Brooke: Remember to be a gentleman
Brooke: Don’t do anything to freak her out
Brooke: Have fun, don’t make too many forward comments
I laugh. Fortunately, I’m unable to reply before there’s a knock on my door. Standing on the other side is a beautiful Lexie in dark jeans and a modest blue blouse. My gaze travels over her twice before words leave my mouth.
“You’re beautiful, Lexie.” I smile, stepping forward to kiss her cheek. “C’mon in.”
There’s a small blush on her face, and she seems a bit surprised. “A date usually implies going out,” she says.
“Yes, well, I thought a nice easygoing dinner here sounded better. Don’t worry, I’m not going to seduce you.”
Lexie rolls her eyes as I grin on our way to the dining room. I had just finished setting the table before she arrived. The lights are dimmed as four candles burn brightly to give us more light. I help her out of her jacket, hang it on the back of her chair, and then pull it out so she can sit down. Before I do the same, I pour us each a glass of wine. Our plates are already filled with food, and I clear my throat as we begin to eat.
“I feel like I should apologize for us not telling you that I was Reed’s father. Brooke didn’t know about me trying to ask you out until that playdate either.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” She takes a bite. “This is really good,” she says. “Did you cook this?”
When I nod, I can see the tiniest expression of her being impressed over my pork chops and homemade mashed potatoes. “This is Reed’s second favorite meal, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with it.”
“I’m betting chicken nuggets is his favorite. Sadie is the same way.”
I chuckle. “Yep. I’m ready for the pizza phase. There’s only so many chicken nuggets I can eat.”
“I know what you mean. So, how’s practice? I see Jax is still beating you in points.” A small smile appears.
“Practice is good. Jax won’t be able to hold it, though. He’s a good guy, but he’ll fall behind about halfway through the season like he did last year. How did that become your favorite team anyway?”
Lexie hesitates. “Sadie’s father was a huge Gamblers fan. He was stationed near Vegas, and it became his favorite team.” He must have been in the military, then. Maybe that’s how he died.
I nod, unsure of how much I should say. “Were you a fan before that?”
“I wasn’t as big as a fan as I am now, but I did like hockey. What about you? What made you love hockey so much?”
“My dad played, so he wanted me to play. I fell in love with the game and the competitiveness of it. I was really bad at first, like way worse than all the other kids, but Dad pushed me and I wanted to be good more than anything, so I kept practicing until I was. There was no way I could give it up. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t stop until I have what I want.”
“No matter how annoying you are about it,” she says in a monotone. “So, Brooke told me you two met in college. Which college?”
“Just a college in Delaware. Where did you go to school?”
“Here. I went to a local college. I didn’t want to travel a whole lot, and it was a good excuse to stay at home rent-free,” she giggles.
“How long have you been back here?”
“Oh, I’ve never really left, but I just bought my house to make sure Sadie was in the right school district. Are you enjoying Utah?”
“Yeah, Reed loves it here, and Brooke doesn’t seem to mind it. I hope I can stay with this team for a long time, so I won’t have to uproot them again, especially now that he’s met Sadie.” I know Brooke doesn’t care for all the moving around we’ve done, so I’m extremely thankful that she’s willing to do it anyway to keep Reed close to me.
Lexie nods. “Brooke said that she moves with you. I know Sadie is happy to have Reed as her friend too. Sometimes its hard for her to make friends.”
“Reed too, but that ends up being more my fault than his shy-at-first personality.”
“Reed is shy? I don’t think I’ve seen that side of him.” She smiles, causing me to laugh.
“Well, I think that’s enough about our kids, don’t you think? I want to know you. Reed could always tell me about Sadie. So, aside from hating on my team, what else do you love to do?”
“Um, nothing. I mean, I read the occasional book now and again, but I mostly work and take care of Sadie. I have a very boring life. What about you? Do you have hobbies?”