Chapter 3

Three

MARIA

I walk into the break room the day before game day, to see several guys on the team enjoying double chocolate muffins. The same double chocolate muffins I happen to know were among my sister's favorites from La Petite. I spot the bakery box on the table and move in for my lemon bar. Nate still hasn't replaced the one he won on the lemon line.

The guys quiet just as I reach for the box, and my pre-prank senses spring into action.

"What is it?" I ask them.

They look at each other like a bunch of guilty teenagers trying to figure out who's going to take the blame.

I pin my gaze on Shane. "Cough it up."

"There's no lemon bar."

Without hesitation, I flip the box open and see that it only has a few chocolate muffin crumbs in it.

"Why isn't there a lemon bar?" I ask.

The guys shrug, and Shane answers again, "We don't know."

"Who picked up the order?"

More shrugs all around.

"Seriously?"

I leave the team's break room and go in search of the office break room. My sister got the entire staff addicted to La Petite while she worked here, and I have no doubt that I'll find my lemon bar upstairs. It's all just a mix up I reassure myself. New staff or something. They don't know that lemon bars belong downstairs. Without Hannah or Matt to bring it to me, people probably don't realize. I just need to say something and then I'll be good to go.

The upstairs break room has the normal stuff, a microwave, coffee machine, fridge, and a big trash can. The countertop where the bakery box should sit is suspiciously empty. I start opening the fridge in case someone put it in there. Sam from the hockey arena staff walks into the room with a box from the bakery. I pull the box out of his hands and practically tear it open. Only instead of my lemon bar or even more muffins, the box is empty too.

I throw the box in the garbage before turning on Sam, "Did someone steal my lemon bar?"

He shakes his head. "No. The order hasn't had a lemon bar in it."

"Who's been messing up the order?" I grumble.

Sam's shoulders start to lift.

"Don't shrug," I tell him. "Someone has to be messing up the order."

He keeps his shoulders high. "The lemon bars were never part of the order."

"Of course they were," I tell him. "How else would I get it?"

"The arena has never paid for lemon bars."

"It probably was just an assorted box." It's either that or my little sister was using her own money to buy me lemon bars. Something she shouldn't have done. It was my job as her older brother to take care of her, not the other way around. I'd have to try and find a way to send her a box of her favorite muffins. Maybe if Maria knew the muffins weren't for me she'd be willing to let me buy some.

"The order form requires us to specify what we're ordering."

"Show me."

He pulls out the receipt from his pocket, and it shows each individual item purchased in the box on it.

"Who puts in the order?" I ask. Easy solution in sight. I only need them to add the lemon bar to the order to correct the lack of lemon bars.

Carrie, Sam tells me.

I don't want to see her, but left with little choice in the matter, I head to Hannah's old office. Her door is open, and she's got posters spread out all over her desk. She's sitting in Hannah's old chair, looking them over. Her once long hair has been cut short, and it's no longer the color of corn silk. Instead, she's had it bleached until it's on the verge of being white. She looks tired.

Stopping in the doorway I knock on the doorframe to announce my presence.

She looks up, and her eyes turn soft. "Lou, come in."

"This won't take long," I say, but she's already tucking the posters away so she can give me her full attention.

"I've been meaning to say hi. See how you've been." She tells me.

My throat feels tight, and I clear it. "I'm fine. Just came up to ask about adding lemon bars to the bakery order."

"Lemon bars?" She looks surprised.

"Yeah, the ones from La Petite are pretty good."

She moves the mouse for her computer and clicks on something before typing on her keyboard. Her hand goes back to her mouse and she's quiet as she looks at whatever is on her screen. I look around her office, she's decorated it with photos of her family. I recognize her parents in one frame, and her sister and brothers in another. She even has a picture of her gray and white cat in a gold frame, but my eyes stop on the eight-by-ten frame of her in a wedding dress standing next to a man in a tux. Her smile is brilliant and shining, the smile she used to give me when we were together.

The sight of it hurts and I wonder what I did so wrong in our relationship for her to end it.

"Left-Wing Lemon Bars?" She smiles. It's not the brilliant smile, but it's the one that tells me she finds it funny. "You must have made quite the impression."

I let out an awkward laugh, because that's another mystery in my life. "Maria says it's because I suck."

"Ouch." Carrie laughs.

Her laugh is just the same as I remember. Light and musical, like church bells chiming on a Sunday morning.

"What did you do?" She asks.

"I'm innocent," I tell her.

"Oh you are many things Lou, but I doubt that."

"I swear on my Granny's cornbread I've done nothing to deserve it."

"No need to get that serious. I'm not calling you evil Lou. I'm not even intentionally trying to bring up our past, but you do hurt people even when you don't think you are."

It's on the tip of my tongue to ask her why. Why did she end things when I'd had the worst game of my career? That game came dangerously close to ending my hockey career and apparently succeeded in ending the best relationship I'd ever had. Shifting in my chair I refuse to let the conversation go down the path of the worst few days of my life. I want nothing to do with revisiting why our relationship ended even if she just confirmed my worst fear that she ended our relationship because of me.

Giving up hockey wasn't an option then, and it isn't an option now, so there is no point in revisiting that night and dredging up old pain. Steering the conversation back to the reason I got here, I get back to the point.

"The lemon bars."

"I'll try to get you the lemon bars Lou, but I make no promises where the baker's heart is concerned."

I get up out of the chair as if it's on fire. "Just put a lemon bar on the order."

All through practice I wonder if I second-guessed myself and if I should have asked her why she ended things. My head is stuck on that day, the pieces I can remember, and all the questions I have about all the parts that I can't. Did I follow my routine, did I have the lemons I needed? Did I see the hit coming? If I had would I have hit the ice like I had? Or would I have turned so I wouldn't end up with a torn ACL and concussion? The guy that hit me was suspended for ten games. In part due to the hit, and the rest due to the fight that broke out.

W ith tomorrow being game day I need to take it easy so I'll have plenty of energy. I consider stopping by Maria's bakery on my way home to see if I can get a lemon bar, but don't want to push my luck. I need to let her calm down after pushing her on the cookies in her apartment. Thinking of those makes me wish I could have tried one. All I could see were balls of powdered sugar, and I had no doubt they were delicious, but no, she had to say they were for book club.

A smirk forms on my lips as I remember the devious thought that had formed, and I decide to make a detour on my way home. I'd planned on watching TV or playing video games, but a book sounds just as swell. Fifteen minutes later I'm parked outside The Book Garden and strolling through its doors.

The far wall is covered in construction plastic with warning signs saying not to cross. I pay it no mind as I look for the owner of the store, I have a book club to join. I wind my way through the mystery and fantasy sections before spotting a store clerk in the YA section. The clerk looks like she's in her early twenties, and she has a cart full of books she's putting on the shelves.

"Hey, do you know where I can find Sofie?" I ask her.

She pulls an earbud out, and then asks me, "What?"

"I'm looking for Sofie."

"Oh, she's still out for lunch. Should be back in twenty."

"I'll wait."

"Can I help you find something?" She asks.

I smile. "Any chance you know what her book club is reading?"

Her brown eyes go wide and she nods. "I can show you the book. It's a romance, are you okay with that?"

My smile grows bigger. "I love romance."

"Okay, yeah, um. It's right over here." She abandons her cart, and leads me over to what is easily the largest section of books in the store. There are three full rows of bookcases dedicated to romances. We pass books with shirtless men, books with men in suits, men in cowboy hats, men in kilts, books with ladies in ball gowns, and finally land in front of books with couples on them staring adoringly at each other.

She pulls off a book with a firefighter on the cover, and blushes as she hands it to me. "It's a really good book."

"Thank you. Do you happen to know any of the other book club books?"

"Sofie's married." She blurts out.

I stare at her in confusion. "Okay."

"I just didn't want you to bother with the book club thing to get cozy with her. She's really, really in love with her husband."

"I would hope so." I'm not about to tell her my only goal is to get cookies. "Do you know if this book comes in audio?"

Reassured that I'm not up to anything nefarious with Sofie, she tells me a few more details about the book in my hands as well as the book club. I need Sofie's okay to get the meet-up details, but she should be back soon enough for that. I let the clerk get back to shelving books while I browse. In addition to the firefighter novel, I also get one with a hockey player on the front looking all brooding. It'll look great in Nate's locker, and it'll be hilarious to see him blame Dan. I text Gavin for recommendations on books about dog training, and spot a recipe book with one for lemon bars.

I've managed to fill a shopping basket of books by the time Sofie returns from lunch and I'm ready to check out. As Sofie rings up the books, we chit-chat, and I'm sure she has no idea who I am.

"Hannah highly recommended your store," I tell her, angling towards the book club opening.

"Oh, how is she?" Sofie asks.

"Loving Tennessee, although she misses book club."

"Well, it's not the same on video. I look forward to when she'll be here in person again."

"Same, I miss my little sister."

Sofie stops scanning and looks up at me. "You're Lou?"

"The one and only?"

She laughs. "Well, it's great to finally meet you."

"Likewise. It would be even better if you'd let me join book club."

"I was wondering why you had a copy of Resisting the Fireman in here."

"A man can't read romance?" I ask her.

She quickly shakes her head. "Oh no, I'm the last person to judge a book by its cover. Or a person by their book. I simply mean Ann texted me that there was a guy asking about book club and I was wondering when you'd get around to asking."

"So how about it?" I wait patiently while she stares intently.

"Why do you really want to join?" She asks. "You don't strike me as the type to enjoy chatting about innermost feelings."

"Maria."

Perking up, her eyes light up. "Really?"

"Stop whatever you're thinking. It's not like that."

Smiling, Sofie finishes ringing up the books. "Well I for one can't wait to see what it's like then, in book club."

I pay for my books, and Sofie writes down a couple more along with the time and date of the next meeting. She says I have to read them before we meet so I'll be up to date with the conversation. I listen to the book all the way home. I can't wait to see the look on Maria's face when I show up to book club.