SlapShot Sweetheart (Pucks and Promises #2)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

AIMEE

It had been three days since that night.

Three. Long. Days.

She wasn’t sure how she got through that evening and honestly didn’t remember anything else that Theo said that night. He either lied straight to her face, or he had no clue that whoever owned the orange SUV was romancing her on the side – and it was galling to think that it could be one of his teammates or an employee at the arena. Everyone was a suspect if it wasn’t him – and if it was? How could he lie to her like that? She doubted everything now and had no idea what to believe anymore.

Her suitor was back, too.

It wasn’t just the little things here and there, either. It was like he was aware that she was onto him. He left a small notebook with five poems written inside. Another evening, he left her a candle with a note that ‘ Home is when I see your smile’ … but how could that be, when she didn’t know who it was anymore? She was so angry, hurt, and disappointed that it wasn’t Theo – that it was bitterly nauseating. Was he incapable of being so sweet… and if it was him, then why would he lie to her?

Would you like to try another French-Canadian recipe? It’s called Tortaire. It’s a meat pie with spices and potato in a buttery crust. I don’t make it often, but I thought you might like it. It’s divine with ketchup on top.

No, thank you.

Are we okay?

Why wouldn’t we be?

Are you hungry?

No

Are you avoiding me?

I’m not childish like that…

Her cell phone rang a moment later. Answering it, she steeled herself, not knowing what to expect.

“What’s going on, mon ame s?ur ?”

“What do you mean?”

“We were talking, ‘aving such a nice time, and it was like everything… ‘ poofed.’ ”

“Is that a French term? Poofed ?”

“No. It’s a scary one that means my best friend is ignoring me.”

“I’m not ignoring you – or I wouldn’t have answered the phone.”

“Something is wrong between us,” he said softly, and she almost broke at the fragility of those words hanging in the air. “And I’m scared, Aimee.”

“I’m scared, too,” she admitted. “I need time to think.”

“So, it is me then…?”

“I think maybe it’s me too.”

“Do you want to come to the game on Friday?”

“Can I wallop you with a stick in the shin?”

“A slapshot?” he chuckled emotionally, and she could hear the devastation in his voice. “Sure, would it make you feel better? Would it fix whatever this is between us?”

“No,” she whispered, hating that her voice warbled at that moment as she heard his soft groan as he breathed her name.

“Aimee, mon ame s?ur, this is killing me. Can we please talk? I’ll say it in whatever language you want, but please let me see you.”

“Not now,” she mumbled, dashing away her tears as éclair and Donut climbed into her lap, meowing for attention. “The cats want to be played with, and I’m feeling pretty awful. Maybe I’m coming down with something, or maybe I just need some space. I just don’t want to be around anyone.”

“Not even me?”

And she couldn’t answer him.

“Aimee, I’m not giving up,” he hissed, and she could hear the frustration and tears in his voice as he gritted out the words to her. “You can be mad. You can push me away, but not forever. Get this out of your ‘ead and your ‘eart – and I want to see you at the game on Friday. C’est vrai?”

“Theo…”

“ Non! Mais non! I will ‘ave the ticket waiting and I want to see you. We’re going to talk about whatever is wrong.”

“You can’t push me around.”

“I’m not pushing you, mon ame s?ur – I’m begging you,” he whispered painfully. “Don’t do this to us, to me… please?” He grew silent, and she could hear his shaky breath, feeling like a heel.

“I’m afraid to make things worse,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “We’re supposed to be just friends.”

“Then be my friend,” he interrupted. “Friends talk. They see each other and lift the other person when they are down. I want to see you, to talk to you.”

“What if this is a mistake?”

“It’s not. It can’t be.”

“Theo…”

“Aimee, I am asking you to please come to the game. If you don’t want to go, I understand, but then I will be at your place after the game so we can talk. Your ‘ouse, my ‘ouse, the locker room, I don’t care – but we are going to work this out.”

“Should I start dropping my ‘h’s,” she chuckled tearfully.

“No, you’re perfect.”

“Ha! Far from that…”

“You are to me,” he whispered. “I’ll see you on Friday.”

A imee was still feeling disheartened on Friday morning when she got Theo’s text. The game was a little earlier in the afternoon, which meant that she would need to be heading downtown on the cusp of rush hour. This would be like taking all of her anxiety driving, her nerves, her broken heart, and throwing it into a blender to make a slurry – which is what her intestines felt like. If she wasn’t so absolutely starving from lack of eating and so desperate for comfort food, she would have skipped Madeline’s completely.

She was ‘jonesing’ for an éclair in the world’s worst way possible – hoping the sugary fix would solve all of the world’s problems. Pushing open the door, for a moment she hoped that Theo was standing there at the counter, but he wasn’t. Just some older man who was hovering and picking over the glass counter full of a variety of doughnuts. It nearly took him twenty minutes to finally pick out his selection before leaving.

Madeline and Aimee exchanged a pointed look that spoke volumes.

“What can I get you, chère ?”

“Whatever you have that is loaded with chocolate, sugar, stuffed with cream, and can block out all the ills of the world,” Aimee began dramatically – and then paused. “I forgot, you speak French… don’t you?”

“Some, yes. Why? I don’t speak it as often so I’m a little slower than my brother or my sisters, but what did you need?”

“I have a friend who keeps saying a few things – and I don’t know what it means.”

“A ‘friend’, eh? Someone we both know, I suppose?” Madeline began with a pointed smile and nodded. “I can try. What is it?”

“It sounds like ‘Mom I’m sure,’ but I googled it and couldn’t come up with… why are you making that face?”

“What face?”

“You are making a weird face.”

“You’re certain it sounded like that?”

“Well, yes.”

“And this was the ‘friend’ that I’m pretty sure we both know, but we’re obviously not exchanging names for a reason?” Madeline remarked, still giving her a strange look as Aimee’s face heated up with embarrassment, and she quickly looked away.

“Forget it. It was stupid anyhow and I’m sure I heard whoever it was wrong. Can I just get my éclair and get out of here? I’ve got somewhere to be – anywhere but here right now.”

“Was it Theo?”

“You know what – I don’t need the sugar or the calories,” Aimee blurted out, tossing her hands up in the air. “This was a mistake. I’m not here. We aren’t talking. Buh-bye…” and as she turned away to practically run from the bakery, she heard Madeline’s voice.

“ Mon ame s?ur means ‘my soulmate’ in French. It’s a term of endearment.”

Those words hung in the air as Aimee slowly turned around to look at the other woman’s smiling face. Her mouth dropped open in shock, confusion, and wonder… before closing and frowning.

“You’re sure?”

And Madeline nodded.

“It can’t be… can it?”

“Theo can be very sweet – if he chooses to be. Why are you still frowning?”

“Who drives the orange SUV that says ‘STICKS’ on the license plate?”

“Giroux, I think. It might be Thierry, but I’m not one hundred percent sure.”

“But it’s someone on the team.”

“Yes.”

“Interesting,” Aimee said quietly, feeling more and more alarmed as she put all the pieces together in her mind. The poems, the song, the flowers, the kittens… of course, Theo had help – from his friends.

“You don’t look happy.”

“I’ve got to get something handled.”

“Should I warn someone?” Madeline chuckled nervously, causing Aimee to look back at her in surprise. Of course, they were all close. Madeline could probably call or text her brother, blabbing the entire conversation and the whole team would know she was there asking about Theo. “I guess you are going to the game to see Theo now. I think it’s so sweet that you two are falling for each other and…”

“Do you see my face?” Aimee replied in disbelief. “Does this look like a person who is simply thrilled? Do you see birds and little puffy hearts floating around my head?”

Madeline blinked at her, obviously stunned.

“Theo lied to me… twice . I guess you need to do what you feel is right – and I suppose I will be doing the same.”

“Aimee? Aimee, wait!”

A moment later, Aimee was out the door, leaving the panicked woman frantically calling someone in the background. Her mind was racing as she juggled all the little nuances over the last few weeks, putting it all together – but what she couldn’t figure out was… why .

Why would Theo lie to her – and could she trust anything he said ever again?