Page 46 of Pucking the Team

“Fuck,” Eduardo muttered. “She’s right. That is what I said.”

Dylan said something I didn’t catch. Why was he so mad? Had he expected me to jump into bed with him again as soon as his front door had closed?

I wasn’t completely opposed to round two, but I was still bruised, my emotions raw, from the events of the last couple of days, and on top of that, I was exhausted—a trip to the US always threw my body clock completely off.

“I’ll pull that.” Theo dragged my case up the path along with his.

“Want me to take that?” Ben pointed to my travel bag.

“No, I’m good, thanks.” I paused. “You sure you’re okay with me staying?”

“More than okay, and seeing the look on Dylan’s and Eduardo’s faces right now makes it doubly worth it.” He chuckled.

“Don’t gloat.” I nudged him. “’Cause you think you won.”

“Didn’t we?”

“Depends what you think the prize is. I’m messy, you know. Hate washing the dishes, so I hope you have a dishwasher, and I’ve been known to have a floordrobe rather than a wardrobe.”

He chuckled in that lovely deep way of his. “Sure, we’ve got a dishwasher, and be messy, as long as you’re doing okay, that’s all we want.”

I stepped into their home. It reminded me of something off a TV show. The entrance hall was spacious with a teal chaise longue and a chandelier dripping with crystals. A huge mirror sat above a mahogany side table crammed with family photographs.

The living area had an enormous L-shaped gray sofa and a big shiny TV screen. In the corner a display cabinet sparkled with hockey trophies.

“Wow, you guys spend much time here? It’s spotless.”

“We haven’t lately, obviously, but usually we do. Guess our mother brought us up to know everything has a place.” Theo fiddled with the AC, and it came to life.

“Did I just see a photograph of her? Back there?” I nodded at the hall.

“With the blonde hair and glasses.” Theo nodded. “Yes, that’s her. You’d like her, and she’d like you.”

“Thank you, that’s nice of you to say.” I abandoned my bag and wandered into an open-plan kitchen and dining area. It was an ocean of white surfaces with stainless-steel appliances dotted about. The table was big enough for ten with a black surface and curled silver legs, and the teal chairs matched the chaise. “I like this.” I nodded at a photograph on the wall. It was of three hockey players all tussling for the black puck. Two wore Viper shirts, the other shirt I didn’t recognize.

Theo stood next to me, his shoulder just brushing mine. “Can you see who it is?”

I peered closer, studying the faces behind the helmet cages. “Ah, it’s you and Ben, though it’s hard to tell who is who, and I don’t know the middle player. The one you’re battling with.”

“Well done.” He nudged me gently. “That’s me,” he pointed to the left, “and that’s Ben. The middle player is Todd Carty, and this is the moment we stole the puck from him andpassed it to Phoenix to score the winning goal against the New York Rangers at the end of last season.”

“Wow, a real action shot with a story. It’s great.”

“I guess you like photography, huh, being in your line of work?” Ben asked, also pausing in front of the picture.

“Yes I suppose I do, but my work is very orchestrated. This is a real action shot, you’re not doing this for the camera, the lens is secondary. And that I really like.”

“It’s true, we forget the cameras are there.” Theo wandered off. “Do you wanna drink?”

“Just water, please. I need to hit the sack, I didn’t get much sleep on the plane.” I smiled. “If you could just show me…”

“Of course, the guest room is this way. It has an en suite so you don’t have to share.”

I followed Ben up the stairs and found myself in a large bright room with lemony walls. The bed was a king and the teal headboard studded with large glass gems that sparkled in the sunshine.

“It doesn’t get used much,” Ben said and tapped a tall white dresser. “Mom stays here occasionally. There’s some of her stuff in the top drawer, but the rest are empty, so make yourself at home. The same with the wardrobe, oh, and there’s fresh towels in there, too.”

“It’s lovely. You’re so kind.” I looked longingly at the bed, my eyelids suddenly heavy. “Thank you.”