Page 29 of Playing for Keeps

“No,” Grace said firmly, “that was not polite. That was spark. That was chemistry. I’ve seen you on dates, remember? This was different.”

I slumped back, trying to act cool, though my chest was still tight. “Even if it was… she’s got a lot going on. A new city, writing another book. She doesn’t need me to barge in.”

Grace’s grin only got bigger. “Maybe it’s exactly what she needs. Lucky for her, you’re not shy about barging in.”

“Christ… You’re impossible.”

“And you like her… a lot.”

I gave her my best glare, but she just sipped her wine, looking excited.

The truth was that she was right. That bookstore moment had stuck with me, and seeing Emma tonight – how reality not only lived up to the memory but went beyond it – had knocked me off my feet.

I’d gone on three dates. Three. Melissa with the cats. Jill with the phone. Zoe with the aura talk. And none of them had even gotten close. But one woman – one damn woman in a green dress – made me feel like a teenager again, my heart pounding and staring at her as if she was the only thing in the room worth looking at.

Grace elbowed me in the side. “You’re already gone for her.”

I shook my head, but even I could tell my denial was weak. “She’s just… something else.”

“Good,” Grace said, sounding happy. “It’s about time.”

I groaned again and pushed my chair back. “I definitely need another drink.”

She laughed, far too pleased with herself, and I sat there, trying to ignore how Emma’s smile and the sway of that green dress were already burned into my brain.

15

EMMA

In November, Toronto has a certain clarity to it. The air feels crisp and clean and everything looks sharper. I sat in the corner of a café that smelled of cinnamon and dark roast, took off my scarf, and let the heat soak in. Traffic moved slowly and with grim determination outside, while voices hummed and the espresso machine hissed like background music inside.

Max arrived the way he probably always arrives – impossible to miss. Broad shoulders under a jacket that was made for colder weather than today. His hair was messy as if he had just run his hand through it, and he had a restless kind of energy that made standing still look like work. He spotted me, smiled, and the whole room tilted a bit.

“Hey,” he said as he sat down in the chair across from me.

“Hello,” I answered, amused at how the mood changed around him without him even trying.

He ordered a coffee. I chose a hot chocolate with a mountain of cream and I couldn’t resist the red velvet cake on the counter. I might as well be fortified if I was going to learn about hockey.

Max’s eyebrows went up when the cake arrived. “That looks lethal.”

“Lethally good,” I corrected, cutting into it. “I might share if you’re nice.”

His smile got bigger. “Motivation and bribery. You’d make a better coach than some I’ve had.”

We started talking like it was the easiest thing in the world. I asked him to explain a hockey game for me: how the periods worked, how the players switched out all the time. He forgot about his coffee, while talking about how the puck glided, crashed and flashed by like it had a life of its own. He couldn’t stop using his hands when trying to explain it all. It was obvious how much he loved hockey.

“So,” I said, licking icing off my fork, “twenty minutes of organised chaos, three times, with breaks for water and fistfights?”

He laughed. “Pretty much. Except that fights are technically discouraged.”

“Technically?”

He leaned back and said, “Well, let’s just say that fans don’t mind when a guy sticks up for himself.”

I tilted my head. “So it’s sports, theatre, and sometimes a gladiator fight?”

“Exactly.” His smile was crooked at first, but then it softened. “But it’s more than that. In Canada, hockey isn’t just a game; it’s… I dunno. A language, I guess. If you go into a bar anywhere in the country and there is a TV on, someone will start talking to you about the game, or about the time they played shinny on a frozen pond when they were eight. No matter who you are. If you know hockey, you’ve got a way in.”