She nodded. “True enough.”
“I don’t have the, er, traumatic events in my past that you do, and considering how impulsive I can be about some things—”
“A huge shopping spree in a certain teacher supply store springs to mind, yes.”
He sent her a mock glare. “Anyway, considering I can be impulsive at times, I still find it hard to really open up to people. You and Seb know me better than anybody else, and I value that more than you know. I want that with Alaina. I think, in some ways, I already have what I’ve been seeking without even knowing, but since I met you and Seb, both of you guys have been there for me no matter what.”
Sarah sniffled.
“Oh man, you’re not gonna cry, are you? Sebastian will kill me if I make you cry.”
“Good tears, I promise. I always figured you were best friends with Sebastian, and I was just part of the deal.”
Rob did roll his eyes then. “Yeah, before you guys got together I totally hated you. It’s not like I went out in the bitter cold and cut down a freaking tree for you or anything.”
“Point taken. But still, that means a ton to me, Rob. Thank you.”
“Before you really turn on the waterworks and freak me the hell out, I’m gonna go.” Emotional scenes like this gave him the heebie-jeebies.
“All right. I’ll let you off the hook for now. Are you going to talk to Sebastian or would you mind if I did?”
“You can tell him. He’ll understand, but not the way you do.”
“Thank you for confiding in me.”
He smiled and said, “Later,” as he rose and escaped toward the door.
On the way home, an idea popped into his brain. The foundation was pretty much set up, thanks to the large amount of money he’d put out to get the lawyer’s undivided attention. He wouldn’t be back on the ice playing for probably another eight weeks, if things continued to go the way they were. Why couldn’t he organize a fundraiser of some sort before then? Rob had originally been targeting next summer, but he’d never been much for waiting.
As soon as he got into his house, he grabbed his laptop then began to search out what other similar foundations were doing. He soon became discouraged since everything he found was a huge deal that took months of planning. Why aren’t any of these events small? Or easy?
Leaning back in his recliner, he tried to think of what he wanted to do. From that point, he could figure out how to accomplish his goal. Many of these charities gave out backpacks loaded with supplies. Some partnered with other places like grocery stores to have a drop-off point where citizens could give whatever they wanted, and others did fundraising events then used the money to buy what they needed.
Rob liked the second idea better. He didn’t like leaving so much to chance by having people donate supplies. What if they got a ton of pens and no crayons? Construction paper, but not the lined composition notebooks they needed? Nope, having cash to buy stuff themselves sounded way better.
So how to get cash quickly without a lot of fuss? He had no clue. Who would? Two names popped into mind. Sarah’s, since she was the smartest person he knew, and Karen. Pulling his cell out of the pocket of his jeans, he dialed Sarah.
Sebastian picked up. “Rob?”
“Hey, bud, is Sarah home?”
“Are you trying to steal my girlfriend away? You talk to her more than I do.”
“Eww, dude, she’s like my sister.” If Rob thought his best friend was serious, he would’ve been concerned. “Are you gonna harass me some more, or can I talk to her?”
“She’s knitting.”
Rob’s mouth dropped open. Had he heard right? “She’s what?”
“Knitting. She got some crazy idea that she wanted to make a sweater for Marc and Susie’s baby.” A brief pause ensued with conversation he couldn’t make out. Then Sebastian said, “Ouch! Those things are sharp.”
“Put me on speaker, Sebastian.”
The phone beeped and Sarah came on the line. “Sorry about that. Someone is finding it incredibly funny watching me learn how to knit.”
“It is pretty funny,” Sebastian interjected.
Sarah sighed. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to ask for some advice.”
“More love stuff?”
“No,” he answered quickly. He could just see what would happen if he did that. Considering the way he’d teased Sebastian last year, Rob would never live it down.
“Shoot.”
“Well, I had an idea—”
“Trouble already.”
“Ha-ha,” he deadpanned. “Funny lady.”
“Okay, okay. Go on.”
“I want to do something before I start playing again. Something for the foundation.”
“So soon? All right. What do you want to do?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. I don’t want this fundraiser to be something that’s gonna take a ton of time to coordinate. I figure I have eight to ten weeks before I’m able to get back into the lineup. I’ve done research on similar organizations, and they do different types of fundraisers, but the basic thing is—I don’t want people to donate specific things. I want them to give money.”
“Can I ask why?”
Rob heard the telltale clicking of knitting needles, and then Sarah swore softly. “You all right? Did you accidentally stab Sebastian?”
“Yeah. I keep poking myself with these damn things.” Sebastian snickered. “No comments from you. Why don’t you go make yourself useful and get the wrapping paper and stuff out? You said you’d help me get the packages for my family together today.”
“Oui, ma cherie.”
“Now that he’s gone…”
Rob laughed. “Do you even realize how whipped you have him?”
“Eh. He’s young. He needs guidance.”
The more than ten year age difference had been a sticking point with Sebastian and Sarah getting together, but Rob had hoped Sarah was over the matter by now. “I hope you don’t say that to him.”
“Of course not,” Sarah said, exasperation clear in her tone. “Back to my question. Why cash?”
Rob decided to move on at her obvious urging. “Well, you know how I like to have control of things—”
Sarah snorted. “Yeah, a little.”
“Anyway, what would we do if we got five thousand pens and fifty reams of construction paper, but no glue or scissors or notebooks?”
“Hmmm, that’s a good point.”
“So I thought if we had money, we could decide what to get and then buy the supplies ourselves, maybe at a discount if the school district let us order through them or if they get a better price in bulk. What I’d really like to do is fill backpacks and give them to the students to make sure they all get the same things and all the items are needed.”
“But I take it you have no idea how to accomplish this feat?”
“Not really. I mean, I can hardly set up a table outside the Barn and stick my hand out.”
Sarah laughed. “Uh, no, probably not. For one thing, you probably can’t do anything at the Barn.”
“Why not?” That’s why he’d planned on calling Karen.
“If I had to guess, the answer you’d get if you asked would be, ‘if we let you, we’d have to let everyone.’”
“Huh. See, this is why I called you.”
“Uh-huh. Look, why don’t we have dinner and talk. Bring Alaina if you want, unless you’d rather not involve her at this stage.”
“No, that’s a good idea. She’s a board member; she should have a say in this. Let me see if she’s free.”
“Okay. Text me and let me know if Alaina’s coming.”
Sebastian, who must’ve returned to the room at some point, asked, “You invited him for dinner again? He’s never gonna learn how to cook, you know.”
“I know how to cook, bud. You’re the one who can’t boil water without burning it.” Rob shuddered as he remembered a variety of botched dinners. Thank God for Sarah. At
least Seb was well-fed now.
“How can you burn water?”
Sarah chuckled. “It’s a slang phrase, honey.”
“You crazy Americans.”
“Yeah, whatever, you crazy Quebecois. See you in a bit, Rob,” Sarah said.
He chose not to comment further. Safer that way. “Cool.”
They hung up and he called Alaina. When she answered, he said, “Hey.”
“Hi. What’s going on?”
“I was wondering if you were free for dinner. Sarah invited me over, and we’re going to talk about how we might be able to put together a fundraiser before I get back into the lineup.”
“That quickly? Wow.”
“We’re not sure. That’s why I’m going over to dinner—so we can talk about things easier.”
Alaina said nothing for several seconds. “Uh, I can go, but I can’t stay long afterward.”
Was something wrong? He didn’t want to ask and maybe have her refuse to join them. Rob needed her knowledge and guidance. “That’s fine. I’d like you to come, though.”
“Then I will. I’ll meet you, so you can stay if you want.”
“I can get you,” Rob protested.
“No, this is better. Less driving for you too. What time?”
“An hour or so?”
“Okay. Should I bring something?”
“Nah. It’s a weeknight dinner. I’m sure she’s not making anything real fancy.”
A little while later, Rob arrived at Sebastian and Sarah’s house. Sebastian opened the door and grinned. “Did you bring your luggage? I figure you might as well move in.”
“Shut up,” Rob said with a smile. “Where’s your better half?”
“Where’s yours?”
“On her way.”
“Mine’s in the kitchen.”
Rob brushed by Sebastian and went into the kitchen, finding Sarah pulling some sort of delicious-smelling casserole out of the oven. “What is that?”
Sarah glanced at him. “Hello to you too. Eggplant lasagna. I hope you guys like it.”
“If it tastes anything like it smells, I’m a fan.”
The doorbell rang again, and Sarah and Rob were shortly joined by Alaina and Sebastian. The table was set and the food doled out.
When Sarah finally sat, she asked, “What have you told Alaina about what you’d like to do?”
“Nothing yet.” He then explained to Alaina how far they’d gotten while she listened attentively.
Sarah took up the conversation. “So I thought talking everything out face-to-face would be the quickest and most convenient way to figure out the best fundraiser to have.”
“That makes sense,” Alaina said. “I’ll help however I can, but I’m not really well-versed in this stuff. I have no idea how long it takes to put a fundraiser together, where to get stuff like food and whatever other things you want to offer, that sort of thing. There aren’t many fundraisers for our school, because frankly, the area’s too poor to bother.”
“That’s sad,” Sebastian remarked.
“Yeah,” Alaina answered. “But if Rob can help at all, he’ll be doing a great thing.”
“I won’t be doing this on my own,” Rob argued. “I do have an idea, though.”
“Well, then, tell us,” Sarah said.
“As I told Alaina what we’d already talked about, I was thinking that there’s this goaltender in St. Louis who does this fashion show thing every year. His teammates model clothes and they have food and stuff. I don’t want to copy him, but what about something else that the guys could help with? I bet they would. We all do charity work.”
“What were you thinking?” Sebastian asked. “You know I’m in.”
“I was wondering if maybe we should do a memorabilia signing or something. You know, like a bunch of us are available to sign a picture for five dollars, a hat for twenty, something like that.”
“I bet the guys would go for that,” Sarah said. “They like things that are easy and not much of a time commitment but do a lot of good.”
Alaina asked, “Where would you get the stuff you’re signing?”
“I might be able to get the Storm to donate pictures,” Rob told her. “For the other stuff, I’m not sure. We’d have to look into what we want and who makes it.”
“New Era Cap is right here in Buffalo, you know,” Sarah said. “You could ask them for a hat donation. I think they’re the official cap supplier of the NHL.”
“They’re here? That’s cool. I never knew that,” Rob remarked.
“You’ve never seen their headquarters on Delaware?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Do you ever look out the window when you’re driving?” Sarah teased.
“Yeah, out the front windshield.”
“I’m not getting any younger over here,” Sebastian interjected, and both Rob and Sarah rolled their eyes while Alaina looked back and forth between them all.
“Seb’s only twenty-four,” Rob told Alaina. “Sometimes he likes to make fun of us—and vice versa—about our ages.”
“Let’s get back to the topic,” Sarah suggested. “You’ll ask the Storm for pictures and New Era Cap for hats? How many of each?”
“Geez, I have no idea. I was thinking about trying to pick Karen’s brain.”
“That’s a good idea. She’s been around for a while and probably knows more about what the team might be willing to do and how much stuff you’ll need.”
“I’ll take her out to lunch tomorrow and work my charm on her,” Rob said with a grin.
“Wait a minute, who’s this Karen?” Alaina asked.
Rob snickered at her jealous tone. “She’s the general manager’s assistant and she’s been around forever. She’s about my grandmother’s age.”
“Ah, then I have no reason to be jealous.”
Leaning over, Rob planted a kiss in her hair. “You have no cause to be jealous about anybody, baby.”
Alaina raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard about those skanky girls who hang around you guys. What are they called?”
“Puck bunnies.” Rob shuddered, and Alaina crinkled her nose. “Trust me, hon. I’m way over them. At first, sure, you’re young and getting laid at the crook of a finger is fun, but those girls will latch onto you with their claws and never let you go. They can be freaking scary.”
“I bet.”
“Seriously. If you’re smart, you stay away from the puck bunnies.”
“Okay, okay. I believe you.” Alaina paused then said, “Wait a minute. You said Karen works for the general manager and is a grandmotherly type?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded. “I met her when I dropped off those cards to the arena. Really nice lady.”
“She is,” Rob agreed. Spearing Alaina with a withering glance, he said, “By the way, I’m still finding glitter on my person.”
“Don’t you ever shower?” Sebastian asked.
Alaina gave Rob a sweet smile. “Since you were the one who insisted the kids have glitter, I figured you should be the recipient of some of their efforts.”
Sarah waved her hand. “Argue about the glitter later. What do you need us to do?”
“Can you try to figure out where we could do this?”
Smiling, Alaina asked, “And what can I do?”
“Make me a list of must-have items. I’m thinking a small backpack filled with the same stuff for each kid.”
“Okay, I can do that. How high are you planning to go, as far as grade-wise?”
“How far do the elementary schools go?”
“Sixth grade.”
“Then stop there. We need a small focus at first.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks, baby.” He turned back to Sarah and Sebastian. “I won’t call either of you baby, but thanks. You guys are awesome.”
“We know.” Sebastian reached around and patted himself on the back and Rob laughed.
Alaina rose. “As much as I hate to break up this party
, I need to get going. Let me help you with these dishes—”
“No, you go ahead,” Sarah said. “I’d make Rob help, but he’s incapacitated, so Sebastian will.”
“Totally whipped, dude,” Rob said.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him. “Yeah, like you’re not.”
Alaina’s face betrayed her surprise. “Do you think you are?” she asked Rob.
He shrugged with his one good shoulder. “I like making you happy, but I’m not sure I’d go as far as whipped.”
Sebastian and Sarah both burst out laughing and he turned to glare at them. “I’m gonna walk her out. You two behave. I know how you get in the kitchen, and I really don’t need to witness any more sucky face or have to spend fifteen minutes looking for burn remedies.”
Rob escorted Alaina out to the living room and as she was putting on her coat, she asked, “Sucky face?”
“Ugh, they’re ridiculous. Last year we brought Sarah a tree, and I had to cool my heels in the living room pretending I was still looking for the burn cream they’d sent me for while Sebastian put the moves on her.”
“Aww, that’s sweet, though.” Alaina cocked a brow. “Hey stud, come here and kiss me.”
He did and when they pulled apart she said, “Yeah, we’re so much better than them. You really have so much more self-control.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Opening the door, he said, “E-mail me the list whenever. No big rush.”
“Sounds good.”
Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “And we need to figure out when I can be inside you again. I need you.” Rob grabbed her hand and covered his burgeoning erection, the heat seeping right through his jeans. Yeah, I need her all right.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, my.”
“Yeah.” He let go of her hand and stepped away. Point made.
“Soon, I promise. See you.”
With a wave, she left, and Rob let out a breath. That girl drove him crazy. He made a ton of noise on the way back into the kitchen, but found Sarah elbows-deep in hot, sudsy water, and Sebastian drying a dish. “Wow, you restrained yourselves.”
Sebastian shot him a dark look. “Like you’re any better. You think we don’t know what you were doing out by the door?”
“Maybe so, maybe so. Karma’s a bitch, man.” He waited a beat then said, “Oh, look at the time, gotta go. Thanks for dinner, Sarah.”
Underneath It All (Storm Series) Page 22