SlapShot Sweetheart (Pucks and Promises #2)

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

THEO

“Maybe I’ll get a cat…”

“Sir, please hold still,” the dentist told Theo for the fourth time, attempting to reseat his incisor in the hopes that the tooth wouldn’t die from trauma. The first game of the season had been a rough one, and Frontnac had literally mopped the ice with him – which only served to piss Theo off.

“Cats aren’t judgmental, finicky, and ornery – plus, I can pick out my cat from the shelter instead of dealing with some devastatingly gorgeous know-it-all all with a temper that matches her hair. Why on earth do I have a thing for blondes and redheads? My goodness, they make my knees weak…”

“How about some laughing gas? If the redhead won’t get you to hush and telling you doesn’t work, then maybe we can drug you into submission?” the dentist offered excitedly with a large smile to soften the harshness of his words. “Gas – or hush for five minutes while I work?”

“I’ll ‘ush,” Theo agreed and obediently opened his mouth once more.

“You know cats are jerks, right?” the dentist said idly, moving to insert the incisor root back into place. Theo jerked his head back, looking at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Cats will knock a drink off the ledge because they can. They’ll claw the furniture in front of you. They’ll do things just to spite you if they don’t get enough attention. In fact, I had one cat that was so angry I closed her in the bathroom door by mistake that she used my bathtub as her toilet.”

“What?”

“I hated that cat, honestly. Now – let’s try this once more,” the dentist began again, and Theo jerked back again, looking at him. “What now?”

“You think maybe if I talk to Aimee…”

“Theo – the tooth?”

“Right,” he nodded – opening his mouth once more while his mind worked and ignored the horrible slipping sensation as the incisor slid into place. Gosh, this was the most disgusting feeling, but the other time he lost a tooth, he was able to save it by quickly getting it re-planted in his mouth. It was either that or get a fake one screwed into the jawline. Oh yes, he knew this routine only too well.

“I would talk to the girl again,” the dentist said distractedly, working in his mouth. “But that is just me – and I hate litter boxes.”

Theo grunted, unable to talk as the man’s hands were in his mouth, mounting a bracket to help stabilize the tooth in the meantime. Sighing heavily, he realized that he was going to have to quit chucking his helmet onto the ice or using it as a weapon during a game… if he was ever going to have a chance with the strong, elusive woman who had left him at the table this evening.

T he next day, he went by the grocery to get some protein shakes and canned soups and spotted the pet store in the strip mall, veering in that direction without hesitation. Maybe getting a pet wasn’t the best idea in the world, but then again, neither had been accepting the blind date.

Dating - period - was hard when you were in the limelight. Everyone wanted a jersey or a stick; half of them wanted to take a photo right away so they could text it to a friend or put it on Instagram, and the other half was more concerned with his wallet. When you signed endorsements and slapped your name and face on something, suddenly the world knew who you were and just how big your wallet was.

“Mommy… that’s the sneaker guy!”

“Timmy, can you quit dawdling and get in the car – the goldfish will die unless we get them home to the tank quickly.”

Theo pulled his baseball cap down lower on his head and yanked the collar of his denim jacket a little higher, trying to hide. If the kid recognized him from the sneaker boxes, then other people would as well. Dipping inside the store, he made a beeline toward the back where the line of cages and glass displays were located… and hesitated as he saw that vibrant waterfall of bright red hair on the woman standing before the glass case.

Aimee.

Heavens above she did something to his brain, he realized and hesitated as he heard her whispering to the glass where her hand rested.

“You’ve gotta promise not to chew the cords…”

“I promise,” Theo chuckled, answering her question, and saw her shocked gaze as she whirled around to see who it was – and frowned. “’Allo.”

“It’s you.”

“Are you getting a pet?”

“Are you following me? Do I need to call the police?”

“No, ma belle fille . Are you following me?”

“I was here first.”

“So?”

“Oh my gosh, you are incredibly annoying – and why can’t you just answer the question?”

“I am answering it,” he chuckled. “You just don’t like the answers.”

“I’m starting to think that I don’t like you .”

Ouch , he mused as she turned away to look back at the glass and hesitated. Inside the glass were several little fuzzy bodies all entangled, sleeping. There were kittens, about two months old, obviously close, and utterly adorable. Soft calicos, some gray and white kitties, and one pale tabby.

“ Mon grandpere would have ‘ated this,” he volunteered and winced. Why had he volunteered that? His grandfather was from a different generation, a different world, and his mother told him stories about how when she was little, they kept rabbits in the basement, and he would tell the children to stay upstairs because it was time for the bunnies to go bye-bye… and they would have stew for the next week or two. Animals were food, and telling her that wouldn’t endear him to Aimee in the slightest.

“Why?” she asked curiously – and he winced.

“Different time, different place,” he managed evasively, keeping the details to himself. He grew up in a very small village outside of Quebec, where everyone knew each other. There was one main road out to the highway leading to the main city. His parents had a small farm, his grandparents had a smaller one down the same road, and he remembered catching a ride with the neighbors to school. In fact, he learned to play hockey on the ponds in the village before joining the team in high school. It was a way of life that was so foreign from how people grew up here. “Do you ‘ave any pets at ‘ome?”

“No,” she whispered before hardening again. “Why are you asking? Why are you still here? How’s your tooth – and your eye?”

“I’m curious, I’m looking, and it hurts,” he smiled simply, gingerly touching the tooth with his tongue pointedly. “Still there, let’s ‘ope it stays that way.”

“Guess you should stay out of dark alleys,” she said in a clipped voice.

“I wasn’t,” he answered, equally short.

“I don’t care.”

“I know.”

They stood there beside each other uncomfortably, and he tried not to stare or notice Aimee’s reflection in the glass but couldn’t help but notice how good the two of them looked together. He was dark with jet-black hair and brown eyes where she was everything vibrant and glowing with her bright red hair and blue eyes.

“Get two,” he whispered softly, leaning toward her. “If they are a family, you don’t want them lonely… not like us. Bonne chance, my belle Aimee.”

He heard Aimee’s soft intake of breath as he walked away, feeling despondent, lonely, and hungry. Groceries that would be easy to eat needed to come first. His jaw was hurting, and he didn’t really relish the juices and protein shakes that the nutritionist would be shoving at him. He would burp celery and parsley for days if he didn’t handle some of this himself. That - and Theo needed to make sure the maid wasn’t allergic to cats before he got one – or two of them.

T hree days later, Theo was chugging down some vicious sludge that was full of vitamins and nutrients before the next game. He was sitting there on the bench in the locker room and couldn’t shake the vision of Aimee in his mind. Why was he so hung up on the woman when she obviously wanted nothing to do with him.

“What’s wrong with you?” Coeur said in front of his locker, yanking on his uniform. “You’re a moody little thing, and I thought I was bad.”

“You are,” Gerry mouthed, plopping down on the bench beside Theo. “You okay?”

“ Oui ,” he grunted, taking another big swig of the vile stuff and trying not to gag. Maybe they put apples or beets in there today? It tasted a little sweeter than normal. “Just thinking.”

“How did your date go?”

“I lost my tooth during the first course – in the soup.”

“Oh, crap, dude.”

“Now that’s funny…” Lafrenière muttered as he shoved his legs into his padding. The man was their goalie and had literally no funny bone in his entire flexible body. Just watching the man do his stretches made his own knees and hips ache. Theo held up his juice mixture – and a finger at the man who simply puckered his lips and blew a kiss at him.

“Don’t let him bother you,” Giroux said, sitting down on the opposite side of the bench. “He’s getting in your head, and you certainly don’t need anyone riling you up before we play tonight. Keep your cool, use your mouthguard, and Becca is making fudge next weekend – which means you need those teeth. She likes pecans.”

“I like her ‘pecans’…”

“Watch it, Boucher,” Giroux snarled, getting to his feet. “Keep it on the ice and directed toward the other team. Don’t start talking trash back here – and keep it clean.”

“Exactly – on the ice and focused,” Lafrenière agreed, nodding at him and arching his neck, listening. “We’re starting up. Coeur, hurry it up!”

The locker room started to clear out as they all went toward the rink, listening as the lights and speakers started to flare to life. He sucked down one more nauseating swig before shoving the empty container at the nutritionist for the team. She wasn’t a fan of donuts, and honestly, he would truthfully kill for a freshly fried one dipped in powdered sugar like his grandmother used to make when he was a little boy.

Honestly, his mind was a mess, and he hated to admit it. This game was going to be terrible, and he could feel it in his gut. Something felt off, he was distracted and felt slightly hurt that Aimee had yet to even respond to him being polite. He texted her this morning, just a simple conversation starter that she ignored.

One kitten – or two?

The message went unread. It was like she was shutting him off, not even allowing him to try to make things right or start over like she’d mentioned. It was frustrating, and he didn’t understand why he kept going back for a second rejection or a third. If he walked out into the audience, girls would throw themselves at him. It wouldn’t be real; none of it would last, and he was tired of being disappointed in the female crowd surrounding the players. They were all more concerned about stats, plays, goals, and endorsements. He wanted someone who didn’t want to discuss any of that. Someone who wanted to just hang out with him because he was a normal guy… and Travis Giroux had no idea how lucky he was with his wife, Becca. The woman was clueless when it came to hockey. They had a relationship of their own, talking about movies, Star Wars, action figures, cartoons, and other things that seemed to entertain the both of them. Theo saw the two in action together and realized that was what was missing in his life.

He wanted conversation, a friend, someone to talk to.

“And number elevennnnn, Theo Batiste!” the announcer hollered – and obediently, Theo took off onto the ice, raising a hand and waving politely as he skated around before lining up next to Travis.

“Number three…. Gerard Thierry.”

He and Travis took their sticks, slamming them against their chest, greeting their buddy as Gerry made his entrance onto the ice. Man, the ladies loved it too. Tall guy, long blond hair, built like Thor… oh yeah, they looked right over him and Coeur. If they weren’t looking at Gerry, then the women were ogling Lafrenière doing his warmups on the ice.

“Lemme know if you need a pregnancy test over there, eh?” Theo yelled to the other team’s goalie, who was disgraceful about his stretches. Yeah, they yelled a lot of flak, things they normally wouldn’t say aloud in order to get under the other team’s skin. “Or are you pretending it’s your captain, eh? He’s got that pretty ‘air…”

“Jeez,” Travis chuckled. “The game hasn’t started, and you’ve got an ax to grind, Theo.”

“Your mother said she’d be ‘ome late – again!” he hollered, using a tried-and-true line that usually fired them up.

“Here we go with the ‘your mama’ comments…” Coeur grinned.

“Shut up, Batiste…”

“She likes it when I wear d’ mask in bed…”

“Oh boy…” Gerry chuckled, tightening the buckle at his chin openly.

“The pucks not down yet…” the other goalie snapped angrily.

“BUT YOUR MOTHER IS…” Boucher screamed out before Theo could, causing him to cackle wildly, almost in a maniacal way, giving the other defensive player a salute holding up his hockey stick.

“Why you little…”

“Je vais nettoyer la glace avec toi, idiot,” Theo screamed wildly, flinging his gloves off and leaping over the line of sticks – and the crowd went wild. They loved the fighting, the temperament, and it was a way for him to get some aggression out of his system.

Was it trash-talking? Oh absolutely…

Did he mean any of it? Not in the slightest.

It was his job to talk smack. He was exceedingly good at it – and without all the cussing that the other team was currently doing. They were cussing him, his religion, his mother, his dog ( which he didn’t own ), and his entire family line in French – just to make sure he understood them. Oh yeah, he certainly did and was giving it back.

“When she takes her teeth out…”

“Oh my gosh…”

“Theo! Dang, buddy…”

“I’m gonna crack your back – and then tu mere’s!”

“Would someone stop him?” Lafrenière hollered angrily in the distance.

“He’s wearing a birdcage today to protect his mouth. There’s gonna be no shutting him up…” Giroux volunteered, leaping into the fray once more.

“Dang…”

The referee was blowing the whistle, and Theo could hear the coach yelling at him, seeing the cameras zoom in as he pointed at the other goalie, whose face was bright red and angry. Good! he thought wildly, the madder they are, the more distracted they play, and I need all the help I can get, he mused, seeing the camera circle around them once more. Yup, they’re gonna be on SportsCenter tonight , he smiled, shaking his hockey stick and yelling once more as the crowd went wild.

And they had yet to start the game.

H ours later, Theo was ambling into the locker room, beyond exhausted. The nutritionist was shoving protein shakes at them as well as boxes of food the woman had delivered, trying to make sure they remained in optimal shape and health. He accepted his, setting it on the bench beside him as he yanked off his jersey, followed by his pads.

The massive cage of protective equipment made him feel and seem huge on the ice when, in reality, Theo was one of the thinnest and most wiry players on the team. He was barely two hundred pounds dripping wet. Travis was two-twenty, Gerry was two-seventy and all muscle. Lafrenière was somewhere in-between, just like Coeur and Boucher. He was the one they were always shoving food in his hands – and plucking it out of Gerry’s.

“Oh man, I’m getting in the ice bath… my body is killing me.”

“I’ve got a hot date with Ben Gay.”

“I’m hitting the hot tub.”

“Stretches,” Theo volunteered, holding up a weary finger over his shoulder as if he was placing a ballot for some mysterious poll.

“I just wanna sleep,” Boucher grumbled, putting his forehead against his locker. “Sleep… and a Pizza Hut pan pizza.”

“Oh man, that sounds good,” Theo agreed, wincing at the shake beside him. “Lemme down this so I can get ‘Calorie-Barbie’ off my back, and I’ll drive. Thierry?”

“Sheesh, I’m talking about placing an order and having them meet me at the house so that I can crash.”

“Ah.”

“But you’re welcome to come, brother…”

“Nah, merci beaucoup , but mais non . I’ll order my own and go home,” he said simply and dropped his pants as he changed quickly, moving toward the showers and picked up his phone out of curiosity… and hesitated.

There was a text message from Aimee.

I didn’t take any of them home.

He was curious as to why she didn’t get one or more kittens when she obviously wanted one. Was it because of what he’d said? Was she having second thoughts? Maybe she needed time to think about things… and honestly, seeing the light in her eyes and the faint smile touching her face before she knew he was standing there surprised him. She wanted something to love and had admitted as much, making his own heart hurt at the thought that she’d found him lacking.

Maybe he would surprise her?

He needed to think about this, plan a line of attack, and make sure it didn’t backfire in his face if he wanted to talk, communicate, or text with the woman who had shrugged him off. Gerry would say there was something wrong with him for chasing after a woman who wasn’t interested, but the fool couldn’t see that he was basically doing the exact same thing in his own little world. Smiling for the first time in a few days, Theo quickly changed and headed out.

An hour later, he had a plan.