Ravishing Rebounds: A Slapshot Novella (Slapshot Series Book 10)

by Heather C. Myers

  - - -

  It was a crisp April morning when he woke. Dimitri was typically fond of the cold. Growing up and playing hockey in Russia, he was used to the cold—and not just cold as it was defined by American standards, but actual cold where even the snow froze in its spot. He pulled on a blue shirt with brown pressed slacks, wanting to look his best. Making a good impression was something he strove for on and off the ice, and he wanted to make sure he adhered to that standard in mediation as well.

  He got to court early and headed into the shopping area surrounding Harbor Justice to grab a coffee. He was still tired and felt as though he needed to wake up more. He tried to stay away from coffee when he had to speak simply because of coffee breath, but this time, he made an exception. When he was finished, he popped a piece of gum in his mouth and chewed it before stepping into court.

  By the time eight thirty rolled around, Rita had yet to show up. He leaned forward in the uncomfortable chair and glanced around, waiting to see a flash of familiar blonde hair. However, he did not see her. He sat there for another ten minutes before deciding to head inside the room he was assigned to, only to find the mediator confused.

  "I'm not sure what you're talking about," she said. "Rita never booked a meeting here and she definitely did not ask certain amendments be made to a document she wanted you to sign."

  The first thing Dimitri did was call his attorney.

  "I swear, Dimitri, paperwork had been filed," Marty told him.

  "The mediator had no idea that anything was filed in the first place, Marty!" Dimitri exclaimed.

  He had to keep his voice down, not wanting to draw any attention. He did not like to assume people knew who he was because he did not want to get a big ego, but at the same time, he tried to remember that potential fans could recognize him and, unless he wanted them to know his business, he needed to refrain from making a scene. It was one of the reasons why he and Rita couldn't work together—she didn't particularly care if they were in public or not if there was a problem between the two of them.

  "How could paperwork be filed if she didn't know why I was there in the first place?"

  "One of two things could have happened," Marty said. "Either she made the appointment, her attorney called me to let me know, and then canceled the appointment soon after that," Marty said, "or the whole goddamn thing was a lie."

  "I'm guessing the latter," Dimitri said through gritted teeth. His loafers clicked on the tiled floor and a couple of people nearby picked their heads up from their phones so they could look at him. "Rita would pull something like that just to say she could. Goddamnit, Marty. What does this mean?"

  "It means everything is the way it was before I called you Friday night," he said. "The custody arrangement still needs to be upheld."

  "So the fact that she kept the kids from me that night is in violation of our agreement, correct?"

  "Yes, I'll document it, and you should too. If you have any witnesses to the slight, I would mark them down in case the court wants to ask him or her."

  Dimitri stopped pacing. No. He couldn't do that to Amanda. She had already been through enough, thanks to his selfish ex-wife. He did not want to make her feel responsible for helping him when he should be responsible for everything himself.

  "This is only going to show the judge that she manipulates situations and can't follow rules," Marty continued. "I would also file a police report with the Newport Police Department. It's nothing too serious, just a form you fill out that they lock into their system. It's an official way to document the violation."

  "I'll do that," Dimitri said with a nod.

  "Okay, sorry about this, Dimitri. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

  "Not at the moment, thanks, Marty."

  Dimitri hung up his phone and slid it into his pocket.

  Now what?

  There was only one person he wanted to see right now and—he glanced at his watch—she should be getting out of class in the next half hour.

  Dimitri did not hesitate. He got into his car, UCI his destination.

  18

  Amanda came back from her Lit class just after nine thirty to find Dimitri Petrov sitting outside her building in his car, waiting. Amanda tensed, unsure of what happened that would cause him to risk their relationship by showing up to her place in public like this, but she wanted to ensure everything was okay and they didn't get caught. As such, instead of heading back to her room, she headed to his car and got into the front passenger seat. Without saying a word, Dimitri started the car and headed out of campus.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked, as they made a left on University. A high school was on the right, aptly called University High School, a Trojan painted on the wall of the building. There was a large, grassy field just behind tennis courts, and a parking lot filled with a variety of cars.

  "There was no mediation today," Dimitri said.

  Amanda ripped her eyes away from the passing school at his words in order to place them on his person. The hint of cologne surrounded him and seemed to make him more attractive than he already was, and in that suit, with that jawline, Dimitri Petrov was already devastating.

  "What?" she snapped before clearing her throat and adjusting herself in the seat. "How is that possible?"

  Dimitri shrugged his shoulders. He had yet to fully look at her. Instead, his eyes were in front of him. He continued down Michelson—pronounced Michael-son to the local and Mickle-son to non-residents—passing a golf course and an apartment complex.

  "Marty says there's a chance Rita immediately canceled it, or she never set it up in the first place, and there was no way for Marty to confirm since we got the information late Friday," he said. "I feel like a fool."

  "You should call her," Amanda suggested before she could stop herself. Dimitri slowed to a red light and tilted his head so he could look at her. "I'm being serious. This was completely disrespectful. She can't just lie to you about important things like mediation just to play these stupid games, and you shouldn't let her get away with it. She needs to know how she made you feel and that you aren't going to tolerate that bullshit."

  Amanda's eyes widened when she realized what had come out of her mouth. She placed her hand over it and shook her head. "I, uh," she said, sinking slightly into her seat. "I'm sorry about that. You do whatever you want. This isn't my issue, it's yours. I shouldn't be telling you what to do and how to handle yourself."

  Dimitri was silent for a long moment. Amanda wished he would just speak so she knew he wasn't mad at her. She hadn't really done much deciding last night, but she knew she couldn't sleep well. She had to be okay with Dimitri before she was comfortable enough to slip into slumber, and that hadn't happened with the way she ran off and didn't even say goodbye.

  "You're right," he said, nodding his head. "You're absolutely right." He touched a button on the steering wheel. "Call Rita."

  "Calling Rita," the Bluetooth responded.

  Amanda was not surprised when she answered on the second ring, her voice perky and innocent.

  "Hello?" she asked.

  "Rita," Dimitri said through gritted teeth. Amanda reached out and took his hand within hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. This seemed to have an effect on him because she could feel him immediately relax under her touch. "Why were you not at mediation this morning?"

  "Mediation?" Her voice sounded fake, even to Amanda who didn't know Rita well. "We didn't have an appointment for mediation."

  "Yet your attorney called mine late last night and insisted I sign paperwork that stated I couldn't see the kids if I dated anyone," he said. His voice sped up with each word he said where it got to the point where Amanda could not understand him because of his thick accent.

  "I would never do that to you," Rita said, "and even if I did have that idea—to protect our children from any more traumatic effects—clearly, you made your choice to indulge your desires rather than put your family first and finish this divorce before seeing other people."


  "Me?" Dimitri said. "You couldn't stop yourself from fucking my goddamn gardener while I was in Vancouver! You did that while the children were under your care, and now you're going to question me about my relationship with Amanda?"

  Rita twittered. "Relationship?" she asked. "Please. I know that redhead, Dimitri. You think I don't remember her, flouncing herself around in those skin-tight pants and scooping up ice off the rink like any idiot could do." Amanda clenched her thigh with her free hand, sinking her nails into the material of her jeans and trying not to let Rita get to her. "She's a fucking Ice Princess, Dimitri. She only wants you for your money and to say she's slept with a professional hockey player. You're with her because she's younger than I am. You're rebounding with her."

  "You do not get to dictate who I'm in a relationship with and who I'm not," Dimitri said. "You do not get to define what relationship means to me. You are part of my past, Rita. Any control or power you had over my life is gone. The only reason I continue to tolerate your presence is for the children. Quite frankly, I do not care what you do or don't believe about Amanda. But, out of respect to the role you have in my life—simply as mother of my children—I thought it best for you to know that Amanda is not a rebound. I love her, more than I thought I was able after everything you did to me, to us, and to our family. She's not going anywhere for a very long time."

  With that, he hung up.

  19

  Dimitri couldn't believe he had done that, but it felt good that he had. He could not stop the corners of his lips from twisting up, could not stop the laughter that bubbled out of his mouth. He might have sounded crazy to Amanda. He loved her, but he did not care. Not when it came to something like this. For the longest time, he had not stood up for himself simply because he did not want to deal with confrontation. He did not want to rock the boat. He did not want to hurt his children by upsetting their mother.

  But that went out the window.

  Rita had been disrespectful and rude, inconsiderate and selfish. He could not place his children over his own happiness, not when he found himself changing an integral part of himself in order to do so. He wanted his children to look up to him. He wanted them to know that it was okay to vocalize feelings in a respectful way, even if nobody agreed with them. If he had continued down the same path where Rita got everything she wanted and Dimitri got nothing, what would that say? He would turn into a resentful, bitter man, and he refused to let Rita have that power over him.

  "Where to?" Amanda asked from beside him. Her hand was still on his forearm.

  Dimitri realized he had been driving with no real destination in mind. He just past the John Wayne Airport and was crossing over the 73 Toll Road. Home was getting closer, but Dimitri found he did not want to go home. Not yet.

  "You'll see," he teased.

  He continued to drive forward on Irvine Avenue up until he hit Seventeenth Street. From there, he made a left and then a right on Dover until he hit the end of the road. Waterfront apartments were in front of him. He could head right on PCH, which would lead him down to Balboa before it turned into Huntington Beach, or he could make a left in one of the three left hand turn lanes towards Corona Del Mar, Fashion Island, and the Ice Palace. If he drove further, he would hit Laguna Beach.

  Dimitri decided to turn left but then made an immediate right. He knew exactly where he wanted to go now.

  Balboa Island.

  He made another right, over a small bridge, and drove slowly along the tiny, one-way street. It wasn't as crowded as it could sometimes get in the summer. Tourist season hadn't hit yet. As such, he managed to find parking two streets over, in a small alleyway where houses were built and people actually lived in. Parallel parking was almost always required when coming here unless it was off-season, so Dimitri managed to pull up, into a spot in front of a one-story house made of brick with a low, white picket fence and beautiful white roses. He went around and opened Amanda's car door as she unbuckled her seatbelt, and helped her out.

  Amanda closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I love the smell of Balboa," she murmured. "It smells like flowers and the ocean, two of my favorite things."

  "I don't come here much anymore," Dimitri admitted, reaching out to take Amanda's hand in his as they turned and began walking down the street of houses. "I used to take the kids all the time. Every Sunday if I could, after morning skate, during the season. They loved it. Rita refused to come, claiming she did not like dealing with how crowded the place could be." He shrugged. "I did not mind having something I could share with the kids."

  "I think I would like to meet them again," Amanda said in a small voice.

  Dimitri stopped walking. They were just before an alleyway that would take them to the next street. He continued to hold her hand, however, not wanting to break the connection.

  “Are you certain?” Dimitri asked. He did not want to get his hopes up if she wasn’t actually going to commit.

  “Yeah,” she said with a nod. A curl fell into her face and she quickly wiped it away. “I think it’s time.”

  The two walked in comfortable silence, passing by restaurants and a Starbucks, a church, and boutiques. A few older couples walked hand in hand, talking in low whispers, completely relaxed. There was a gentle breeze that picked up the hair off of Dimitri’s neck, but it soothed him rather than tense his body.

  “Braden loved frozen chocolate bananas,” Dimitri said. “And Balboa has two shops that make them.”

  “I know,” Amanda said with a grin. “My grandfather used to take me here when I was younger.”

  After another few minutes of getting the bananas, the two turned and headed towards the beach.

  “Amanda, I do not want you to pressure yourself when it comes to our relationship and my children,” he said. “I have been a father for a decade so I am used to the notion of always having my children around. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that we’re in different stages of our lives.” He brought her hand up so he could kiss her knuckles. “Regardless of what Rita or anyone else thinks, I do not consider you a rebound. I want you with me for the long haul, however long that might be. I do not want to rush you. When you are ready, I will be here. I know this must be tough for you, and you have no idea how much it means to me that you are willing to endure the stress because you want to be with me.”

  Amanda nodded and Dimitri pulled her into a gentle kiss.

  “I’m not going to be perfect,” she told him when she broke apart. “I will probably question your choices and start fights over nothing and be petty as fuck, but I love you. And I want to make this work, no matter how unconventional.”

  He grinned. “Sounds perfect.”

  20

  Amanda should not have been surprised the next day when Seraphina asked to speak to her before she met up with the rest of the Ice Princesses during the game Tuesday night. This was the second-to-last game before the season ended and post-season playoffs officially began. Tension was high, but excitement permeated the rink. She could feel it the moment she stepped into the building. The fans were buzzing with positive energy, and it was contagious.

  Which was why Amanda was not as nervous as she should be, sitting in Seraphina's office. She could still see the bloodstain on the carpet, could see where Kenneth Brown had been shot by his accountant after Ken found him stealing money from him. It amazed her that Seraphina kept the carpet as it was, like some sort of odd reminder of her grandfather.

  "Hi, Amanda," Seraphina said, looking up as Amanda entered the already-open door. Unless she was having a meeting, Seraphina always kept the door open to anyone who needed to speak with her about something. "How are you this evening?"

  "Good," she said.

  A truth. Amanda felt wonderful. There was part of her that was nervous. Friday was the first official meeting between her and Dimitri's children, which meant things between her and Dimitri were getting serious. As much as that made her slightly wary, she was more excited than anything.

  "I'm glad to
hear that. I'm sure you know why your here?"

  Seraphina's long blonde hair fell over her shoulder, and her sea-blue eyes were locked with Amanda's. Seraphina was maybe a couple of years older than Amanda, and yet Seraphina was a billionaire who owned a professional hockey team inherited from her grandfather.

  "I have an idea," Amanda admitted.

  "Good." Seraphina laced her fingers together, placing them on the surface of her desk. "I got a call from Rita Petrov the other day, claiming Dimitri was seeing an Ice Princess and demanding I fire you because that would be in breach of your contract and his contract."

  Amanda nodded. Her heart skipped a beat at the prospect of losing this job. She had been an Ice Princess since she was a freshman in high school. It was a job she actually enjoyed and looked forward to.

  "I wanted to call you in and get your side of the story before I decided to make a decision about anything," she said.

  Amanda opened her mouth but the words she had thought of saying gathered on the tip of her tongue and would not come out. She tilted her head to the side and tried again. She was going to lie, of course. She would come clean once the season was over, once playoffs were over and there was no more hockey for the Gulls until September hit, and preseason began.

  "I am."

  Huh.

  "It wasn't something I intended to happen," Amanda said. “It just happened. Obviously after he left Rita. I didn’t, I want you to know I wasn’t the reason they split up.” Amanda’s eyes shot up to meet Seraphina’s, wanting to make sure her boss did not think she was some kind of home wrecker. Amanda did not know why the distinction was so important to her, but it was.

  “Oh, I am well aware that you were not the problem,” Seraphina said, nodding her head. “I knew they had been having problems for a while, much earlier than when you came into the picture. I just needed to know what your role in his life now is.”