That’s met by silence followed by a couple of grimaces.
“I know,” I say. “But avocados are really good for you. And what you do with this is you blend a fresh avocado with iceand,”I say when more faces look appalled. “Sweetened condensed milk.”
Now I see some curious looks.
Yeah, it’s pretty hard to believe something isn’t better with sweetened condensed milk added.
“Then you pour espresso into that and drizzle chocolate syrup on top. It is thick and rich, and I’m telling you, delicious.”
“Have you ever convinced anyone else to drink that with you?” Leo asks.
“One time,” I say.
“And it was a woman, right?” Leo asks.
“As a matter of fact, it was. None of the hockey players have been willing to try it.”
He nods.
Patty pipes up. “I promise you that woman did not drink that because she thought it sounded good. And if you weren’t cute and a hockey player, she wouldn’t have drunk it either.”
I laugh along with the rest of the room, but feel pretty proud of myself. That was a fact I have not shared with any interviewers and this group seems pleased with yet another personal yet also I’m-a-little-weird fact.
Bruce comes out of the kitchen with something wrapped in aluminum foil at the same time Lawson carries over two tall paper coffee cups with lids. One saysNoraon the side, the other hasSuttonwritten on the side.
“Thanks, Law. How much?”
“I’d just lay down a twenty,” Lawson says. “Especially since Bruce is standing right here.”
“You’re one of the smart ones,” Bruce says, handing the foil-wrapped package to me.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“We don’t have a fourteen on the menu,” Bruce says. “It only goes up to twelve.”
I chuckle. Because of course, instead of telling me that, he just made something up. Still I know whatever is inside is going to be great. “Thanks. I’ll make it thirty.”
Bruce just nods, but I swear I see the hint of a smile as he turns away. I dig into my pocket for my wallet as Lawson does the same. We both lay bills on the small pile next to the register.
“Thanks for your help this morning,” I tell him.
“It seems like maybe you’re getting to the point where you don’t need as much,” he says.
I glance around the restaurant. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Well, I gotta get to the shop. I’ll see you tonight at the scrimmage.”
I pause. “Scrimmage?”
“Didn’t Nora tell you?”
I like to think that Nora was a little distracted last night. “No. But I love scrimmages. This will be great, especially since we haven’t really played together.”
We’ve done a lot of drills and, of course, dance practice, but we haven’tplayed.
“I agree,” Law says. “See you later.”
I watch him throw his leg over the seat of his motorcycle and take off down the street. He’s an interesting guy. Pretty quiet, stays to himself until Beckett pokes him. And he’s an intense player. I can tell all of this crazy hockey stuff rubs him the wrong way, but I also get the sense that it’s more than just the unconventional hockey rules. I’m hoping that over time we’ll getto know each other better and maybe I’ll get a look inside his head.
