Thea’s was Remy. She hadn’t the first idea of what to get him. In their brief conversations, all she’d learned was that he came from Memphis, loved hockey and had an unspecified number of brothers and sisters back home. It wasn’t a lot to go on.
Despite that, Thea was excited to go Christmas shopping. She and Doe always made a day of it. They headed to the nearest mall bright and early, starting their day with a pancake breakfast.
“So are you excited about the cabin?” Thea asked once they’d wiped up the last of the maple syrup and were heading into the shops. “It’s a good sign, right, that Blake wants to spend Christmas with you?” Thea kept a smile on her face, trying not to let her heart sink at the thought. She wanted Doe to be happy.
“I am excited,” Doe confirmed. “It’s not something I’ve done before - spend Christmas in a cabin, somewhere with lots of snow.” It was definitely an experience. Thea was pretty sure some people even had something like that on their bucket lists. “Yeah, I think it is a good sign that Blake wants to spend Christmas with me,” Doe nodded.
“Well,” she added. “Me, a few guys off his team, you and Connor’s girlfriend,” she corrected giving Thea a grin. “Are you excited? I’m glad you’re coming, too.”
Thea did her best to ignore a pang of guilt. It wasn’t, really, as if Doe shouldn’t want her to come. Thea wasn’t going to do anything about whatever lingering attraction she felt to Blake. She was glad there would be other people there. She could spend time with instead.
“I’m excited to ski,” Thea answered. At least that was honest. “And to spend Christmas with you,” she added, bumping her shoulder affectionately against Doe’s. “I’m glad Ricky and Remy are coming. I didn’t want to be the only single one.” At least, Thea assumed Remy was single.
Doe gave a small hum at that. “I didn’t get the impression it was meant to be a couple-y thing,” she commented. “I know Connor’s girlfriend’s coming, but Ashley’s pretty fun independently of Connor.” Of course, Doe would have gotten to know her better since she was Blake’s best friend’s girlfriend. Thea had only met Ashley at the few get-togethers she’d been invited to.
“Do you think it matters that I don’t like skiing?” Doe asked, biting her lower lip. “I obviously didn’t say that because I do want to come but...” There she gave a small shrug that Thea interpreted as ‘but I don’t want to ski’.
“I don’t think anyone will mind,” Thea promised. “People might ask if you’re sure, but it’ll only be because they want you to feel included.” Blake’s friends all seemed nice. Thea couldn’t imagine any of them would object if Doe preferred to spend her time doing things other than skiing.
Thinking about other things Doe might do, Thea’s mind jumped briefly to Blake. She bit her lip, trying not to laugh as she remembered him telling her about the activities he enjoyed beginning with S. If Thea was spending Christmas with a boyfriend, she’d expect to do a little more than cuddling after dark. Of course, Doe was a bit different.
“Do you want to share a room with me?” Thea asked. “Because I don’t mind having my own, if you have someone you’d prefer to share with.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Doe blushed hard at that. Thea was sure she was about to tell her how, yes, she would like to share with someone else. Then she shook her head. “No, I want to share with you,” she told Thea. “Blake and I... I know we’ve been dating for a while now but... I just don’t feel like I’m there yet.” She sounded quiet as she said it, maybe a little embarrassed.
“He’s been great about it,” Doe added a bit defensively. “I think it’s nice that he didn’t presume we’d have to share.”
While it seemed a little strange to her, Thea recognized that it was nice. A lot of men would be more impatient. “How is it going?” Thea asked. “Not the lack of sex,” she quickly clarified. She hadn’t meant to pry . She’d just wanted to make sure Doe knew she could share a room with Blake without Thea feeling left out.
“I mean, more generally. Have you told him about your soulmark?” Thea assumed not. Doe would probably have mentioned something as big as that. The question still seemed like it would get to what Thea really wanted to know: whether or not Doe thought Blake was her Blake, the one she was destined to be with.
“No,” Doe shook her head. “It hasn’t... I don’t know. I really like Blake, he’s great. We haven’t had that much time to get to know each other, you know?” It did seem a little strange to Thea. She felt like she had gotten to know Blake pretty well, but she could hardly say that .
As they entered one of the bigger shops that seemed to stock most things, Doe gave Thea a small look. “It’s hard. Like... if we are a match, he might feel like we need to spend more time together because of that. It’s not what I want. If slow dating is the way Blake wants to do it, then that’s alright with me. I’m not in a rush.”
Thea smiled, truly doing her best to feel happy for Doe. “Maybe you not being in a rush either means you are a match,” she suggested. It certainly sounded slower than what Thea would like. She’d never been in a rush to show anyone her soulmark, but she would have wanted things to move a little faster in other ways. If Blake wanted this slow and steady approach, perhaps Doe was perfect for him.
“Maybe,” Doe agreed with a nod. “Oh, look!” She exclaimed, taking Thea’s hand so she could lead them over to a whole wall of old-style vinyl records. “Remy would love this,” she informed Thea. “He’s into music on vinyl, says there’s a... crackle to it?” Doe gave Thea a look that very much implied she had no idea what that was meant to mean.
Pulling out a couple of the records, Doe smiled, almost as if to herself. “He’ll definitely like these,” she promised Thea. “I hope you’ll have as good suggestions for what I can get Connor as his Secret Santa.”
“I definitely won’t,” Thea said, with a laugh. She looked at the records Doe had handed her, bemused. She almost wanted to ask how on earth Doe and Remy had got talking about records, of all things. She’d rarely seen Doe light up quite as much. It was probably just the excitement of giving someone a present they would love . Thea recognized that. She’d always loved giving presents herself.
Thinking hard, Thea tried to recall anything that Connor might have mentioned liking. The two of them hadn’t talked that much, though Blake had mentioned him a few times. “Let’s go to the home section,” Thea decided. “Blake told me Connor’s promised Ashley he’d make his house homier, and you’re good at that.”
Doe smiled widely at the praise. Thea knew she liked making their apartment feel like home. It was something Thea very much appreciated. The suggestion that she now help Connor do the same seemed to go down well.
“I have definitely got skills for that,” Doe nodded. “Do you think your parents will mind that you’re not going home for Christmas? Or your sisters?” she asked as they approached the home decor stuff.
Thea shrugged, ignoring the slight twist of anxiety in her stomach. “They’ve never minded before,” she said. It wasn’t entirely true. Her parents always invited Thea to come home. She just preferred not to go, knowing they’d expect her to attend parties with their friends where everyone would be faintly disappointed that ‘all’ Thea did was help people with their computer problems.
“They’ll be delighted I’m going skiing,” she said, her tone lighter. “That’s respectable. Especially if I don’t mention the hockey players.” She couldn’t imagine what her parents would say if they thought she was going to date someone who played a game for a living. Not that Thea was going to date any of the Howlers.
“Respectable,” Doe repeated, before shaking her head. “Your parents have such odd priorities,” she commented. Thea supposed they did if you hadn’t grown up with that sort of expectation. Doe’s parents were very different. Much more homely and a lot less interested in whether Doe married right or got the kind of job that she did. They only cared about whether she was happy. Thea didn’t doubt that her parents wante
d her to be happy. It just wasn't ranked top priority.
She picked up a vase, turning to Thea with a small frown. “Is this too much? It feels like it’s too much. Do you think he’ll want something homely for Christmas? It’s not very...” Doe shrugged. “Manly?”
Thea wrinkled her nose. She didn’t care much about what was or wasn’t manly. Still, she could see Doe’s point. “Something homely,” Thea insisted, “but maybe not a vase. I don’t know how often Connor buys himself flowers.” From what Thea did know of him, she was going to bet it wasn’t very often.
“Maybe one of those containers for charging your phone and holding your keys?” Thea suggested. “Like this.” She picked up a wooden organizer, with a shelf for a wallet and glasses. “Do you think Blake cares about that kind of thing?” she asked, curious. “You know, whether something is ‘manly’ or not?” Thea assumed most hockey players did. Blake hardly seemed to be most hockey players.
“No,” Doe shook her head. “I mean, I’m not sure Connor does either, but I don’t know him that well.” She did give the wooden box a look. “It seems a bit bulky to take to a cabin and bring back.”
Instead, Doe reached for some photo frames. “I could get some pictures of Connor scoring goals or something similarly hockey related?” She suggested. “Those would be easier to transport and... well, it’s hockey. They all love hockey.”
Thea laughed. “You have a point,” she agreed. The fact the Howlers were all obsessed with hockey definitely made buying presents easier. “I wonder what they’ll get us,” Thea mused. She felt like Blake might be quite good at picking presents. Connor would probably just ask Ashley. She had no idea what Ricky and Remy would do if they had to buy for one of the non-Howlers.
“Are you going to get Blake something separate from the Secret Santa?” Thea asked. She imagined Connor and Ashley would exchange gifts. They were a more established couple.
“We talked about it and decided that we weren’t going to,” Doe answered. “It’s just easier if we don’t have to feel like the presents represent something, you know?” There she gave a small shrug. “I feel kind of bad, but I’m not sure I’d know what to get him for Christmas.”
Several ideas presented themselves immediately to Thea. She had to bite her lip. She didn’t want to make Doe feel worse for not knowing. It made her heart ache, just a little. There was no reason for her to get Blake any of the things she knew he’d like.
“Well, like you said,” Thea said, her tone bright and cheery, “you two haven’t gotten to know each other that well yet. If it’s meant to be, that’ll come in time.” If . A traitorous part of Thea wondered if maybe there was a different Blake out there for Doe. One she’d get to know faster.
“Yeah,” Doe nodded, before picking up some other frames. “I’m going to go with this,” she decided. “And maybe ask Blake what would be some good pictures to put in. I can even get one of Connor and Ashley.” It was a nice idea. Thea tried to focus on that rather than on all her thoughts about what she would buy Blake for Christmas if he had been her Secret Santa instead of Remy.
“That sounds like a great plan,” Thea agreed. “And it’s an excuse for you to spend more time with Blake,” she teased gently, ignoring the way her heart gave an envious twinge. It was stupid. Thea wasn’t going to give in to it. Instead, she was going to look forward to the cabin, and to skiing, without thinking about how much time she might get to spend with Blake.
Shaking herself, Thea smiled at Doe. “Two presents down, many more to go,” she said brightly. “Let’s pay for these, and then we can go find presents for everyone else.”
Chapter Six
The days on the way to Christmas went surprisingly fast. By the time the last game rolled around, everyone had made plans. Blake was honestly looking forward to going skiing. In the weeks leading up to them going away, all the guys had gotten pretty psyched. Even Remy seemed excited. Blake had learned that if Remy showed a lot of emotion, things had to be going well.
“I am so excited about this, yeah!” Ricky, who had absolutely no problems showing emotions, proclaimed loudly as they arrived at the cabin.
“Wow, this is huge ,” Doe observed as she set her bag down in the open-plan living room.
The place was huge. There were five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a wide-open living room that joined a wide kitchen. There was a dining table between the two, long enough to probably seat twenty people. It had been a few years since Blake had last been there but the place was obviously well looked after.
“The bedrooms are through there,” Blake waved his hand. “And I think the kitchen should be fully stocked.” He also spotted that there were plenty of logs next to the fireplace. Someone had been in to make sure the cabin was ready for them to use.
After that, everyone went about getting settled in their bedrooms. Thea and Doe were the only ones who had to share - apart from Connor and Ashley, of course. Blake didn’t think either objected. Their room had two double beds, so Blake figured it wasn’t too bad.
Still, he wanted to check. When Thea emerged from the bedroom, joining Blake in the kitchen as he made tea, he smiled at her.
“Hey, are you sure you don’t mind sharing? I’m happy to share with one of the guys instead if you and Doe want your own rooms?” He probably should have asked before they got there. Blake didn’t actually expect Thea to say she minded.
She shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she answered. “We don’t mind,” she promised. “Neither of us snore, or talk in our sleep or anything, which is probably more than you boys can say.” It was obvious she was teasing. She gave Blake a grin which almost distracted him from his tea.
“This place is a lot bigger than I was expecting,” Thea noted, looking around. She caught her lip between her teeth for an instant, then seemed to blurt out what was worrying her. “Is it very expensive? I should have asked before we came, I know, but -” she trailed off, looking concerned.
“No, no,” Blake shook his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he told her. Blake saw the moment Thea was about to object. He realized that it probably sounded like he was saying he’d just pay. It wasn’t like Blake couldn’t . He definitely earned a great deal more than Thea did. Still, Blake was very sure that Thea would insist on paying, no matter what the amount was.
“My parents own it,” he explained. “So no one needs to pay. They own the whole resort, actually, so... yeah. Don’t worry about it.” It wasn’t something Blake told a lot of people. His family were rich, most of his teammates knew that, but apart from Connor most of them probably didn’t realize how rich.
Thea’s eyes widened. Blake thought he saw her mouth drop open before she quickly snapped it shut again. She was silent as she looked around the cabin, and through the windows at the ski resort beyond. It struck Blake how rarely he’d seen Thea be quiet . She usually spoke her opinions pretty openly. Her lack of response didn’t seem to suit her.
When she looked back at him, her eyebrows had lifted. “I take it you don’t tell people very often?” she asked. “Does Doe know?”
“She doesn’t, no,” Blake shook his head. “I’m not like keeping it from her, I just...” There he shrugged. It wasn’t something that Blake told people a lot. Yet, somehow, it felt both easy and right to tell Thea. “And no, it’s not something I tell people,” he admitted with a small shrug.
Turning around to get a few cups, he held one up to Thea. “Tea?” Blake offered. Perhaps he’d make a pot in case someone else also wanted it. When Thea gave a nod, Blake returned to making the drink.
“I guess,” he said when Thea hadn’t said anything, “I grew up with people thinking of me a particular way when they knew. So now I don’t really mention it. I have plenty of money, you know? NHL contracts pay pretty well.” It was true that Blake made plenty. Perhaps not enough to buy a whole ski resort.
Thea hummed, in a way that made Blake glance sideways at her. She was frowning at him. When he caught her eye, she
had the grace to blush and look aside. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I was just thinking.” She paused, her frown deepening. Blake let her consider, getting down an extra mug for her.
After a moment, she gave him an almost apologetic smile. “You don’t seem like other rich guys I’ve met,” she said, in a way that was both direct and yet simple . “I don’t mean hockey players,” she amended. “You seem quite a lot like other hockey players, from my limited experience.”
That made Blake laugh. Whatever he had expected Thea to say, ‘you don’t seem like other rich guys’ wasn’t it. “How many rich guys have you met?” He asked. “We’re not all, whatever it is they say, #NotAllMen,” he teased. “Though, you’re probably right about the #AllHockeyPlayers.” It actually pleased Blake quite a bit to think that Thea didn’t see him as she might do others. Even if he wasn't sure he was different from other rich guys.
Her response was to shrug one shoulder, turning so she could face Blake as he continued to make tea. “I’ve met some,” she said. From her tone, Blake didn’t think it was something she wanted to be pressed about. He tried to push aside his curiosity.
“I get how it must suck, to have people treat you a certain way because of something you can’t help,” she said. Blake wondered if she could get it, without having experienced it herself. At least she sounded sympathetic. “Do you think it has its upsides?” she asked. “Aside from the ski cabin,” she added, with a playful smile.
“Do I think having money has its upsides?” Blake repeated, turning to raise an eyebrow at Thea. It would have been truly stupid of him to claim that it didn’t. Blake had never struggled, had never needed for anything. He was able to play hockey without his parents ever having worried about how to afford to buy him new skates, or a uniform, or even a stick.
Looking around the cabin, Blake gave a small shrug. “Yeah, I think it has a lot of upsides. I wouldn’t be where I am now if my parents hadn’t been able to support me financially. All the training, equipment. Talent is great, but it’d be ignorant of me to pretend that anyone can make it just based on that.”
Best Shot (Madison Howlers Book 2) Page 8