Chapter Four
Derek
I’m a fool.
I called myself that about a million times before I showed up at the hockey rink early Sunday morning.
I’d dressed up Saturday night, planning to go over to Ace’s Place and give the bartender a piece of my mind.
Except he didn’t deserve that.
I might get him fired, and what would that accomplish? I wasn’t vindictive, even if he hurt me.
After sleeping another night in those sheets—because I hadn’t let housekeeping take them away, and wasn’t that sentimentality gone overboard—I awoke this morning, knowing what I had to do.
Yesterday I’d gone to the superstore and loaded up on winter supplies.
Vancouver might dip below freezing a few days a year, and we had the occasional snowfall, but nothing like these mountains.
The Coquihalla Pass was often shut down because of snow, and accidents were common up this way.
Well, if I was going to be a permanent resident, I had to dress the part.
The cashier eyed me, I’m sure wondering what the fuck I was doing, but she happily rang up my purchases that almost hit four figures.
My hotel room was full of supplies, just ready to head over to my new home.
I’d debated renting but had gotten a sweet deal on a house.
A real house.
Like the one my grandparents had owned. Since real estate was rarely a bad bet, I took the plunge.
Now, as I spent more time in town, I was seeing things weren’t so bad.
Several big box retail stores.
Numerous restaurants.
One awesome sports bar.
The snow was falling lightly when I exited my brand-new SUV. I hadn’t even owned a car in Vancouver, but my grandmother insisted I learn how to drive. I occasionally rented a car to go up to Whistler for a ski vacation, but I tended to stick close to home. I had everything I needed in the city, so why go elsewhere? How narrow-minded. An entire world existed beyond the city, and I’d never seen it. I thought myself better than everyone else.
You were wrong.
By the time I entered the arena, a light dusting of snow covered the area. As I brushed it off, a woman passed me. “You here for the game?”
The sound of blades across the ice caught my attention.
I met her gaze. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Well, grab a coffee and come sit with me.”
She pointed to a nearby bleacher.
Small-town friendly?
What did I have to lose? I got a cup of coffee and joined the woman and her friend.
Even before I settled, she stuck out her hand. “I’m Tamara, and this is my friend Twyla.”
The other woman held up a gloved hand.
“I’m with Micah, and Twyla here is with Neil.”
She gave me the once-over. “Who are you with?”
“Uh…”
I hadn’t really thought this through. “Well, West invited me. And I know Harold.”
“Harold…?”
Twyla snickered. “Only Ace’s mother calls him Harold.”
She eyed me speculatively. “Unless he’s trying to impress someone.”
“Or hide the fact he owns Ace’s Place,”
Tamara chimed in. Her pale eyes settled on me. “Welcome. He’s been alone a long time.”
“Well, he has Benjamin.”
I didn’t want them to think I was a home-wrecker.
Both women broke into peals of laughter. Laughter that went on so long, I wondered if I should just get up and leave.
Tamara placed a hand on my thigh.
A little forward, but I got the feeling she didn’t mean it unkindly.
“Benjamin is his eighty-pound Bouvier. The pooch is two-years-old and afraid of his own shadow. Ace is mighty protective of that little guy.”
Little? Eighty pounds?
“And defensive.”
Twyla’s contribution. Her short dark curls bounced as she nodded. “You’d better like dogs.”
I didn’t not like dogs. I didn’t do dogs. I supposed that would change.
If Harold, wait—Ace, wanted me. Now I reflected, West hadn’t been all that comfortable using the name Harold either.
“I’m not sure I’m good enough for him.”
Tamara’s amusement fled. “You’re here, aren’t you? Not many guys show up at this early hour on a Sunday morning to watch a bunch of men play pick-up hockey. Ace and West have to play on opposing teams because together they’d slaughter the competition. See, this is all for fun. That being said, the men take this seriously.”
She pointed out across the ice. “My Micah is the goalie. This is his bonding time with the guys. He works in the sawmill, and that’s a great union job, but it doesn’t do much for his spirit. Being here does.”
I’d certainly never viewed a sport that way. Not my thing, but I’d try. If freezing my ass off every Sunday morning meant I had a shot, I’d give it my all.
“Always bring a foam seat to sit on and a blanket to put over your lap. Trust me, you won’t feel stupid after the first time.”
Tamara winked.
Twyla yelled something, and both women rose to their feet, cheering. Since I had no idea either what’d happened or whose team Ace was on, I stayed seated. The men all had their names on the backs of their jerseys, but I didn’t actually know Ace’s last name.
Turns out I knew very little about him.
“Oh, in case you’re wondering, number thirty-two is Catherine. Don’t let her gender fool you, she can dish it out and take it.”
I spotted the woman in question and yes, she was slightly smaller than the other men. But size was relative. They all looked huge in the bulky hockey equipment.
The ref blew the whistle, and my two new friends cheered. Tamara patted me on the shoulder as the men headed for the benches.
“Ace’s team won. By a whopping one goal. Micah’s going to be pleased no one scored on him today.”
She folded up her blanket and stomped her feet a few times. “No matter how many socks I wear, my feet are always blocks of ice.”
“I told you to use the foot warmers.”
Twyla also rose and folded her blanket. “Neil’s team lost, but he won’t care.”
I followed the two women as they walked to the end of the row and descended to the main floor. Nerves set in as I absorbed the fact I was really here. This was it. He might reject me. I’d treated him abominably, and he might decide I wasn’t worth the effort.
First Twyla squealed in delight as a man approached. She ruffled his damp hair and gave him a huge kiss. He snagged her by the waist and pulled her close. “I love that you’re as enthusiastic when I lose as when I win.”
“Because you’ll always be a winner to me.”
Pure sap. And a few months ago, I might’ve gagged. Now I saw it for what it was—affection and love.
Tamara patted me on the back and moved to greet the next player. He dropped his bag, grabbed her by the waist, and hoisted her up. She laughed with glee as he spun her around.
“I was awesome, wasn’t I?”
“Baby, you’re always great.”
She gave him a long look, and as she slid down his body, he looked at me, cocking his head.
“And you are…?”
West slapped Micah on the back. “He’s here for me.”
Micah cackled. There was no other word for it.
“I think he might be here for me.”
Ace spoke the words softly, but as Micah stepped back and away, Ace’s gaze met mine.
Words caught in my throat. Could I do this? Was I prepared to make a public declaration?
“I might be here for you. Harold.”
West guffawed, and everyone else broke into laughter. Several more players had joined our little group, and clearly this was an ongoing joke.
“It’s, uh, Ace.”
“I know. What I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me the truth.”
He looked down and scuffed his boot on the cement floor.
“Because Ace is a pretty big deal in town, and he wanted you to get to know him before you discovered that.”
West ran his hand through his damp hair.
Harold…Ace… Whoever. Two points of color rose in his already flushed cheeks, but he finally met my gaze. His eyes blazed.
“We, uh, usually go to A&W for breakfast.”
He hiked his bag higher on his shoulder.
Was that an invitation?
Twyla swatted him. “Derek can join us next week, right?”
Her eyes shone brightly. “I think you guys need to go somewhere to talk.”
I gulped. She was right, of course, we needed to talk. Who knew if there was even going to be a next weekend? Ace hadn’t actually said it was okay that I’d ventured here today.
“Talk. Yeah.”
Ace glanced over at his teammates who were all moving toward the exit.
The next group of hockey players were making their way onto the ice, and the stands were filing.
This group was much younger, so the spectators were parents and grandparents and a few siblings thrown in for good measure. I was so out of my comfort zone.
Ace ran his hand through his hair. “I desperately need a shower.”
I almost offered to join him but figured that’d be just a bit too forward.
“Would you…”
He scrubbed a hand down his face, drawing attention to the scruff. God, scruff was so fucking sexy. “Would you want to come home with me? To talk,”
he was quick to add.
“Why don’t I do drive-thru A&W and meet you at your place? That way you can shower, and I can feed you.”
Nothing to be gained by tiptoeing around the situation.
His grin was wide, showing off perfect teeth.
Impressive for a guy who played contact sports.
He furtively glanced around. I knew what he was doing, so remained still. In two strides he was before me. I expected the kiss, but it still threw me a bit. Quick and light.
He rattled off an address and was out the door before I had a chance to get my bearings.
I hadn’t even asked him what he wanted to eat.