Hockey Christmas (A Holiday Sports Romance Love Story)

by Naomi Niles

  “You really believe that?” I asked.

  “Honestly?” Lizzie asked. “I don’t know. Sometimes I believe it and other times it feels like a way to console myself because you left.”

  I nodded. “I suppose I can understand that.”

  We turned the corner and came to a line of stores and shops on either end. “It hasn’t changed much,” I observed. “The Pink Scooper is still around, I see.”

  “Please, the Pink Scooper will be around as long as this town stands,” Lizzie said. “It has the best ice cream in town.”

  “This is nice,” I said.

  “Walking around town?” Lizzie asked.

  “Well, that and being able to talk to you so openly,” I admitted. “At the beginning, I was always scared I’d bring up a topic or a question that would upset you.”

  “Why shy away from certain conversations?” Lizzie said with a shrug. “It’ll just make things more awkward later.”

  “I agree,” I nodded. “We always did have a great back hand, didn’t we?”

  “It’s funny how quickly those things come back,” Lizzie nodded and I felt that same comforting bond that we had shared in high school.

  “Hey look,” I said pointing out the music store. “Did they go through a re-model? It looks different.”

  “A few years back,” Lizzie nodded. “They’ve got a bit more choice now.”

  “That’s a nice piano,” I said pointing out the display in the store window.

  “Very,” Lizzie nodded and I detected a note of missed opportunity in her voice. “Let’s walk on.”

  “No,” I said. “I want to go in.”

  “You’re interested in musical instruments?” Lizzie asked disbelievingly.

  “Why not?” I asked. “I have a great many interests. Come on.”

  I grabbed her hand and dragged her across the street. I could tell she was reluctant to go in because she sensed I had a motive, but I persisted. The store was cool and the scent of wood filled the store. “I don’t know much about instruments,” I said. “But even I can tell that is a gorgeous piece.”

  Lizzie stared at the piano. “It’s nice,” she nodded and turned her face away from it.

  “How would you like to own a piano like that?” I asked.

  She turned to me in surprise. “Why?”

  “Just asking,” I said with a shrug.

  “It won’t even fit in my apartment,” Lizzie pointed out.

  “True,” I nodded. “But you can always keep it at your mother’s until you get a bigger place.”

  “Why are we having this conversation?” Lizzie asked suspiciously.

  I looked back at the piano. “I think you would look amazing behind this piano,” I said ignoring her question.

  “Dylan…”

  “Hi,” I said signaling to the clerk behind the counter. “How much is the piano in the display window?”

  “Four thousand, six hundred dollars sir,” the clerk replied.

  I didn’t bat an eyelid. “Seems reasonable,” I said to Lizzie.

  “Are you insane?” she demanded. “You are not buying me a piano.”

  “Ok,” I shrugged. “Then I’ll buy it for myself and keep it with you for safe keeping.”

  “Dylan …” Lizzie said narrowing her eyes at me. “You are not buying this piano period. I will not accept it.”

  “Aw, come on, Lizzie,” I insisted. “It’s perfect for you and you’ll be able to practice whenever you want. You’ve always wanted a piano.”

  “I don’t even play anymore, Dylan,” Lizzie said. “And even if I did, I would never accept a gift like that from anyone. It’s far too expensive.”

  “But I want to—”

  “I know,” Lizzie said cutting me off. “And I appreciate that, you have no idea how much, but I just won’t let you buy this for me. Not a chance.”

  I sighed. “You’re being stubborn.”

  “I’m being realistic,” Lizzie countered. “And practical.”

  I turned back to the piano. “I really want to do this for you. I have so much money saved up, more than I know what to do with.”

  “You know what to do with it,” Lizzie said sternly. “You’re going to save it so that you can build your rehabilitation center once you decide to retire from the Navy. You need your savings for that. I love that you want to buy this for me, but it’s unnecessary and extravagant.”

  I sighed. “And you’re not going to budge are you?”

  “Not even a little bit,” Lizzie said with a small smile.

  “Fine then, but I’m not leaving this store until I find something to get for you.”

  “Dylan—”

  “Nothing extravagant,” I promised. “Something both reasonable and practical; ok?”

  Lizzie stared at me for a moment and then she sighed. “All right,” she said at last and I smiled in triumph.

  “It’s a small victory, but I’ll take it,” I said as I took her hand and moved through the store. It took my only a few minutes to spot the range of keyboards they had. “What about one of those?” I suggested. “It’s the next best thing to a piano.”

  I could see the little glint in her eye and I knew how tempted she was, but I also knew she didn’t want to look too interested. “I’ll have a look,” she said as she moved closer. “This is really unnecessary, you know?”

  “It’s necessary for my happiness,” I countered. “Now pick one.”

  As I had expected, she picked the cheapest keyboard of the lot. I turned to the clerk. “Which one is the best?” I asked.

  “The one in the middle,” he replied. “It’s a hundred dollars more expensive but it’s well worth the price.”

  “That’s ok,” Lizzie said quickly, pointing to the plain, cheaper model she had chosen “I’ll stick with this one.”

  “We’ll take it,” I told the clerk pointing to the one he had recommended.

  Lizzie turned to me with narrowed eyes. “That’s not the one I wanted,” she said.

  “Of course it is,” I nodded. “You’re just trying to save my money.”

  Lizzie sighed. “You’re not going to back down here, are you?”

  “Not a chance.”

  She sighed again and then she smiled in defeat. “Well … thank you. I love it.”

  “Prove it,” I said.

  Her smile grew wider and she leaned in and kissed me, long and slow. We were still entwined together when the sales clerk appeared. He had to clear his throat before we broke apart. Lizzie looked flushed and slightly embarrassed but when she looked up at me, it was like she was looking at the sun.

  I felt a little burst of discomfort as I saw how she looked at me. I felt pressure that I hadn’t felt in eleven years and I started to remember more than just the beauty of living in Bastrop. I was no hero and I was no knight in shining armor.

  I was just a guy trying to figure out how not to screw up.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Elizabeth

  The apartment felt lonely once more. I sat on my couch with a glass of wine and Elvis sprawled out on my lap. Dylan was meeting some of his old friends tonight so I was alone in the apartment and I was starting to realize how little I liked the feeling.

  I took a deep breath and set down my glass of wine. Elvis gave me a hurt look as I moved him from my lap onto the couch and moved towards my new keyboard. It was a beautiful instrument and I couldn’t help admiring its simple sleekness. I was touched that Dylan so badly wanted to buy it for me but a part of me also wished that I had been the one to make the purchase. That way when I looked at the keyboard I would have been able to see myself rather than Dylan.

  I sat down in front of the keyboard and started to play. It was shaky at first, but the more I kept at it, the smoother and more pleasant the sound became. I started to feel the music; I stopped thinking so hard and allowed my fingers to take control. Soon, I wasn’t even concentrating. My thoughts flew free and my fingers still kept playing.

  The onl
y thing I was really capable of thinking about for any length of time was Dylan. He consumed my thoughts, took up the space in my brain until there was room for nothing else. I thought about the next few weeks and how terrible it would feel to say goodbye to him. I was starting to realize that I didn’t want to say goodbye at all.

  My fingers jammed against the keys and the music stopped abruptly as I started to understand how deep I had fallen so fast. Thankfully the doorbell rang and I rushed to get it, half hoping that it would be Dylan standing on the other side. I opened the door and came face to face with Maddie.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well I had some free time and I thought I’d stop in for some conversation and feminine energy.”

  I smiled and opened the door wider to let her through. “Come on in.”

  Maddie got herself a glass of wine and joined me cross-legged on the sofa.

  “So …” she started pointedly. “I see a new addition to your apartment.”

  “Oh,” I said as I saw the direction of her gaze. “The keyboard. Yeah, we got it today.”

  “We?”

  “Well … Dylan bought it for me,” I admitted.

  Maddie raised her eyebrows. “I knew you two were spending time together but I had no idea it was that serious?”

  “It isn’t,” I said quickly. “He just bought me a present, that’s all.”

  “Have you slept with him?” Maddie asked pointedly.

  “I ... well …”

  “Lizzie!” Maddie exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was just processing,” I said lamely. “I honestly don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I guess I didn’t want to hear you tell me that it was probably not a good idea.”

  Maddie fell silent and I rolled my eyes at her.

  “Well what did you expect me to say?” Maddie demanded. “It’s not a good idea and you already know that.”

  “I know,” I nodded. “But this is different.”

  “How?”

  “Because I don’t have any expectations,” I said honestly. “Seriously, I don’t expect anything from him. I know we’re not a couple, we’re not exclusive, and we’re not girlfriend and boyfriend. He knows that and I know it too.”

  “Ok, then what exactly are you?”

  “We’re … well, we’re just friends who used to be lovers,” I said lamely.

  “And now you’re lovers again?”

  “Short term lovers,” I replied. “Listen, this is just until his leave is up and he goes back to his life. We’re going to enjoy the time we have together and then see how it goes.”

  “See how what goes?”

  I sighed. “It’s complicated ok?”

  “I thought the point is to avoid complications in the first place.”

  “Sure, it always starts out that way.”

  “Lizzie,” Maddie’s voice was serious. “Be straight with me ok?”

  “Ok,” I agreed.

  “Do you have feelings for him?”

  I sighed. “Yes I do; to be honest, I don’t think I ever stopped having feelings for him.”

  “Once he leaves, don’t you think it’s going to be hard?”

  “Of course,” I nodded. “But it’s too late now. I’m aware of my feelings for him, the damage has already been done.”

  “So what exactly is your game plan here?”

  “When he goes back, he goes back,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t still write to him every now and again.”

  “You’re planning on staying in contact with him?”

  “Just as a friend,” I said quickly. “Again, I don’t expect anything from him. I just figure there’s no reason to stop contact completely, I mean, we can maintain a relationship, even if it’s a platonic one.”

  “And what if he meets someone along the way?” Maddie demanded. “Then what?”

  “Then I will accept that and move on,” Lizzie said.

  “You say that like it’s gonna be easy.”

  “I’m not an idiot, ok?” I said. “I know it won’t be, but the thing is, I made mistakes too after Dylan left to enlist. I was too young to handle things and apparently so was he. We’re older now, we have enough life experience between us to deal with things.”

  “No matter which way they swing?” Maddie clarified. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

  “I guess so,” I nodded.

  Maddie looked at me carefully and sighed. “He’s still in the Navy, Lizzie,” she said. “Or have you forgotten that part?”

  “Of course not,” I replied. “But I also know that he’s not going to be with the Navy for long.”

  “Who said?”

  “Dylan did,” I replied. “He told me that he’s thinking of early retirement. He might leave the Navy sooner rather than later.”

  “That’s what you’re hoping for, aren’t you?” Maddie demanded.

  I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. “People say you need to manage your hopes. ‘Don’t get your hopes up.’ That’s what they say, isn’t it?” I asked. “That’s always seemed so unreasonable to me. Your hopes are your hopes, you can’t control them any more than you can control the people around you.”

  Maddie smiled.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “Nothing,” Maddie said quickly. “It’s just that I haven’t seen you this passionate in a long time. It’s nice.”

  I couldn’t but smile. “It’s weird but I’m starting to feel normal again. I don’t feel as scared as I used to and I don’t feel the need to hide away from the world.”

  “And I’m thrilled for you,” Maddie nodded.

  “But …?” I asked.

  “How did you know there was a ‘but?’”

  “How long have we been friends?” I asked rhetorically.

  “Fair enough,” Maddie nodded. “I guess what I’m worried about is that this new change that you feel, despite being a good change, well, it’s been motivated by Dylan’s presence in town.”

  “You’re scared I’ll fall apart once he leaves aren’t you?” Lizzie asked.

  “Yes I am.”

  “If I’m being completely honest, I am too,” I admitted. “I don’t know how I’ll feel when he leaves and I don’t know if we will stay in touch once he’s gone. This might just be history repeating itself, but for the moment, this is where my head is at.”

  Maddie sighed. “Ok,” she nodded. “Then I will do my best to respect that. All I’m saying is—”

  “Be careful,” I finished for her. “I will.”

  Maddie nodded and we let silence settle in on the heels of that conversation. Then she looked at the keyboard and then at me. “He bought you a keyboard huh?”

  I smiled. “He did.”

  “That was really sweet of him,” Maddie said. “He was always so supportive of your music.”

  “He wanted to buy me a piano,” I said. “A grand piano.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack,” I nodded. “But I told him I wouldn’t accept it, so the keyboard was the compromise.”

  Maddie snorted. “I wish I had men who wanted to make compromises like that with me.”

  I laughed. “Dylan’s one of the good ones.”

  “He is,” Maddie nodded.

  “It was just bad timing and different choices for us, I guess,” I said mostly to myself.

  “So you called in sick today to spend time with him?” Maddie asked.

  “Yes,” I nodded. “He only left a few hours ago to meet some of his old friends.”

  Maddie wrinkled her brow a bit. “And you decided to sit home like some old maid and wait for him?”

  I shot Maddie a dirty look. “I just felt like staying in,” I said.

  “Well too bad,” she said getting up from the sofa. “Cause we’re going out.”

  “Now?” I asked. “But … I’m kinda tired.”

  “I don’t give a shi
t,” Maddie said forcefully. “Get your butt off that couch, put something sexy on, and let’s go.”

  “It’s Monday night Maddie,” I reminded her. “I have work tomorrow.”

  “So do I,” Maddie replied. “And that’s never stopped me. Now get moving or I will move you myself.”

  “Geez,” I said getting off the couch and moving into my room. “You are so bossy.”

  “Why thank you,” Maddie replied and I rolled my eyes at her.

  She followed me to my closet and sat on the bed as I started sifting through my clothes trying to figure out what I should wear.

  “What about the red mini dress?” Maddie suggested.

  “Are you crazy?” I asked. “We’re not going clubbing.”

  Maddie laughed and I finally settled on a simple, white dress that went perfectly with my nude wedges. I left my hair loose and dabbed a little gloss on my lips and then Maddie and I headed out.

  “Where exactly are we going?” I asked Maddie when we were sitting in her car.

  “Umm, I don’t know,” she replied sheepishly. “Any ideas?”

  “Maddie!” I exclaimed.

  “What?” she laughed. “I just didn’t want you sitting at home alone while your guy … or whatever he is right now, is out partying it up. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that your life should never come to a standstill for a man, no matter who he is.”

  “Wise words,” I nodded. “But it doesn’t apply here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I was staying in tonight because I genuinely wanted to.”

  “Really?” Maddie asked suspiciously. “How were you feeling just before I showed up?”

  “I was fine,” I said. “Tired but fine.”

  “Fine?” Maddie repeated. “You weren’t feeling, maybe a little bit lonely?”

  I thought back and realized that I had felt a twinge of loneliness. I had been sitting in the apartment thinking about how empty it felt without Dylan.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?” Maddie persisted when I didn’t answer.

  “All right,” I said reluctantly. “Maybe I was feeling a little bit lonely.”