“You’re too nice to her.”
“Probably,” I say with a glum smile. “Thanks again for defending me.”
“She was way out of line. For a minute I thought I was going to have to break up a cat fight.”
I snort-laugh. “You almost were.”
“The only reason I stopped you is because she’s pregnant and you were gonna take her down.” Amusement shades his voice.
“I thought hockey players like fights.”
He grins. “I’m a goalie.”
“So goalies never fight?”
“Uh… rarely.”
Intrigued, I lean forward. “Have you? Gotten in a fight?”
“Maybe a few times.”
My mouth drops open and a little laugh escapes me. “Seriously?”
He gives me a look with a crooked smile. “I have a bit of a temper.”
I tilt my head. “I’ve never seen that.”
“Mostly when I see something unfair.” He pauses. “That sparks my temper. Like whatshername blaming you for losing a client.”
Tonight was the most emotional I’ve ever seen him. No, wait—he had seethed a bit when he found out Trev had left me for another woman. So therearethings that rile him up… “So you fight in hockey when something’s not fair?”
He rubs his chin. “I guess? One time this player for the Bears—Jake Colman—kept skating through my crease, kept bumping me. He was pissing me off and I told him if he touched me again he would, er, eat my hockey stick.”
A laugh bursts from my lips. “And he did?”
“Yeah. So he had it coming. I warned him.”
“Did you get a penalty?”
“Oh, hell, yeah.”
“Was that the only fight?”
“No.”
Our drinks arrive and I pick up my martini to take a swallow. It heats my mouth and warms me all the way down my esophagus. When the server has gone, I say, “Okay, tell me.”
He shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips. “There were actually a few times when I was a kid. But the other time as a pro, I wasn’t the only one who got in the fight. One of the other team’s guys crosschecked Shawzy, right in front of my net, dropped him to the ice. I was pissed and I came out of the net and jumped the guy. A few other guys got involved and then the tender from the other team came down the ice and he and I got into it.”
I cover my face with my hands, wanting to laugh, even though I don’t approve of physical violence. Getting riled like I did earlier is out of character for me. “That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, it kind of was. Anyway. You didn’t need to get into a donnybrook with a colleague at a fancy awards dinner. That’s a little different than mixing it up on the ice.”
“True.” I take another sip of my drink. “I’m calming down. Thanks for distracting me.”
“Good. Sorry that happened. Don’t let it ruin your night. You should be proud.”
I give a firm nod. “I am.” But… I wrinkle my nose. “I thought winning the award would make everything okay. But I’m still divorced. Haven and Trevor are still together. And she’s pregnant.”
