“Not unless she’s started dating teenage boys,” Savannah deadpanned.
“Who is it?” Court asked, ignoring their banter.
“Some kid who no doubt fell in love with you because of all the points you got over the weekend,” Savannah answered with a shrug. “He didn’t give me his name.”
They didn’t have a practice scheduled, but most of the team tried to get at least a skating session in every day. She finished lacing her skates and pulled on her practice jersey and helmet before standing and closing her locker. She grabbed her stick and headed for the door.
“He’s behind the bench,” Savannah called out. “You can’t miss him. Cute kid.”
Court ignored the laughter she heard from them as she exited the locker room. As she headed down the hallway to the ice, her mind frantically tried to think who it might be. The last person she thought of was Lana’s kid.
“Shit,” she muttered, looking down at her feet as she stepped onto the ice. “What the hell is his name? Eric?”
She headed for the bench and stopped short of the boards. He was smiling at her, but he also looked a little nervous to be standing there.
“I hope it’s okay for me to be here,” he said after a moment.
“Where’s your mom?” she asked, taking the time to scan the area and seeing no one else but him. She met his eyes. “You’re Eric, right?”
The joy lighting up his face because of the simple fact she remembered his name caused a reaction she hadn’t expected in herself. She couldn’t help but smile back at him as she felt her heart warm.
“Yeah, but she isn’t here.”
“Does she know you’re here?” Court asked. “Shouldn’t you be at school today?”
“We get out at two thirty,” he answered. “And yes, she knows I’m here.”
“What can I do for you?”
He looked up at the glass surrounding the playing surface and the bench area, then seemed to be looking around the arena for a break in it somewhere. There was none, and Court sighed. Her teammates would be out soon, and she really didn’t want to be having a loud conversation with him when they did. She motioned for him to walk down to the end of the rink and the doors where the Zamboni came out to clear the ice between periods.
“Hey!” she called out to a maintenance guy who was eating his lunch. She waved him over when he looked up at her. “Open this for him, please?”
She took Eric’s arm so he wouldn’t slip and fall on the smooth ice surface and led him over to the bench. They sat side by side and Court removed her helmet after leaning her stick against the boards in front of them.
“What can I do for you?” she asked again.
“I made a team,” he said with a grin. “And they’re letting me have number eight.”
“That’s great.” She was happy for him, but she doubted he was here just to tell her about making a team.
“I was wondering if you could help me with something,” he said, looking down at his feet.
“Is talking to you always like pulling teeth?” She realized she sounded harsh and wished she could take the comment back. To her surprise, he chuckled and glanced at her.
“My mom used to say that about me.”
“I was just kidding,” she said, nudging him with her elbow and wondering whether or not he believed her.
“I was hoping maybe you could help me become a better passer.” Her hesitation must have worried him, because he started talking again right away. “I pretty much suck at it, honestly. I have a good shot at being picked pretty high in the junior draft next spring, and if I could improve my passing game it would really help a lot.”
“I could probably help you,” she said as her teammates started coming onto the ice. “Your mom has my phone number. Give me a call tomorrow and we can work out some details.”
“Awesome!” he said with a huge grin. “Thank you so much.”
He got up to leave and realized he was kind of stuck there on the bench.
“Come on,” she said, leading him back onto the ice.
“Hey, I almost forgot,” he said as they got to the gate where he could leave. “My mom wanted me to invite you for dinner.”
“Tonight?” Court asked, unable to hide her surprise. It was a nice surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.
“If you’re free?” he asked, his tone hopeful. “Or tomorrow, maybe?”
“I’m free tonight,” she said before she had time to think too much about it. “What time?”
“We usually eat at seven.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Okay then, I’ll see you later,” he said, walking backward and smiling at her.
“Yeah,” she said. “Later.”
She shook her head and skated to the other end of the ice where Savannah and Kelly were waiting for her.
“Did he ask you on a date?” Savannah asked, and they both doubled over in laughter.
Court laughed at their good-natured ribbing, and she responded with the truth.
“Yes, actually, he did,” she said, thoroughly enjoying the looks of shock on their faces. “And before you ask, I accepted. Dinner tonight. At his house.”
She skated backward, laughing at their expressions.
“With him and his mother.” She howled at them when they looked at each other, obviously not believing her, but she didn’t care. Was it a date, with Lana of course, or was it just dinner with a friend? Lana would have asked herself if it was a date, right? She decided to shove it from her mind and concentrate on what she was doing. She’d find out tonight.
* * *
“Who is this woman, and why have you never mentioned her before?” Court’s sister, Lori, said as they sat on her couch. She’d gone to Lori’s to get advice, but realized upon reflection it was a bit ridiculous to ask for dating advice from a woman who had two kids by two different men and had never been married.
“She’s here to help her family. Her father had a heart attack.”
“So she’s from here?”
“Originally, yeah,” Court said, glancing at the clock. She only had about fifteen minutes to talk if she wanted to make it to Lana’s on time. “She’s leaving at the end of the school year to go back to Chicago.”
“Well, then, there’s your answer,” Lori said, slapping her on the thigh. “A fling seems appropriate given the circumstances.”
“You’re a big help.” Court sighed.
“Okay, how about this,” Lori said, undeterred by Court’s irritation as usual. “She probably isn’t someone you should even think about getting involved with if she uses her son to invite you to dinner. Whether it’s a fling or…maybe something more?”
“It can’t be more,” Court said again, feeling as though she were speaking to her seven-year-old nephew. “I just told you, she’s leaving at the end of the school year. Not to mention I have a contract with the Warriors for another season after this one.”
“It’s October,” Lori said. She looked at Court like she thought she was dense. “School doesn’t end until late May or early June. A lot can happen between now and then, Court. I really don’t think you need me to tell you that.”
“I should go.” Court stood and walked toward the door. “Tell the kids I love them, and I’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Court,” Lori said as she stood and hurried over to her. She hugged Court and kissed her on the cheek. “Just let whatever happens happen, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” Court smiled and headed outside to her car. Maybe Lori was right. She was probably thinking too hard about things, and she should just let it happen. Or not happen, whatever the case may be.
Chapter Twelve
Court stood on the porch wondering what the hell she was doing. Twice on the drive to Lana’s she’d almost turned around and gone home. And now she was considering it once more. She tightened her grip on the bottle of wine she held in her hand and glanced back at her car.
“What the hell am I doing?” she muttered as she
took a step toward the door. She shook her head and laughed at herself. Being nervous about having dinner with a beautiful woman had never happened before. Then again, she’d never been invited to dinner by the beautiful woman’s son before either.
She’d agreed to help Eric with his game, so even if this turned out to not be a date with Lana, she could use the time to talk to him about hockey. Set up a plan to work together. There was no reason to be nervous. Before she could overthink things anymore, she raised her hand and knocked on the door before her.
That was when the panic really set in. She heard noise coming from the other side of the door, and she contemplated her odds of being able to get to her car and speed away before anyone saw her. Her breath caught in her throat when the door opened, and she found herself standing face-to-face with Lana, who seemed genuinely surprised to find Court on her porch.
“Courtney Court?” she asked, her head tilted to the side and a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “What are you doing here?”
“Um…” Court was confused. Perhaps she’d misunderstood Eric. “Eric said you wanted him to invite me to dinner.”
“He did?” Lana looked to be confused too, but she stepped aside for Court to enter. “I’ll have to have a talk with him later.”
“I’m sorry. Should I not be here?”
“No, it’s fine,” Lana said, shutting the door. She hung Court’s jacket up and then motioned for her to follow her into the kitchen. “When did you talk to Eric, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“He came to the arena this afternoon. He said you knew he was coming to see me.” Court shook her head as she handed the bottle of wine to Lana. Lana’s reaction to all this made her realize she’d been duped. “You didn’t know, though, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I’m sorry,” Court said, feeling like an idiot for falling for it. “I should go.”
“Court, no, please stay. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Lana gripped her wrist when Court turned to leave. “I know he wanted to talk to you about possibly helping him with his passing game, and we talked about inviting you for dinner sometime, but I didn’t know he was going to do any of it today. I would never use him to ask you out. If I were going to ask you out, I would do it myself.”
“Good to know.” Court relaxed a little and made a mental note to remember it in the future.
“Would you like some?” Lana asked as she held up the bottle of wine.
“Yes, please,” Court said.
“Unfortunately, I only have plastic cups.” Lana laughed. “I haven’t had time to do much shopping for anything.”
“I don’t mind.” Court leaned against the counter and watched as Lana opened the bottle and began to pour it. “I see you have a corkscrew, though.”
“A corkscrew is essential for life,” Lana said, giving her a look indicating anyone should know that. “I am never very far from my trusty corkscrew.”
“Thank you.” Court accepted the plastic cup Lana offered.
“I should be thanking you.” Lana touched her cup to Court’s and smiled. “To unexpected, but very welcome, dinner guests.”
“I really feel like kind of an idiot,” Court said after taking a sip. “I should have called to make sure it was okay.”
“There’s something you need to know about Eric.” Lana took a lasagna out of the oven. She turned to face Court and smiled, which caused Court’s stomach to flutter. “If hockey doesn’t work out for him, I think he has a second calling as a matchmaker.”
“So he’s done this before, I take it?” Court felt a stab of jealousy, and shook her head with a chuckle to hide it. It was so not like her to be jealous. Especially when she wasn’t even involved with the woman in question.
“Oh, yes. More than once, and not just with me.” Lana took Court by the arm and led her to the living room, where they sat next to each other on the couch. “He’s done it with a few of his friends as well. His matches have never worked out for me, but he’s been fairly successful with people his own age.”
“I guess that means you and I won’t work out, then?” Court said the words in jest, but she realized as she spoke she really wanted it to work out. There was something about Lana pulling her in. Something she didn’t want to fight. The look Lana gave her made her breath catch.
“Oh, Courtney Court.” Lana took Court’s cup and set it on the end table next to hers before turning to face her. She took Court’s hands in her own as she spoke. “You know I won’t be in town forever. I’m not sure it would be wise for us to get involved.”
“Did you forget the part where I told you I’ve never had a relationship last for more than three months?” Court gave Lana her best self-deprecating smile.
“Maybe we should eat,” Lana said, but she didn’t release Court’s hands.
Court wondered what the hell she was doing. She’d never had to try to talk a woman into becoming romantically involved. In fact, she’d never even had to pursue a woman at all. They always came to her. So why did she feel more intent than ever on convincing Lana?
* * *
Lana filled their plates with food and sat across from Court at the kitchen table. She couldn’t believe Eric had put her in this position and then made sure he wasn’t around when Court arrived. She couldn’t deny she was attracted to Court, but she wasn’t entirely certain getting involved with her was wise. She had a feeling it would be difficult to remember she’d need to keep her heart protected.
They both looked up when they heard the front door open, and Lana set her fork down on her plate. Court looked uncomfortable when their eyes met, and Lana placed a hand over hers and squeezed gently.
“Eric?” she called as she released Court and sat up straighter. “Could you come in here, please?”
“Hey, Mom,” he said with a grin. At least he had the decency to be embarrassed when he saw Court sitting there with her. “Hi, Court.”
“Hi.”
“I think you owe Court an apology,” Lana said, one eyebrow raised to let him know she was serious. “And to me also. We’ve talked about this before.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, but he was looking down at his feet instead of at Court.
“Not good enough,” Lana said. “Apologize to Court.”
“It’s okay,” Court whispered to her, but Lana shook her head once to let her know it wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, Court,” Eric said, raising his head to look directly at her. “I shouldn’t have told you my mom wanted me to ask you over for dinner tonight.”
“Thank you,” Lana said before picking up her fork again. “Have you eaten?”
“I had a slice of pizza at Caruso’s after practice.”
“Then go to your room. We’ll talk about this later.”
“Mom,” he said, his voice on the edge of whining.
She simply looked at him, daring him to defy her. She’d never been able to stay mad at him, and he knew it, but she also knew he wouldn’t want her to embarrass him any further in front of Court. He sighed and nodded before turning and leaving the kitchen.
“I’m sorry he lied to you,” Lana said.
“It’s really okay,” Court told her as she began eating. “I’m having dinner with a beautiful woman, so I’d say it’s worked out pretty well.”
“Well, aren’t you the charmer?” Lana tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in her chest. Unfortunately, it was next to impossible to not notice it was affecting her more than she wanted it to. “I’m still going to have a chat with him about it, though.”
“We have a game Wednesday night,” Court said after a few moments. “Will you come? And let me take you for a quick bite to eat after?”
“Courtney Court, are you asking me out on a date?” Lana stared at her, not quite believing what she was hearing from this incredible woman who just a few days earlier was having trouble even flirting with her.
“How do I answer to get you to say yes?”
“
I think you just answered perfectly.”
Court smiled and nodded, causing a feeling of euphoria to wash over her. She was entering uncharted territory with Court, but she wasn’t sure she could stop it even if she’d wanted to.
* * *
“Thank you for dinner,” Court said as she put her jacket on to leave around nine o’clock.
They’d sat on the couch talking for a while after they were finished with dinner, and then Lana had called Eric to join them so he and Court could hammer out some details for his training sessions with her. Lana wasn’t ready for the evening to end, but she was thrilled she’d be seeing Court again on Wednesday.
“You’re welcome,” she said, feeling nervous. Was Court going to try to kiss her? Should she try to kiss Court? She’d never wondered about things like that before. She’d also never wanted to kiss someone so badly. “We should do it again sometime.”
“I’d like that,” Court said.
Lana stepped toward her, and she was a little disappointed when Court leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Court smiled and turned to walk out the door, leaving Lana wanting for more. But she’d seen the way Court looked at her, and knew she wasn’t alone in her desire. That was something, right?
She headed back to the living room where Eric was waiting for her, no doubt knowing he was going to get a talking to. She sat next to him on the couch and took his hand.
“I know your heart is in the right place, honey, but you have to stop trying to set me up with dates. I can get my own dates.”
“I know, Mom, but I really like her, and I wanted her to help me with my game.”
“She said she would, right? She doesn’t need to be dating me in order to do it.”
“So, you don’t like her?”
“I do like her,” Lana admitted. She laughed at how quickly his look of disappointment turned to excitement. “But it doesn’t make what you did okay, you know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What if I didn’t like her, but she liked me?” Lana asked him. “You’d have put me in a very uncomfortable position. You can’t play with people’s emotions like that.”
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