Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions)

by Worrell, Nikki

  There it was again. The ‘you okay?’.

  “Yeah. Just checking in with you, is that a problem now too?” He just wanted to shoot the shit with someone without them asking if he was okay. Was that too much to ask?

  “No, of course not. Should it be? Forget it. How was practice?”

  Vlad sighed. “It was okay. To tell you the truth Chief, that Cage kid is killing me. I want to ring his oh-so-perfect neck. Christ! He just doesn’t let up, you know?”

  “Yeah, I do know. I don’t care for the kid much myself, but you gotta let it slide off your back.”

  “He’s just trying to get me to fuck up so he can take my place, I know it. That little prick will do anything to be the starting goalie. Well, screw him; I’m not going to just hand it over to him.”

  “No one’s asking you to, Vlad. I agree that he’s a little prick, but we all were at that age. I don’t think he’s trying to cheat you out of your spot. I think he’d rather earn it honestly. I think his mouth just gets away from him. I couldn’t tell you how many times he’s called me old or ancient or decrepit. He’s just cocky.”

  Vlad would probably have agreed with Jody if he wasn’t currently battling his own demons, but he was in a piss-poor mood lately and hated everyone. “He’s not just cocky. I’m telling you man, he’s gunning for me, and he’s gonna get a stick up his ass if he doesn’t back off.”

  Vlad was so angry. So much for his peaceful sunset. His behavior was far from his norm. Vlad was the guy everyone wanted to be around. He didn’t get mad. Girls loved him, guys wanted to be him. Nothing was ever too much for him to handle.

  “It sounds like you had a shit day, Vlad. How about we go out and grab a couple of beers? It’s not too late and Lacey’s not feeling so well tonight. The baby keeps kicking her in the bladder, and she wants me off her back. Seriously man, I try to help and she tells me to leave her alone. I feel helpless.”

  Vlad finally gave up a laugh. “Yeah, okay. But give her some slack, man. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you. Don’t fuck it up.” Vlad was certainly happy for Jody, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t jealous. He’d do anything to have his girl demanding that he leave her alone because she was pregnant with his kid. Well, at least he had the part down where she demanded he leave her alone.

  When Vlad and Jody got to the pub, they settled at the bar with a couple of beers.

  “You guys want something to eat tonight?” Dan, the bartender, was used to having the NHLers in his place. He even had a private room in the back he let them use if the public attention got to be too much.

  “I’m starving, Dan. Got any specials today?” Vlad was always starving. He was lucky he had a great metabolism. The way he ate, he should be as big as a house.

  “Tony made up some of that crab bisque that everyone loves just this afternoon. He also made some cheddar biscuits. Want to start with that?”

  “Yeah, that sounds great. How about you?” Vlad turned to see if Jody wanted the soup and spotted Zoe walking in. “Crap.” He rubbed the back of his neck in agitation.

  “What?” Jody turned in the direction Vlad was looking to see her walking right toward them. “Hey Zoe, you want to have a seat? Lace isn’t here. Our little angel is into sparring mode again, and she’s sick of me at the moment.”

  Zoe smiled, and put her arm around him in a show of support. She really did feel bad for Jody. He tried to do everything for Lacey, and it was driving her nuts. Zoe patted his cheek with true affection. “No thank you, sweets. I’m actually here to pick up some of that crab bisque for Lacey.”

  “What? No way! I asked her if she wanted anything before I left.” He looked so forlorn. “I just want to help her.”

  Zoe explained for what seemed like the thousandth time. “Jody. Honey. Listen to me. She loves you more than chocolate, remember? She does, but you’re just a bit, well, smothering. She needs some girl time, okay?”

  “Okay, but make sure you get extra cheddar biscuits. She loves them.”

  “Oh, you poor deluded man. She used to love them. She hates cheddar cheese now. You bring them in the house and she’ll puke all over you. As a matter of fact, you may not even want to eat them. She’ll smell them on you.” Zoe thought Lacey was a bit on the crazy side, too, but who was she to say? She’d never been pregnant.

  Vlad smiled at Zoe. He honestly couldn’t help it. Seeing how much she cared about Lacey warmed his heart. Zoe was such an amazing human being. She was loving, but crass and sarcastic. She was perfect. Okay, maybe she wasn’t perfect, but she was to him. “Hey Zoe, you look especially pretty tonight.” Shut up, shut up, shut up, Vlad told himself. Go back to being agitated.

  Zoe looked down at her ripped jeans, red tank top, and half a dozen bangle bracelets. “Yeah, I guess I do, thanks.”

  “And so humble. What a great combination.”

  “Life’s too short to be humble. I know I look good, but I don’t flaunt it.” Zoe smiled, but then looked away. “Well, I have to get this soup and run. I’m spending a bit of time with Lacey before I go on my date.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew she made a mistake.

  Vlad’s hand clenched his beer bottle. “Really. A date, huh? Who’s the lucky guy this time? Tim? Kyle? Steve? John? Pete?”

  Jody cut him off. “Vlad, don’t do that, man. You know Zoe’s like a sister to me. Don’t disrespect her.” Zoe knew Vlad was putting Jody in a tough spot over whose side to take. That wasn’t fair of him.

  Zoe patted Jody on the back. “Thanks Jody, but it’s okay. I understand him. He can’t accept a situation that’s beyond his control so he lashes out with insults. It’s a coping mechanism.” Take that, Vlad. “Since you asked, I’m going out with Sebastian. You know, that hot Spanish guy I met at that speed dating thing?” Why was she egging him on? She was as bad as he was sometimes.

  That did it. Vlad was furious now. “You have got to be fucking kidding me! Jody told me you didn’t have any ‘sparks’ with that guy. Shit, I can’t do this anymore. Maybe I’ll ask for a trade.” Vlad got up and started walking out of the bar. Zoe followed after him, cheeks burning in shame.

  “Vlad, wait.” She grabbed his arm and turned him around. “I’m sorry. That was very insensitive of me, but you had it coming after that comment. You know the deal. We’ve been over and over this. We can’t be together. Sebastian’s a nice guy, and I enjoy his company. I don’t know if anything will come of our dating, but I’m willing to try. I’m sick of being alone.” Dropping her voice to a tone not much above a whisper, she said, “We can’t keep having this same discussion, Vlad. We just can’t.” Zoe had tears in her eyes when she looked up at him. Zoe never cried. Never.

  “Okay, Zoe. You win. Yet again, I’m sorry. Have a great date.” Vlad walked back into the bar just as Jody was walking out. Jody handed Zoe the soup she came for and walked back in with Vlad.

  “Sorry about that. I know I need to get it together around her. I’m really going to try. There’s been this girl that comes to practice all the time. She might be a puck bunny, but she seems better than that. Maybe I’ll ask her out and see how it goes. She’s given me her number a dozen times. I have it in my locker. What do you think?”

  Dating the puck bunnies was a mistake, but like he said, maybe this girl was different.

  “I think it’s a start. Going on a date is a good way to get moving in the right direction anyway. Go for it.”

  Zoe’s date with Sebastian was just like all the others, kind of flat. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a good time, because she did. The problem was that he wasn’t Vlad. She had dated Sebastian a couple of times before, and they both agreed there was just no chemistry between them. Then they met up at the grocery store, of all places, and decided to try again. Still no spark.

  When they left the restaurant, Sebastian took the opportunity to kiss her before they got into the car. He laughed, probably at Zoe’s expression when he pulled back from her lips. “I think it says a lot that I’m not even i
nsulted by that look on your face. I feel like I just inappropriately kissed my sister. Let’s not try dating anymore and move onto friendship. What do you say?”

  Zoe released a breath and let out a relieved laugh. “I think that’s the best idea you’ve had tonight. What were we thinking anyway? Our first time dating wasn’t much different.” She put her arm around Sebastian’s waist and gave him a squeeze.

  “Since we got that out of the way, what do you say we go back to your house and take a stroll on the beach?”

  Zoe smiled her first sincere smile of the night. “Sounds like a plan. If it’s still light enough, want to throw the Frisbee around or something?”

  “You’re on. I know you like to compete, so how about whoever misses it the most pays for ice cream at that place near your house?” Zoe loved the idea. And it was even better when he lost and had to buy.

  They walked the six blocks to the ice cream shop from Zoe’s house. As soon as they entered, the hostess seated them, handing them menus. When the waitress walked over with glasses of water, Zoe reached out to take hers the same moment she saw Vlad walk in the door, with whom she assumed was his date. The glass slipped out of her hand and hit the table with a thud. It didn’t break, but it made a hell of a noise and water went flying.

  Sebastian grabbed the glass and glanced over to see what had startled her. She looked at him and was horrified to see that his shirt was soaked.

  “Shit! I’m sorry.” How embarrassing!

  “Hey, it’s just a little water, no big deal.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Vlad just walked in. With a date. Do you mind if we leave?”

  “I don’t mind, Zoe, but I think we should stay. I realize I only know a little bit about your thing with him, but maybe it’s good for both of you to get used to seeing each other with other people. But that’s just my two cents. You want to leave? Just say the word.”

  Dammit, why couldn’t she have feelings for this guy? He was nice and considerate. He had a good job, a healthy relationship with his family, and was quite the hottie. It made no logical sense that they felt nothing for each other beyond friendship. “No. You’re right. Let’s just order our ice cream, eat the damn stuff, and get it over with.”

  “Wow. You’re a dream date, you know that? I’ll try not to let your love for me go to my head.” Sebastian gave her a wink so she knew he was only playing with her.

  “You know what, Sebastian? I think you and I are going to be great friends.” She got a sneaky look in her eyes and continued, “You know, there’s this girl in the marketing department that I think would be perfect for you. She’s got a five year old little girl, though. What do you think?”

  “I think I’d love to meet her. I trust your opinion, and I’m not afraid of a woman with a child. I like kids. Aside from that, I’m tired of being alone. You know, I don’t get it. I think I’m a nice guy, I have a steady income, I’m not totally ugly, and I treat a lady like a lady. Why the hell am I still single?” Sebastian looked so completely baffled; Zoe had to laugh at him.

  “Who knows? Look how friggin’ adorable I am, and I’m still single. Sometimes the world is just a bit off kilter.”

  “Yeah, but your situation is different. You’ve already found your love. You just haven’t figured out how to make it work yet.”

  Vlad could not believe Zoe and that Spanish dude were there. What were the chances? Okay, well the chances really weren’t that unlikely. The ice cream shop was only five or six blocks from Zoe’s place. It made him wonder if, subconsciously, he was hoping she might be there. Jesus, now he sounded like her when she did her psychoanalysis bullshit on him. Although, much to his chagrin, she was usually right.

  “Vlad? Did you hear me, baby?” He hated that Cindy was already using pet names. It was their first date! And what a mistake it was.

  “No, sorry. Huh?”

  “I asked if you wanted to come home with me. You don’t have to wonder why. I’m a sure thing, baby.” She slid her leg up his thigh under the table as she licked her lips. When he moved his legs, she got angry with him. “All right, what’s the deal? I thought you’d want to have sex with me.”

  Well, she certainly was straight forward. “Look Cindy, I think this was a mistake. I thought you were one of the nice girls who maybe wanted to get to know me. Let me just take you home.”

  It was clear Cindy didn’t like that response as she picked up her water glass and dumped it on him. “I’ll get my own ride home. I can’t believe I wasted an entire night on you. My friends were right: I should have gone with one of the younger guys.”

  “Yeah, whatever. See ya.” Trying in vain to mop up the water on his shirt with the two tiny napkins on the table, Vlad figured he got what he deserved. The only time he should go out with a puck bunny was when he just wanted some tail. He got up and walked over to Zoe’s table.

  “Hey Doc, Jose.”

  Zoe saw red. “His name is Sebastian, Vlad, as you well know. What happened to your date? Does she have school tomorrow? Had to meet curfew?” Shit! Why was she baiting him again?

  Vlad laughed off her comment. “Funny stuff, Zoe. But no, we just weren’t meant to be. Some people are meant to be together and some aren’t. You know what I mean, don’t you?” He tugged on her blouse. “Like Jody and Lacey.”

  Sebastian appeared amused at their interaction. He had mentioned earlier that he thought Vlad and Zoe had fire between them, whatever that meant. Zoe was pretty sure he had some special power to see what people were feeling beneath the façade they showed to the world. He was definitely an interesting guy. She thought again that it really was shame she only thought of him as a friend.

  “Yes, actually I do know what you mean. Those two were meant to be together, but some people aren’t. However, I do understand that not everyone is smart enough to realize when they’re fighting a losing battle. You know what I mean, don’t you, Vlad?” Zoe crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

  “Sure. But you have to admit—sometimes the smarter ones are the ones who lose out. Life is all about taking chances. Sometimes you even have to interfere to get what you want. What’s the point in playing it safe if there’s something so incredible right in front of you?” He looked at her with a tenderness that was hard for her to process. “So extraordinarily incredible.” Vlad tugged on her blouse once more and left.

  “That was entertaining. You two are a mess. Come on, Zoe. Let’s get our ice cream to go. We can go sit on your deck and talk for a while. Sound good?”

  Zoe thought that was a great idea. She could use someone to talk to, and she knew Lacey would be asleep by now. “You really are going to be a great friend, aren’t you? I feel so comfortable around you, and ask anyone, that’s rare. I don’t trust so easily. Of course I’m usually the happy-go-lucky kind of girl. Vlad just pushes all my buttons.”

  “You might be better off if you actually did let him push your buttons.”

  “Oh, I see what you’re doing. Real nice. Okay … well, for you information, we’ve been there, done that.”

  She could see that that shocked him. “You slept with your client? You’ve got to be kidding me. Oh, this just got so much more interesting.”

  “I’m trusting you to keep your mouth shut. What is it about you that makes me spill my guts?” Zoe still hadn’t even told Lacey yet. Their whole conversation was crazy, even for her.

  Sebastian looked her in the eye and reassured her. “I would never tell a soul what you told me in confidence. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I feel a strong connection to you. I’m sure you think it’s all voodoo crap or some other kind of psychic BS, but it’s not. There’s a reason we were put together. We know that we don’t have a romantic connection, but maybe I’m here to help you. Or just listen. Whatever it is, I’m here.”

  Zoe let out a relieved sigh. “Okay. I guess I could use someone to talk to. I hate to burden Lacey with my drama right now. The baby’s been keeping her up at night lately, and she’s n
ot getting much sleep.”

  “The baby? Isn’t she still pregnant?”

  “Oh yeah, she is. I mean the baby’s been sitting on her bladder a lot and has recently started kicking her at all hours of the night. I hate to give her more to think about or worry over right now, you know?”

  “Sure. So let’s get our ice cream and vamoose.”

  It was almost three weeks until the Halloween game, and Zoe was in Lacey’s living room discussing their costumes. A lot of people dressed up for the game, and it was fun to take part in. There was even a contest for the best costume. The previous year, Zoe dressed as a belly dancer, and Lacey was a fallen angel.

  “You should be the fallen angel again. That would be a sight. A pregnant angel would definitely be fallen.” Zoe was going to dress in something sexy as usual.

  “Hey,” Lacey said, swinging the subject back to Zoe. “Why don’t you go as Elvira?”

  “Have you actually seen Elvira? Her boobs are huge.” Zoe cupped herself. “Look at these girls, Lace. Look at them! They’re tiny. Ain’t no way I could pull off Elvira.”

  “Hmmm, well I guess you have a point. How about a devil? That suits you better anyway.”

  “Bite me, Lace. Devils have been done to death. Besides, I want to dress ultra sexy this year. I need something that’s going to attract some men. I want to start dating again.”

  “Really? Dating, as in, seeing someone you might actually have chemistry with?” When Zoe told her that she and Sebastian had decided to just be friends, Lacey wasn’t surprised at all. She told Zoe that she thought the only reason she even agreed to go out with him again was because she already knew there was no chemistry between them—he was safe.

  Zoe looked up at the ceiling. “Yes, Lacey. You’re right. I need to step out of my comfort zone and really give dating a chance. I don’t want to be alone, you know.”