“So we can make out?” I couldn’t resist teasing her, but the faint blush on her cheeks made me wish this was real so I could taste her lips again.
She rolled her eyes at me.
“Don’t worry. No making out. We’ll have a nice dinner, get to know each other, and take a picture or two. Maybe I’ll just post one of you that says best dinner date ever or something.”
“You’ve really thought this out.”
“Not at all. I’m winging it, but I guess I’m doing okay. I’ve really only perfected dog content to post on Pucks’s account.”
“Does it bother you that he has more followers than you?”
“Absolutely not. Have you seen how cute he is?”
She chuckled. “He’s pretty cute.”
“So, do we want to talk about your day? Hopefully it was decent, aside from the asshole showing up, of course.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. And yes, just long. Did you want wine? They have a few of my favorites.”
“I have morning skate early and then the game tomorrow night, so I’ll just have a glass of whatever you’re getting.” I had no desire to talk about Jensen, but I needed to know if the man was just a menace or an actual threat. However, the waiter came over to take our drink order before I could press her for more. Dani ordered two glasses of a fancy-sounding wine and the burrata.
“Did you want something different?”
“Nope. Everything sounds good to me, and you’ve been here before, so I’ll trust your selections.”
She smiled, her eyes softening, and I wondered if Jensen had ever deferred to her. But from what I’d gathered already, that was doubtful. That man truly was an asshole on multiple levels.
The waiter walked off, and I watched Dani take a sip of water. She was stalling.
“So, want to talk about today?”
“Not really. Work was mostly uneventful, not that I can give you too much information because of client confidentiality, and I really don’t want to talk about Roger right now. Let’s not ruin our meal.”
I nodded. “Fine, but if he shows up again, please let me know. I want to help. The asshole has no right disrupting your life.”
She snorted. “No kidding, but someone should probably tell him that. And I have, repeatedly.”
“I’m serious though. If you ever need anything, just call me.”
“Thanks. So, you golfed today?” She was deflecting again, but I’d let her for now.
“If you want to call it that.” I chuckled. “I’m terrible at golf unless it’s mini golf. I kill it with those little ramps and trick shots. Regular golf is just boring, but at least I had Pucks with me for extra entertainment.”
“Your dog? He’s allowed on the course?”
“Yeah, you can bring dogs to some courses. At one point, I was sort of hoping Pucks would walk by and just knock my ball in.”
She laughed softly. “Pretty sure that’s cheating. So why play if you don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it, I’m just not that good. A few of the guys needed a fourth and I had the time. Plus, it’s good bonding to hang out with them outside of hockey since I don’t really get to do that on the ice.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense to me. After all, you’re all out there together.”
“Yeah, it’s just that goalies play a different game than the rest of the guys. We spend more time talking to our goalposts than our teammates. I mean, if the team is good, they hopefully spend more time down at the other goalie’s net.”
“Makes sense.”
“You didn’t talk about this with Jensen? How long did you date him anyway? During the season?”
