“Less stolen clothing items and more rides in shotgun.”
She chuckled, but then her face sobered. He wondered if he’d said something wrong. Emma sighed and flicked her hand in the air. “Sorry, I was just lost in the fantasy of having a private bathroom as a teen.”
Tyler took the last bite of his infused-with-the-nectar-of-the-gods donut and wiped his hands on the napkin. He glanced at his watch.
Emma noticed. “I’m sorry. You said you were going away for the weekend, and here I am going on about my siblings.” She brushed her hands on her napkin and reached into the pocket of her leggings. She pulled out his licence and slid it across the table. He couldn’t help but think about how it’d been pressed against her thigh the whole time they’d been talking.
Tyler picked it up. “I appreciate you getting this back to me.”
She motioned at the table. “I feel more than appropriately thanked. You really didn’t need to do this.”
“But I found a new favourite donut.”
She replaced the lid on her cup and tipped it. “And I found a new favourite drink.”
He smiled and watched her until she blushed under his gaze. Emma looked away and reached for her coat. “Where are you going this weekend anyway?”
“Saskatoon. Hockey tournament.”
Emma froze. She dropped her coat back onto the chair and whirled to face him. “Which league?”
“Elite.”
She blinked. “Which team?”
Tyler grinned. She might be even cuter when she was serious. “Snowballs. I joined when I moved to Calgary at the beginning of last summer. Why?”
Emma slumped onto the table and dropped her head in her hands. She muttered something unintelligible under her breath, then sat back up and forced a smile. “Your captain is Sean Thompson, right?”
Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, how did you—”
“Sean’s my older brother.”
ChapterThree
The shrill soundof Tyler's alarm pierced the silence, jarring him awake at five o’clock the next morning. He rubbed his eyes, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and planted his feet on the chilled floorboards. He really needed to buy a rug.
“You up?” Knuckles rapped on the door. Brett had probably been up for an hour and had already finished a workout. Since Tyler moved in a few weeks ago, he hadn’t witnessed Brett miss a day of lifting, even when they had doubleheaders. The dude was a machine.
“Yep. Thanks, man.” Tyler stretched his arms over his head and popped his back. He was still a little achy from Thursday’s game.
He lifted his phone off its charger on his nightstand. Fifteen new text messages, but not one he wanted to answer. Kelli asking if he wanted to go on a pub crawl this weekend. Tamar wishing him a late happy birthday. Misty asking when he’d be playing the next home game.
After this tournament, they’d be at home or in South Calgary for the next three weeks, but he wasn’t going to tell any of them that. He blew out a breath and dropped his phone on the bed, then searched for his pants.
They had just over a six-hour drive today, one game at four-thirty tonight, and potentially two on Sunday if they won. Which they should. Their first match-up was with some team from Regina, and they didn’t have a great record.
The game he cared about was Sunday afternoon for the championship, most likely against Pucks Deep. They’d traded W’s in their first two match-ups of the season, and it was time for the Snowballs to get one up. But he couldn’t get ahead of himself. They had two games to win before they’d get a shot at them.
He pulled on a waffle-knit shirt, a puffy vest, and his navy toque. The vest made him think of Emma, which sent a shot of adrenaline through his sluggish veins. Last night felt like a fever dream.Sean had a hot younger sister?How hadthatnever come up in locker room conversation? Either the other guys didn’t know, or Sean had already threatened to castrate them if they made a bid. He was guessing the latter.
He stalked into the kitchen and was about to grab a bowl and spoon when Brett called his name.
“Made you this.” He handed him a tall cup with a straw. “Forty grams of protein right there.”
Tyler took a drink. It was good. Chocolate with only a slight green aftertaste.I went to the gym and bought kale after work.Tyler cleared his throat. “Thanks, man. You lift already this morning?”
Brett nodded and dropped into one of the four chairs around the kitchen table. Nothing in this townhouse belonged to Tyler besides the furniture in the bedroom. Brett had the place outfitted well before he’d moved in, and that suited him perfectly. He didn’t plan to stay in Calgary long and would probably sell his bed and shelves before moving back to Toronto.
