Chapter 16
Joey
When Will I See Her Again?
It’s been two weeks since the gingerbread house contest. I’ve been so busy with getting the kids settled back at Chelsea’s (I hated to see them go), hockey practice, and several home and away games, I haven’t seen Emma at all.
She’s going to think the only thing that brought us together was the contest. But that’s simply not true. I’ve been stressed out over my play. At this rate, the NHL scouts are going to look elsewhere for their next goalie.
Blake walks in for breakfast. “You look pretty glum. What’s up?” Our morning routine seems rather boring now that Scott and Katie aren’t around.
No fights over sugary cereal...No mad scramble to get to school on time...No eye-popping outfits worn by my niece.
I take a sip of coffee. “I guess I got used to the kids being around.”
My housemate snorts. “Are you sure you aren’t down in the dumps because you haven’t seen a certain beautiful baker recently?”
I set my mug down with a frustrated thunk! and blow out a long-suffering breath. “I don’t know how to read Emma. She hasn’t texted or shown up here with some of her breakfast cupcakes.” To be honest, I got addicted to those caramel turtle cupcakes and have been going through withdrawal. I glance sideways at Blake. “Why didn’t she come to our last home game? It’s like she’s giving me the cold shoulder.” In retrospect, it’s good she didn’t come to that game. I played horrible and gave up four goals in our loss.
All our friends run in the same circle. Pizza outings after a Golden Stars game—Emma’s always there, dressed in her Golden Stars fan attire. Going out for burgers and fries at Sammy’s—she shows up looking as beautiful as ever in ripped jeans and a tight T-shirt. Over the last couple of weeks, I was counting on these outings as an opportunity to see Emma.
Blake stands. “I think you’re going to have to make the first move, my friend. Now that the contest is over and you’re no longer watching the kids, Emma isn’t sure where she stands with you.”
“She told you that?” I sputter, irritation leaking through my tone, knowing that Emma confided in Blake. “I thought she knew we are dating.”
He arches an eyebrow. “She says you’ve gone radio silent.”
Guess those silly cat videos I texted her didn’t do the trick. “I have gone silent,” I admit. “Ever since my play has gone to pot, I won’t let myself concentrate on anything other than hockey.” There. I admit the truth. Emma’s a distraction I don’t need.
“A few bad games won’t matter.”
I grunt. “This isn’t a good time to start playing like a rookie. There’s NHL scouts at every game now and I’m certainly not impressing them anymore.”
Blake gives me a thoughtful look. “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself. Relax and forget about the NHL right now. Just defend the goal for the Golden Stars like you’ve done all these years.”
I scowl, “That’s easier said, than done, my friend.”
“Then, go out on a date with Emma. That will take your mind off hockey.”
The backup goalie is wiser than I thought. Maybe I need a distraction right now! But have I blown my chances with Emma? “I think I’ve given her the wrong impression. I’ve been avoiding her because I’m so grumpy about how horrible I’m playing. It doesn’t have anything to do with her.”
“Even when you two were supposedly in a relationship, when did you ever go out with Emma on a real date?” He uses air quotes around the word date.
“Um, well—” My voice trails off as I realize the truth. Emma and I have never been on an actual bona fide date. “Building a gingerbread house with my niece and nephew and meeting the gang for pizza after a game doesn’t qualify as a date. Does it?”
“No, it does not,” he says with a wide grin. “It’s time to romance her and show her how you feel.”
Boy, I’ve been an idiot.
“Got any suggestions?”
A laugh spurts from his lips. “Joey, you’re on your own for that.”
“Gee, thanks,” I mutter.
“Consult Mia. She and Emma are best friends. I’m sure she can give you some ideas.” Blake saunters off and I pick up my phone before I get cold feet. It’s time to romance the beautiful baker and leave no doubt how I feel about her.
~*~
“The French place?” I grumble.
The female voice on the other end of the line laughs, the ear-splitting noise making me wish I’d done this via text. “You said you want to romance Emma. Nothing screams romance like Le Chateau Gourmand. Are you serious about this date or not, Josef?”
Feeling like I’ve been scolded by my mom, I blurt, “That hoity-toity restaurant is so stuffy. It’s not really my style.”
She snorts. “Oh, I forgot. You’d rather go to the all-you-can-eat buffet on 34 th Street.”
“Otto loves that eatery, too,” I counter.
“Just because my sweet husband loves that restaurant, doesn’t mean that he’d remotely consider it romantic enough for a special date.”
Her words bring up a memory of the first time Otto asked Mia out. He was so nervous that his brain short-circuited, and he suggested they go to the buffet. She turned him down flat and he thought he’d blown his chance to convince her to go out with him. I don’t want to make that mistake with Emma, that’s for sure.
“Okay,” I mutter, albeit rather reluctantly. “But I hear it takes weeks to get a reservation there.”
“I’ve got an in with the owner. He donated to the silent auction for the Inclusive Park gala. Want me to see what I can do to speed things up?”
Relief flows through me that I can fix this misunderstanding with Emma sooner rather than later. “That would be great, Mia!” We discuss my jam-packed calendar and determine that the first time I’m free is Wednesday night. Unfortunately, it’s still over a week from now. A mid-week fancy dinner date doesn’t exactly sound romantic, but it’s the best I can do.
“I’ll text you with the reservation details,” Mia says, confident that she can secure that day.
“Thanks again. Please don’t say anything to Emma. After the reservation is confirmed, I’m going to pop over to the bakery and surprise her with the invitation.”
She laughs. “My lips are sealed. I can’t wait to see Emma’s face when you ask her.”
When I hang up, my palms start to sweat. Eating dinner dressed in a suit is not my idea of fun, but Emma’s worth it. Will I know which fork to use?