Complications on Ice - S.R. Grey

by Grey, S. R.

  Then again, maybe he wouldn’t be so opposed.

  I had a feeling Coach could be turned around with the right incentive, maybe even by a man who had nothing but good intentions toward his daughter. He’d issued his stay-away-from-Eliza edict expressly to prevent players from using her. I really cared. Of course, all this rah-rah Coach stuff was predicated on if Eliza still wanted me in her life.

  Fuck!

  I hated that she’d asked me not to communicate with her throughout this trip. How was I supposed to worm my way back into her good graces? I’d need to do something once I got back. But what? How could I make her believe in me again?

  By the time we made it to Calgary, the next game site, I was a complete wreck.

  But then I had an idea…

  Though I couldn’t call or text the woman messing with my mind, I could share my jumbled thoughts with someone who might help keep me sane till we returned to Vegas.

  Unfortunately, my usual go-to bros, Brent and Nolan, were not options. Those two were just too in love these days—Brent with Aubrey, and Nolan with Lainey. They’d be of no help.

  What I needed was some clear, objective advice. The only man I could think of to give me that was Dylan Culderway.

  So Dylan it was.

  After an early morning practice at the Saddledome in Calgary, I asked if he’d be up for grabbing a quick cup of coffee.

  “Sure, man. What’s up?” he said.

  He’d already caught on to the fact that this was more than an invitation for a routine caffeine run.

  Oh, hell, I just laid it on the line. “I was hoping to run some stuff past you. Get your opinion on things.”

  “What? Like hockey things?”

  “No,” I confessed. “More like personal crap.”

  “You got it,” he said. “I’m no expert, but I’ll help if I can.”

  He was a stand-up dude and I knew I’d made the right decision to go to him.

  There was a coffee shop close to the arena, so we decided to just walk down to it. Too bad for us it was snowing like hell and cold as fuck. By the time we reached our destination, he and I were a human Popsicles.

  “Shit, dude,”—I shook a plume of snow from my long woolen coat—“I forgot how fucking cold it gets up here.”

  “It does,” Dylan agreed, chuckling. “I grew up in Buffalo, though, so I don’t really mind.” He looked thoughtful as he paused, then added, “I actually really love weather like this.”

  I pointed at him. “You, my friend, are fucked in the head.”

  “Only about as much as you are, Perry.”

  Snorting, I agreed, “You’re right about that one.”

  I clapped him on the back and a cloud of snow puffed off his coat like it had mine. “Now let’s go grab that coffee and warm the fuck up,” I said.

  A few minutes later, we were loaded up with piping-hot mugs of brew. We had settled in by a big window at the front of the store. Dylan, who was almost as perceptive as the great sensei, Nolan, gave me a knowing look before I even opened my mouth to start the conversation.

  “Oh, shit, here we go,” I said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve, don’t I?”

  “You do, Benny, but it’s not just that that gives you away. From the way you’ve been acting all wound up tight lately, this personal stuff you want to talk about has to involve a woman.”

  He was so right. “Does it ever,” I said, laughing. “Is it really that obvious, though?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Crap.”

  Since there was no point in getting into anything till he knew the whole story, which including the fact my woman trouble had to do with a very specific off-limits girl, I readied myself to fill him in. He already knew I was seeing someone on the sly; he just didn’t know who it happened to be.

  It was time he learned the truth, so, blowing out a breath, I blurted out, “I’m dating Coach’s daughter.”

  Dylan almost choked on his coffee.

  “You’re shitting me, right?” he said once he recovered.

  “I wish I were, but I’m not.”

  “Damn, Benny. You really do have a self-destructive streak.”

  I raised my cup. “My motto in life does seem to be ‘go big or go home.’”

  “You got the ‘go home’ part right,” he snorted. “Once Coach T finds out you’re nailing his daughter, he’ll be sending you back to Surrey in a pine box.”

  “That’d be pretty pathetic, Dylan, seeing as I haven’t even gotten to the nailing-his-daughter part yet.”

  He looked shocked. “Wow. This one really must mean something to you.”

  “She does.”

  He raised a brow. “Maybe that’s the real problem?”

  “Nah, not in the way you’re thinking.” I sighed and leaned back. “I don’t mind liking her this much. I mean, I did at first, but not now. I’ve come to my senses and have finally realized I need a girl like Eliza in my life. She’s fun and I like her. I want this to work, damn it.”

  “I’m not seeing a problem here, dude.”

  “Oh, there is. Trust me, there is.”

  “Like what?”

  “For one, Eliza and I ran into some puck bunny I once fucked when we were out on a goddamn date.”

  Dylan winced, and I said, “I know, right? Eliza was not happy about it. So, see, there’s one problem right there.”

  “Hey, it was just bad luck that you ran into that girl. It’ll probably never happen again. Work this out with Eliza and forget about it.”

  “Dude”—I gave him a look—“it’s not that simple. There are so many more women we could potentially run into.”

  “Fuck. That could be a problem.”

  “Yeah, see. That one alone spooked Eliza. I could see it happening again and again, and her being mad over and over. This is assuming she takes me back. I really don’t know if she will. She was super pissed that it took me a while to remember the girl at the club.”

  “Benny, really dude? You’re telling me you couldn’t remember a girl you once fucked?”

  “I really couldn’t,” I admitted. “It’s actually still a little fuzzy.”

  He shook his head. “Wow, man. Just…wow.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I was a pig in the past. But what can I do about it now?”

  He shrugged, and I let him in on the part that was driving me nuts.

  “Before this trip, Eliza told me not to contact her. She needs”—I made air quotes—“time to think.”

  Dylan made a face. “That doesn’t sound good. Not good at all.”

  “I know. I think she’s seriously considering kicking me to the curb, like, permanently.”

  “And you don’t want that to happen?”

  “No way. We only just started dating. I don’t want it to end already.”

  Dylan thought for a minute, and then said, “Then show her how much you’ve changed.”

  I snorted, “How in the hell do I do that?”

  He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “That is a tough one. Maybe just try showing her by your actions.”

  “If she ever gives me a chance,” I lamented.

  “Make sure you get a chance.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  “Not really. I’m sure Eliza, like most women, just wants to be able to trust you. She’ll give you that chance once she does.”

  “Okay, great. So how do I get her to trust me?”

  “Start by being upfront with her. You’re gonna have to tell her everything.”

  “Everything?” I swallowed hard. “Should I even fill her in on the existence of the infamous puck bunny directory?”

  Dylan didn’t look surprised. He obviously had heard about my directory. Seemed everyone had, except Eliza.

  “Sure,” he said. “After her initial anger wears off—and trust me, she’s going to be pissed you have a directory of chicks you bang—you two can hash it out. Maybe you could do something symbolic, like burn the damn th
ing together.”

  “I like that,” I said.

  It was amazing. A month before, Dylan’s advice would’ve sounded blasphemous. But with how I felt about Eliza and how much I wanted things to work out, I was ready to go buy the damn matches.

  Clownie, My New Confidante

  Luckily for me and the implementation of my ingenious plan, Benny diverted from our “no contact till he returned” agreement. Just a few days before he was set to return, he called to ask me if I could feed his fish.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Eliza,” he said after he explained the fish-in-need-of-food situation. “I have a housekeeper that takes care of these things when I’m out of town. But an emergency came up for her, and she can’t make it these next few days.”

  “It’s not a problem, Benny,” I assured him. “I understand. I promise I won’t let your little buddies starve.”

  “Thanks, Eliza” I imagined him smiling from the kind tone of his voice. “You’re the best.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, but I did have a question. “Uh, how do I get in to your house?”

  He laughed. “I guess a key would help, eh?”

  “It would.”

  “Don’t worry. There’s one under the planter by the garages.”

  “Got it,” I replied.

  “Thank you, again,” Benny said, and then in the sweetest, most heartfelt tone, he murmured, “The fishes and I owe you a night out on the town once I get back.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond, as I was still up in the air on the future of me and him. One dinner wouldn’t hurt, though, would it? Ah, crap, I so wanted to forgive him.

  “Okay,” I conceded. “That sounds nice.”

  “Great. But not a seafood place, all right? My gilled friends would frown on that.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Benny had an uncanny ability to make me smile, even when I felt unsure about him.

  Damn it, I wanted things to work out. Despite my misgivings, I really missed Benny. All I needed to move forward was to know that his player days were truly done. Then we’d be fine. I could tell him about Ava and everything.

  That’s why I had devised a plan, or a “test,” if you will.

  And now, thanks to Benny’s fish needing nourishment, I could make it happen. The unexpected access to his house gave me a perfect opportunity to find the nefarious puck bunny directory. That would kick-start my covert operation to give Benny a chance to prove he’d changed.

  I hoped he had.

  I wanted him to pass the test…and soon.

  That rush prompted me to begin my search for the directory the very first day I went over to feed what I assumed would be a few guppies.

  Wow, was I ever wrong on the fish front.

  Benny had what could only be described as a mini ocean in his living room. The massive aquarium took up one whole wall, and inside were fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors, swimming merrily about.

  I sprinkled fish food in their tank and watched as they got caught up in a feeding frenzy.

  My mind was pretty frenzied, as well, as I wracked my brain, asking, where would a guy like Benny hide his directory of easy lays?

  “Where do you guys think it is?” I asked the occupants of the tank.

  They, not surprisingly, ignored me.

  Except for one brightly colored orange and white fish.

  “I think you’re a clownfish,” I mused.

  I checked my phone.

  Yep, he was.

  The little fish was as comical as his name. He juked and jived, and then just kind of hung there staring at me.

  I laughed and assured him, “I promise when I let Benny take me out to a restaurant, it absolutely will not be a seafood place.”

  I swear his little scaly brows went up.

  “Hey, hey, don’t worry. We may not even be going if Benny doesn’t pass the test I have planned for him.”

  I proceeded to share with the clownfish, who remained at the front of the tank, my whole brilliant plan.

  I then resumed wondering where the puck bunny directory could be.

  “The bedroom seems like a good place to start, right?” I asked the fish.

  Okay, I was really losing it. A fact made crystal clear when my new bud, cute as all get-out, peered out at me from his watery abode with his little mouth working overtime and his fish lips mouthing, “Don’t do it, don’t do it!”

  He knew what I was about to do and was trying to stop me. Or maybe, and this was the more likely explanation, my guilty conscience was speaking to me through the fish. Then again, it could’ve been something altogether different weighing on my mind.

  “Yeah, like not telling Benny I have a child.”

  Clownfish, who I christened Clownie in that moment, looked appalled to hear of my deception.

  “I know, I know,” I said. “I can’t keep Ava a secret forever. And hard or not, I’m going to tell Benny. First, though, I need to know if he’s worth it. That’s why I have to find that stupid directory as soon as possible.”

  “Snooping is wrong,” I imagined Clownie retorting. He looked like a judge-y fish, after all.

  I snorted. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re a fish.”

  “Ah, and that’s where you’re mistaken. I’m a very wise old fish. And you, my human friend, are very clearly a stupid young woman.”

  “Hey!”

  “You claim you’re worried that you can’t trust Benny, yet you harbor a huge secret of your own.”

  “Cute, I get it. Harbor…fish. I see what you’re trying to do. Funny.”

  “Stay focused, human.”

  “I am focused, fish.”

  It hit me then, the absurdity of having an imaginary discussion with a freaking fish! Oh, hell, I was simply hashing out what I was mulling over in my mind. I felt so damn guilty for setting up a test for Benny while I kept a secret of my own.

  “This can’t go on,” I whispered to Clownie.

  “No, it can’t,” I pretended he replied, while in reality, he’d already swam away.

  I didn’t want Benny to swim away, too. So I decided no matter the consequences, I’d tell him about my daughter…right after he passed the test.

  Finding the directory was easy. It wasn’t even discreetly hidden. I located the innocuous-looking red spiral-bound notebook during my first round of snooping. The dreaded puck bunny directory had been tucked away in a nightstand drawer in Benny’s bedroom.

  I sat on the edge of his bed and opened the damn thing, preparing for the worst.

  But as I flipped through the pages, I felt kind of relieved.

  There weren’t nearly as many entries as I feared there would be. Plus, most were girls living in other cities. I knew this because Benny had jotted down last-known addresses next to names and numbers.

  “A girl in every port,” I murmured, sighing. “Men can be such pigs sometimes.”

  Benny obviously was no exception to that observation.

  But he’d changed, or so he claimed. “We shall see,” I murmured.

  As I neared the back of the book, I came upon the entry for Clarisse, the blonde from the club. It had to be her, right? How many women could there be in the book named Clarisse?

  I wasn’t mad, I was elated. I’d been counting on finding her in the directory. She was the key to implementing my plan.

  I just hoped she’d go along with it.

  I read her entry and noted Benny had a rating system. He’d given Clarisse four stars. How lovely. We sure had a lot to talk about, that man and I.

  I went back downstairs, directory in hand, and sat next to my new friend, Clownie.

  Don’t judge. I needed the moral support from something breathing, even if it was through gills.

  I needed that support because what I did next was pick up my phone and call Clarisse.

  After I explained who I was, the girl who’d been with Benny at the club, I cleared my throat and said, “I guess you’re wondering why I’m calling?”


  “I am curious,” she replied.

  “This may sound weird, but I have this plan I’m working on. And I really need your help to make it happen.”

  She hadn’t hung up on me yet, so that was a plus.

  “Hmm, this plan you’re working on…” She sounded intrigued. Yes! “Does it involve Benny?”

  “It sure does.”

  “I may be interested, then.”

  Perfect, I thought.

  But then I started reconsidering when she said, “Is this a sex thing? If it is, that’s fine. Are you calling ’cause you want me to hook up with you and Benny?”

  Yikes.

  Quickly, before she got into specifics, I replied, “Good God, no. It’s nothing like that.”

  “Aw, darn,” she sighed. “I would’ve been up for a threesome, so long as it included him.”

  “Are you crazy?” I accidentally said out loud.

  “I most certainly am not,” she huffed. “And there’s no need to sound so offended. You never know, you could end up having a good time if we all went to bed together.”

  Not happening!

  I drew in a deep, calming breath, and then said, “I’m sorry for snapping at you. And I’m not offended. It’s just that I really like Benny, and I don’t want to share him with you or anyone else. That’s actually why I need your help with the plan I mentioned.”

  “What is this stupid plan of yours, anyway?” She sounded like she was losing patience. “And how in the hell do I fit into it?”

  Knowing it’d be better to fill her in on the details in person—that way she couldn’t run away—I said, “Could we meet somewhere? I think it’s better if I explain face-to-face.”

  “Oh, all right. I suppose we could meet. When and where are you thinking?”

  I needed to move fast, so I said, “What about today?”

  “Hmm, that could work. I do have some shopping I need to take care of. I’ll be over at the mall in an hour or so.”

  “Which mall?” I asked.

  As luck would have it, she was going to the mall closest to Benny’s house.

  “Perfect,” I declared.

  “Wanna meet at the food court at around two?”

  “That works for me,” I replied.

  I ended the call before she could change her mind. Then I stood and did a little happy dance in front of the fish tank.