ShouldveKnownBetter (17 page)

The photographer had also come to practice one day in early November and taken the group picture, which now hung as a mural stretching across the walkway between the parking garage and arena, of the team and staff as they leaned against or sat on the boards. The players had removed their jerseys to keep with the laid-back theme of the picture. Some sported pads or one of the ubiquitous Storm shirts or hats they were given to wear to publicize the team. Others had on the ratty stuff they wore underneath their jerseys to practice.

Everyone was laughing and talking in small groups, many of them not even looking at the camera. The casualness of the scene gave the picture a very cool, artsy feel, if you could say that about a picture of a bunch of hockey players. She, of course, looked like a dork next to all the guys, but she loved the picture anyway.

After that, they all opened the smaller presents. Inside were an iPod and a gift card to iTunes. Everyone laughed when they saw the iPods had already been loaded with a few choice songs like “We are the Champions,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Enter Sandman,” “Eye of the Tiger,” and others Jordan played before games, as well as the team’s official music score, the sound of the goal horn, and a compilation of calls from their iconic play-by-play announcer.

The guys appeared surprised to receive the iPods, and expressed their thanks to Scott as he did the rounds through the tables. The team’s previous owners, being the thieving bastards they were, never would’ve done something like this, and Sarah was sure the players were touched by Scott’s thoughtfulness.

Jordan and Rick, who had appointed themselves the elves for the party, grabbed the Secret Santa gifts off the table and distributed them. Sarah smirked at an image in her mind’s eye of the hulking Rick in an elf costume. It was hard to say if it would be amusing or nightmare-inducing.

Sarah’s present was a small envelope, most likely bearing a gift certificate, which didn’t surprise her in the least. As the lone female among the hockey operations staff, she doubted any of the guys would’ve had a clue about what to get her.

Ignoring her own gift for the moment, Sarah kept an eye on Fredrik, who was staring at the shopping bag Jordan had gingerly set on the table while making exaggerated retching sounds. Finally, Frederik opened the bag and a smile lit up his face. The other players seated with him moved their chairs to the opposite side of the table, teasing him about the stench.

She waited until Fredrik reached in and pulled out the Tupperware container. He opened it, much to the chagrin of his tablemates, and then dipped a finger into the sauce. He grinned and nodded, and Sarah could see his mind working about who would’ve done something like that.

Sarah turned away before he could line up suspects and opened her own gift. As she’d suspected, a gift certificate to a local mall was inside. Sensing someone’s eyes on her, she glanced up to see Ben looking at her, a small smile playing over his face.

Ah, the culprit.
Sarah guessed his wife, Jaela, was behind the gift. Otherwise, God only knew what she would’ve ended up with. She could imagine what Rick would’ve given her—a wrench, new floor mats for her car with a zebra pattern, a boa constrictor—she shuddered to even think about it.

Sarah watched other people open their presents. Marc got a bottle of high-end whiskey, Rick received a bunch of CDs, and Jon got a “Coaching for Dummies” book and a new set of markers for the white board located in the locker room. The players had affectionately dubbed the large dry-erase board that spanned one entire wall in the locker room “The Bible.”

Rob opened a set of cufflinks with the monogram “DON”—his nickname, given to him because of the flashy suits he wore. With his short, stocky physique, he could pass for a convincing mob hit man. He was a gym rat, and he was built like a tank, with a thick neck and well-muscled shoulders tapering down to a smaller waist. Considering he was well under six feet tall, being stocky was the only way he could survive in the rough-and-tumble world of the NHL.

Sebastian was the last at their table to open his gift, and, upon seeing the contents, murmured, “
Mon Dieu.
” With wide eyes, he stared at the box. His present was a Hustler magazine, some lubricating lotion, and several porno DVDs. Sarah guessed it was part of the unofficial year-long rookie hazing program the guys on the hockey team appeared to adhere to.

Sebastian flushed as the rest of the guys gathered around to get a better look at the magazine. He passed it off to Rick like it was a live grenade, and Rick didn’t disappoint, flipping through it and making typically male comments about the women inside. At this point none of the guys bothered to censor their words around her, which was fine. Most of them were decent and would never treat a woman badly.

A brief flash of her confrontation with Jaroslav flitted through her mind. Since that time in her office, they’d avoided each other for the most part. He was there today, but she didn’t feel threatened. The team had forced him into counseling, and she thought it had helped, from what she could see. Jaroslav had even apologized to her when he’d been allowed to come back to the team.

A gift certificate fell out of the magazine, and Sarah picked it up and handed it to Sebastian, who appeared rooted to his seat, his face dark red in embarrassment. He usually took the hazing in stride, but now appeared as if he’d pay someone a small fortune to show him an escape path.

“At least it’s not a total loss,” she told him, noting the gift certificate was to one of Buffalo’s best restaurants.

While the guys gave opinions on the DVDs or jockeyed for a better view of the magazine, Sarah got up to get herself more wine. Would Sebastian use his present? Some of the guys rented porn when they were bored on the road, but Sebastian didn’t seem like the type.

“Boys will be boys,” Rob said, joining her. “He’s a rookie. You’ve seen the way rookies get treated. I’m not even a rookie, and look what
I
got.” He held up the cufflinks, and Sarah nodded with a smirk.

Despite what he said, the gift suited him. “I saw them. Are you going to wear them?”

“Yeah, totally. I have to. After all, I am ‘The Don.’” He chuckled. “I bet they’ll go great when I break out the white zoot suit during the playoffs.”

Sarah barked out a laugh. “Nice image.”

He moved closer and lowered his voice. “You know Sebastian isn’t going to do anything with that stuff, right? He doesn’t go in for that kind of thing. I mean, look at him. Does he seem like a guy who would get a rise from Hustler? He’s trying to be cool about it, but he’s horrified.”

Sarah dropped her voice. “Why are you telling me this? I thought you were against us getting together.”

“And I still am. Sebastian is a good guy and one of my best friends. The kid’s got the purest heart of anybody I’ve ever met. Right now you’re kind of playing with him, Sarah, and that’s not cool.”

Before she could say anything in response, Rick called out, “Sarah, Rob, what are guys doing over there? Trading secrets?”

“If we were we wouldn’t tell you,” Rob retorted. “You’re worse at keeping secrets than a thirteen-year-old girl. Or Doug.”

Rick grinned. “Hey, I resemble that remark. Well, not the Doug part. I’m much hotter.”

Doug leaned over from his seat at an adjacent table and whacked Rick upside the head.

Fredrik stopped in front of her as she walked back to the table, winked, and said, “I think you made the fish.” Sarah smiled but remained silent. “You are only one who can cook. These guys don’t cook, at least I hope they didn’t or I might die.” He beamed and put his hands to his throat in a choking motion.

“Yeah, I guess it wasn’t too hard to figure out since these guys aren’t gourmets. I couldn’t believe it when most of them said ketchup was the one thing they always have in their fridge. Whatever happened to actual food? Ketchup is not food!”

Fredrik laughed then leaned toward her, whispering, “I think I will leave fish out. Is annoying everyone and funny.”

Now Sarah laughed too. “Hey, whatever gives you a rush.”

“Thank you for making it. It means much to me to have good Finnish food.”

“No problem. I’m glad you liked it. You may be the only one who likes it, but you’re the important one anyway.”

As everyone continued to talk amongst themselves, Sarah sat once again. Sebastian’s gifts, which had been abandoned by the players in favor of other pursuits, were a good distance across the table and the poor guy was watching them as if they might bite. Sarah noted the expression on his face and snickered. “They got you good, you have to admit that.”

He grinned and blushed, and Sarah was happy to see the set of his shoulders relax. “Yeah, that’s the problem with being a rookie, you get treated like shit. At least I got a gift certificate out of it.”

Rob leaned down. “So do you want us to go get you a tree?”

Sarah shook her head, waving him off. “That’s not necessary.”
I can’t trust myself with Sebastian. Doesn’t Rob know that?

Again, Rob would hear none of her protests. He insisted she couldn’t have Christmas without a tree. If she kept arguing, people would notice, so she relented, giving him her address.

“Give us a few hours and we’ll be over.”

“No problem. I’ll even feed you dinner. After the trouble you’re going to, it’s the least I can do. I’ve been told you guys don’t mind being guinea pigs if it means you don’t have to cook.” Though she tried to ignore it, a combination of excitement and nervousness took up residence in the pit of her stomach. Sebastian was coming to her house, whether she was ready for him or not.

****

Sebastian and Rob piled into Rob’s truck and Sebastian turned to his friend. “Why did you insist we go get this tree for Sarah?”

After turning the key in the ignition, Rob shrugged. “She’s lonely. She lives by herself and she’s not close to her family. I don’t think she has a ton of friends, either. No one should have to go through the Christmas season like that.”

“And that’s the only reason?”

Rob leaned back in the seat. “Look, man, this whole thing with Sarah is getting out of hand. I don’t support the idea of you guys being together, but at this point I think it’s the inevitable conclusion.”

“You say it like Sarah and I are a bomb or something.”

“Hell, you might be. I don’t think it’s going to turn out well, but neither of you are willing to give the other up or move on, so I don’t see a better solution.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you said that.” Sebastian’s head was spinning and he couldn’t figure out if he should be angry Rob had done this or grateful someone was forcing him into making a move.

Rob put the truck in gear. “It’s not that crazy.
I’m
getting tired of it, so you guys must be seriously losing your shit. I like both of you, and if being together is the only thing that’s going to make you happy, then that’s what I think you should do. I am very much not on board with you dating someone who’s practically a coach, but if you’re in love with her and can’t be happy without her, then I guess I need to support you as your friend. Now let’s go get a tree. I’m hungry again and Sarah said she’d feed us.”

Sebastian had to smile. Rob could always be counted on to give it to him straight and then cut the tension with some lame joke or remark. It was no wonder he was an assistant captain and one of the guys all the others looked up to.

They arrived at the nursery then picked out a tree, but not before Rob had inspected no less than twenty, finding fault with every one of them. Sebastian was considering drastic measures when Rob finally acquiesced. They put the tree in the bed of the truck then headed over to Sarah’s house.

Sebastian’s patience was at an end. He wanted to see Sarah and Rob’s words had spurred him into action. It was time to go get what he wanted.

Chapter Ten

Sarah stopped at the store on her way home. She wanted to cook the guys something nice since they were out in the freezing cold because of her. A pork loin was good and also easy. After choosing her side dishes, she grabbed some beer, plus an assortment of cheeses and crackers. They ate so much pasta and chicken in their pre-game meals she was sure they were as sick of it as she was. She got home, fed Tasha, threw the pork in the oven, and then scurried around tidying up.

What am I freaking out about? For one thing, he and Rob probably live in some filthy bachelor pad, and besides, what do I care what he—they—think?

But she did care. She hated to admit it, but she did. A lot. Once again she was happy she’d invested in a gas fireplace she could light from a remote as a cheerful fire blazed to life.

When the doorbell rang, she was struggling to move furniture to make room for the tree. Giving a final useless shove to the unyielding sofa, Sarah grumbled as she crossed the living room to answer the door. Sebastian was delicious in the tight jeans he’d worn earlier, plus work boots and a heavy coat. Rob was standing well behind him, holding up the tree.

“Hi.” Sebastian’s Adam’s apple worked as he swallowed.

“Hi.” Sarah bit her lip, not sure how to handle things now that he was here.

They continued to stare at each other until Rob said, “Can we do the awkward thing later? This tree is heavy.”

Sarah flushed and hurried to hold open the door. Sebastian grabbed the bottom of the trunk, and together he and Rob carried the tree into the house. It was huge, and once Sebastian reached the living room, he asked, “Is it okay to put it on floor?”

“Sure, yeah. They’re old wood floors and I haven’t gotten around to refinishing them yet.”

They dropped the tree and Rob pivoted toward the door he’d kicked shut a moment earlier. “The stand is in the truck. I’ll be back in a minute.” Even
his
nervousness was apparent as he practically catapulted himself out the door.

Had Sebastian thanked Rob or reamed his friend out for pushing him into this? That was what she wanted to do. Then hug him and buy him flowers to thank him. It was messed up, but it was what it was.