Chapter 6

"Loralei, you have a visitor," Nancy said to me peeking her head into my office. It was my lunch break so I didn't know who would be coming in to see me. Nancy winked at me as I walked past her into the waiting room. I rolled my eyes when I saw who was standing at the desk talking to Violet.

"Is there a problem with Shooter?" I asked Sidney. He looked over at me and flashed me one of those toothy smiles of his.

"No, there's no problem. I just wanted to talk to you about something. Are you free?" he asked. I started to tell him that I was busy when Nancy chose to answer for me.

"She's on lunch break for another 40 minutes," she explained. He looked over to me and smiled again. I narrowed my eyes at Nancy and she winked again.

"It would probably be quieter if the two of you talked in her office," Violet piped up. I clenched my jaw and decided I was never speaking to either of them ever again.

"Come on back," I said to him motioning for him to follow me. Once in my office I closed the door behind me as he sat down in one of the chairs.

"How have you been?" Sidney asked.

"Pretty good, although I don't think that's what you came here to ask me." He pulled an envelope out if his pocket and put it on the desk in front of me.

"A ticket for tonight's game. I didn't have your number to call and see if you wanted to come so I had no choice but to stop by." I picked up the envelope and took out the ticket. They were playing the Capitals.

"Crosby versus Ovechkin tonight, eh? I've always thought Ovechkin was a better overall player," I told him. He pretended to be hurt.

"How dare you say such things?" I rolled my eyes at him and held back the laugh that came. "There's something else in there, you know." I looked back in the envelope and saw a laminated card. It said "press pass."

"I'm not the press," I said. He laughed like he always seemed to be doing.

"I know but it gets you downstairs. I know you hate driving to games so you can just wait for me in the wives room and I'll bring you home after." The wives room? Seriously? I didn't belong in there.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," I said shaking my head.

"Relax, the girls are really nice. Your seat is with theirs and I told them you might be coming so they're keeping an eye out for you," he explained. He was having the wives and girlfriends keep an eye out for me?

"I'm not your girlfriend, Sidney," I said sternley. Once again he laughed.

"I know, I know, we're just friends. If we're going to be friends you need to get to know my friends and those girls are my friends." I looked back down at the pass and the ticket and knew that he was right.

"Okay, I'll be there." Suddenly he grabbed my cell phone which was sitting on my desk. "What are you doing?"

"This is your cell phone, right?" he asked. I nodded and he started scrolling through it.

"Again, I'm going to ask what are you doing?"

"Now you have my number," he said typing into my phone. Then I heard another phone ring and he took his out of his pocket. "And I have yours." He stood up and walked over to the door. "I'll see you after the game then." I watched him walk out and let my head fall to my desk.

"What did he say?" Nancy called rushing into my office with Violet close behind. I kept my head on my desk and held up the ticket. They both squealed when they saw what it was.

"You're going, aren't you?" Violet asked. I looked up at them and nodded.

They went on and on about how cute he was and they were so glad I was coming to my senses about him. I didn't answer and stopped listening. I was trying to get him to leave me alone and here I was accepting tickets from him and letting him add his number to my phone while getting mine. What was wrong with me? I continued on with my day continuously kicking myself for my stupidity as far as Sidney was concerned. Hello, Loralei, you are working on things with Thomas again! I debated skipping the game but then decided that it would be rude to tell him I was going and then be a no show.

I spent longer than I wanted to picking out my outfit for the game. The whole cab ride to the rink I went back and forth between cursing myself for caring about how I looked while there to telling myself it was only because I was going to be sitting with the other girls. I wasn't stupid I knew how the girls dressed. I'd been around it my whole life. When I walked into the arena I was still questioning myself.

I sat down in my seat about ten minutes before the game started. None of the girls were there yet. Even though I hadn't met them I knew because it was always obvious who was dating the guys and who just wished they were. Just before the drop of the puck a group of girls came walking up the stairs to the section and I knew exactly who they were.

"I'm sorry, are you Loralei?" a pretty brunette asked walking over to me. I smiled up at her.

"Yes, I am," I replied. She sat down next to me and the others surrounded us sitting in the row above and below us.

"Hi, I'm Mel, Colby Armstrong's girlfriend," she said holding out her hand. I did the same with the other girls. The group included Vero who was with Fleury, Brianne who was with Talbot, Abby who was with Malone, and a few others whose names I couldn't remember. The girls were sweet and made an effort to include me in the conversation throughout the game.

"So, are you and Sid dating or just friends? Marc never knows," Vero asked laughing.

"We're just friends, that's it," I told her. The group chatted through most of the game and I followed downstairs after the Pens beat Washington 3-2. I sat down on a couch in the wives room and waited for Sidney. I was hardly surprised when I was one of the last left in the room.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Sidney asked finally coming in. I shrugged at him.

"Not starving but I could eat," I answered. I guess that was good enough for him because instead of going home he drove to a pizza place that was open late. A few of the other guys were there.

"Loralei, how are you?" I heard someone say. I recognized Colby as he stood up to make room for us at the table.

"I'm good, how have you been?" I asked him as I sat down next to Mel who was moving over.

"Great, thanks. You've met Mel, right?" I nodded and we began to talk as the guys ate more food than any human should. As I looked around the table I noticed that it was all couples except for Sidney and I. It was a little awkward but there wasn't much I could do.

"I completely forgot to tell you earlier, but I love your shoes! Where did you get them?" Brianne asked looking at my silver open toe flats.

"They're Jimmy Choos from Saks that I got on a trip to New York City not too long ago," I told her.

"Score one for Sid dating someone who doesn't need him for his money," I heard Max whisper to a few of the guys. I managed to hold my tongue instead of announcing to the table that we weren't dating. After the food was gone Sidney and I got back into his car and drove home.

"Sorry that it was all couples back there. Usually the whole team heads there for food after games," Sidney apologized. He looked like he genuinely felt bad and I told him it wasn't a problem. Just like every other time I'd been around him conversation came easily to us. We talked about the game and he expressed his surprise at how knowledgeable I was.

"I told you, hockey came first in my family," I told him.

"Are you sure you never played?" he asked.

"No, I never played. Volleyball was my sport and I played it year round from the time I was 12 years old." Just then we pulled into my driveway. "Thank you again for the ticket and the late dinner. I'll talk to you later." I got out and walked inside only to have my phone ring almost immediately. I picked it up with looking at the caller ID.

"He, Lee-lee, I've been trying to get a hold of you," I heard Thomas say. I smiled and collapsed down on the couch.

"Sorry, I was out with some friends. What are you up to?" I spent the next half an hour on the phone with him until he said he had to get off and get some sleep for his game the next day. After a promise that he'd call me again when he had a chance we hung up and I went to bed smiling to myself. Maybe it had only been a few days since we'd seen each other after all those years, but things with Thomas were going well again.

Chapter 5

I changed my clothes and went out for a run. My plan was to do a few miles on my normal route. As I started to run I thought of Sidney. I hadn't talked to him since the dinner the week before. They were on the road and we hadn't exchanged numbers. I didn't mind either. I needed time away from him to think about the situation. After the dinner I found myself wishing that he wasn't going on the road so we could hang out some more. Now that my mind was clear I realized that Sidney could only be a friend and nothing more. I heard footsteps coming up behind me and turned to look. It was as if he was reading my mind. Sidney caught up to me and fell into step at my pace.

“Nice day for a run, eh?” he said. I smiled over at him and rolled my eyes.

“I didn’t know you ran.”

“Honestly I don't very often. I usually just get my workouts in on the ice, but I saw you run by my house and decided to join you.”

“Well, I hope you have the stamina for about four miles, because that was my plan,” I told him.

“I can handle it. I’m in great shape.”

“So cocky,” I said laughing. We stopped talking then and continued to run. About three miles into the run I noticed that his breathing was labored. I smiled and laughed to myself. Instead of finishing the run I jogged into the parking lot for a smoothie place.

“Why are we stopping?” he asked between breaths as if he wanted to keep going.

“You look like you’re about to pass out. I’m sparing you the embarrassment of falling unconscious in the middle of the road.” I walked inside and looked at the menu. “What looks good to you?” I asked him.

“I actually didn’t bring any money so I’m not going to get one,” he responded.

“Don’t worry, it’s on me. The $3 they cost isn't going to break the bank.” He smile, thanked me, and told me what he wanted. I ordered the two smoothies and we sat down at a table with them.

We talked a bit about his family and a bit about mine. While I told him that I grew up hockey was an important part of life with my family, I didn't tell him who my family was. It just didn't seem like the right time. I learned that he’d only had one girlfriend that he’d consider a serious girlfriend. All others had just been a few dates here and there. I told him that I’d been the same way but didn’t go into much detail. Just like keeping my family a secret I didn’t think that I could tell him about Thomas yet.

“Think you can finish the run back home?” I asked him when we were done with the smoothies. His eyes opened wide and he looked shocked.

“You can run after drinking something like that?” he asked.

“We did a big circle. We’re less than a mile away,” I told him laughing. “I thought you were in great shape.”

“Fuck you,” was his sarcastic response. I feigned mock horror before responding.

“Aren’t you a little young to be using words like that?” I asked. He gave me a shove as we walked out the door. “So immature.” I took off running and he had to catch up. I picked up the pace from the first three miles just to torture him.

“I know that you’re running faster to piss me off. Let me just tell you that it’s completely working,” he yelled up to me from two paces behind. I laughed and slowed down.

“You know, Crosby, if you hadn’t been so cocky I wouldn’t be such an asshole to you,” I explained.

“Asshole is right,” he agreed. We finished the run back to my house in silence. I had to admit that even I was hurting after drinking the smoothie. I almost felt bad about what I did to him. Almost.

“I guess you’ll never be running with me again.” His breathing was starting to come back to normal.

“Probably not if you’re going to be like that. On the other hand, because you were such a bitch about it, I think you owe me dinner.”

“Did you seriously just call me a bitch and then expect me to say yes to dinner?” I asked him, shocked.

“You do owe me for that run. You did it on purpose, I know it.” I opened my mouth to protest and then closed it again knowing that I had done exactly what he said.

“You’re not used to being turned down, are you?” I asked him. He smiled sheepishly as he told me no. “Look, it’s really flattering that you like me, but as I’ve told you before I’m just not interested. I’m really not trying to be an asshole by saying this but you’re just too young for me. You can’t even drink legally yet and I got my partying years out of me a long time ago.”

“What does drinking and partying have to do with it? Trust me I did my share in juniors. I hardly need to be out partying all the time anymore. It’s just dinner, not a commitment. What are you afraid of?” he asked. I’m afraid of actually falling for you if I let myself get too close and ending up in the same position I was in with Thomas, I thought.

“I’m not afraid of anything. Fine, we’ll go to dinner, but only because I owe you for being mean, not because this is a date.” He stepped towards me so his face was only inches from mine and smiled.

“We’ll see. Be ready at 7.” With that he moved away and jogged back to his house. I couldn’t help but laugh at his cockiness. I’d have to take him down a notch. I walked into the house to shower and get ready for dinner.

“I hope you like sushi,” Sidney said when I got into the car.

“I love it.” We went to a sushi place I never even knew existed. It was small and intimate and I gave Sidney a disapproving look when we sat down at a table in a dark corner. He just smiled at me and started to look at the menu. We picked out our rolls and gave the order to the waitress.

“So much for this not being a date,” I said to him. "Could it be any more intimate?"

“Hey, I just like this place, that’s all,” was his response. Then he laughed at me. “Nice talent.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked confused.

“The eyebrow thing,” was the response. I put a hand up to my eyebrow involuntarily.

“Did I raise it?” I asked. He nodded. “I don’t even know when I’m doing it, but it’s been pointed out to me before.”

“Don’t worry, it’s cute.” I was about to remind him that we weren’t here on a date when the rolls came. The conversation became lighter as we ate. Neither of us made a move to leave when the food was done. I could see why Sidney liked this place. The rolls were some of the best I’d ever had and there weren’t many people. He could enjoy his privacy while out for once. As we talked my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Loralei? It’s Thomas,” a familiar voice said to me. My heart skipped as I wondered how he’d gotten my phone number.

“What is it?” I asked turning away from Sidney as if he wouldn’t be able to hear what I was saying if I did.
“I’m in Pittsburgh right now. We’re playing the Penguins tomorrow. I was just hoping that we could talk. I have some things I really need to talk to you about.” Thomas Vanek was my first and only love and currently a star for the Buffalo Sabres. I glanced over at Sidney before responding.

“I don’t know if-“

“Please, it won’t take long. Just give me a chance. I’m staying at the Marriott by the Mellon Arena. I’m in room 352.” I thought for a moment. I didn’t know if it would be a good idea to go see him.

“I’ll be right there,” I said finally and hung up. I looked up at Sidney. “I’m really sorry, there’s an emergency at the clinic and I have to go in. Could you bring me home?” I lied.

“Sure, of course. I can bring you to the clinic if you want,” he offered.

“No, I need my car. I could be there for a few hours and I wouldn’t have a way home otherwise.”

Sidney got the bill, paid and then brought me home. After he left I got in my car and drove to the Marriott. I hesitated in the lobby still unsure if this was a good idea. I hadn’t spoken to Thomas since we’d broken up. I built up my courage and took the elevator to the third floor. I paused for a minute outside the door before I knocked. The door opened and Thomas was standing there looking as good as ever.

“I’m really glad you came,” he said stepping aside so I could come in.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked getting right to the point keeping my arms crossed protectively.

“I wanted to say I was sorry about everything that I did to you. I should have been up front with you from the start. It wasn’t fair of me to lie to you about Ashley. I really did love you Loralei, but when I met Ashley I developed feelings for her too and I should have told you.” He looked at me waiting for a response.

“Was that what you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked him. He nodded yes and I moved to the door. “Thanks. Good luck tomorrow.” I reached for the doorknob when I felt his hand grab my arm.

“Lee-lee, wait.” Tears came to my eyes when I heard him use the nickname he had for me. I thought of how when he first saw my name written down in a class we had together he thought it was pronounced Lora-lee. It became a joke between us and eventually a nickname for me. He turned me around to face him. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. It’s been three years and I still think about you all the time. The truth is that if you had let me, I would have chosen you over Ashley. I was in love with you. I still think I am. I miss you, so much.”

My stomach was tying itself in knots and my heart felt like someone was squeezing it as hard as they could. I knew it was going to hurt to see Thomas but this was unexpected. For a moment I let myself think about what my life would have been like if I was still with him. This couldn’t be happening to me. For a long time this was exactly what I’d been hoping to hear from him until I’d told myself it wasn’t worth it. Now he was saying it and I didn’t know what to do.

“You hurt me, more than I think you know. You broke my heart,” I said to him through tears. He stepped closer to me until his face was inches from mine. I was trapped between him and the door.

“I know. I’m just hoping that you’ll give me another chance. Let me repair the damage I did.” He leaned in and put his lips to mine. My head told me to push him away and leave but I couldn’t make my body do it. Instead I kissed him back. It felt better than I remembered to kiss him and have his arms around me. Then I thought of Sidney. For just a second I imagined it was him I was kissing instead of Thomas.

“What about Ashley?” I asked when the kiss ended.

“Ashley and I aren’t working. I’m ending things between us.” I sighed and fell into his arms. We began to kiss again. The kiss started off lightly but quickly became desperate. Before I knew what was happening we were tearing each others clothes off.

“What about your roommate?” I asked breathlessly as we fell back onto the bed.

“He’s out for the night with some of the other guys. He won’t be back for a while.” That was good enough for me.

When I got home later I told myself that what had just happened was just a dream. There was no way I’d just spent the last few hours with Thomas. It had been just like old times. We’d talked and laughed about everything. He told me about Buffalo and his teammates. I just hoped that he’d meant what he’d said that night.

I thought of Sidney again and wondered why I'd thought of him while kissing Thomas and why I'd thought of kissing him instead. I just didn't have feelings for him like that. My mind had no answer for me and I chose to push the thought out of my head and never think of it again.

When I received a phone call from Thomas the next day my heart skipped and I smiled. He wanted to keep us being back together a secret until he’d had a chance to tell Ashley that things were over. At first I balked at it, but then he told me he didn’t want to do to her what he’d done to me and I grudgingly agreed. He promised to call when he got back to Buffalo and I couldn't wait to talk to him again.

Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning to my alarm and my first thought was dinner with Sidney that night. I groaned while thinking about it. What had I been thinking agreeing to go with him? I was kidding myself if I thought this wasn't going to be a date. I showered and got dressed then drove in to work.

"So did you make it to the game yesterday?" Nancy asked me practically as I walked in the door. I continued back to my office followed closely by both her and Violet.

"Good morning to you too," I said instead of answering her question.

"Of course she did. How could you resist someone so cute?" Violet asked. Neither of them made a move like they were going to leave my office and I knew that they would stand right there all day if they had to until they heard about the night before.

"Yes, I went," I answered. I took off my coat and sat down at my desk preparing for the day.

"And?" Nancy asked. "Did you see him?" I looked up at them and realized that they were both married and hadn't been on a date with a new guy in years.

"I waited for him after the game. I just wanted to thank him for the ticket," I threw in at the end when I saw the looks on their faces. They both started giggling like teenagers. "It wasn't a date! I'm not interested in dating him."

"Are you going to see him again?" Violet asked. I let my head fall to the desk.

"We're having dinner tonight," I mumbled keeping my head down. I didn't want to see the looks on their faces.

"You like him!" Nancy called.

"I do not!" I protested.

"You don't what?" Tom asked coming to the door. I was thankful for the interruption. Well, I was until Violet spilled.

"Loralei's dating Sidney Crosby," she told him. His eyes opened wide in shock. I knew he was a Penguins fan.

"I am not. We're just friends. I hardly know him," I explained. I felt like I wanted to die. Thankfully they all cleared out a few minutes later and I got to work.





Sidney walked into the rink with a smile on his face. He'd convinced Loralei to go to dinner with him tonight. Whether she wanted to call it a date or say it was just friends going to dinner, he didn't care. Either way he was looking forward to spending some time with her and getting to know her.

"Sorry about the doc not showing up last night," Marc-Andre Fleury said to him as he walked into the lockerroom.

"She was there. She just came late. Emergency at the clinic she said," Sidney explained.

"Alright then. How'd she like it?" Maxime Talbot asked.

"I guess I'll find out at dinner tonight," Sid said with a smile on his face. The guys started to give him a hard time and he laughed it all off.

That practice was probably one of is best. He was in a great mood and it obviously translated into his play. He was scoring left and right and blowing past all the defenseman. Even Therrian commented on it.

"Where are you going to take her?" Jordan Staal asked while they were getting dressed.

"I'm thinking that nice Italian place downtown. There's no way she doesn't like Italian." Sidney walked out of the rink and to his car with a permanent smile on his face. There was no way anything was going to ruin tonight.





I stood in my towel staring at the clothes in my closet. What the hell was I doing to wear? I didn't know where we were going so I wasn't sure how nice to dress. I settled on a pair of nice jeans and a black shirt. I'd told him not to make it a date so I knew I didn't have to look too nice. It was then that I smacked myself. Why was I stressing over what to wear? I didn't even like him! I'd just finished getting ready when I heard the doorbell ring.

"You look nice," Sidney said when I opened the door. I was glad to see that he was pretty casually dressed as well.

"Thank you. You don't look so terrible yourself," I replied. He smiled and I got into his car.

"I thought we could get some Italian since I know this really great place. Is that okay with you?" he asked. I nodded.

"Sounds good to me," I said. We drove downtown and walked into a small Italian restaurant. I was glad to see it didn't look to particualrly nice. Maybe he'd taken me seriously and wasn't trying to date me.

"So you said you moved here from New Jersey. Are you from there?" he asked after we ordered.

"No, I was actually born in Montreal," I told him.

"So you're Canadian, eh?" he asked putting extra emphasis on the "eh." I laughed.

"I actually have duel citizenship. I was only in Montreal until I was 6. Then my family moved to LA." Now he looked confused. I braced myself for the questions that I knew were coming. Even so, I still didn't want to have to explain who my father was.

"Okay, you were born in Montreal, lived in LA, and then ended up in New Jersey somehow. You're well traveled. How long were you in LA?" I took a deep breath before continuing.

"I was in LA for three years. I moved back to Montreal for a year after that before moving to New Jersey for two years. Then it was back to LA for another four years, and then it was New Jersey from then on until I moved to Pittsburgh for work last year," I explained.

"Why all the moving?" he asked.

"It was for my father's job," I said leaving it at that. "How about you? You've gone from Nova Scotia, to Minnesota, to Quebec, and now Pittsburgh. It's really not all that different."

"I guess you're right," he replied. Dinner came then and I couldn't believe the size of the portion sitting in front of me.

"I hope you're hungry because I'll be lucky to get through half of this," I joked. He laughed.

"I always have room for food."

"So, tell me about growing up for you. What was it like to have the media all over you for most of it?" I asked genuinely curious. It couldn't have been easy to always be in the spotlight.

"Ah, the fun part of growing up," he said sarcastically. "Honestly it was cool at first and then really began to suck. It was a lot of pressure and I felt like I could never have an off day without somebody jumping down my throat. There were always people just waiting to throw me under the bus saying I'd never live up to the hype."

"I couldn't even imagine having to go through that. I don't understand why people are such assholes."

"Yeah, well, thankfully I have great parents who always said I could quit if I wanted to because it made no difference to them." Wow, parents that let a kid make their own decisions. Too bad I didn't have parents with the same philosophy.

"I bet it got you a lot of girls though," I joked lightening the conversation. He laughed.

"A lot certainly threw themselves at me that's for sure. Of course when you don't have to work for something it's a lot less fun," he said pointedly looking into my eyes. Oh no, not this again.

"Well, I am officially full. Take what you want," I told him pushing my plate to his side of the table. He laughed.

"I'll gladly polish that off."

"Hey, look who's here! What a coincidence!" I heard a guy yell coming up to our table. I saw Sidney shoot daggers at the guy with his eyes. "You must be Loralei," he said.

"Yes, I am," I said with a smile.

"I'm Colby Armstrong and this is Ryan Whitney," he said introducing himself and the other guy that was with him. I shook their hands.

"It's nice to meet you," I said.

"What are you two doing here?" Sidney asked.

"We were hungry and thought, 'hey, I'm in the mood for some good Italian,'" Ryan said grinning at Sidney. "Mind if we join you?"

"Actually we're just finishing up," Sidney began to protest. They sat down in the two vacant chairs anyway.

"Well surely you guys are going to get dessert," Colby said grabbing Sidney's soda and taking a sip.

"So our boy Sid said that it's been tough to get you to agree to come out with him," Ryan said taking a bite of Sidney's dinner. I tried not to laugh at the look on Sidney's face.

"I'm just busy and don't have a lot of time for things like this," I told him.

"Hey, a couple of beers and some tiramisu please!" Colby called out to a waitress walking by. Sidney's face was turning bright red although I couldn't tell if it was because of anger or embarrassment.

The rest of the night was an absolute riot. Colby and Ryan were hilarious making fun of Sidney and doing everything they could to embarrass him. When they check came we said goodbye to the two of them and got into Sidney's car.

"I'm so sorry about them. They're completely embarrassing," Sidney said as we headed home. I laughed.

"They weren't that bad. I thought they were funny," I told him.

"Yeah, you would," he said with a laugh.

"Good luck on the road," I told him before I shut the door and walked inside. Once in I realized that I truly had had a great time at dinner.

Chapter 3

“It’s not funny,” I told Reagan laughing even as I said it. I took a sip of my coffee, silently cursing over it still being too hot.

“Ror, it’s hilarious. You have a 20 year old stalking you. He’s not even old enough to drink yet!” I had just told her about my three run-ins with Sidney. I just shook my head at her unsure of how to respond. “Are you doing something to lead the kid on?”

“Of course not! You think I want a kid barely out of his teenage years following me around like a lost puppy?” I tested my coffee again. It didn’t seem as hot, but I figured it was because I’d already burned my tongue. I looked out at the people walking by on the street. How did I always get myself into situations like this one?

“Okay, well, you’re just going to have to tell him to leave you alone next time he comes around, unless of course you feel like robbing the cradle.” I laughed in spite of myself. I quickly changed the subject without wanting to discuss him any further.

When the coffee was done we went our separate ways. The rest of the day went by quickly as I ran errands and cleaned my house. I pushed Sidney out of my head and didn’t allow myself to think about him again. The next two days went by without incident. Tuesday seemed to be heading in the same direction until I got back to the office from lunch. Violet, our secretary, stopped me just after I walked through the door.

“Loralei, someone dropped this envelope off for you while you were gone.” She handed me the envelope and there was nothing written on the outside.

“Do you know who it was?” I asked puzzled by the envelope. She shook her head no.

“He was certainly an attractive man though. Muscular and very attractive.” I thanked her and took the envelope into my office. I sat down at my desk and hesitated before opening it. A muscular and very attractive man? I couldn’t think of who it would be. I opened the envelope and saw a note along with a ticket to the Penguins game that night against the Islanders. I didn’t need to open the note to know who had dropped the ticket off. I finally opened the note to read it.

I thought you might want to see the game tonight. I at least thought I’d extend the invitation. The game starts at 7. I hope you can make it. Maybe you’ll cheer for us since we’re not playing your beloved Devils.

It was signed by Sidney. I couldn’t go to the game. I would just be leading him on. Then again, it wasn’t like I was going to be talking to him. He’d be on the ice and I’d be in the stands. I'd never turned down tickets for a hockey game before. I was still having the internal debate when I continued with my appointments for the day.





During warm-ups Sidney kept looking up into the stands. He had made sure he knew where her tickets were going to be so he could look up and see her. By the time warm-ups were over he still hadn’t seen her. He told himself it didn’t mean anything, it was still early. She probably had to go home after work and change and then get there. He’d see her when he went out for the start of the game.

When he got out for the start he looked up and she still wasn’t there. He still wasn’t discouraged. People were a few minutes late for games all the time. After the third TV timeout with just five minutes left in the period and she still wasn’t there he realized that she just wasn’t coming. Maybe it was time to give up the pursuit. She had said she wasn’t interested and he now believed her. He pushed her out of his mind and concentrated on the game.





I rushed out of work an hour late. An emergency had come in right before we closed. A family cat had been hit by a car and severely injured. We had rushed the cat into surgery and had luckily saved its life, at least for now. I’d have to come back later tonight to check on the cat and make sure it was doing okay after the surgery. I drove home and showered as quickly as I could. I called a cab because there was no way I was driving down to the rink. I’d learned in the past that it was nearly impossible to get in and out of parking for a hockey game quickly. By the time I got to the game the first period was already over.

I watched the Penguins easily dispose of the Islanders 4-1. I wasn’t surprised that Sidney had two assists in the game. I knew I couldn’t get downstairs at all to talk to him but I wanted to thank him for the tickets. I wasn’t trying to see him because I actually wanted to talk to him, it was simply the nice thing to do. At least that was what I told myself. I found out from some of the people I was sitting around where the players drove out and that they often signed autographs for the fans waiting outside. I’d just have to wait and see if I could catch him.

I waited outside with a couple dozen fans. I felt a little awkward and out of place standing there alone with nothing in my hands to be signed. I noticed a group of girls who were trying way too hard to look good for the guys. I don't know how they weren't cold in their mini skirts and tank tops. I just rolled my eyes at them and waited. Cars started driving out. They stopped and fans ran up to the windows with things to sign and cameras for pictures.

Eventually I saw what I thought was Sidney’s car come out. I knew it was him as soon as almost every fan ran over to it immediately. The group of girls rushed over as well. I made my way over and saw him smiling and talking to the fans. How he did it, I would never know. I knew I would never be able to handle it.

I stood in the background letting the fans get their autographs. When the crowd started to clear out a bit I pushed forward. I possessively positioned myself between Sidney and the group of girls giggling and waiting to talk to him. I scolded myself for doing so, and I couldn’t figure out why I thought it mattered. When I finally got close enough I bent down to look into the car window at him from the curb I was standing on. When he looked up and saw me he smiled.

“Loralei, you came,” he said to me, sounding more than a little surprised. I smiled back at him.

“I came. Thanks for the tickets.” I could see the girls glaring at me from the side, the giggles subsiding.

“Did you drive here?” he asked. I shook my head.

“I took a cab. I didn't want to deal with getting in and out of the parking lot,” I explained. He motioned to the passenger side of the car.

“Get in,” he said. I smiled and walked over to the side of the car. I couldn’t help but give the girls a little smirk before I got in.

“Bitch,” I heard one of them say as I opened the door. I laughed internally. I heard Sidney apologize to the remaining fans saying that he had to get going but he’d sign again next time. Then he drove off out of the parking lot and headed home.

“I didn’t think you were going to come. I saw that you weren’t there in the first and thought you decided not to.” So he’d been looking for me? Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come. And I certainly shouldn’t have gone down to wait for him. Now he probably thought I really was interested. Nice predicament you’ve gotten yourself into, Loralei, I told myself.

“Well, I almost didn’t make it. We had a cat that was hit by a car come in right before we closed up the office. I had to perform emergency surgery and it took a while to do so. Luckily we saved the cat’s life, at least for now anyway.” Instead of looking over at him I looked the other way out the window and watched the cars we were passing on the highway.

“Well, I’m glad you made it. What made you go outside and wait for me?” I’m not really sure, I thought to myself.

“I just wanted to thank you for the ticket. I wasn’t sure how else to go about it.” Oh great, that sounded like a line. He was about to give me his phone number or something now, I know it. Surprisingly he didn’t respond right away and we rode in silence for a few minutes. Maybe I was worried for no reason and he was just being friendly. I’d told him I wasn’t interested and he had obviously gotten the point.

“I go on the road on Thursday for a week. How about dinner tomorrow night before I go?” he asked. Okay, I was wrong and he hadn’t gotten the point. I sighed and chose my words carefully.

“Look, I’m really not trying to be a bitch or anything, but I’ve told you I’m not interested. I just don’t have time to date right now and I’m not looking for someone to date either.” That wasn’t completely true. It would be really nice to have someone in my life, but I thought that it would sound nicer if he thought I was rejecting all men instead of just him.

“A friendly dinner then, unless you’re opposed to having friends?” I thought for a moment. Was I really going to be able to just be friends with him? He seemed really interested in me and I was nervous that his feelings weren’t going to go away. Then again, maybe after he got to know me he’d decide I just wasn’t the one for him. I could always stop it if it got out of control. What would it hurt to just be friends?

“A friendly dinner sounds great.” I really hoped I wasn’t going to regret this decision later on. He pulled into my driveway then. I looked over at him and smiled. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Not a problem. I’ll pick you up at 7:30? You’ll be out of work by then, right?” he asked.

“I should be barring unforeseen circumstances. Don’t make it a fancy dinner. I don’t want to feel like I was tricked into going on a date.” Without waiting for a response I got out of the car and went inside. I was pretty sure I heard him laughing as I shut the door.

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I've taken some creative liberties as far as Sid's housing situation in this story in order to make it work.

“Look, Mr. Quentin, Pepper needs to eat less. He’s 10 pounds overweight. It doesn’t sound like much, but to a dog it feels like almost 40 pounds on a human. You need to cut his food in half, stop giving him table scraps and get him to exercise some more.” He looked down at his dog and patted him on the head.

“I promise I’ll take care of it. I could stand to lose a few pounds myself. It’ll help me to bring Pepper for a walk at night”, he responded. He was right, he could definitely lose a few, I thought. He thanked me and he took Pepper out of the room and to the parking lot. I went into my office to check over some files on my desk.

“Loralei, do you have a minute?” I looked up and saw Dr. Markham standing in the doorway.

“Of course. What is it?” I asked. Dr. Markham was my mentor. I had actually lucked out when I just fell into this position. Most vets just out of school have to get lowly jobs and work their way up. Luckily for me my father was good friends with a vet, Gilbert Hallé in Montreal. He’d met Dr. Markham numerous times at conferences and had become friends. When he learned Dr. Markham was thinking of retiring in a few years and wanted to pass off the clinic to someone, he recommended me for the job.

“I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been very impressed with both your work and your rapport with the patients you’ve been taking on. I’ve gotten nothing but compliments from everyone from the rest of the staff to the people you see.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Markham. I really appreciate that. I’m just trying my best and trying to learn from every case that comes in.”

“Call me Tom, please. I hate being so formal. I’ll let you get back to your appointments. This practice will be in good hands when I finally retire if you’re the one taking over.” I smiled, blushing a little and thanked him again.

Nancy came in with the file with my next appointment. It was a new client who had just bought a puppy. A black lab to be exact. I just had to give the puppy a few shots and that would be easy enough. I quickly looked at the names as I walked into the room.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Crosby. And you must be Shooter.” I said looking down at the dog standing at my feet before even venturing a glance at its owner.

“Hello, Loralei,” he responded. I looked up, shocked to hear my name. I mentally smacked myself in the head when I saw who was sitting in the chair across from me. How did I miss that it said Sidney next to the Crosby in my file? “I thought you were just a receptionist or something.”

“No, you assumed that and I just didn’t correct you. So we’re just giving Shooter some shots today?” I asked trying to keep it business between us. Sidney had other ideas.

“Yeah, that’s what we’re here for. I can’t believe of all the offices I could have gone to, I walk into yours. I’d actually been thinking about you ever since we met.”

“Did I make that bad an impression?” He laughed. Was he ever not smiling or laughing?

“No, not at all. I was just wondering if I was ever going to see you again.” Instead of responding I got to work getting the shots ready for his dog. I gave the shots and then gave Sidney some advice on raising the dog. He got up to leave but turned to me before he walked out the door. “I guess I know where to find you now.”

“I guess you do, but I’m not sure how much good that would do you. I’ve already told you I’m not exactly interested.” He wouldn’t be discouraged.

“You told me you didn’t want to go home with me. That’s fine, I’ll just come to you.” He sure was persistent. I had to laugh. I walked him out and watched him get in his car and drive away. This was going to be interesting.





“Come on, she was the vet?” Colby Armstrong asked the next day after practice. “At least you found her and you can shut up about it now.”

“It wasn’t like I was talking about her all the time. I just said that I wish there was a way I could find her.” He should have expected the reactions when he told the guys that Loralei had been Shooter’s vet. And now he knew that her last name was Robinson. Loralei Robinson.

“Jesus, Sid, you only brought her up everyday,” Ryan Whitney piped up. Sidney rolled his eyes and ignored the comment continuing to get dressed.

“Did you at least ask her out after all that you’ve put us through?” Erik Christensen called from his stall across the way.

“No, I didn’t. I’m thinking about giving her tickets to one of the upcoming games though, just drop them off at her office.”

The idea had just occurred to him and he decided that it was a good plan. He knew she liked hockey, even if she wasn’t necessarily a fan of his team. It was also neutral ground. She’d be there watching him but it wouldn’t feel like a date which she seemed to be avoiding for whatever reason. He couldn’t figure her out. She was definitely flirting with him, but she wouldn’t budge an inch on a date. He thought a game would be a good idea.

“You think the doc won’t mind dating a younger guy?” Adam Hall asked only half kidding.

“We’ll see when I drop the tickets off,” Sidney replied grabbing his stuff and heading out of the locker room. It was a Saturday. He would drop tickets off for Tuesday night’s game on Tuesday morning at her office. It was settled.

He thought about Loralei on his drive home. He couldn’t figure out why he liked her so much. She was obviously trying to tell him she wasn’t interested, but he could tell there was something about her. He’d just have to be persistent and see where it got him. Of course he had to be careful she didn’t think he was some creepy stalker. Then with the thought of a stalker in his mind he realized why she was resistant. She thought he was the stereotypical hockey player. She probably thought he had girls at his house left and right. She had told him she wasn’t that type of girl. He had thought she meant the type that went home with a stranger but now he knew she meant the type that became just a number to a guy. Except that she was wrong if that was what she thought. This was his first year living on his own and he was hardly parading girls into Mario Lemieux’s house with his wife and kids at home. He’d just have to make sure that she knew that.

He was certainly no virgin, but he’d hardly built up the numbers. He was 20 and although most 20 year old males his age were out getting what they could, he’d always craved something more. It was just the way he’d been brought up. He had too much respect to treat women that way, like they were good enough for one night and should be discarded after. Why he thought Loralei was the girl he’d been craving, he didn’t know. He barely knew her. What did he even know?

He knew she was beautiful. She had amazing brown eyes. It was hard to look away from them both times he’d been around her. He felt like he knew her when he looked into them, as corny and cliche as that sounds. He’d also always been a sucker for brunettes. Not to mention the dark color of her skin. He wasn’t sure if she was naturally dark or if it was from tanning but it looked great on her. And that body. She had curves in all the right places. He couldn’t take his eyes off that ass of hers when she’d walked out of the bar that night.

Getting past all the superficial parts of her he knew she had a sense of humor. He couldn’t help but laugh, especially when he saw the twinkle in her eyes when she made a joke. The way her nose scrunched up when she laughed was just adorable. She was obviously smart since she was a veterinarian. He needed to be able to have a conversation with someone. There was more to girls than just a pretty face. But man, that ass.

His thoughts were jolted from Loralei when there was a loud pop and he had to take over control of the car. He pulled over to the side of the road, his heart racing. Had he just blown a tire? He got out and looked and saw that he really had. “Well, shit. I’m two streets from home.” He opened his trunk to get out the spare and the jack. “Fuck!” There was no jack. Then he remembered lending it to Sergei Gonchar last week. That’s just great, he thought. He looked up to the house he’d parked in front of. He’d just have to go see if they had one he could use. He walked up to the front door just hoping it wasn’t a super fan that would go crazy when they saw him. He rang the doorbell and waited.





I’d been up since about 8 that morning. Usually I liked to sleep in on weekends but I’d had a dream about Sidney Crosby doing inappropriate things to me and I’d liked it. Well, not when I woke up, I didn’t. I was just a little creeped out by the dream and decided not to risk having another one by going back to sleep. Instead I’d gone for a run and then went to the grocery store. I had just finished putting away the groceries when the doorbell rang. I groaned since I was just on my way up to take a nap and walked to the door. I pulled it open and couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Are you stalking me?” I asked, only half kidding. Sidney looked at me and laughed. It was an adorable laugh. He really needed to stop doing that.

“I swear I’m not. The tire on my car just blew out and I loaned my jack to someone and I just came up here to see if you had one. I had no idea you lived here.” I looked past him to his car and saw that he was telling the truth. This was one hell of a coincidence. There were too many coincidences going on with him.

“Come on in. I have to go down to the basement to grab it. You do have a tire to put on, right? I can’t help you with that.” I held the door open for him. He walked into the foyer and I closed the door. “I may need your help getting it down, you’re a bit taller than me and I’m pretty sure it’s up high.”
“Not a problem. Why is your jack in the house and not in your car?” he asked.

"I never got around to putting it in the car. Stupid I know. I'll end up stranded on the side of the highway some day," I responded shrugging. He followed me back through the house to the basement door.

“Nice house.”

“Thanks.”

“Please don’t be offended, but how did you afford a place like this? Don’t most people that just get out of school have loads of student loans to pay off?” He asked. I had no desire to get into my background and why I had the money. I barely knew him, he didn't need to know who my father was.

“My parents put aside money for me when I was born for after I graduated school. The deal was I could have it to spend on what I wanted when I had a career. I decided to get a house.” I walked down the stairs with Sidney following close behind.

“Air hockey and bubble hockey? That’s awesome. You’ve got quite a game room down here,” he commented running his hand along my pool table. He was right. I’d turned my basement into a game room. I had a pool table, air hockey, bubble hockey, a 60” flat screen and a bar down there.

“I like to entertain and I like to have things for people to do other than sit around.” I opened another door into a storage area. I looked around for the jack and found it on the top shelf exactly where I thought I’d left it. “The jack’s up there. Think you can reach it?”

Sidney reached up and grabbed it in response. I followed him outside to his car to see if he needed any help. After assuring me he knew what he was doing, Sidney took off the damaged tire and replaced it with the spare.

“Thanks for letting me use the jack. I can’t tell you how glad I am that it was you that opened the door and not some crazy super fan.” I laughed at that.

“So what are you doing on my street anyway?” I asked. It wasn’t exactly a feeder road to anyplace. It was more of a neighborhood than anything.

“I actually live two streets over on Loomis.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” As much as I didn’t believe in fate it started to feel like something was pushing me at Sidney Crosby. “Don’t you find it a bit odd that we meet at a random bar, then you walk into my vet office, then you’re car’s tire blows outside my house, and now you live two streets away from me?”

“It’s definitely strange. But hey, maybe we were meant to meet.” He gave me that boyish smile. Wait, boyish smile? He was still a boy! I needed to get away from him before I completely lost my mind.

“Well, I was in the middle of some work that I really need to get done. Make sure you get a real tire put on that car.” He laughed, again. He was always laughing.

“I think I’ll remember. Thanks again for letting me use the jack. I’ll see you around.” He got back in his car and I turned and went back into the house. If I kept seeing him around I was going to have a hard time thwarting his advances. There was just something about him. Then my father’s words came back to me. It was a warning I’d learned the hard way. Dad had been right when he warned me back then about my boyfriend. I hadn’t listened at the beginning and I paid for it at the end. I was just going to have to avoid Sidney Crosby. It turned out it was much easier said than done.

Chapter 1

Set in October of 2007

Blood was everywhere. It was impossible to see where it was coming from. Was it possible that there was more than one wound?

“Suction!” I yelled to the assistant next to me. It didn’t seem to do any good. There was just too much blood. I worked as best I could to repair the damage to the German shepherd’s heart, but it was no use. I called it and walked out of the room. I left the OR and walked straight into my office where I sat down and cried. They weren’t tears of sadness, but tears of frustration and anger. How could someone be so cruel that they would just stab a family dog? I don’t know how long I sat there staring at my desk.

I was an emotional person. Too emotional, I often thought. It was definitely a fault. I liked to think it was my only fault, but I knew better. I'm a crier, a big time crier. I cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm angry, and I cry when I'm happy. I'm the girl that cries at the end of every movie. Nothing made me cry more than my job. Being a veterinarian meant that I saw pets die on a regular basis and it was tough. It didn't matter that I didn't know these animals, it was enough to know that someone was going to miss them.

“Loralei?” I looked up to see one of the veterinary assistant’s standing in the door.

“What is it?” I asked in frustration.

“There are people waiting to see you. Dr. Markham sent me in to get you,” Nancy responded. I covered my face with my hands and sighed. The last thing I wanted to do was put on a smile and see more patients.

“I’ll be right there.” I spent the rest of my day with a fake smile on my face giving cats and dogs shots and lecturing a few people on the right nutrition for their animals. Normally seeing healthy pets made me smile and forget everything negative that was currently going on in my life, but not today. The German shepherd case had an affect on me. I desperately needed a drink. And that’s exactly what I told my friends when I called them on my way home. Thank God it was Friday.





He glanced up at the clock and saw that it read 45.3 seconds. They were down by a goal and he was spending the time out trying to catch his breath. He’d been on the ice for the last 30 seconds since they had pulled the goalie trying to score. He’d be on the ice for the rest of the period as well. It was hardly an important game, it was only the third of the season, but points mattered, however you got them. The guaranteed point could mean the difference between playoffs or an early summer at the end of the season.

When the time out was over he skated back to the circle preparing for the faceoff. The fans were on their feet making all the noise they could to encourage his team to score. The puck was dropped and he followed the play. He forgot about the time on the clock and focused on the puck. The puck came to him and he turned and fired it at the net. The crowd erupted as the red light flashed. He stuck his arms in the air as his five teammates on the ice crowded around him.

The game went into overtime without a goal being scored. It was time for the shootout. He knew he’d be shooting. He always did. Without hesitation he skated to the end of the bench where backup goalie Dany Sabourin sat.

“Look to shoot high blocker,” Sabby said without having to be asked.

“We’ll see,” he replied with a smile and the move he would make formed in his mind. Of course he’d have to wait and see if Lundqvist bit at the fake before he could be sure, but he knew what he wanted to do. He would be the second shooter of three. It meant he’d always shoot and that he always had a chance to make a difference.

“Come on, Sid!” he heard Brooks Orpik yell out to him when it came to his turn. The shootout stood at 1-0 for them over the Rangers. Although it wasn’t necessary for him to score to still win, it was important. It didn’t matter, this is what he thrived on. The pressure and the important situations were his specialty. He played better when it mattered.

When the ref blew the whistle signaling that he could go, he skated to the puck and took it down the ice. He went in fast and hard moving to his left. Lundqvist followed him cutting down the angle. He cut to the right moving the puck to his backhand and Lundqvist bit. Without hesitation he angled back to the left and lifted the puck to the top left corner. Lundqvist’s blocker just missed the puck and it found the back of the net.

He went back to the bench greeted with cheers from the boys. Now it was up to Fleury to stop the next shooter and the game was theirs. Without trouble Fleury made the save and they all poured out onto the ice celebrating the comeback win. They’d be going out tonight for sure.





“Another round, please!” I yelled to the bartender at Sharky’s. I’d just discovered the place two months before and it had quickly become a favorite. There were enough people to make it entertaining, but not so many that you were bumping into people as you walked around. There was an area for people to dance if they pleased, but it was more like a lounge than a club.

“Girl, you’re lucky it’s a weekend, because you’re going to be hurting tomorrow,” my friend Phoebe said to me laughing. I knew she was right. The need for one drink at dinner had turned into the need for another when the anger didn’t subside. Three glasses of wine later I felt too good to go home so my three friends and I decided to hit up Sharky’s for a bit.

The snakebites came and we held up our shotglasses to each other and took the shot. There were some hoots from the guys that had gravitated towards us. It wasn’t surprising that we seemed to hold most of the male attention in the place. My friends were gorgeous. Phoebe was a tall, leggy blonde. Reagan reminded me of Jessica Alba and Sheila’s dark, exotic looks caught guys’ attention everywhere she went.

I sipped on the Captain and diet that followed the shot and laughed at some poor guy on the dance floor who thought he was a good dancer. If I had another shot I knew I’d be out there doing the exact same thing. Just then a group of guys in suits caught my attention. They were sitting further down along the bar and were all looking our way. Well, look at that, we caught the Pittsburgh Penguins’ attention. I rolled my eyes and turned away.

“So, who’s house am I crashing at tonight? I certainly can’t drive home and I’m not paying for a $40 cab ride,” I overheard Reagan saying.

“You can stay at mine. I have to head out towards your place tomorrow anyway,” Sheila responded. I was about to ask what she was doing when I felt someone bump my arm as they sat down on the stool next to me. I glanced over to give the person an annoyed look but stopped when I saw Sidney Crosby smiling at me.

“Do you need a refill?” he asked pointing to my drink. He was kidding right? I’d just gotten this one, I thought. But when I looked down I saw that it was almost gone. Had I really had that much of it already?

“Thanks, but I already have one coming.” I started to turn away. In no way was I interested in being picked up by this kid tonight. He was the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the super star of the NHL. You couldn’t hear the word “hockey” without hearing his name attached to it. “The league’s next great superstar,” they used to say. He was a hell of a hockey player, and probably had a hell of a lineup of girls in and out of his house every night. No thanks.

“I’ll grab the next one then.” He obviously wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“Are you even old enough to buy me another drink?” I asked him knowing that he was, in fact, only 20 years old. He’d obviously only gotten into Sharky’s because of who he was. He probably didn’t even need a fake ID.

“Of course I am, how else would I be allowed in here?” I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. This guy was a joke. I looked to see if my friends were hearing this, but they’d moved off to talk to a group of guys at the other end of the bar. Thanks for abandoning me, I thought.

“Well, you are only 20, aren’t you?” I asked. He laughed in response.

“So you know who I am.” He had a cocky smile on his face.

“Does anyone in this city not know?” I asked rolling my eyes.

“Only the ones that watch hockey do, I’m sure. Obviously you watch.” I had no desire to follow my friends and at least this was going to be amusing, so I decided to continue the conversation.

“I am a hockey fan.”

“You must have loved the comeback win tonight then.” He was obviously proud of himself, gloating in a self-important way. So he’d scored twice in the game and then once in the shootout, big deal.

“I could care less, actually,” I said shrugging as if I could care less.

“I thought you said you were a fan.” He looked confused. Poor kid thought everyone loved him.

“I said I was a hockey fan, not a Penguins fan.” I smiled at him. He looked like he’d been shot.

“Who are you a fan of then?”

“The Devils.”

“How do you live here and like the Devils?” he asked, baffled. Now he looked like someone had just skinned his puppy.

“Well, since I just moved here a year ago and I spent a chunk of my life in New Jersey, it’s easy,” I responded. I wasn't about to get into how complicated my childhood had actually been.

“Well, you know who I am, so how about telling me what your name is?”

“Loralei.” I pushed away my now empty glass.

“I thought you had another one coming.” I wanted to pat the kid on the head and tell him to go find someone his own age. It wasn’t like I was that much older, but 24 and 20 can be a big difference. The bartender came back over.

“I do now. One more please and then close out my tab,” I said turning to him. Sidney laughed. I guess he thought it was funny that I would buy my own drink when he had offered. He obviously wasn’t used to being turned down. Girls must just throw themselves at him. I glanced down the bar towards his teammates who were now surrounded by almost every girl in the place. Those girls had no self-respect.

“So what do you do?” he asked. He was trying hard. You had to admire the tenacity.

“I work in a veterinary hospital.” I hoped that my friends would be ready to go soon. I was starting to really feel the affects of all those drinks.

“Oh yeah? So you're a receptionist or something?” I was insulted. He thought I was a receptionist?! I decided it wasn’t worth it to correct him.

“Look, I don’t know you. For all I know you’re a really nice guy. I just feel like I should tell you that I’m not going home with you.” He looked stunned. It took him a minute to respond and he drained the rest of his beer before he did.

“I’m not sure I ever asked you to come home with me. I was just having a conversation.” He was trying to save face and it was kind of cute.

“Well, I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m just a straightforward kind of person and I thought I’d let you know so you wouldn’t waste all your lines on me. I figured if your intention was to take someone home tonight, I'd let you move on.” Instead of the reaction I was expecting, he smiled.

“That was certainly not my intention tonight at all. Honestly, I’m quite intrigued talking to you right now. I’ve got to admit, you’re the first girl that knew who I was and still didn’t care.”

“Well, I could care less if you were a hockey player or a janitor. I’m not going to judge someone because of what they do for a living. I’d rather get to know someone for who they are than who they appear to be. I’m very well aware of the fact that hockey players are just people. I don’t get too excited when I see one.” He smiled at that and I found myself smiling back. I could see why the NHL used him so much. He had a charm about him. I’d been fighting it since he’d sat down, but I found that I was actually enjoying the conversation. Before he could respond I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“We’re going to get out of here. Want to share a cab or are you going to hang out for a bit?” Phoebe asked. I finished off the last of my drink, signed the bill in front of me and looked over at Sidney.

“It was really nice meeting you and talking to you, but I’m going to get out of here with my friends. Good luck the rest of the season, just not against the Devils.” He laughed and I walked outside with my friends and went home.