Face Off

by P. J. Trebelhorn

  Alex pointed with her stick to show Savannah where she wanted her positioned for the face-off, and with another deep breath, Savannah readied herself. When the puck was dropped, the crowd noise disappeared in Savannah’s consciousness, and nothing else existed for her but what was happening on the ice.

  The puck went to Kelly, and they headed up the ice. She passed across the ice to Savannah, who saw Alex had gotten out ahead of the defender, so she sent a quick pass to her and Alex flipped it over the goalie’s shoulder for the first goal of the season.

  They ended up behind 2-1 after the first period, thanks to Jen Hilton coughing up the puck in their own zone leading to both the goals.

  “We’re better than this, ladies,” Savannah said as she stood in the center of the locker room. Everyone was sitting so they were facing her. She looked everyone in the eye as she spoke. “This first period will not define the rest of the season. Pick it up. Turnovers in our own zone are not acceptable. Understood?”

  “Why not direct your comments to the one who needs to hear it?”

  Savannah swung her gaze toward Nancy Myer, a winger on Hilton’s line, who had made the comment as she was looking right at Hilton.

  “Because everyone needs to hear it. No one is above making a mistake or two, and when it happens, it happens to the entire team, not to just one player.” Savannah looked away from Myer when she was sure her point had made its desired impact. She purposely resisted looking at Hilton because she was sure she would be angry as hell.

  “What the hell, Van?” Kelly asked when she took a seat next to her in front of her locker. “Why not call Hilton out by name? It wasn’t anybody’s fault but hers.”

  “I’m wearing the C on my jersey, Kelly.” Savannah ran a hand through her sweat soaked hair before tightening the laces on her skates. God knew she wanted nothing more than to call Hilton out, but she had a job to do. They all did. Unfortunately, it fell on her to make sure they all did what they were supposed to. “She knows what she did wrong. You just need to worry about what you’re supposed to do, and she’ll either fix it, or she won’t. Either way, it has nothing to do with you.”

  “Whatever,” Kelly muttered.

  “Maybe she’ll keep making the same mistakes and end up playing her way right out of Kingsville.”

  She could only hope.

  * * *

  Maddie didn’t know all the ins and outs of hockey, but she was pretty sure Jen Hilton was not a good player. Not if the first period was any indication. But, it was only the first game of the year, so maybe they were all just trying to find their rhythm again. Of course, Savannah’s line clicked right away, so that excuse didn’t seem to hold much water.

  Thanks to the time she’d spent with Savannah during the off-season, Maddie knew more about the game than she had before. At least she could follow conversations about it now, and not sound like such a newbie when she did decide to comment on something.

  She looked at the pictures she’d taken from the pregame warm-ups, and was going over the shots from the first period when she felt a hand touch her elbow. She looked up to find Dana standing next to her.

  “Ooh, I like that one,” Dana said, indicating the photo she had on the screen. It was Savannah just after she passed the puck to Alex Winter for their only goal thus far.

  “It is a nice one, isn’t it?” Savannah smiled as she looked at it again. The look of determination on Savannah’s face was sexy as hell. She’d looked up to find Savannah just as she snapped the picture, and it appeared as though she was looking right at her. It caused a flutter in her chest.

  “In all honesty, I’m pretty sure she’d be physically unable to take a bad picture,” Dana said with a shoulder bump and a grin.

  “Seriously?” Maddie laughed. “Does your husband know you’re here drooling over my girlfriend?”

  “It’s his own damn fault for having to work late so I had to bring Amy here on my own tonight.” Dana shrugged and they both laughed, because Trent knew he had nothing to worry about. Dana was so in love with him it made Maddie envious. She so wanted to have someone love her the way Dana loved her husband.

  “I have to head over toward the locker room, because I need to get some shots from that end of the ice during the next period.” Maddie began putting things in her camera bag as she spoke.

  “You want to come for dinner this weekend?” Dana asked.

  “It would have to be Friday, because they play again Saturday, so I need to be here to take pictures.”

  “What are they using all these photos for?”

  “They’re for all kinds of things. Game day programs, calendars, some will go to the newspaper, and they’ll be selling prints at the souvenir shops.”

  “Cool. And do they just pay you a flat fee for everything, or do you make money on prints and calendars?”

  “My commission is based on the amount they bring in for everything.” Maddie shrugged. This job had the potential to be very lucrative for her, and it certainly didn’t hurt that she could look at Savannah while she was working.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They were one month into the season, and the Warriors had lost only two games. Savannah was leading the team in points, and there was harmony on the team. Sort of. Jen Hilton was still making her snide comments whenever she had the opportunity, but Savannah was refusing to let her get under her skin. Hilton had been in her share of scraps, mostly because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut on the ice. Players on the opposing teams generally dropped their gloves with her when she’d push someone too far. Savannah wished she could do the same thing sometimes.

  “Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away,” Maddie said one night.

  They’d taken to spending an hour or two together after games, usually at Maddie’s house, but tonight they were at Savannah’s. Kelly wasn’t very happy about it, because they used to go out dancing after games in the past. Savannah had missed it at first, but the more time she spent with Maddie, the more time she wanted to spend with her. It wasn’t a concept she really understood, especially concerning a woman she hadn’t ever slept with.

  “Yeah,” Savannah said with a nod. “It’s crazy how fast time flies. It seems like just yesterday it was the Fourth of July.”

  “We haven’t really talked about what we’re going to do,” Maddie said, sounding tentative. “I’m assuming Lisa and Faith are expecting me to be there with you.”

  “I hadn’t really given it much thought, but I guess it would be a little strange if you didn’t show up with me,” Savannah said. “What about your family? Do you usually go to your parents’?”

  “Usually, yes, but they’re actually coming here to Dana’s this year.” Maddie’s lips lifted in a smile, but Savannah didn’t think it was because she was happy. It actually looked more like a grimace. “I know they’ll be expecting to meet you, but I don’t know if I really want to subject you to that.”

  “Are they really so terrible?” Savannah chuckled, but then turned serious as she considered the other option. “Or am I that terrible?”

  “Not you,” Maddie said as she shook her head. She reached over and placed her hand over Savannah’s, squeezing gently. “My mother is a bit overbearing, and my father thinks no one is good enough for me, no matter who they are, or what they do for a living.”

  “I see. And you’re saying he wouldn’t be swayed by the fact I’m a semipro female hockey player who doesn’t make enough money to support myself, let alone someone else?”

  “Yeah, not so much, but to be fair, it wouldn’t sway him to learn you’re a veterinarian either. He’s an equal opportunity girlfriend hater.”

  “Good to know, I guess,” Savannah said with a sigh. Based on the glowing description of her parents, Savannah wasn’t sure she ever wanted to meet them. “You could always go to Dana’s on your own. Tell them my moms needed me for something.”

  “It might work,” Maddie said thoughtfully. Her hand was still on Savannah’s, and neither of them made a
move to change it.

  Savannah stared at their hands on the couch between them and turned her hand over to entwine their fingers. She was beginning to feel too much for Maddie, but she didn’t know how to stop it without putting an end to their fake relationship. And for some reason, she didn’t want to end it. She enjoyed the time they spent together. She liked the idea of Maddie accompanying her to Thanksgiving dinner as her girlfriend.

  “Do you miss going out to the bars?” Maddie asked after the silence must have become too much. “Because I know Kelly keeps asking you to go. You can, you know.”

  “Honestly, I did in the beginning, but I don’t really care now,” Savannah said, surprising herself at the answer. It was true though. Yes, much to her dismay, Lisa had been right. She wasn’t going to find anyone who mattered in the bar. And like it or not, Maddie was someone who mattered. “I really like just hanging out with you.”

  “Really?” Maddie was obviously skeptical, if her expression was any indication. Her nose was crinkled, and her brow furrowed. “Because if you’re anything like Kelly, I’m sure you go there with one thing in mind, and it ain’t happening between us.”

  Savannah laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s not.” She’d told Maddie about her rule of not getting involved with neighbors, and she seemed to understand it. There were times though Savannah was sure they were both willing to abandon that rule.

  “Just know it’s okay with your fake girlfriend if you want to go out and have a little fun, okay?”

  “Or my fake girlfriend could go out with us,” Savannah suggested.

  She watched as Maddie’s eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere but at her. It was obvious the idea of going out with her and Kelly made her uncomfortable. She probably thought she would pick someone up and go home with them, leaving Maddie stranded. For one thing, she couldn’t very well do it in front of Kelly since she thought they were really dating, and for another, she would never do that to Maddie.

  “Maybe,” Maddie said, not sounding too enthusiastic at the suggestion.

  “How about this weekend?” Savannah asked before she could think too much about making the suggestion. “We have a game Saturday night. Kelly will want to go out dancing after. Will you come with us if she asks me to go?”

  Maddie seemed to consider it for a moment before finally nodding her head. “Yeah, I think I might like that.”

  “Cool.”

  She pulled her hand away from Savannah and got to her feet. “And on that note, I think I should get home and take care of my dog.”

  Savannah walked her to the door and they stood there a little awkwardly. Maddie hadn’t kissed her in quite some time, and Savannah knew she was leaving it up to her if it was ever going to happen again. After a few moments, Maddie smiled and reached for the doorknob.

  “I’ll see you soon,” she said quietly before walking out and heading back to her house.

  Savannah fought with herself to not call out to her, to ask her to come back. She shut the door to quell any temptation to do exactly that. She leaned her back against the door and saw Leo looking at her as though she’d lost her mind. She had to laugh, because he might have been right.

  * * *

  Maddie let Duke out into the yard and poured herself a glass of wine while she waited for him to finish his business. Once he was back inside, she sat on the couch with him by her side, his head in her lap. She scratched behind his ears and smiled when he groaned in satisfaction.

  She thought back on her conversation with Savannah a few short minutes earlier. She chuckled. She really didn’t want to go to a lesbian bar with her and Kelly. The last thing she needed was to witness Savannah with another woman. God, she was in over her head.

  It was becoming glaringly obvious she was going to have to make the first move if anything was ever going to happen between the two of them. She knew Savannah was feeling the same pull she was. It was written all over her face when she looked at Maddie. And Maddie doubted Savannah had any idea how much her eyes revealed her desire.

  “Christ,” she said to the empty room. Duke lifted his head and looked at her. He was used to her talking to herself, but he always held out hope she was talking to him, and he might get a treat out of it. When he finally decided he wasn’t getting anything, he settled in again with a loud sigh. “How would she react if I did make a move on her?”

  It was an interesting thought, and one she might revisit somewhere down the road. She chuckled again when she thought about her parents meeting Savannah at Thanksgiving.

  She loved her parents, but her mother was incessantly quizzing anyone she brought home to meet them. It was as though she needed to find out absolutely everything about someone in the short time she was in their presence.

  Her father on the other hand, was simply convinced no one was good enough for his little girl. For some reason he hadn’t been the same way with Dana, and he always said it was because Madison was his baby, and nobody was going to take advantage of his baby as long as he had any fight left in him.

  She loved him for that, but God, it could be so annoying. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking about a long-term relationship with Savannah, but she couldn’t help it. It was so easy to picture them together in the future. Because of that, she really didn’t want to subject her to her parents this early on. Maddie knew without a doubt they would scare her away before she had the chance to see where this was all going to lead.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Call me crazy, but it sounds like you might be falling in love,” Court said. Savannah had called her the next morning to find out if she was out of her mind for inviting Maddie to go out dancing with her and Kelly.

  Savannah laughed out loud at the comment, but it was forced. She’d been struggling with the possibility she was actually falling for Maddie, but had convinced herself it was only because of the close proximity they had.

  Seriously, when you were fake dating, did you really have to spend so much time alone together? Who exactly were they trying to convince when ninety-five percent of the time they spent together was just the two of them?

  Comparatively, they’d spent very little time with family as a “couple.” Maddie insisted she not go with her for Thanksgiving dinner, and while Savannah’s initial response was to be relieved, she realized later it had actually bruised her ego. Was she not good enough? Or just not important enough to warrant meeting the parents? Either way, it hurt.

  “You are definitely crazy, Court.” Savannah glanced at the clock and saw she still had a few minutes to talk before she had to leave for practice.

  “You don’t sound very convincing.”

  “I don’t need to,” Savannah said. “There is no way I’m falling in love with her, or anyone else for that matter.”

  “Have you slept with her?” Court lowered her voice, probably because she didn’t want Lana to hear what she was saying. Or maybe she just did it to be dramatic. Savannah wouldn’t put it past her.

  “No.”

  “But you want to, right?”

  “No.” She answered too quickly, and sounded more emphatic than she felt. She heard Court chuckle and thought she heard a whispered yeah, right. “Fine. Maybe I do, but it won’t happen. She lives next door. What happens when she inevitably realizes she needs more from me than I can give? I won’t quit playing hockey, and when I’m not doing something related to that, I’m working at the vet’s office. I don’t have the time to give to a relationship.”

  “You are so full of shit,” Court said with a sigh. Because Court seemed to be calling her on a weekly basis and didn’t understand her hesitancy at getting involved with anyone, Savannah had finally told her all about Shauna and what happened at college. Savannah was beginning to regret telling her. “I get that the ghost of relationships past is whispering in your ear, telling you you aren’t good enough, but you’ve got to ignore it. Maddie isn’t Shauna. Not everyone is going to demand as much from you as she did. If Maddie’s worth it, then you
make compromises. You find the time to give to her.”

  “Listen to Court, Savannah,” came Lana’s voice through the line. It sounded as though she was on the other side of the room from Court. “She has experience in that area.”

  “Did you hear?” Court chuckled, and Savannah joined in.

  “I did,” she replied.

  “Is Maddie worth it?”

  “I don’t know.” Savannah was quickly coming to the decision Maddie was worth it, but she wasn’t about to admit it to Court.

  “But you think she might be, am I right?”

  “I really don’t know, Court.”

  “Did you buy her a Christmas present?”

  “Yeah,” Savannah admitted with a sigh. She looked at the box she had on the coffee table that contained a gold chain. Maddie didn’t wear much jewelry, but she’d mentioned she had a gold necklace she lost at some point between leaving Chicago and moving into the house next door. She hadn’t even given it much thought; she just knew she wanted to get her something Savannah hoped would make her happy. Let her know she was actually listening when Maddie talked. “A necklace.”

  “Good.” Court was grinning, Savannah was sure she heard it in her tone of voice. “If you feel something for her, you need to let her know. That’s all I’m saying. Let go of the past, Van. Live for the future.”

  They talked for a few more minutes before she finally told Court she needed to get to practice. After disconnecting the call, Savannah sat there in silence, a million different things racing through her mind. She did feel something for Maddie. There was no point in lying to herself about it. And maybe Court was right. Maybe it was time to let Maddie know.

  * * *

  “Jesus, Van,” Kelly said as they were in the locker room changing after their practice. “You never go to the bars anymore. This woman has you whipped. I just hope the sex is worth it.”