Best Shot (Madison Howlers Book 2)

by Camellia Tate

  “I’ll ask if she wants to go out with your ugly face,” Blake promised, making the other guys laugh. Despite the insult, Ricky seemed pretty pleased with that.

  Blake had a date with Doe that evening, so he could ask her then if Thea would be interested. It gave Blake time to figure out a way to ask that without sounding like he wanted Doe to say that she wasn’t. Doe was great. She definitely didn’t deserve Blake also liking her friend.

  Blake hadn’t expected that when he knocked on Doe’s door that evening, it would be Thea who opened it. He almost double-checked the address Doe had texted him. It seemed a lot more likely that she just lived with Thea.

  “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he told Thea truthfully, before holding the flowers out to her. “They’re for Doe.” Obviously. He didn’t lower the flowers, waiting for Thea to take them. And maybe let him in. Or tell him where Doe was. Shit.

  Thea reached for the flowers, cradling them in one arm. “Doe’s just getting ready,” Thea explained, stepping aside to let Blake into their apartment. He looked around him as he followed Thea through to the kitchen, noting the shelves of books and DVDs which gave the place a lived-in feeling.

  “Help yourself to a drink,” Thea suggested, waving a hand at the fridge. She opened three cupboards in quick succession, before giving a triumphant cry. “A vase!” Setting it on the counter, she gave Blake a curious look. “You could say we don’t get flowers very often,” she teased.

  Blake got a bottle of water from the fridge, shaking his head at Thea’s admission. “That seems like a shame,” he informed her. It did seem unlikely that neither Thea nor Doe had admirers who brought them flowers. Perhaps Blake was just quite old fashioned when it came to picking up his date.

  “It’s a nice place, this,” Blake commented. It was very different from his house, which looked more like a model home than like somewhere someone lived. Blake always wanted it to look like somewhere homely, but he didn’t quite know how to make it so, not having grown up in a homely house. “Have you lived here for a while?”

  Thea paused what she was doing with the flowers, her smile going soft as she looked around the room. “It is nice, isn’t it?” she said. Blake could hear how proud she was. The apartment was small, certainly smaller than Blake’s house, but it felt cozy, rather than crowded.

  “Doe found it, of course,” Thea added. Something in her tone sounded just a little off . Blake didn’t know her well enough to identify what. “We’ve lived here about four years now. I can’t imagine having to start over. There’s a lot of things that we’ve bought specifically for this apartment.” Having added water and the flowers to the vase, Thea stepped back. She studied the effect for a moment before reaching out to adjust the arrangement. “What about you?” she asked, glancing up. “How long have you been in Madison?”

  “Since I started in the NHL,” Blake answered before realizing that Thea wouldn’t know when that was. He was so used to talking to people who knew the Howlers inside out - whether it was other players or fans. “Coming up to eight years now,” he added.

  In his conversation with Doe, Blake had learned that neither her nor Thea were originally from Madison and rather had met at college there. “Where are you from? Doe said you’re not a Madison native.”

  There was the smallest of pauses before Thea spoke, probably because she was tweaking another of the flowers. “Connecticut,” she said when she did answer.

  She didn’t give Blake time to ask any further questions, rushing on to change the topic. “Martin was telling me that hardly anyone gets signed to the team in their hometown,” she said. “Was it hard to give up control of where you would live?”

  “Not really,” Blake shrugged. “I guess it helped that I always knew I’d be moving.” He also hadn’t been very sad about moving away from his family, but he doubted Thea needed to know that. Blake’s relationship with his family was... complex. It was complex enough that he didn’t actually want to start explaining it to his date’s roommate.

  Taking another sip of his water, Blake glanced at where he assumed Doe would emerge from. He didn’t particularly want to talk about where he’d grown up and by the sounds of it, neither did Thea. A different topic of conversation seemed a better bet.

  “Oh, so, one of my teammates - Ricky - asked if you want to go out with him.” It wasn’t the conversation Blake wanted to be having, but it definitely was a change of topic.

  Thea looked as if it surprised her, but she did then smile. Blake felt his heart sink. He resigned himself to setting Thea up with Ricky’s number. He’d rather not be any more involved himself, even if that wasn’t very fair.

  “No,” Thea answered, making Blake blink at her. It was not what he’d expected her to say. “I don’t date men who can’t even ask me out themselves,” she explained.

  There was another pause, before Thea added, “I don’t really date , honestly. Doe and I are pretty different that way. Not that she dates all the time, I don’t mean that!” Thea looked genuinely flustered that she might’ve accidentally said something negative about her friend.

  Briefly, Blake felt relieved that Thea didn’t want to date Ricky and then disappointed that she didn’t date. He caught himself there, though. It wasn’t like he could ask her out. Besides, if Thea didn’t date, it didn’t even matter. Blake was here to date Thea’s friend. Doe didn’t deserve him thinking about dating Thea.

  “She could date all the time,” Blake shrugged. “I’d hardly judge her. I date a fair bit.” It was true . Sometimes Blake dated women for a few weeks and sometimes for a few months. Still, it wasn’t very long between them that he started dating someone new. “I like dating, but I guess it’s not for everyone.”

  Thea studied his face for a moment. Long enough that Blake began to wonder if he’d said something wrong. Then, with a smile that made her look much warmer, Thea nodded. “I believe you mean that,” she decided. “Good.” She nodded, her dark curls bouncing around her shoulders.

  “Some people do judge,” she pointed out. “You must know that, being a celebrity. ” Blake was far from as well known as some of the guys on the team but the tabloids still liked knowing who he was dating. Good for a slow news day, he supposed. “We haven’t Googled you, or anything,” she added as if the thought had only just occurred to her. “Whatever skeletons might be hiding in your cupboards, they’re safe for now.”

  “I don’t have any skeletons in cupboards,” Blake shrugged. He honestly didn’t think he did. The most anyone would find when looking him up on the internet was Blake’s scoring history. Unlike a lot of the guys on his team, Blake didn’t have a history of partying or even anything particularly controversial. “I’m probably pretty boring,” he shrugged, before giving Thea a small grin. “But very attractive,” he joked.

  “Obviously,” Thea agreed. “Isn’t that basically part of the job? Being professional athletes, you’re all going to be fit.” She smiled again, tipping her head to one side. “I admire your confidence, though,” she told him. “That’s important. It might even make up for being boring.”

  That startled a laugh from Blake. He hadn’t expected Thea to agree that he was boring. It felt kind of refreshing. “Fit yes, attractive not so much,” he commented. It was fair. There were hockey players who Blake would describe as more rough-looking than attractive. “Maybe they’re less boring than me,” Blake teased.

  “I don’t really think you’re boring,” Thea offered. Blake watched as she moved to the fridge, sucking her lower lip as she surveyed the contents. “Unless the rest of the Howlers have similarly excellent taste in puns,” she teased. Half-turning her head, she seemed to catch Blake looking. Quickly, she busied herself with pulling cream cheese and bacon out onto the counter. “Doe obviously didn’t find you boring,” she pointed out.

  It pleased Blake to think that Thea had found him funny. It wasn’t a compliment he got often. Her comment that what mattered was that Doe didn’t find him boring did enough to r
emind Blake that he wasn’t meant to care what Thea thought. He was here for Doe.

  “Do you think Doe’s almost ready?” Blake asked glancing towards where he expected Doe to appear. He looked at his watch. They still had enough time to make the reservation. “Does she like seafood?” If Doe didn’t , now would be the right time to be told that.

  “That depends what you mean by seafood,” Thea answered. “She likes fish, but not lobster or crab or anything where you have to break into it before you can eat.” Blake would never have thought of it quite in those terms. He could see what Thea meant. “Where are you planning to take her?”

  The restaurant they were going to, thankfully, served plenty of fish. “Place downtown, it’s... expensive.” That came out a bit hesitant. Blake didn’t want it to sound like he felt he had to show off to Doe. “I’ve been there a few times, they do great fish dishes,” he explained. Before he could truly gage Thea’s opinion on it, Doe emerged.

  “I’m sorry for taking so long,” she said before Blake had even turned around. When he did, Blake’s breath caught a little. She looked absolutely stunning. He instantly felt bad for having thought about how he would’ve maybe liked to take Thea out instead.

  Catching Blake staring, Doe blushed. It made him give a small cough. “Sorry, you surprised me. You look stunning,” he told her truthfully. If anything, Doe blushed more . It was hard not to find it utterly adorable.

  “Blake’s brought you flowers , Doe,” Thea said, filling the silence. “Aren’t they lovely? I’ll put them in your room for you while you’re out.”

  Doe walked over, expressing her admiration for the flowers. Blake felt very glad he’d brought them, even if it was perhaps a little old-fashioned.

  “Go on,” Thea urged. “Enjoy your dinner. Have her home by midnight, young man,” she teased, giving Blake a wink.

  As Blake had said to Thea, the restaurant he had picked for his and Doe’s date was expensive. He honestly hadn’t selected it because it was expensive. As they approached it, Blake couldn’t help but wonder if he should have gone for something more... low-key. It was the sort of place his parents would like. That thought alone told Blake that maybe this was too much.

  “I worry this is a bit over the top,” Blake admitted once they were seated. “They do amazing food, but I... is it too much?” he asked, genuinely worried.

  Doe, to her credit, just gave a soft laugh. “You play in the NHL, Blake, it’s not like I think you’re poor,” she commented. Yeah, okay, she had a point there.

  “I just don’t want you to think I’m trying to show off. Not that I’m not , obviously I want you to think well of me, but not because--”

  He stopped when Doe reached across the table, her hand soft as it settled on top of his. Blake couldn’t help but glance down at it before he looked at Doe. She had a... very calming effect, he realized. That was probably why she had reached out.

  “I won’t think worse of you because you want to feed me some expensive fish,” Doe promised, making Blake laugh. “Besides, I have been to a fancy restaurant once or twice in my life before. Thea would hate this place.”

  Now that drew Blake’s attention. Doe’s hand returned to her glass of water and Blake wondered how best to ask why Thea would hate it. But then, Thea seemed a lot more... brash than Doe.

  “You’ve been friends since college, right?” he asked instead. Doe smiled so widely that it made Blake’s stomach flip.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “Thea was the one who got me to socialize at college. She’s a lot more... extroverted than me, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” There was a small blush against Doe’s cheeks. Blake wondered if this was where he had to step in and offer a compliment. Doe seemed to sense that, though, and spoke before he could. “It’s why we’re so good together. She gets me out of my shell and I keep her grounded.”

  Blake smiled at that. It was a nice way to describe their friendship. “I guess maybe I’m a little bit like that with Connor - we play together, he’s my best friend,” Blake explained. Doe didn’t know the team, so he couldn’t expect her to know Connor.

  “Is he the one whose soulmark got exposed in the papers not so long ago?” Doe asked, surprising Blake. It wasn’t a moment Blake wanted to remember. He had been in large part responsible.

  “Yeah.”

  He could hardly lie but he didn’t say more than that. Doe, to her credit, seemed to pick up on that pretty quickly.

  “It must be nice to play with your friends,” she said instead. Blake smiled at that. It was nice and a topic Blake would much prefer to talking about soulmarks. Besides, a first date was a terrible time to discuss soulmarks.

  “It definitely is. Some of them I’ve known even before the NHL. Most of them I’ve played with for years,” Blake explained. “We get new guys, of course. Rookies, mostly.” And some transfers, like how Remy had just joined them. “But you know, team sports are very bonding,” he teased, making Doe smile.

  This date was going well, Blake thought. Doe was... lovely. She really was. She showed genuine interest in Blake, both as a person and as a player. He returned it by asking her more about her work, finding out what had brought Doe to work in construction. He asked her about her interests. The only questions that Blake seemed to avoid were ones that directly involved Thea.

  It seemed like a dangerous game to play, but if Doe realized, she didn’t say. Blake didn’t want to accidentally show too much interest in Doe’s best friend. Even if he wasn’t on a date with Doe, Thea had been pretty clear that dating wasn’t her thing. Once he reminded himself of that, it was easy to focus on Doe and the way she smiled softly. Her eyes were so kind and her demeanor was welcoming.

  Blake liked Doe. It was easy to invite her to come to see a game, to tell her how after there was a party planned to welcome Remy to the team. Blake wanted to see Doe again. If she happened to bring Thea, too, well... Thea was Doe’s best friend.

  He just had to remind himself of that. Blake wasn’t an asshole . Doe was pretty and nice. She was precisely the sort of girl Blake would normally date.

  Now if he could only stop thinking about how Thea bit her lip when she was thinking of a clever answer. Or the way she laughed. Or the way she was so unapologetically awkward.

  Thea didn’t date and Doe deserved better.

  Blake could be better.

  Chapter Three

  Thea had been to ice hockey games before, though not recently . It had been one of the first things she’d done on moving to Madison. She’d hated how unfamiliar everything had felt, so she’d thrown herself into every Madison-specific activity she could think of. She’d quite enjoyed the games. As her degree had demanded more and more of her attention, she’d simply stopped having time for them.

  “Are you ready yet?” Thea teased, leaning against the door to Doe’s bedroom. Choosing what to wear to an ice hockey game that was followed by a party was something of a challenge. Especially since, unlike Blake, they wouldn’t have the chance to shower and change between the two.

  “Did you manage to find something in the Howlers’ colors?” she asked, more seriously. Neither of them owned anything actually branded with ‘Madison Howlers’. Thea thought it was a sweet gesture that Doe wanted to show her support for the team. “I’m sure Blake won’t really mind if you can’t,” she added. “He doesn’t seem arrogant enough.”

  Lifting a sweater to show Thea, Doe nodded. “This, it’s kind of the right shade,” she decided. “But no, I don’t think Blake would mind.” That was followed by a soft smile. Since Doe’s date with Blake, there had been a few of those. Thea’s friend clearly liked Blake and of course, why wouldn’t she? Thankfully, Doe spoke again before Thea could spiral down into that line of thought.

  “Do you think this dress is fine?” She asked giving Thea a small twirl. “I don’t want to overdress, it’s not a date , but...” There Doe gave a small shrug.

  “But you want to look nice,” Thea finished for her, grinning. It had been a long time s
ince Thea had been in that early stage of dating where even a walk was an excuse to put on your nicest jeans. She still remembered it, she wasn’t completely out of touch. “You look lovely,” she assured.

  She would have said that Blake would be very proud to show Doe off, but he didn’t seem the type. That was probably for the best. Doe wouldn’t have enjoyed the extra attention. “Are you nervous about meeting the rest of the team?” Thea asked. Since it was a hockey party they were going to, she assumed more of the Howlers would be introduced.

  “A little bit,” Doe admitted. Doe wasn’t someone who thrived with crowds or even strangers. At least Thea would be there. “I’m glad you’re coming, too,” Doe said, voicing Thea’s thoughts and making her smile. They had been friends for long enough that Thea knew that Doe meant it. She probably would’ve gone on her own, if Blake had asked. Thea was glad Doe didn’t have to .

  “I’m happy to come,” Thea said. “It’s not every day you get to meet Madison’s best hockey players.” By now, Thea couldn’t expect to recognize many of the players she’d watched four years ago. A few of the current team might remember those Thea had cheered on in her early days. Maybe Thea would even meet someone just as quick-witted as Blake. That would certainly help keep her mind of whether he was Doe’s soulmate.

  Moving on from that thought - not for the first time - Thea smiled at her friend. “I’m sure Blake will help introduce you around,” she pointed out. “He seems very good at knowing how to talk to people.” He didn’t quite seem outgoing in the way Thea knew she was, but he’d managed very well both times they’d talked.

  “He is,” Doe agreed, giving a small hum. “It’s... nice. He’s very good at listening.” Thea couldn’t actually imagine that Doe had been talking so much she needed someone good at listening. It was still a good compliment. Putting the sweater on, Doe was thoughtful for a moment before she spoke up again. “He doesn’t seem to mind I’m sometimes quiet.”