“Spinach.”
“Filet mignon or New York strip?”
“Ooo, that’s a tough one,” he said. “Up to you.”
“Arctic char or wild salmon?”
He cut a look at her. “Arctic char? What in the hell is arctic char?”
She laughed. “A fish.”
“You can pick.”
“Okay, what about dessert? Do you want to go with decadent chocolate or light and fruity? Pie, cake, ice cream?”
He groaned. “So many choices.”
“You sound like you’re in pain. Okay, how about this, what’s your favorite dessert?”
He thought about it a second. “I really love key lime pie.”
“Okay, done.” She rubbed the tip of her nose along his neck. “See, not so bad.”
“You make it easy.” After another moment of silence, he said, “I love this part of DC. All the old trees. Every house is different from the last. All stately with big yards and beautiful gardens. Have you always lived here?”
“From birth to eighteen. And every year was wonderful, right up until the end. But I’ve got lots of great memories. Did you grow up here?”
He shook his head. “Colorado. Moved for my first minor team and kept moving. I’ve been here six years and really love it. Love the area, love the people.” He lifted a shoulder. “But you never know. One day I could go into work and the coach could call me in and say, “Sorry, buddy, you’re playing for the Blackhawks now—or the Devils or the fucking Ducks—pack up.”
“Really?” she frowned. “That’s got to feel so unstable.”
“I guess you get used to it. Easier when you don’t have a wife and family. Beckett’s contract comes up in July. If the teams here want to sign him, they’re going to have to add a no-trade clause, because he’s not uprooting Lily and Eden.”
“You can do that?”
He cut a sidelong grin at her. “If you’re good enough, you can do anything. Just gotta stay on top of your game.”
“Sounds like a lot of pressure.”
“Your job sounds like a lot of pressure to me.”
“How do you stay on top of your game?”
“There are so many aspects to being your best that there’s always something to work on,” he told her. “If it’s not your skating, it’s your handwork. If it’s not your focus it’s your leadership. I’m taking over as captain next season, so this summer, my trainer is pulling some leadership guru to camp to coach me on effective leadership, motivation, stuff like that.”
“Wow, that sounds cool. Where is it?”
“Canada. Ontario. That’s where my trainer lives. He works out of a college rink up there. It’s a sweet setup. During the day I get top notch training to hone my skating skills, at night I get counseled in leadership to polish up my versatility. I leave right after the banquet.”
“Man, to have those kinds of experts at your fingertips. That’s what I love about Bleu.”
He turned his head. “Bleu?”
“Le Cordon Bleu. I just shorten it.” She grinned. “They hate it. Sometimes I do it in front of them just to get a rise.”
Tate laughed and kissed h
er temple. “Yeah. I get the impression you could be pretty damn sassy.”