AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I missed you, too.” Dex had been on a road trip and this was the first time she’d seen him in five days. Then she recalled who she’d spoken to a couple of days ago and the promise she’d made.
“Your fans are rattling the gates.”
“I’m sure most of those people are dying to pet a puppy.” They wanted to pet something alright. “Is Willa here?”
“Yeah, she’s out front. Dex, I need to tell you some?—”
“Okay, in a sec. I got her something.” He opened his hand to reveal a box with a hair clip shaped like a butterfly. It’s blue and silver stripes sparkled, even in the dim light of the corridor.
“Oh, that’s lovely. She’s going to love that.”
“I saw it in a little store in Dallas and immediately knew it had to come home with me. Not that I put it in my hair or anything.” He waved a hand. “Okay, maybe once just to see what it looked like.”
She giggled. He was such a goof. But she needed to talk to him, tell him about running into his mom.
Her phone buzzed. “No, no, no.”
“What?”
“Another volunteer down! That’s four people now.”
“Why didn’t you say?”
Because you’re amazing and I didn’t want to bring on the bad vibes before I actually have to.
“You kissed me, and it went clear out of my head. But now reality is back, and she’s pissed.”
“Maybe we could get a few friends in?”
“You mean hockey-playing friends?” She wasn’t sure if that would help or hinder. More bodies were good, but what if there were bite-y accidents or they couldn’t control the animals? That Rebels PR woman would have a fit.
He read her mind. “I’ll be in charge of them. I promise we can make this work. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, I do.”
He looked so pleased, so she left him to make some calls and prayed she’d made the right decision.
“This is Jellybean. He’s three months old and has a lot of personality.”
On cue, the kitten raised its paw to Dex and gave a jaunty salute. What a showcat!
“I love him!” the little redheaded girl said. “Dad, can we bring him home?”
“I thought you wanted a dog, pumpkin.” The man locked eyes with Dex over his daughter’s head, wearing the put-upon expression of dads who know they’ll be on the hook for fifteen years of pet care. “We can’t have a dog and a cat.”
“I’ll look after them.”
“Heard that one before,” came the mutter back. He took another look at Dex. “You had an amazing game the other night in Dallas. That goal was out of this world.”
Dex smiled. “Yeah, it was a good game. But everyone played well.”
“Too right,” Kershaw butted in. “The way the press is talking lately, you’d swear this team had one player only.”
Petrov cleared his throat. “Perhaps if you worried more about your own play instead of others, the press might talk about you again, Theodore.”
Dex caught the eye of the kitten dad, who was agog at this behind-the-scenes insight into Rebel team dynamics.
“There’s a lot of jealousy amongst the players,” he offered.
