Chapter 21
Levi
I’m Lousy at Romance
Another great win for the Stars and my play keeps getting better and better. My teammates mingle around the locker room, laughing and joking with each other. You’d think we just won the Frozen Four with all the excitement in the room.
"Listen up, you gang of skating sausages!" Coach bellows in his raspy voice. "Don’t let this victory go to your head. We’ve still gotta face the Wizards in the final game of the season. It’s an away game, so we won’t have home ice advantage.”
His words instantly douse everyone’s jubilation, like a bucket of ice water. The man’s a real mood killer.
“Now that I’ve got your attention, practice tomorrow morning is delayed until 7 AM. You boys can sleep in.” Cheers erupt, but he holds up his hand for silence. “Enjoy your evening, but don’t make me have to come bail you out!” He tosses Joey a stern look and leaves the room. Joey’s run-in with the law happened last season. A speeding violation landed Joey in jail when he mouthed off to an officer and Coach had to post bail to get him out. That’s a mistake none of us will ever repeat.
Nervous laughter echoes around the room as we finish dressing and gather our stuff. Otto flops his lanky body down on the bench beside me while I’m slipping into my shoes.
“Did you change your plans for going to that fancy French place?” he asks, looking over my attire.
Pointing to my suit and arching my eyebrows, I say, “No. Why do you ask?”
“Does Bailey know where you’re going?”
“No, it’s a s-u-p-r-i-s-e. You know, something that’s unexpected or astonishing,” I joke.
“Oh, she’s gonna be astonished, that’s for sure,” Otto replies with a grunt, not saying another word.
“Hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise,” I say, mentally fist pumping the air at my dating expertise. “Hey, keep Joey in line so he doesn’t break any laws,” I tease, then stride out of the locker room.
I can’t wait to see my girlfriend and persuade her to come with me to Anaheim. Although I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of Bailey in the stands this time, the Uber driver texted me when he charged my credit card for her ride to the stadium, so I know she’s here.
A few seconds later, I pause outside the door to the friends and family waiting area to compose myself. I wipe sweat from my palms and take some deep breaths. This is my chance to romance my girlfriend, something I should have done from the onset. Nothing says romance like fancy food you can’t pronounce, portions that don’t fill you up, and prices that put a dent in your wallet. Nonetheless, Bailey’s worth it!
Yanking the door open, I stroll into the room, putting on my best smoldering look. When I spot Bailey, my feet stall, my eyes pop open, and my jaw drops, ruining any attempt at a sexy expression.
She obviously didn’t get the dress code memo. Because you didn’t tell her, you dunce!
After a few moments of shock, I pull myself together and walk over to where she’s seated. Her eyes are glued to her phone. She glances up when she notices me and smiles. I extend my hand and pull her to her feet.
“Wow! You wore a suit?” she says. “What’s the occasion?”
“Um, well...” The words lodge in my throat, knowing that I’ve made a colossal mistake. How do I fix this?
Loosening my tie, I say, “You’re going to laugh.”
She quirks an eyebrow. “I am? Why?”
Luckily, the room is empty, so I don’t have to admit my blunder in front of a crowd. I point to the chair she just vacated. She sits back down and I take a seat next to her. Taking her hands in mine, I say, “I have big plans to romance you this evening. Have you ever been to Le Chateau Gourmand?”
“The pricey French restaurant?” she squeaks.
“Yep. We’ve got a reservation there in forty-five minutes.”
Glancing at her outfit, she stammers, “But, I’m dressed like this!”
“That’s my bad, I wanted to surprise you.”
She sighs. “Mission accomplished, but I can’t go like this.”
I rush on, trying to salvage the situation. “You look great in anything you wear, but flannel and jeans are a little too casual for white tablecloths and strolling violins. I wanted to romance you, so you’d at least consider our future in Anaheim together, but obviously my execution was flawed. We can reschedule.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, hesitation written on her beautiful face as the gears turn in her head. “Do you still want to go?”
“Yes! We can make our reservation if we hurry.”
Her eyes brighten, she leaps to her feet, and says, “If we stop by my apartment, I’ll change into something more appropriate! Let’s go!”
I laugh. “You like French food that much?” I ask as we jog down the hall to the exit.
“No, but I want Levi Nyberg to romance the heck out of me!” she shouts with a fist pump.
“You’re not mad?”
“Well, you’ve admitted your mistake. Plus, how can I be mad when you look like that?” she says, nodding to my suit and giving me a saucy grin.
We hurry to my truck. As Bailey gets in, she makes a confession, “In the spirit of full disclosure, I ate a full container of fried rice before the game, so I’m not very hungry.” Her smile fades. “Maybe we should just reschedule—.”
Seeing how excited she was a few minutes ago to go to this French place, a group of burly defensemen couldn’t keep me from taking her there. “We’re not rescheduling! These pricey French places serve tiny portions. You’ll be fine,” I assure her.
Like a kid, she bounces up and down in the car seat, happiness beaming from her smile. “I’m pretty sure I’ll have room for dessert,” she adds with a flirty wink.
As I speed to her apartment, Coach’s warning rattles around in my head. Getting a ticket would certainly ruin the evening that I have planned for us. Backing off the throttle, I drive at a more acceptable rate, assuring myself that we can still make the reservation with a few minutes to spare.
Bailey directs me where to park as I pull into the parking lot of a modest apartment complex. “Do you want me to come in with you?”
“Yes! You can meet my roommates while you wait.” We sprint up several flights of stairs and she unlocks a door painted bright blue with three gold numbers indicating apartment 302. “Mia and Emma, meet Levi,” Baileys shouts as she leaves me standing in the entryway and disappears down the hall.
“Hi,” I say, giving the two women an embarrassed half wave.
“So, you’re the Levi Nyberg we keep hearing about. Nice to finally meet you,” the shorter one says in a disapproving parental sounding tone. Oops! Guess I should have met these two sooner.
“That’s Mia, never mind her sharp tongue. I’m Emma,” the other one says as she stands.
“Nice to meet both of you. I’ve had several of your cupcakes, Emma, and they’re delicious. They almost look too fancy to eat. Almost,” I tease.
She grins. “Most people say that. Bailey’s the one responsible for making them look fancy. That’s all her.”
Huh? My girlfriend is too modest, all she told me about was burning the cakes.
“I’ll just go check on Bailey. Be right back,” Emma says, heading down the hallway where Bailey went a few seconds ago.
Mia snorts and sticks her nose back behind her laptop as if I’m not here.
Feeling like a fish out of water, I lean awkwardly against the wall. Mia obviously has no interest in interacting with me, so I scroll quietly on my phone. I’m thankful that Bailey is excited about our date and that she’s forgiven me for my mistake of not telling her what to wear. When you think about it, not letting a woman know that you’re taking her to a fancy, dress-up place is a huge blunder. So much for my romantic skills.
Bailey is a keeper and I desperately want her to move with me to California. Despite the bad start, maybe I can salvage this date and romance my girlfriend into moving to Anaheim with me. As I anxiously wait for Bailey to change, I tap the pocket of my jacket to confirm that I still have the insurance policy Nana guaranteed would win Bailey over. Hope it works.