Final Score (Madison Howlers #5)

by Camellia Tate

  I was going to have to get her something amazing for her birthday.

  Even if no one could realistically expect to top Emily’s present to Tanya.

  Despite having two weeks to get Maria a present, I wanted to start early. Honestly, I worried that I might need the two weeks. That was probably an overreaction. In the months we’d been friends, I’d gotten to know Maria pretty well. I knew what sort of things she liked and stuff she didn’t like. That should make it a lot easier to buy her a gift.

  And Maria had sent me a list of shops she liked.

  It was a day off from training so I had asked if anyone wanted to come with me. As it turned out, Connor was also in need of a present. His anniversary of dating Ashley was coming up. He informed me that whatever shops Maria had listed would probably be good enough to find Ashley a present in, too.

  That was how we found ourselves standing in a kitchenware shop in the middle of a Thursday afternoon.

  “I mean, a pan seems like a sexist present?” I asked, because maybe it wasn’t?

  Connor frowned at the display of pans as if he was expecting them to morph themselves into something else. “Yeah, I think you’re probably right,” he decided. “Ashley would definitely point out that she doesn’t do all the cooking. But Maria put this place on the list, right? So maybe she really likes kitchen shit.”

  From what I knew about Maria, she didn’t cook much. But she did want to learn. If only Anya had been here, she probably could have told me the right kind of equipment to buy to help Maria make Russian food at home.

  Looking at Connor, I was not sure he’d be very much help in that department. “Maybe something more to do with eating than cooking?” he suggested. “Everyone eats. That’s not sexist.”

  “Everyone eats,” I repeated like Connor had said something deeply profound. Shaking my head, I walked away from the pans. He did have a point. This wasn’t the only place on Maria’s list, at least. If we didn’t find anything here, we could move on. “Maybe I’ll get her something... small? Like...” I had to pause and think.

  Looking around, my gaze fell on some funny looking knife holders. “Probably not those,” I decided. “I can’t get someone knife holders.” Or, well, I couldn’t get Maria knife holders. I’d probably get Connor knife holders.

  Connor gave them a confused glance, shaking his head. “Why something small?” he asked. “I mean, you’ve known her -” He paused, clearly trying to work out how long I’d known Maria. After a frowning few moments, he gave up. “I don’t know. But you talk about her a lot. Don’t you see her like twice a week?”

  Sometimes, I did see Maria that often. Not always. If I had to be away for games, I could go much longer without seeing her. I did text her most days.

  “I know you’re not dating,” he said, though he didn’t look particularly certain. “But if I were seeing someone that much, I’d feel like I should get them something special. Not something small.”

  “I meant something small here, so I can get her something from everywhere she put on the list,” I explained. I had gotten too distracted by the knife holders and not actually finished what I was saying. “And I don’t always see Maria that often,” I added.

  Connor wouldn’t be the first one to assume that I was dating Maria. But if we were dating things would be... different. For one, Maria would probably have something specific she wanted for her birthday. As friends, there was less of an... obligation?

  Except now that I started thinking of it, I realized that I couldn’t imagine Maria being demanding like that. My only experience of girlfriends’ birthdays was Kira. She had definitely been demanding. But then, Kira was... just different.

  “Anyway,” I said shaking my head, not particularly wanting to think about Kira right now. “What sort of stuff does Ashley like?”

  Connor shrugged, picking up a salt and pepper set, then putting it back down again. “I think I’ll sort of… know it when I see it,” he suggested. Connor wasn’t always the best at putting things into words, I knew that.

  He moved thoughtfully round the corner, to an aisle of bowls and plates in various patterns. “I usually get her one thing for us to do together, like a DVD or a trip to one of those haunted house things they put on in October. Then something else that’s just for her. Not anything too extravagant.”

  It sounded like a pretty good system. “But I think your something small from every store is a good idea for Maria!” Connor added. “And maybe like a box to put them all in.”

  “Ooh, yes,” I nodded. The suggestion inspired ideas. I could put together one of those ‘evening in’ boxes I’d seen on Instagram. According to the number of likes they got, they were very popular with women. And, that way, if Maria didn’t like one thing in the box, there were still loads of other things she could choose from.

  But I probably would not put a knife stand in the box.

  I tried to think about what would work well. Maybe bowls? Or... “Let’s see if we can find a candy box?”

  “Sure!” Connor agreed, with a level of enthusiasm that only Connor could possibly bring to a box for a woman he had barely met. It made me smile. I was glad that someone had agreed to come with me. Connor was already proving more useful than I might have expected.

  He pointed to a section of hampers and we went over to explore. “You’ll have to tell me if the dancing lesson is any good,” Connor said. “Ashley’s always teasing me that Blake’s smoother on his feet than I am. Maybe if we took a lesson together, I’d be better at it.”

  I raised my eyebrow at Connor at that. Blake was a better dancer than all of us. I’m sure he had even said he’d had professional classes before. Then again, I didn’t think that should discourage Connor from taking lessons.

  “Maria’s very excited about these salsa classes. She said she’d always wanted to learn.” Which put a little bit of pressure on me. Luckily, when she said she wouldn’t mind me being terrible, Maria meant it. “I imagine Ashley would be pretty excited if you suggested dance lessons for the two of you together.”

  Connor grinned. “Well, that’s one part of my anniversary gift sorted,” he announced. “As long as you don’t come back and say it was terrible.” I wasn’t sure I’d know a good dancing lesson from a bad one. As long as Maria had a good time, I’d consider it a success. Even if I didn’t learn anything about how to salsa.

  “So now I just need something to physically give Ashley,” Connor continued. “Maybe shoes? Tie into the whole dancing thing. She has a lot of shoes.” I chuckled, certain that no matter how many shoes Ashely already had, she’d appreciate being given more. “And some things for you to put in a box,” Connor concluded. “Do you like any of these?”

  There were definitely some nice things there. “This,” I said, picking up a small red and white box. It could be used for other things too - or at least that’s what the label proclaimed. I figured that’d be a nice start.

  Finding the list of shops Maria had given me as potential present-buying spots, I scanned it quickly. “There’s a shoe shop on this,” I told Connor. “So let’s go there next.”

  By the time we had finished with all the shops on the list, I had a great selection of different things that I could put all together in one box. Maybe a much bigger box than I had originally expected. I was sure that Maria would like it. That was what was important.

  Connor, too, had found a present for Ashley. That meant that we could reward ourselves with going to a steakhouse. I felt good about the stuff I’d gotten Maria. I looked forward to seeing how much she’d enjoy it.

  Chapter Ten

  Just like every year I could remember, I woke up early on my birthday. Fortunately, my best friend Rosa was an early riser all-year-round. She and I went for a birthday breakfast, treating ourselves to waffles with chocolate and toffee sauce. It was a tradition!

  In the afternoon, mom and Emily picked me up and whisked me away to one of Madison’s fanciest spas. We had facials and massages, talking about previo
us celebrations until I’d laughed so hard that my sides were sore.

  They both wished me good luck with my salsa lesson and dropped me off in plenty of time to change. Emily had bought me a sexy red dress with tassels that flared out every time I spun around. It was probably too much for a total beginner, but I didn’t care. I felt like a bombshell, with my hair swept up and one shoulder completely bare. The black heels I wore were small enough I wouldn’t trip over myself, but still flattered my long legs under the tassel skirt.

  The lesson was happening in the back room of a bar. Emily had suggested I have a drink before I got started, to help me loosen up. It was a good idea, so I got an Uber to pick me up from home. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about drinking and driving.

  I was meeting Lev there. Unsurprisingly, I arrived first. But Lev didn’t keep me waiting for very long.

  I practically ran towards him once I spotted him, grabbing his hand to drag him back to the table I’d snagged. “We’ve got just enough time for a drink before we start!” I said, having to shout to make myself heard over the pounding bass on the music. “Do you want a shot?”

  The way he raised an eyebrow at me at the question clearly suggested that we did not go out drinking enough. “Vodka,” he answered. I had to roll my eyes. “Hey, I enjoy being a stereotype,” he teased. It wasn’t true, of course. Lev was not a stereotype. Even if he did want shots of vodka. I couldn’t say I would’ve picked something different.

  I waved at a waitress, ordering us drinks, excitement bubbling low in my stomach. Lev bumped his shoulder against mine, making me turn towards him. “Happy birthday,” he wished with a soft laugh. “You look lovely,” he added, glancing down at my new dress.

  Unable to resist temptation, I gave a twirl, loving the way the tassels lifted and flared. It made me feel like a real dancer - and I hadn’t even had my lesson, yet! “You look pretty great, too,” I said, returning the compliment almost without thinking. Lev always looked good. He was a professional athlete. I knew those strong, broad shoulders and that chiseled jaw were things that other women dreamed about.

  I had already noticed a few of the women in the bar giving Lev a once-over. They were impressed by what they saw. His shirt was well-cut, fitted perfectly to his muscled arms and strong back. My heart skipped a beat with pride at knowing that Lev was there with me.

  Even if our relationship wasn’t like that, it still felt good to think that a man like Lev wanted to spend time with me.

  As soon as the waitress returned with our glasses, I lifted mine. “To good memories,” I offered. “Both the ones we made in the past and the ones we’ll make tonight.”

  “That is a great toast,” Lev informed me. My smile widened. He clinked his shot glass against mine and did a lot better at downing the whole glass of vodka. I left half for a second go. The warmth of the vodka spread through my chest, almost pouring the promised courage in.

  Lev seemed amused. If he judged my inability to drink a whole shot of vodka, he didn’t comment on it. “I haven’t brought your present with me,” he informed me. “It turned out to be pretty bulky. So I took it to Emily’s. She said she’ll take it to your place,” he explained. “That’s why I was late.”

  I raised an eyebrow. Lev was always late, and he didn’t usually offer me any excuse. Which meant that this time, he was telling me the truth. I appreciated that - and the implication that he’d tried to be on time for my birthday. “As long as you’re here now,” I said, waving away the implied apology. How could I be mad when he’d been transporting my gift?

  Speaking of which…. “Are you going to give me a hint?” I asked. I loved a surprise. That didn’t mean I wasn’t willing to get a little sneak preview. I tried to imagine Lev in my favorite shops, tried to picture what kind of thing he would have picked for me.

  As well as I knew him, I really had no idea.

  “It’s big enough that I didn’t think it’d fit in your purse,” Lev informed me. I could have guessed as much. I waited to see if there would be more clues. None were forthcoming. Even when I pouted, Lev just laughed. “You’ll find out as soon as you get home,” he promised.

  I supposed I could wait that long. Especially since between now and then there was salsa dancing to do.

  I tapped my toe eagerly to the rhythm of the music that swirled around us. There was a dancefloor out here. No one was using it yet, but a lot of the women at the tables looked like they were dressed to dance. Maybe, if our lesson went well, I could come back another night to show off what I’d learned.

  Nerves and excitement tangled together in the pit of my stomach. As I described my day to Lev, I kept one eye on my phone, watching the minutes tick down. I was eager to get going. There was apprehension, too. I didn’t like not being good at things - but I trusted Lev enough not to feel embarrassed in front of him if it turned out I had two left feet.

  Finally, I downed the last of my vodka and shimmied from my seat. “Let’s go!” I urged. The door to the back room was open. I went through it first, holding my head high. The mirror along the back wall reflected the scarlet of my dress and lips back at me, reminding me how confident the outfit made me feel.

  “So!” The woman at the front of the room barked. She was dressed in black, her wild curls held off her face with a multicolored headband. Her heels were taller than mine. She looked completely confident in them. “You wish to become a samba queen?” she asked me.

  I nodded. “Yes, definitely!” I didn’t know if one lesson was going to turn me into royalty - but this wasn’t a woman you could say ‘no’ to.

  “Good.” She nodded, smiling at me like she was pleased. I could already tell that I was going to like her. “I’m Michelle,” she introduced herself. “You are Maria, yes?”

  I nodded, then turned to Lev. “This is Lev, my -”

  Michelle didn’t give me the chance to finish my sentence.

  “You are here to learn because Maria wants to learn?” she asked Lev.

  “I sure am,” Lev answered easily. It made my heart skip a beat that he didn’t even hesitate. Lev was here for me. And happy to say as much. Briefly, I wondered if he would’ve gone with someone else, too. Lev was friendly and seemed to generally be very agreeable. Or at least, he did to me.

  Now was hardly the time to ask. Not when Michelle was already ordering people into lines and introducing her dance partner - Jaque - to the rest of the couples there. Lev and I were probably some of the youngest.

  “We’re going to start with some easy steps,” Michelle said. “I want you all to face your partners.”

  I turned to face Lev, smiling so hard I could feel it in my cheeks. Apart from Jaque, he was easily the most athletic of the men in the room. As long as he didn’t fall over his own feet - or step on mine - I felt confident that I was going to have the best dance partner out of any of the women.

  “Closer!” Michelle insisted. She took the hips of the woman next to me, guiding her so she’d press up against her partner. Laughing, I took a step closer to Lev, resting a hand against his chest. I could feel the warmth that radiated off him.

  Michelle walked behind me, showing me how to roll my shoulders back to put me in the correct posture. She adjusted Lev’s hand, bringing his arm under mine until his fingertips grazed my back.

  “Perfect! And now we count, like this,” she instructed, moving to the front of the class to show us the basic step.

  I looked down at the same time as Lev did and our heads banged together.

  “Ow! Shit,” Lev swore, making me snort-laugh as I rubbed my head. I was more careful when I looked up, not wanting to break his nose next or something. “We’re off to a good start,” he teased before his hand returned to my back. This time, when we looked down, both of us made sure not to hit the other.

  Michelle’s instructions weren’t very complex. But they were challenging enough that we had to repeat some of the most basic steps a few times. “Don’t look at the feet!” Michelle ordered. “Trust each oth
er. Find your rhythm!”

  I felt the way Lev’s hand pulled me a little bit closer. “Go on, Masha, find my rhythm,” he said, translating the instruction into Russian, whispering it at me.

  I giggled. Around us, most of the other couples were struggling the same way. Only Jaque and Michelle looked completely at ease. He lifted his arm, Michelle twirling under it so that the ruffles of her dress fanned out. “They're showing off,” I complained. There was plenty of humor in my tone.

  Concentrating on letting my hips move the way Michelle had demonstrated, I slowly settled into the basic step. Lev seemed to be getting it, too. But his movements were a lot stiffer than mine. I supposed hockey and dancing didn't have a lot in common.

  “You need to be looser,” I offered. I would have guided him with my hands, but I was afraid to lose the proper hold. “Can you watch me?” I suggested, swaying my hips more exaggeratedly.

  “I'm watching you,” Lev said. While that was probably true, he also seemed to just be swaying his hips like that would help. I must've voiced that thought because Lev frowned. “It might help,” he argued. I had to laugh. Truthfully, at least Lev was definitely trying.

  Michelle was making her rounds, letting couples know what they needed to do more of. “You’ve got good form,” she praised upon reaching us. It seemed to surprise both of us if I was reading Lev’s expression correctly. “You just need to trust each other more. Salsa is about passion. I need to see more passion from you!”

  I felt a heat creeping up my cheeks. The words to explain that Lev and I didn’t have passion seemed to get caught in my throat. Michelle pushed us closer together, her strong hands guiding my hips, making them circle and undulate right up against Lev’s hard body.

  Any embarrassment faded as I caught sight of us in the mirror. Lev’s powerful frame made my body look almost petite, in a way I’d never experienced before. While I knew I was pretty, I’d always been tall - as tall as most men, and taller than some. No one had ever made me feel dainty.