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Belle looked up and saw Chandler’s eyes go wide. Her hands weren’t clasped anymore. They were on her knees as if she was about to get up, rush across the ice, and punch Teddy in the nose for giving Belle a playful punch.
“Shut up,” she said with a laugh back at him and gave Chandler a thumbs up before she put her glove back on.
“You do, don’t you? Bring her to drinks at the bar. I want to meet her.”
“I can’t do the bar tonight,” she said and stood up.
“Why not?”
“Because Sheryl is with my dad right now, but she’d have to go home soon, and I need to check on him. I’m crashing on his couch until he can get around better.”
“Where’s Chandler staying? I bet the couch isn’t comfortable for two.” Teddy stood, and they both got back out on the ice.
“Drop it, will ya? I don’t want her to think I’m talking about her like that, okay?”
“But you do like her, right? She’s pretty.”
“She’s beautiful. And, yes, I like her. I always have. But please don’t make a whole thing about it.”
“Always have?”
“Yes. She was my first crush or first teenage love or whatever,” she said, leaving it at that. “And now that we’re all grown up, it’s more than a crush, but I can’t handle liking a straight girl right now, along with everything else, so let’s just play some hockey.”
“Okay, Belle. Whatever you say.” Teddy dropped his mask, and they readied themselves for the third period.
Belle got in front of her net and waited for the onslaught to begin. When it did, she stopped not one, not two, but three shots, all within a minute, and waited for more. By the end of the game, which they won two to zero, she’d stopped more shots than she had the entire season before.
Belle was exhausted by the time she got to the locker room, where she changed out of her hockey stuff, showered, and put on jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. She sat on the bench and downed a whole bottle of water, and then, Chandler walked in.
“Good game,” she said.
“Thanks. I’ve never had to stop so many shots before. I mean, our defense just did not show up for me tonight.”
Chandler sat down next to her and said, “So, you know how I met Sheryl today, and she gave me her number just in case?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Well, she just texted and said your dad is asleep, and she’s going to stay over, if that’s okay. She said she texted you, too, but you were playing.”
“She’s staying over over?”
“I don’t imagine they’re going to have sex, Belle.” She chuckled. “I think she just wants to be there for him tonight. She’s sweet.”
“She is. We’ve known her since we moved here. She was married, though, so nothing was going on with them up until recently, I think.”
“Does he like her, too?”
“Oh, yeah.” Belle laughed. “He just pretends like he doesn’t for me, even though I’ve told him that I don’t want him to be alone. Maybe this injury is, weirdly, exactly what he needed to make a move.”
“Or, to lie completely still while Sheryl does.”
Belle laughed again and said, “I can’t sleep on the couch with her in the bedroom with him. And if she’s not in the bedroom, then she’s sleeping on the couch.” Belle stood up and groaned.
“And you shouldn’t sleep on the couch at all, given how you just sounded. You should go home, Belle. Sleep in your own bed tonight. He’ll still be injured tomorrow. And Sheryl is an actual nurse. She’ll make sure he’s okay.”
“I know. I worry, though.”
“He’s asleep. And you need rest, too.” Chandler stood up. “You woke up early, and you worked all day before you played in this game. You’re going to burn out if you’re not careful.”
