I look at the roses, remember the name and smile, which makes Jude’s eyes widen in horror, so I bite it back and try to frown. It doesn’t work, and I’m fairly certain I now look like I’m having some kind of conniption. “It’s no big deal.”
“I don’t know a single hockey player who has ever given roses to a No Big Deal,” Jude proclaims.
“Oh, for crying out loud, you better knock Zoey up again so you can get a girl and play daddy to her,” I snark and turn to walk away. “Because I’m not letting you do it to me.”
I feel his hand on my arm. Winnie is half watching us from a few yards away where she’s standing with Eli, Dixie, and Griffin. Luckily, Griffin isn’t paying attention. He’s listening to something Dixie is talking about. I let Jude turn me back around. He looks less Mad Dad now and more Concerned Friend. “I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m just saying be careful,” he says, his voice softer. “You’re the one who told me that you feel like you’ve got nothing left to give, and the circumstances that made you feel that way haven’t changed.”
“I know.” He’s right. I just…don’t care. No, wait, I do care. I just can’t talk myself out of this thing with Griffin.
“I would just hate for him to get hurt,” Jude says quietly, and I freeze. Wait a minute…His concern is for Griffin.
“He’s a big boy, and I’m hardly a man-eater, jackass,” I hiss indignantly.
Jude laughs and grabs me by both shoulders, pulling me into a hug. “Sadie, I don’t mean it that way. I know you’d never purposely hurt a fly, let alone my coach.”
“Eli’s coach.”
He pulls back, keeping his hands on my shoulders. “He brought you roses. He looks at you like…like he’s not playing around. So don’t play around with him. If you really can’t be in something, don’t be in something. Get it? Especially with someone I work with, because I have to see him every day, and I don’t need the drama either right now.”
I swallow. Hard. Leave it to Jude to throw all my fears and concerns in my face when I’d been doing a pretty decent job of ignoring them. He musses my hair like he used to do when I was a teenager, right after I’d spent a stupid amount of time in the bathroom styling it. I take a swing at him, purposely missing, just like I used to do then too. “Okay, they’re throwing punches,” Griffin remarks, his voice filled with worry. “Is this normal?”
“Totally,” Dixie assures him as Jude and I keep swatting at each other as we rejoin the group. “You’ve played against him; didn’t you want to hit him?”
Griffin smiles. It says everything. We all laugh—loudly. Jude looks nothing less than proud. “When you’re the best of the best, haters gonna hate.”
“Isn’t Avery Westwood leading the league in scoring this season?” Winnie asks. “And Jordan Garrison has the most short-handed goals.”
“And my brother has the most shoot-out goals in the league,” Eli adds.
“And I think it’s Alex Larue who has the most penalty minutes,” Griffin informs us.
Jude’s expression sours. “Stats mean nothing. I have more Cups than all those chumps. And the best wife and cutest kid.”
“Well, there’s no arguing with that,” Zoey exclaims. “Now let’s get back to that cute kid. I’m sure my brother and Ned need a break.”
Jude takes her hand in his, but before turning away, he looks Griffin in the eye. “You think I was a pain in the ass when you played me? If you play my sister, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“Oh, he’s seen something,” Winnie remarks tartly. “Remember the wardrobe malfunction.”
“Get back under your bridges, trolls!” I holler, exasperated, but everyone just laughs.
“Winnie!” the voice, sharp with frustration, comes from behind me. I recognize it instantly, but am still shocked when I spin around and see Ty, Winnie’s boyfriend who lives in Toronto, standing there next to a cab driver with a suitcase next to him.
“Ty?” Dixie says, because she can’t believe it either.
He ignores her, and the rest of us, and walks over to Winnie. “You were supposed to pick me up at the airport.”
“I am!” Winnie replies defensively. “Tomorrow, when your flight gets in.”
Ty’s expression is the purest example of exasperation I have ever seen in my life. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’m sorry,” she relents. “I honestly thought you were coming tomorrow. I wouldn’t leave you there on purpose. In my defense, I have a lot going on, Ty!”
“Why the hell do you think I took time away from work to come here?” he snaps, and I glance over at Griffin. He looks as uncomfortable as I feel.
I walk over to Ty and give him a hug. “Hey, buddy! It’s good to see you. Sorry about the mix-up.”
“Thanks. Yeah, good to see you too, Sadie.” He hugs me back, but it’s lackluster, and his jaw is still clenched. “We can give you a lift back to the house. Is that okay, Griff?”
