Page 80 of Offside Secrets
“That’s probably her,” I say, setting down the knife and wiping my hands on a towel.
“Well, don’t keep her waiting in the cold,” Dad calls after me. “And try not to look too eager. You’re supposed to play it cool.”
“I’ve never played anything cool in my life.”
His laugh follows me down the hallway.
When I open the door, Sutton’s standing on the porch with snowflakes caught in her hair and a smile that makes my chest do something complicated. She’s holding a bottle of wine and wearing a red sweater that should be illegal.
“Hi,” she says.
Before I can respond, she launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and nearly knocking me backward into the coat rack.
“Congratulations,” she breathes against my ear. “The Dominion is so lucky to have you.”
I hold her tight, breathing in her perfume mixed with cold winter air. “Here I thought you were going to say ‘happy one-month anniversary.’”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes shining. “Has it only been a month?”
“Well, longer if we figure in the weeks of back and forth we wasted,” I tease.
“At least we ended up here.” She grins. “There’s no other place I want to be.”
I kiss her right there in the doorway, not caring that Dad can probably see us from the kitchen, not caring that we’re letting all the heat out of the house. When we finally break apart, she’s flushed and smiling.
“Also,” she adds, straightening my collar, “in case you haven’t heard yet, Sawyer got called up, too. So you’ll have backup.”
“Oh, we heard. He’s called three times this morning, screaming.”
“I believe the entire neighborhood heard the news.” Dad appears in the hallway, wiping his hands on his apron. “Come in, you two, before you both freeze to death. I’m not losing my son to hypothermia right when his NHL career is starting.”
Sutton steps inside, and Dad pulls her into a hug that’s warm and genuine. “You’re the one who is making an honest man out of him,” he says. “I was beginning to think he’d spend his whole life being emotionally unavailable.”
My eyes roll back in my head automatically. “Dad.”
“What? It’s true.”
Sutton laughs, handing Dad the wine. “This is for you, thank you for inviting me. I know Christmas Eve is usually family time.”
“You are family,” Dad says simply, and I watch Sutton’s eyes get suspiciously shiny.
Another knock at the door interrupts the moment. I openit to find Sawyer standing there with a pie carrier and a dramatic expression that suggests recent emotional trauma.
“Here I get the best news of my life, and she breaks up with me,” he announces, pushing past me into the house. “Via text message. On Christmas Eve.”
Sutton looks out the front door, left and then right, as if she’s looking for more people to arrive. “Where’s his parents?”
“My aunt and uncle have different plans for the holidays,” I explain. “Their newest tradition takes them abroad during our winter months. They’re on a river cruise in Europe, following the Danube from Vienna to Budapest.”
She nods, while behind me I hear Sawyer moan again. Loud enough that I can tell he really wants someone to pay him some attention.
“I’ll bite. Who broke up with you?” I ask, taking the pie carrier before he drops it.
“Alessia.” He throws himself onto our couch like a Victorian maiden in distress. “Said I was ‘too available’ and she needed ‘space to find herself.’ What does that even mean?”
Sutton settles into the armchair, clearly trying not to smile. “The pop star you dated for two weeks?”
“Three weeks. And they were meaningful weeks.” He inhales deeply, closing his eyes. “And she’s not only a pop star. She also sings country music, and she’s indie-alternative, too.”
