Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions)

by Worrell, Nikki

  “I know, but I don’t see the Vlad situation changing anytime soon. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be enjoying a guy or two.”

  “I think those days are long gone. I’m not looking for a casual fling. I’m tired of being the one night girl, you know?”

  “Jeez, Zoe. You make yourself sound like a tramp. There’s nothing wrong with having a couple of casual relationships every year if that’s what you want to do.”

  “That’s the thing, Lace. I don’t think that is all I want anymore. I’m just not sure how to move forward when Vlad’s always around. It seems like everywhere I look, there he is.”

  Jody walked in then with yet another bouquet of flowers. “Hi, girls. Don’t mind me.” He handed Lacey the flowers, kissed her on the cheek and started to walk out of the room.

  “You don’t have to go, Jody. I have to head out anyway. I have an appointment in about an hour.” Keith Lambert had actually made a voluntary appointment with her. She hoped everything was okay with the captain. She’d soon find out.

  Keith showed up right on schedule. Zoe led him back to her office, and they got down to business.

  “I’m here about Vlad.” Before Zoe could stop him, he put up his hand. “Wait. It’s not about the two of you. I’m worried about him. Something’s not right. You know Vlad. He’s the happy guy—the guy that’s always easy to talk to, and fun to be around, but lately he’s been a total ass. It’s like his personality has totally changed. There has to be a reason. I don’t know what to do with him, and it’s starting to affect my locker room. I can’t have that.”

  Zoe sat there chewing on her pen. “Keith, you know I try my best to help everyone who walks through my door, but I can’t help Vlad if he won’t talk to me. This whole situation is getting out of control. I’m going to have to go to management. If Vlad is really having a problem, and he won’t talk to me, he’s going to have to go talk to someone else.”

  That was Zoe’s greatest fear. She’d have to talk to management and hope they didn’t let her go. It was the exact situation she’d been trying to avoid. But the players had to come first. Logically, she understood that, but shit, she was mad. She told Vlad no. She did the right thing, and he still might cause her to lose her job. Dammit!

  “No, Zoe. Don’t go to management yet. Maybe we can tag team him. Better yet, maybe you and Jody could do that. He probably won’t open up with me here. Even though it’s blatantly obvious to everyone, including management, by the way, that you two have a, shall we say, connection, I don’t think you should inform them that there’s a problem there. That’s not fair to you.”

  “The idea has merit. At this point, what do we have to lose? I’ll talk to Jody and see what he thinks. Do you have any ideas what his problem could be?”

  Keith thought about that for a minute. Gesturing toward her he said, “Aside from the obvious, I can’t think of much. I know that Cage annoys the hell out of him, but Cage annoys the hell out of everyone. He’s been riding Vlad pretty hard lately with the snarky comments. All age related, of course. Cocky little shit. I’m honestly afraid that Vlad might physically hurt Cage, and that’s not Vlad, you know? Normally, he would give Cage a taste of his own medicine, or just turn the other cheek. He’s really changed.”

  “Okay. Since this is more of a friendly visit, and not a session, I’ll be honest with you. I’ve obviously noticed the difference, too. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think a lot of it has to do with me. You should have heard how he talked to me when he found out I had a date. He was downright nasty. Vlad has never been anything but flirty and nice to me. What we need to figure out is if it is just me or if there is something else going on.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s frustrating. I don’t know what do with him, but I can’t let his attitude infect the rest of the team. If I let that negativity fester in the locker room, it will begin to affect the other players. I’m at a loss. Coach doesn’t like his attitude any more than I do.”

  “Have you talked to him?”

  “Yeah, but he doesn’t listen. He just gets pissed and tells me everything is okay, which it obviously is not.”

  “All right, Keith. I’ll talk to Jody and see what he thinks. He’s the closest to him, so hopefully he’ll be able to help.”

  Keith got up to leave. “Thanks. What do you say we don’t document this visit? I want to help Vlad, not stir up a shit storm, you know?”

  “Absolutely. You’re a great captain, you know that? I knew they made the right choice when they made you captain.”

  Keith stood a little taller at her praise. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. This team is everything. They’re my family, you know?”

  “Yes. I see how you all are. I think it’s cute.”

  “Cute? Christ girl, I’m a man. It’s not cute. It’s, well, more like—maybe sweet is a better word? Yeah, not really. Shit, I need to go shoot some pool now or maybe go lift some heavy things for a while.” Keith winked at her and let himself out.

  Zoe called Jody to talk about Vlad. Lacey answered the phone, and Zoe could tell she was in one of her pouty moods. She loved Lacey more than almost anyone in her life, but she would be happy as hell when she was back to her normal, self-sufficient, confident self.

  Sounding pissed off, Lacey asked Zoe why she wanted to talk to Jody.

  “I wanted to talk to him about Vlad.” Taking a deep breath, Zoe continued, “What’s wrong, Lace?”

  “Nothing. Jody is perfect. He made a really nice dinner, although since he can’t cook for shit, it sucks. I wanted pasta alfredo with zucchini and black olives. Addie is all over me tonight, and I just want to eat!”

  In her most smoothing voice, Zoe said, “Okay, how about this? I’ll come make that for you. I actually have a batch of alfredo sauce that I made a couple of weeks ago in the freezer. I’ll thaw that out and stop at the store to buy some great veggies. What kind of pasta do you want, hun?” Zoe didn’t mind cooking for her. She liked that she could make Lacey feel better.

  “Zoe, you are the best. How about fettuccine? And can you add hot chili peppers in there, too?” A strange combination, but what the baby wanted, the baby got. “And maybe some Rocky Road ice cream? With crème de mint sauce?”

  Zoe held back a gag. “Anything you want. Don’t be offended when you see that I’ve made me and Jody something a bit tamer, okay?”

  Lacey finally gave her a laugh. “That’s fine. I know my eating habits are pretty strange these days. Thanks, Zoe. See you soon.”

  Zoe and Jody talked while she cooked in Lacey’s kitchen.

  “So what do you think about Keith’s idea? Do you think it might work if you and I tag team him, or do you think it’ll just piss him off?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think we have to give it a shot. He seems to be getting worse and worse. How much damage could we do? But I think you’re the one he’s going to go after.” Jody walked over to her and gave her a squeeze. “I think you need to wear your thickest skin. You know how much he loves you. He only speaks to you like that out of hurt and frustration.”

  “I know. Would you believe I’ve actually thought about leaving the organization? This thing between Vlad and me isn’t healthy for anyone. But I don’t see a solution, do you?”

  “Well, it is the last year of Vlad’s contract. No one knows where he’ll be next year.”

  “I don’t even want to think about that. Not seeing him would be even worse than this fucked up thing we have going. Jesus, I need my own therapist. I know better, but it’s hard to make your heart listen, you know?” Zoe wasn’t stupid. She knew that some of the things she told her clients were next to impossible to follow through with. She still believed she told them the right things; she just had a better perspective now on how hard it was to do the right thing.

  “Well, I don’t know exactly what you guys are going through, but I remember Lace telling me that she didn’t want a relationship in the beginning. She only wanted to casually date. I wanted her to change her
mind so bad that I lost sleep over it. I’d lie awake at night and think of things that I could do to weasel my way into her heart. I got lucky. I mean, this pregnancy aside, she’s damn near perfect. I really don’t deserve her.”

  Zoe knew how much Jody loved Lacey. And she knew he was ecstatic that Lacey was pregnant. “Awww, Jody. Yes, you do. And you know I don’t say that lightly. Lacey is closer to me than even a sister could be. You do deserve her.”

  Jody smiled. “Thanks.” Looking over her ingredients for dinner, his smile vanished. “Zoe? Do you think Lace would freak if I ordered a pizza?”

  Zoe laughed and shook her spoon at him. “Jody LaGrange! Do you really think we’re eating this crap? I already told Lacey that you and I were not eating her weird shit. We’re safe. We’re having simple shrimp alfredo. Does that work for you?”

  “Zoe, I love you.” He kissed her head and went into the living room to check on Lacey and set the table for dinner.

  “I can’t wait to eat. It smells awesome in there. How are you feeling, Lace?”

  “Good today. I’m hungry though, as usual.” She pushed herself up off the couch. “I’m going to see if I can help Zoe. I’m tired of sitting here.

  “Okay. I’ll set the table.”

  Dinner tasted as good as it smelled. Talking with a mouth full of the bread, Lacey said, “Oh my God, Zoe. This is the absolute freaking best garlic bread you’ve ever made. Addie hasn’t kicked me since I started eating!” They all laughed at that.

  “Good thing we’re not having twins, huh, Angel? You’d be as big as a house with the way you need to eat now.” Zoe kicked him. Hard. Was he insane making remarks like that?

  Lacey looked at him with eyes wide and full of tears.

  “Fuck! No! Lace, baby, that’s not what I meant. I meant, crap, I don’t know what I meant. I want you to be as big as a house—I mean you’re so beautiful. If you were having twins, you’d be twice as beautiful, if that were even possible. I love to watch you eat. I think it’s endearing. You eat to nourish our baby. You have no idea how much I appreciate how you care for her.” Lacey was full of curves. Zoe knew that Jody loved those curves. He’d never want her to be like those skinny models, but he couldn’t seem to stop rambling and back-tracking, and Zoe couldn’t help but hold back a smirk at poor Jody’s foot-in-mouth issues.

  Lacey, more like her pre-pregnancy self, full of piss and vinegar, said, “If I were having twins, you wouldn’t even be eating right now, because there wouldn’t be enough! Now, pass me some more garlic bread and let me eat in peace.”

  Zoe looked at poor Jody and changed the subject from food to Vlad. “Okay.” Giving Lacey a pointed look, she continued, “Now that we’ve all had enough to eat, let’s figure out what the hell we’re going to do about Vlad.”

  She filled Lacey in on her meeting with Keith. Lacey wasn’t as concerned about tiptoeing around Vlad. “You guys just need to go over there and talk to him. Enough is enough. He’s being ridiculous now. Lashing out at teammates, being rude to Zoe. Enough. After you two are done eating, go right over there. I’m feeling pretty good tonight; Addie must’ve loved dinner, too. I’ll do dishes, you two go tackle Vlad.” Lacey got up and cleared their plates. She gave Zoe a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much for dinner. It was exactly what I needed. And I can’t wait for the ice cream and mint sauce!”

  “Wow, Lace. Ick.” Zoe smiled at her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. We’ll let you know what happens with Vlad. Wish us luck. I think we’re going to need it.”

  Vlad was playing NHL 13, featuring Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux on the cover. He admired the hell out of that kid and was glad he didn’t have to face him much during the season. When the doorbell rang, he looked at the clock noticing that it was almost eight. God, don’t let it be that puck bunny. He didn’t think she would know where he lived, but one never knew what personal information a nosey body could find.

  He wasn’t as relieved as he should have been when he looked out the peep hole to see Jody and Zoe standing there. Great, an intervention? Even though he had misgivings, he opened the door. Zoe was out there, after all.

  He wasn’t sure if he succeeded, but he went for a casual air. “Hey. What are you guys doing here?” Yeah, that didn’t sound too inviting.

  Zoe lifted an eyebrow at him. “We’re fine, thanks. Why yes, we’d love to come in. Thank you ever so much.” She pushed past him and entered the place she’d only been in once before. When she looked at the coffee table, she blushed.

  “Bring back fond memories, does it?”

  “Vlad!”

  Vlad decided to play nice and asked them if they wanted something to drink. “Hell, yes. Lacey can’t stand the smell of beer anymore, and I could definitely use a Molson. Please tell me you have some.”

  Zoe wanted something stronger. It was harder than she thought it would be to be back in his condo. What a fantastic night they had. And what a terrible mistake it’d been. “I’d love some scotch if you have it.”

  “You know I do, Zoe. If I remember correctly, the last time you were here …”

  “Stop, Vlad. Please.” Turning to Jody, she said, “I shouldn’t have come. This was a mistake.”

  Vlad knew he was being an ass—again. What was his problem? Zoe didn’t do anything to him other than maintain her professionalism so she could keep her job. He should admire that, so why was he being such an asshole? He truly didn’t know. Maybe he just wanted her to hurt because he was hurting.

  He wrapped his hand around his neck, rubbing and squeezing. “No, Zoe, don’t go. I’m sorry. I don’t know what my problem is, but it’s not you.” Maintaining eye contact, he continued, “I can’t help where my thoughts wander where you’re concerned. Yes, I know that’s not allowed, yadda, yadda, and so on …” Just looking at her made his heart thunder in his chest. He cleared his throat and looked over at Jody. “So, I assume this isn’t just a friendly visit. What’s up?”

  Jody started talking. “Well, we’re all a bit concerned about you, man. Before you get pissed off, let me explain. Maybe you don’t see it, but you used to be the happy, laid back guy who everyone wanted to be around, but lately, you’re … well, honestly, you’ve been acting like an asshole. You lash out at your teammates and the girl you love.” Jody looked at Zoe, mumbling, “Sorry, but it’s true.”

  “Oh, come on, what the fuck is this? You get the two people I’m closest to and play ‘What’s wrong with Vlad?’ Maybe I’m just sick of things lately. Maybe I’m just struggling with being an older goalie, or Cage gunning for my spot, or watching my girl go out on dates.” At that last part, he looked to Zoe. “Come on Zoe, you’re the shrink. Do you think that might be enough to piss a guy off now and then? What do you say?” Vlad threw the whiskey glass he was holding into the fireplace, making Zoe flinch at the sound of the exploding glass.

  “Come on, Vlad. Talk to me.” Zoe tried to avoid, at all costs, talking to Vlad about her feelings. “You know how I feel about you. You know why it can’t be, but that doesn’t lessen my feelings. Talk to me.”

  Zoe was grateful that Jody took that as his cue to step into the other room.

  “Goddammit, Zoe. It’s not that easy. You just don’t get it. There is no one else in the entire world like you. No one will ever compare to you. Fuck! I just—I don’t know how to say it. I have to have you. I just have to.” He shook his head in defeat. He couldn’t stop himself if his life depended on it. He marched over to her, grabbed her on either side of her face and pressed his lips to hers. It wasn’t a sweet kiss, or even a passionate one. It was punishing. Desperate. He didn’t know what to do with his emotions so he poured them into his kiss.

  Feeling emotionally drained herself, she pushed him away. It wasn’t easy to do. Fighting their attraction became harder each day, and she had no idea what to do about it. Keeping her voice at a whisper she said, “Vlad, I’m sorry I keep pushing you away. I just don’t know what else to do.” She threw her hands up and started pacing in front of him.
“I know there’s something else going on with you. Your personality has changed so much in the past six months. If you can’t talk to me, you have to find someone you can talk to.” Staring down at her clenched hands, she said, “I’m really worried about you. Please, Vlad, you need to talk to someone. This isn’t only about us. Your attitude is affecting your team.”

  Zoe left Vlad standing there, shaking his head. “Great. Go ahead and leave, Zoe, but know this. I’m done trying to figure this out. I want you, and I’ll have you. Go ahead and try to date. I’ll interfere with every goddamn one. You understand? You’re mine, Zoe Millis, and I’m going to prove it to you. I’m going to ruin you for all other men.” Okay, that sounded a bit creepy, borderline stalkerish, but he knew she got the point.

  She looked at him with her shoulders hung in defeat. “That’s the problem, Vlad. I think you already have.” She grabbed Jody and walked out the door.

  Over the following weeks, Zoe dated. She said yes to every guy who asked her out. Normally, she simply ignored them or politely turned them away. Now, though, she was on a mission. For her own sanity, she needed to find a guy who could compete with Vlad for her affections. And really, just distract her from herself. She didn’t want to think of Vlad in that way. There was no point. But at the same time, she couldn’t seem to stop.

  Her first date was pretty much what she expected, with a bit of a twist to the end.

  She’d met Johnny in the bowling alley when she was there with a crew from work. He was there with his own friends in the lane next to hers. They got to talking and set plans up to have dinner the following night.

  Johnny picked her up at seven o’clock, and they went to the local pizza joint, in Zoe’s attempt to keep things casual.

  “I’ve actually never been here. Have you?” Johnny was somewhat new to San Diego.

  Zoe had been there plenty of times. “Yeah. They have great pizza. What do you like on yours?”