Page 18 of That Thing You Brew
I hated coffee. Still do. But being triple-dog dared by my teammate Brendan to drink it at the Bevvie Bar on a game day trumped any tastebuds. I hated avocados, too, but I ate them. So I’d pointed to a toffee crunch doughnut and asked if they had coffee that tasted like it.
Tasha told Penny to make it, and she got right to work. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she scribbled a message on the cup, scooped coffee ice cream, and added butterscotch chips. Then the light roast coffee—but not too much, only enough to melt the ice cream and butterscotch. Then a whole bunch of whipped cream, sea salt caramel drizzle, and crunchy toffee sprinkles—the same that were on the doughnut.
The same doughnut she’d bought me for breakfast this morning.
I’d told her she was a dream, and it was the truth.
Because she was in mine.
Daydreams, night dreams. Whenever I wasn’t distracted, thoughts of her crept into my mind.
It wasn’t until I got to the rink that first time that I realized she’d written more than my name on the cup.Good luck! I triple-dog dare you to score tonight.The team was going through a thing with triple-dog dares that week, and everyone had been the recipient of multiple. Stupid stuff, mostly. Wearing dirty socks, singing along to Taylor Swift on a reel for our social media channels, that sort of thing.
After a brief wave of panic attwotriple-dog dares in one day, I focused.
And I got to work. I scored that night and had two assists.
And thus began the pregame Bevvie Bar tradition.
If I were any other guy, I’d have asked her out a long time ago. But I wasn’t. I was Xavier Schwann, and I was focused on one thing: hockey.
This was my year. I’d signed a nice deal with the Edge last summer and made the roster after training camp. Without a no-trade clause, they could sell my contract to another team, or put me on waivers to see who might pick me up. If no one did, I’d be sent back to the Volts.
As much as I loved my old coach and mentor, and this town, I was determined not to let that happen. I’d worked too hard to blow it now.
If Penny and I were meant to be more than friends, it would happen sometime down the road. If we weren’t, then… I’d just keep on doing what I was doing. You couldn’t miss what you didn’t have, right?
I was lying to myself, but it was necessary. I’d already missed too many games this season. No more distractions. Opa would be livid if he’d seen my performances at practice the last two days.
The timer went off, and I climbed out of the tub. After I showered again, I checked my phone to see if Penny had replied.
She had! A giddy, involuntary shiver vibrated through me.
One new message from Penny:Staff meeting postponed since Tasha couldn’t be there. Whatever it is, they want all of us. I can be at your place by seven. What can I bring?
My whole body tingled with glee. I texted her back.Just yourself. Do you have any food allergies?
No, but I don’t like mushrooms.
Me neither! See you at 7.
See you at 7.
I’d have to hurry to get home and get everything ready. I wanted to wow her with my cooking skills.
To make her comfortable, of course. So she would feel safe and not stutter.
Not at all to impress her.
Well, maybe a little. But I’d never admit it.
* * *
Bzzzzzzz!
I grabbed a dish towel, wiping my hands as I ran to the security console to press the button that would let Penny into the building. I had an app for that, but I’d been trying to avoid my phone. More messages from the family and the unknown number had come through, and I wasn’t ready to read or respond to them.
Mountain View, the condo complex where I lived, was gated. I’d added Penny to my guest list, but I’d forgotten to give her the code to enter the building. My building was mostly hockey players and employees of the Voltage. With its proximity to the Plex and around-the-clock security, it was ideal. There were two to four units on each level, depending on the size, with garages on the ground level.
