O Goalie Night (The Ottawa Otters #1)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

FOSTER

“ A re you in or out? Where’s your head at, Fozz?”

Wondering why your sister hasn’t texted me back.

“Sorry,” I say as I throw my pair of kings down. “I fold.”

A chorus of “boos” rise from the small coffee table that four large men are crowded around.

I slide my phone out of my pocket and check my messages for the twentieth time today. There are no new messages from Beth since our brief exchange this morning where I wished her good luck on her first day and she sent me a gif of a very nervous looking kitten.

I’m not sure why I care so much, only that I do.

I can’t remember the last time I felt this anxious about something that wasn’t hockey-related, but Beth’s had such a rough week; I want her to have a win. She deserves a big one.

“This is not your day, Fozzie Bear,” Austin says as he slaps me on the back with his hand. I swat it away like you would any pest. “If poker is too challenging, we could play something more your speed. Go Fish, perhaps? ”

“The authorities will have to go fish your body out of the canal after I drown you in it.” This earns me a round of laughter from my teammates seated around the table.

Will makes a disgusted face and shudders. “Imagine the diseases you’d catch in that filthy excuse for a body of water.”

“Crawford’s probably already got every STI known to man,” Ben snickers. “What’s a few more?”

“Hey!” Austin protests. “I”ll have you know I have aced every blood test I’ve ever taken, thank you very much. I always wrap the Prince before any action.”

We stare at him, horrified.

“Austin,” Will says patiently. “Please tell me you did not just refer to your dick as ‘the Prince.’”

He shrugs. “That’s his name.”

“I know I’m going to regret asking this, but why?” Will asks.

Austin forms twin pistols with his hands and points to his own chest. “Because his daddy’s the King!”

Everyone collectively throws their cards at a very pleased-looking Austin, groaning.

“I swear, I get stupider the more time I spend with you.” Ben gives him a look of pure disdain.

There’s a surprising amount of downtime for professional hockey players. Yes, there’s plenty of travel, games, and practices, but in between that there’s a lot of hours to kill. In the evenings, a lot of the single guys go out looking for hookups, but during the day we tend to go through cycles of how we keep ourselves busy. Depending on where we’re playing, we might go golfing or sometimes there’s gaming in someone’s hotel room. Lately, we’ve been passing the time with poker .

Why this poker game always seems to happen in my hotel room, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the price I pay for not being a slob like everyone else.

I need to leave soon for warm ups and I’d have a much easier time getting my head in the game if I know Beth got along okay at school.

Fuck it.

I leave my friends at the makeshift poker table and make my way to the in-suite kitchenette typing out a quick text.

Foster: How did it go?

The reply bubbles appear and then disappear.

“We’re starting the next hand,” Ben calls to me from the table.

“Play without me.”

“We can’t play with three guys, man.”

“Then don’t play.”

“Fozz, come on. Please?”

Normally, I would, but, to be honest, I’m annoyed with him. He hasn’t mentioned Beth once since we left on Friday. On top of that, I haven’t forgotten the dig he took at my own family situation.

I don’t think you’re one to give out family advice.

He’s not wrong, but I didn’t appreciate the reminder.

I think about my brother Cody a lot, but especially this time of year. With less than two years between us, we were inseparable when we were younger. He’s going to be thirty-one next month. The last time I saw him on his birthday, he was turning twenty-one. He’d gotten so drunk, I needed two other guys to help me get him home .

The urge to reach out and see how he’s doing always gets stronger around Christmas, but I never do. Almost ten years ago he told me to lose his number and I haven’t spoken to him since.

My phone starts to vibrate with an incoming call from Beth and I start for the door. Regardless of what she’s calling about, I know I don’t want to have this conversation in front of her brother, let alone the others.

“Where are you going?” Ben demands.

“Gotta take this,” I say, slipping out of the room. I accept the call as I’m walking down the hallway. “Hello?”

“Hey,” she answers and from that single syllable, I can tell she’s smiling and I relax. “I just got home. Is it ok that I'm calling? My parents and sisters are still at work, and I haven't heard from Ben since you guys left on Friday. I understand if you’re busy.”

It doesn’t escape me that not only did she call me and not her brother, but she just called my place “home.” I’m surprised by how much I like it.

“How was your first day?”

“It was so great,” she gushes. “The kids were wonderful. A couple of them are going to be a handful, but I know I can handle it. The school is beautiful!”

I picture her sitting on my couch, talking with her hands, her long brown hair falling over one shoulder.

“And the staff are all so nice,” she continues. “Oh! I think I’ve found a place to stay.”

A weight similar to disappointment settles in my stomach. I mean, of course she was going to find a place to stay, I just didn’t think it would be so soon. “Yeah?”

“One of the VPs talked to me on my way out. He has a sister who was renting a room to a graduate student, but they’ll be moving out at the end of next month. I won’t be able to move in until January, but at least it’s something. I was thinking that since I’ll be going back to the Island for Christmas, I really only need something for six weeks, so I’m going to try to find an Airbnb in the area. Maybe I can find something that isn’t too expensive since it’s the off-season? What do you think?”

I lean back and let my head rest against the cool wall in the hotel hallway. It’s not a bad plan. I’m sure she could find a decent place to rent for a short period of time. I should tell her that and offer to help her in any way she needs.

But even in the off season, those rentals are expensive and she still hasn’t found a used car.

What if she finds a place and hates it once she moves in? If Ben and I are travelling with the team, she won’t have anyone around to help her.

The solution is simple. I’ve got the extra room and spare vehicle and I’ll be gone half of the time. Logically, she should stay where she is.

“Foster?” Beth’s voice interrupts my thoughts. I should probably say something before she thinks the call was dropped.

“Why not just stay where you are until your new place is ready? It’s only going to be a few weeks, right? I’m going to be gone half the time with games.”

There’s silence on the line and I worry that I’ve overstepped. We don’t know each other well and I shouldn’t have assumed that she’d want to stay at my place when I’m actually there. I’m about to tell her as much when I hear her sigh .

“Oh, Foster, I couldn't possibly ask that of you. I’ve already been such an in–”

“Beth Michaels, I swear if you refer to yourself as an inconvenience one more time, I will rescind my offer to introduce you to Otto.”

Her laughter does something to my chest. It feels warm and tight all at the same time.

“I really do want to meet that otter.” I can practically hear her chewing her lip as she decides what to do.

“So you’ll stay?”

Why am I so nervous about her answer? Am I holding my breath? I really need to get my head on straight before we play tonight.

“If you’re really sure that you don’t mind.”

“I’m sure.” Surprisingly sure.

“Okay. I’ll stay. Thank you so much Foster. I promise, I’ll be the perfect roommate. You won’t even know I’m here.”

Somehow, I doubt that very much.