Page 14

I’m expanding your horizons

Sophie

I didn’t speak for a while, concentrating on driving and not venting my temper. The nerve of Ollie, coming into my space and deciding how I could live my life? He’d said he was going to stay until he could get a hold of Dad and the team to get things sorted out, which was so not his business.

Maybe I hadn’t been assertive enough when we’d been married.

I’d finished my luthier apprenticeship with Diane then, but hadn’t done much with it, since Ollie was going through rehab and finding his way after his career-ending injury.

But in the last two years I’d been on my own and I’d done damn well.

Well enough that Diane thought I had the skills to take over String Theory in a couple of years.

He had no business deciding who I could or could not date. I shot a glance at Remy from the corner of my eye. He was holding Beast, who was standing on his lap, nose pressed to the window. He hadn’t asked where we were going or told me to calm down, and I appreciated that more than I could say.

I swallowed and turned right. “Ollie decided he was staying in the workshop till he’d got everything ‘sorted out.’ I was so angry I just had to get out of there. Thanks for letting me kidnap your truck.”

He smiled at me. “No problem. But maybe I should find another place. I don’t want to cause trouble.”

I frowned, hands tight on the steering wheel. “No, you’re not leaving. You’re not causing trouble, he is. We’re divorced. He has no say in what I do with my life now.”

“True, but he does have say in my life.”

Oh. That made me feel about six inches high. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to mess up your hockey stuff. Give me a moment to calm down and we can go back and fix this.”

He stared through the windshield, brows lowered. “Why don’t we sit on that one? You go ahead, wherever you were going, and maybe when we get back everyone will be calmer.”

Tension eased out of my shoulders. He had a point.

Ollie had been caught off guard. He had a bee in his bonnet about the guy beside me, and once he’d thought it over we could discuss it rationally.

Ollie had a bit of a temper but he was never violent, and when he calmed down he was usually perfectly reasonable.

I let out a long breath. “I’m heading to String Theory. It’s a luthier shop, run by a friend of mine. I thought I could take a look at your teammate’s guitar there and clear my head a bit.”

“Sure.”

We were almost at the shop. What the hell was I thinking? I’d kidnapped his truck and him. I couldn’t expect him to loiter around Diane’s place while we talked guitars.

“I can grab a ride back. I didn’t really mean to hijack your day.”

He tilted his head. “How long is Otts likely to wait for you?”

I signaled left. “Um…I’m not sure.”

Remy shrugged. “Beast could use a walk. We’ll explore the area a bit, and when we’re ready to come back we can see if you’re good to go or not. Hanny would probably like to know what’s up with his guitar.”

“Thank you. Normally I’m a sane person, but Ollie really got to me.”

“That’s what exes do, right?”

Did they? This might have been more anger at Ollie than I’d ever felt while we were married. I shoved down thoughts of why that was. I was pulling into a slot in front of String Theory, and it was time to focus on work.

Remy looked at the storefront with interest. “I had no idea there were so many places like this. I didn’t grow up with music and I’ve got no talent for it, so I didn’t know.”

“I expect there’s a whole world of hockey support that most people aren’t aware of either.”

He gave me his crooked grin. “Thanks for not making me feel stupid about it.”

“It’s just common sense. We all have our areas of interest, and that’s where our focus and knowledge is.”

He nodded slowly. “I’ve been in the hockey world since I was a teenager. I’ve lived with a pretty narrow viewpoint.”

I raised my brows. “And now I’m expanding your horizons.”

He chuckled. “It’s good to remember that the entire world doesn’t revolve around hockey.”

It would be good for the men in my life to appreciate that too. Hockey and music. “Do you want to come in and say hi to Diane?”

Beast gave a grumble, not happy with the lack of action in the still truck.

“Why don’t I take him for a walk, and we can do that when I come back? He might be better at meeting someone when he’s tired. Then, if you’re ready, I’ll drive you back. And if you’re not, I can head on home with him and let you know if your ex is still hanging around.”

That was more than accommodating on his part. “Thank you. So, where’s this guitar?”

“In the back.”

He got out, keeping a tight hold on Beast’s leash.

The dog had been a stray, so it made sense that he might be a runner.

Remy opened the back door of the extended cab, but I’d managed to get out myself and come around so I could take the guitar from him and no unexpected jerks from Beast on the leash would put the guitar in danger.

“It’s a good case. I like to see that the instrument is being taken care of.”

“I think Hanny would treat his stuff right. Do you need any help taking it inside?”

I shook my head. “I’m good. Thanks for the ride, and I’ll see you in a bit.”

“An hour or so?”

“That should be plenty of time.”

He nodded and then started to walk east. It took Beast a couple of steps to catch up with the new agenda, but then he scurried after the big hockey player.

He might not be as conventionally handsome as Ollie, but he was an attractive man.

I watched them go…before I realized what I was doing and turned to the door.

Diane pushed it open as I approached. “Was I expecting you? And who was that?”

“You weren’t, but do I have a story to tell you.”

Remy

I had a lot to think about, so I appreciated the chance to clear my head.

I chose a direction at random and followed the sidewalk, keeping the pace slow enough for Beast to handle.

It was a mixed neighborhood—some stores, some businesses, and some homes.

A couple of places looked like they were failing to keep up against the weather and time, but most were doing well.

It was a hot day, much warmer than what Beast and I were used to up north.

Before long I was looking for a place to get him some water.

I hadn’t been planning a walk when we jumped into the truck.

A block later I found an animal shelter.

It was one of the buildings that could use some work, but someone inside should be able to help me.

There was no buzzer or knocker, just a welcome sign.

I opened the door to a small room with chairs and a coffee table, all looking like second- or thirdhand furniture.

There was no one at the counter, which had stacks of pamphlets on it, most showing dogs or cats.

I could smell cleaner, urine, and animals, and heard a mix of barks, growls, meows and squawks.

Beast grumbled and pressed against my leg.

I rang the bell on the counter, and a woman rushed out after a couple of minutes.

“Yes? May I help— Oh.” Her voice tightened as she noticed Beast. “You’re looking for a home for your dog?”

Beast growled. “No.” I frowned. “I hoped to get some water. I hadn’t planned on a walk, so didn’t bring any with me. I can go get something from a store though.” I’d have to go back to String Theory since I didn’t think most places would let Beast in.

She held up a hand. “Sorry, it’s been a day. Too many people giving up on their animals and sometimes it’s difficult to be polite. Come on back and I’ll get a bowl and some water.”

Beast growled again. “Um, could I bother you to bring something out? He doesn’t get along well with other animals. He’s better than he was, but…”

“One sec.”

She returned with a battered steel bowl full of water. She set it down and stepped back. I encouraged Beast to drink. He sniffed suspiciously, glared at the helpful woman, and finally consented to lap up the water, making his usual mess all around the bowl.

“If you’ve got a cloth, I can clean that up.”

She smiled, now warm and friendly. “Not a problem. You said he’s better—how long have you had him?”

“Maybe six months?” I shared the story of rescuing him on vacation.

She watched him as he pressed back against my leg. “So, what are you doing to socialize him?”

I explained that the dog day care had him in a separate enclosure, but he still didn’t warm up to the other dogs.

She shook her head. “That’s not going to do it. I have an idea—you got a few minutes?”

“Sure.”

She disappeared through the door and was back shortly accompanied by an older man with glasses, a receding hairline, and a permanent frown on his face. He was holding the leash of a boxer mix. The dog looked pleased with whatever was going on while the man appeared to resent all of us.

“This is Howie, one of our volunteers. Howie, this is…” She looked to me to fill in the gap.

“Remy.”

“Remy’s dog is a rescue and needs help socializing. You two can walk Bob and Beast together and help them get along.”

Beast had been growling since the boxer showed up, but he was still pressed against my leg. I wasn’t sure if he was protecting or being protected. Bob sat with his tongue lolling out.

“Why am I doing this?” Howie grumbled.

The shelter woman crossed her arms. “Bob needs a walk. Remy’s dog is a rescue and we like to help rescues, right?”

Howie grunted and Beast growled.

“I don’t want to put anyone out—” Howie obviously didn’t want to do this.

“Nonsense. We’re here for the animals. Go, walk.”

Howie grunted again and headed for the door, Bob standing up and walking beside him.

“Ready, Beast?” He wasn’t, but I had a lot of weight on him so he had to follow us out.

Howie didn’t wait for us, so I stretched my legs to catch up. I had to be in better shape, and he wasn’t going to leave me behind. Beast scrambled to keep up. Bob looked over at us, as if to welcome us along, but Howie ignored everyone.

“Have you volunteered here long?”

He turned and glared at me without responding.

Okay, no talking. I was happy with that.

Better than struggling with an awkward conversation.

Instead, I kept my attention on the dogs.

Beast kept as much distance as he could between Bob and himself.

But as the walk went on, and Bob stopped to pee on some bushes, Beast watched and then promptly peed on the same spot.

After a couple of blocks, Beast was no longer pulling at the leash to get away from the other animal.

They weren’t buddies at the end of the walk, just like Howie and I weren’t, but Bob was ignoring Beast, and Beast was tolerating the other dog.

The woman came out of the back again when we returned.

“How did it go?” Howie pushed past her to return Bob. She sighed. “Howie is great with the animals but hates people.”

“I appreciate that he took the time. Beast and Bob aren’t friends, but Beast stopped growling at him, so that was an improvement.”

She nodded, pleased to have her idea confirmed.

“You don’t board animals, do you?”

She shook her head. “No. We’re as full as we can be with animals we’ve rescued.”

“I had to ask. I travel for work, and Beast sometimes needs a place.”

“We can’t help with that, unfortunately, but you’re welcome to come and join some of the dog walks. Or if Beast gets comfortable, take some of the dogs to join the two of you on a walk.”

Would that work? Maybe if Beast was exposed to a lot of dogs who weren’t on the other side of a fence, he’d learn to get along. Worst case, Beast and I got some more exercise, and so did the rescue animals. “Thanks. I’ll do that. My hours are a little wonky, but I’ll come when I can.”

She gave me a card and told me to call whenever I was free to see if there was a walk we could join. I made a note of the name. I wasn’t as well off as a lot of hockey players, but I could throw some money at this place.

About an hour had passed, and Beast was flagging. He’d gulped down more water at the shelter, so I found a bench and spent half an hour watching people while I considered what to do.

My coach wasn’t happy with me living so close to his ex-wife. I should look for another rental somewhere. But the team had found this spot, and while the property was ginormous, it was also safe. I didn’t know the city, and didn’t know where I should look.

I didn’t want to move. The property was beautiful.

I liked having my own space. During the season, I would spend my days with my teammates: practices, workouts, meetings, games, travel…

It was nice to have some privacy to regroup.

The last week had been a lot of upheaval for Beast, and it would be better for him to have some stability.

And I liked Sophie. Sure, she was Otts’s ex, and didn’t seem to care for hockey players, but she was nice to talk to. On a very selfish note, if I ran into a problem, I was pretty sure I could count on her to make sure Beast was covered for an hour or two, which would not be the case most places.

The only problem that had come up with Beast there was him barking when the cat was nearby. Other than Sophie, no one seemed to be around to hear or be bothered. If he ever slipped out of the apartment—and he was an escape artist at times—he was still within a fence.

It might be impossible to stay, if Otts decided to be a jackass. But if it was up to me, I wouldn’t move.

Having decided that, I stood and stretched, waking Beast up. I double-checked the direction on my phone and headed toward String Theory. Time to go home.