked up the puppy from my hand. “Stephanie is going to be so disappointed not to meet these guys.”
I nodded. She would love to have a dog, but it wasn’t feasible with my work schedule. There were days when it was tricky enough to make sure Stephanie had the proper care. At least I already talked to Demi about it, and Stephanie would be dog-sitting for Demi.
“She’s going to meet them in a couple of days.”
He brought the pup up to his face and snuggled up with the tiny pup. It was adorable to see this big guy hold and snuggle up with something so tiny.
I picked up the black puppy with the white collar. I was amazed at how fuzzy and soft the puppy was.
The two of us sat side by side, each with a puppy in our hand. It was kind of perfect. I looked up at him. “Would you ever want a pet?”
“Yeah. I thought about getting a kitten a couple of times. But the time hasn’t been right.”
That seemed like an easier animal to start with. Cats could be left alone, while dogs needed constant care. Maybe we could do that.
Chapter 37
Siobhan
It was already late October and things have been relatively quiet on the stalker front. Carter and I continued to swap between houses, hotels and AirBnBs. Stephanie stopped asking to have friends come over.
Coming home, I heard Carter say, “Let’s not tell Shiv.”
I hated hearing that since I knew he would only hide something in order to protect me. It meant something had happened, and he knew I didn’t want to deal with it. But I hated being treated like a child who couldn’t handle something.
So as I walked past him, I asked, “Not tell me what?”
He turned to face me with one of his tight smiles. It was clear he didn’t want me to know what was going on, but it wasn’t so drastic that I couldn’t know. He pulled me tightly into a hug ashe lowered his phone and thumbed a button. Then, he lowered it to the counter. Lou’s voice came over the loudspeaker, saying, “We had another package arrive at your house, and it seems like your hotel plans got leaked. Someone tried to tamper with your hotel reservation again.”
I buried my head into Carter’s chest. I didn’t cry anymore. This was too much of a common occurrence. Why were we paying a near fortune for security when they couldn’t stop anything?
