Page 20

Chapter Twenty

I CAN’T BLAME HIM

~~Junie~~

The team flew to Edmonton for two games, and I’m bereft without Levi. He’s been on road trips before, but that was prior to us actually being an item. We’d been occasional hookups for the majority of the season. While I missed the sex when he traveled previously, I’d deluded myself into thinking I didn’t care if he was gone. There were other men waiting in the wings.

I finally admit the truth to myself. I don’t want other men. I want Levi. Is this a short-term situation or something more? I don’t know because, other than a bad marriage and bad choices in men, I have nothing to use as a measurement for how I feel.

I busy myself with work, watch the games with Caro and several other WAGs at Caro and Easton’s house, and count the days until he’s back. The Sockeyes win one and lose one in a blowout. I’m not sure what happened there, but they slogged along as if in slow motion. It’s not uncommon for a team to have a letdown game. The road to the Cup is a grueling grind unlike any other in professional sports. No one can be on all the time. Regardless, I’m happy they’re coming home with one win and the series is tied two-two.

There haven’t been any more incidents, but I have an uneasy feeling that something’s coming. There’ve been little things, so little I don’t know if it’s just me being paranoid or if something else is going on. Utensils have gone missing. A cutting board is accidentally thrown into a dumpster. My favorite sauté pan is misplaced, and I have yet to find it.

The cameras haven’t caught a thing. In fact, Rose has called the security guys back to check their functionality. It’s almost as if the person knows where they are and how to deactivate them. The detective believes it’s an inside job, and I have to agree, with two obvious choices—Celeste and Maddie, maybe both.

Levi’s plane arrived from Edmonton early yesterday morning. He came straight to my apartment and woke me up in the most pleasant way. I’d previously given him a key. I’ve been sleep deprived since he arrived back, but it’s worth it. I’m concerned about his lack of sleep, though. With the grueling grind of the playoffs, he needs all the rest he can get. I’ll talk with him about it after the game tonight.

Today the guys play in game five. Whoever wins tonight only needs one more win to advance to the next round, which makes this game extra important, not that they aren’t all important. Levi and I might need to sacrifice and cut back on our very healthy sex life, so he conserves energy for the next couple games.

I smile as my mind wanders back to last night. We have a good time in bed together, but we also have a good time out of bed. Levi is an enthusiastic, generous lover, and he makes sure he gives as good as he gets.

I arrive early at the stadium and start the prep work. Milo and Maddie show up a few minutes later. We get to work.

“Where’s the Swiss cheese?” asks Maddie.

“It’s in the refrigerator, second shelf,” Milo answers.

I’m not paying attention to them until Maddie swears. “What the fuck? It’s not here. Milo, where the hell did you hide it?”

“I don’t fucking hide food. That’d be damn immature.”

“You are immature. Don’t you still live with Mom and Dad in their basement? I bet you’re still a virgin.”

“You fucking?—”

“That’s enough. Both of you.” I insert myself between them. I’ve never heard Milo swear before, let alone call his coworker names, even when she deserves it. “I’m sure the cheese is in there somewhere.” I bend down to rummage through the large refrigerator. Puzzled, I straighten and turn toward them.

“You can’t find it, can you?” Maddie sneers as if she’s enjoying this.

“No, I can’t.” I sigh. I know I ordered Swiss cheese, and it’s on the delivery receipt as having been delivered.

“The captain always has a Swiss and roast beef sandwich before a game.” Milo points out the obvious. We all know this. It’s almost a superstition that Ice must have this particular meal a few hours before warm-ups.

I check the time. The boys start arriving any minute now. I can’t spare Milo or Maddie for a store run. I text Levi and ask him to pick up Swiss cheese, but he’s just pulled into the player parking area of the stadium.

“We’ll have to make do with what we have.” I know this isn’t good, and so do they. Hockey players are very protective of their game-day rituals and routines. The team captain’s routine has been disrupted, and he’s a creature of habit if anyone on the team is.

Maddie comes out of the pantry. “The oatmeal container is empty.”

“What? We had plenty after the last home game.” I know this for a fact, because I inventoried the items in the stadium pantry that very next day while the guys were on the road.

Maddie shrugs, and I regard her with suspicion. She reads my expression purposely.

“You don’t think I did this?” She puts her hands on her hips and raised her chin in a display of defiance.

“Who else would be selfish enough to screw with the players’ routines for her own personal revenge?” Milo standing up to Maddie is surprising. While I secretly applaud him for finding a backbone, his timing sucks.

“How fucking dare you insinuate I have something to do with the missing items and all the other shit that’s been going on.” Maddie’s temper notches up several degrees. For once, Milo’s not backing down. If I don’t get control of this situation immediately, the entire team will witness the fallout.

“Let’s not point fingers. All we know is that both those items were here and now they aren’t. Back to work.”

Maddie purses her lips and pouts. Milo glowers. The tension in this kitchen is thicker than bread dough. Begrudgingly, my two staff members go back to work, and we’re ready for the players when they start trickling in.

“Where’s the oatmeal?” asks Jaden.

“I’m sorry, we’re out of oatmeal. I promise we’ll have it next time.”

He’s clearly unhappy and doesn’t bother to hide his displeasure. “How can you be out of oatmeal? Chef John never ran out of oatmeal.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard a comment like that, and I can’t blame him.

“I’m really sorry. How about some multigrain bread? I made it myself.”

He scowls, making it clear my bread isn’t what he wants. He fills his plate with other items and stomps off. I hear him complaining loudly to the guys at his table.

Next comes Ice. I’ve been dreading his appearance. He glances around, puzzled.

“Where’s my sandwich?”

“We’re out of Swiss. How about provolone or cheddar?”

He’s a guy I never want to cross. He’s formidable on and off the ice. Right now, he’s extremely displeased with me.

“This has never happened before in all the years I’ve played for this team. This is a playoff game, and we need every little advantage we can get.”

I can read between the lines. He’s questioning my competence, and I can’t blame him.

“She’s out of oatmeal, too, and a lot of us need oatmeal on game days,” Jaden pipes up, and draws murmurs of agreement from several guys.

“You’re out of oatmeal?” Ice is clearly pissed. I get it. Even the smallest disruption to one guy’s routine is enough to throw them off their game and give the other team a win, especially when the two teams are as evenly matched as these two.

“I’m really sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’m—” I don’t tell them my suspicion that someone took both the cheese and oatmeal because it’ll sound like an excuse. No one will believe me anyway, and I’ll appear even more incompetent.

Ice shakes his head and walks off. All the work I’ve done to earn these guys’ respect has been torn down by an absence of oatmeal and Swiss cheese.

Levi approaches. “What’s that all about?”

“The oatmeal and Swiss were nowhere to be found this morning, and there wasn’t time to send anyone to the store. That’s why I texted you, but I was too late. You were already in the building.”

“Wow, no one messes with Ice’s routine.”

“I know, but I swear we had plenty of each. Now we have none.”

“You think someone?—?”

“Yes, just like all the other stuff that’s been going missing and the vandalism of the kitchen. It’s all related. Someone has an agenda. I wish I knew what it was.”

“Management needs to be aware that the problems didn’t just stop with the ransacking. Talk to them, or I will for you.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles. You worry about hockey. I’ll worry about this.” I want to take back my harsh words as soon as I say them. Levi’s face falls, and he wordlessly fills his plate and joins his friends at a table without another word or glance at me.

He’s hurt, he’s mad, and I can’t blame him.