Lucky Bounce: Game On, Part 2 by Jennifer Lazaris

11

"Holly, we did it! We won in San Jose's arena!"

Penn let out an unholy shriek over the tinny cell phone speaker, and Holly laughed as she yanked the Android away from her ear.

"Ouch, Curly Cue."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited! I wish I was there with you guys. It's brutal to not be able to celebrate with everyone, including my man. Did you have fun?"

"I did," Holly assured her.

Tonight marked her first away game ever, and she'd sat with the WAGs, who were nervous as hell thanks to the supposed “arena curse.” Penn's boss had needed her to work, and she hadn't been able to travel for the game.

"All I want to do is hug West," Penn said wistfully.

"I'm sure, but don't ask me to hug him for you, because it's not happening," Holly joked.

"I would never. He might think you'd been replaced by a pod person if you hugged him. Considering how you two got off to a rocky start when we first got together, a hug would be awkward."

Holly snickered. "I like to keep him living in fear of my wrath, you know? Hurt my best friend, lose your cajones. That's my motto."

"He'd never hurt me."

"I know he wouldn't, because I'd kill him."

She followed the crowd up the stairs toward the concourse area, grateful that they were moving along at a snail's pace. Her legs were fine, and she didn't feel weak at all, but it was better to take her time and not push herself too hard.

"He did so great tonight, didn't he?" Penn gushed. "I was on the edge of my seat during overtime."

"We all were," Holly admitted.

After losing the second home game of the series to San Jose, they'd come roaring back for the third game tonight and won a hard-fought battle, beating San Jose 4–3, seconds before the end of the first overtime period.

"Penn, you have off for the rest of the home games, right?"

"Thankfully. And my boss assured me she'd let me off for all road games if they go to the Cup finals. But it still sucks not to be there in person tonight." Penn paused. "Where are you, Hol? Are you still in the arena?"

"Yeah, I just got to the concourse now. I'm looking for an exit. I'm gonna grab an Uber and head back over to my hotel. Most of the girls are still hanging out at their seats and chatting. I thought I'd sneak out, though. I have a hot date with Netflix after a nice, long, relaxing shower. How's my Missy Moo doing?"

"Oh, she's great. She's snoozing on the couch in the living room while I make a snack. It worked out since Bo is spending a few days at the doggy ranch while West is on the road. He loves playing with the other dogs, too."

"That's good. I appreciate you taking care of her while I'm here," Holly said, following a swath of sad San Jose fans out of the arena.

"No worries. You know I love my kitty niece."

"She adores her Auntie Penn, too. Okay, I'm going to go. Talk to you when I get home tomorrow."

"Love you, babe!"'

"Love you too, Curly Cue," Holly said, smiling.

Holly walked over to the Uber zone area and rubbed her eyes. She’d had a bit of double vision during the game, but it hadn’t lasted, thankfully.

She was thrilled the Kingsnakes had gotten the win tonight. Not just for her friends and their significant others, but for Eli, too.

Despite their falling out the other night, she wanted this for him. After everything he'd gone through with his mom, he needed this.

Smiling, she thought of the note he'd stuck to the fridge before he'd left for San Jose.

Wilkes,

I'm an idiot, and you're a goddess. But you knew that already.

I swear on everything I have that I'll never make that mistake again. I really am sorry, and I hope you believe me.

Sincerely, <--(see, I'm being professional like you wanted, so give me bonus points)

Eli

The note had made her laugh, and she had to admit—it felt good to laugh. Between the fire, the guys who harassed her, the weird weakness she was experiencing, the double vision, what had been going on with his mom... it all added up to a thousand pound weight on her shoulders.

His note had been a simple thing, but it had made her incredibly happy. Feeling hurt sucked, but once she'd realized why he'd done what he'd done, the pain had faded a little. And the note had helped it fade a little more.

Instead of analyzing every little detail about her feelings for him, she was just going to enjoy some happiness while she could.

* * *

"Woohoo! Another victory in the bag!" Holly yelled to the empty living room. The Kingsnakes had won game four of the Western Conference finals on the road in San Jose, 2–1.

She hadn't had anyone to babysit Miss since Penn's boss relented and had given her time off to fly out for the game. So, she’d caught a flight back to Vegas and watched the game on Eli's big screen.

The Kingsnakes were now up three games to San Jose’s one, and needed just one more win to clinch the series. And they'd finally broken the "curse" of not winning in San Jose's arena, beating them solidly the past two games.

Tonight, Eli had blistered a shot from the blue line, giving the Kingsnakes the lead. It had ended up being the game winning goal.

Watching the guys celebrating and tackling Eli with hugs had been incredible.

She did a victory dance as she made her way down the hallway and into Eli's bathroom. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind her using it, but she wanted a nice hot shower, and the water pressure in her bathroom could be fussy sometimes.

Holly skimmed out of her clothes and hopped under the hot spray, letting the pulsing water ease her stiff muscles.

When she was through, she toweled off and combed out her hair, then pulled on her black sleep shorts and matching tank top. It was still too early to go to bed, and she felt restless.

After feeding Miss, she made herself a bowl of popcorn before settling down in Eli's living room to watch a movie.

The next thing she knew, the sound of a key turning in the door startled her awake. Her stomach let out a loud rumble at the delicious scent of food wafting through the air.

Eli walked into the living room dressed in a sharp, black designer suit with a dark purple tie. He held three bags of food and a bottle of wine. "Hungry, Wilkes?"

"Eli?" Holly sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What's all this?"

"Dinner. I know it's kind of late, but I was hoping that this time, I could celebrate the win with you and only you." He paused. "Wait, you did see us win, right?"

"Yes, of course." She stared up at him, completely stunned. "But you didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to." He grinned, and the flash of dimples did her in right then and there. He looked majorly sexy in his sharp suit, and the faint scent of his light cologne made her weak-kneed. "Come on. Let's eat."

Oh, hell. Why did he have to look so good?

Holly followed him into the dining room as he set down the bags on the black marble table.

"Congratulations on winning in their arena again. Your goal was incredible."

He pulled the food out of the bags. "Thanks. I'm still flying high from it."

She glanced down at the containers and shook her head. "You really didn't have to do this, Eli. It wasn't necessary."

"Look, this isn't some pity dinner, Wilkes. I want to celebrate the win with you. So I called ahead to this awesome steakhouse not far from here and had them pack up my go-to meal. Trust me, the steak is amazing. And they have these chunky, seasoned potatoes that are out of this world. I got their raspberry spinach and feta salad, and a big piece of chocolate fudge explosion cake for dessert. I can only have a few bites, but you need to try it."

Something inside of her warmed at his words. "And you got the wine I like." She pulled out plates, cutlery, and glasses from the kitchen cupboards. "The one from the other night."

"No, but it's very similar. A little sweeter, maybe." He winked. "Sweet, like you."

Holly let out a snort of laughter. "Please. I am anything but sweet. That definition doesn't fit me."

"Ah, bullshit," he said, waving a hand. "I see you. The soft underbelly you hide away. Tough coating with a sugary sweet center. Don't deny it."

She took a seat across from him at the table and held up a wine glass. "I won't challenge your delusions of me when there's delicious food on the table. Wine me, dine me, Donnelley."

Her stomach rumbled again, and Eli snickered. "I guess I came along with food at just the right time."

"You did," she said, smiling.

After doling out food from the containers onto their individual plates, they dug into the meal.

He filled her in on all the behind the scenes stuff about the game while they dined. He was so excited and happy while he talked, she couldn't help but be happy, too.

"So one more win to wrap it up," she mused.

"Fucking right. To one more game," he said, holding up his glass.

Holly lifted her glass and tapped his. "One more."

A half hour later, she was stuffed and content.

"You weren't kidding about the food being amazing," Holly said, patting her stomach and sinking back in her chair. "I'm not normally a steak person, but whatever they've done here with the spices... it's fantastic. And the wine? Perfect."

His brown eyes sparkled with happiness as he took a bite of steak. "Right? I know good food and wine."

"I figured that out when you brought the Chinese takeout back here. Even plastered, you know how to pick good food. That was no ordinary takeout." She rubbed her chin and studied him. "I have to find a way to work your fondness of food into the article. With everything that's happened, I've barely been able to talk to you about the feature. I'm surprised Lyla hasn't started demanding my notes."

"I'm not sure anyone will care about my eating habits."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? These are hockey gossip fans, Eli. They want to know everything about you."

"Uh huh. Like my favorite color?" he teased, taking a drink of wine.

"Of course. Which is...?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I seem to gravitate toward silver and black."

Holly picked up her phone. "Okay, we're going to do a sidebar of favorite things for this feature. Let's do a quick quiz round. I'm guessing steak, potatoes, and chocolate cake for your favorite foods?"

"Accurate enough," he agreed.

"Music?"

"I like a bit of everything," he said. "Pop, country, rock."

"Movie?"

"I can't pick just one. Goodfellas, Scarface, The Godfather. Funny stuff? The Hangover, Superbad, movies like that."

She tapped the screen, recording his answers.

"Beer?"

"I like trying different craft beers, but I don't have a favorite.”

"What superpower would you like to have?"

He leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm. I think I'd like to read minds. To know what's really going on in someone's head."

She set down her phone. "Okay. Speed round complete."

"And now, cake."

"Cake and wine," she said dreamily, gazing at the plate of chocolate deliciousness. "I love it."

"Me, too. And you'll love this cake. I promise." He speared a tiny piece on his fork and held it out. "Taste."

The situation felt strangely intimate, him waiting for her to lean over and take a bite. Despite her hesitation, she couldn't resist the thick, rich icing and fluffy cake waiting for her on the end of the fork.

Her taste buds exploded in bliss at the creaminess of the icing, the tart raspberry filling and vanilla chocolate chips.

"Oh, my God," she murmured, closing her eyes. "That stuff is heaven. Pure and simple."

When she opened them, she found Eli studying her face, heat flaring in his light brown eyes.

Immediately, she reached for her wine glass and took a gulp. That look wasn't something she could handle right now. It made her want to peel off his clothes.

And hers, too.

Apparently, her professionalism had gone on a long vacation, because right now it was nowhere to be found.

"It's delicious," he said, taking a few bites and handing her the plate. "Eat up."

After a few more bites of cake, she held her hands up in surrender. "I'm done."

He shrugged out of his suit jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. "Save it for tomorrow." He scooped up the cake and put it back in the takeout box. "You'll want it, trust me."

His phone vibrated across the table, and he clicked the mute button after glancing at the screen.

"I don't want to keep you," she told him. "If you've got other plans for tonight, I mean."

"Other plans?" He frowned. "No. I told you, I'm celebrating the win with you."

Holly stood and cleared her plate from the table. "I just don't want you to think you have to stay here. I know now that you weren't deliberately ignoring me the other night. You were doing what you normally do. So, if you want to go do it, feel free."

Eli gently wrapped his hand around her wrist as she reached for his plate. "Holly, don't."

She stilled, glancing down at him. "Don't what?"

"Don't push me away."