Chapter 6

The next morning, after getting up late I got Penelope settled with her favorite show on the TV and pulled out the identical artist kit I'd bought for my place. I'd learned long ago that Erin didn't like to let things leave her house even if they belonged to our daughter.

Penelope was smiling by the time I got into my office to make another call to my lawyer. Between all the drama at the salon and the game last night, I hadn't had time to do more than text him.

"Nate!" he greeted me. "My phone has been ringing off the hook because of you."

"I need more custody."

He sighed, "You and I both know the judge doesn't want to do that. You're lucky you have one weekend a month with your unpredictable work schedule. You're gone too much and the judge wants a stable home environment."

"Erin isn't stable! She tried to shave Penelope's head." The thought of it still had me feeling furious. "She would have if I hadn't shown up in time."

Another sigh, "We can add haircuts to the parental agreement."

"That won't stop her and you know it. If Lia hadn't listened to Penelope..." I took a deep breath.

Lia was an angel in human form, and the way she'd put herself between Erin and my daughter... it'd been enough to make me want to kneel with gratitude at the gorgeous redhead's feet. I was looking forward to lunch with her later.

Penelope had told me the entire thing three times on the way to the arena last night. How the moment Lia realized that Penelope didn't want her hair cut like Erin said, she'd tried to find a compromise, and when that didn't work she'd given her phone to Penelope to get ahold of me. She'd stalled and then only done a trim when she'd had no choice but to start cutting.

"Look, Nate, I can put the papers in, but I can't make any promises. Erin is already trying to get you in trouble for taking Penelope when it's not your day to have her. She's saying you can pay her, or she's going to call the police. We both know the judge hates it when police have to get involved."

Of course Erin wanted more money, she always wanted money. We went back and forth for a while. The last thing I needed was Erin calling the cops on me and the press catching wind of that.

After the issue was finally settled I decided to take a quick shower. Showers had become my zen space when things got bad with Erin, and it had remained that way when I wanted to wash away everything negative she brought into my life. Something about the water let me wash away the worries and the stress until the next time Erin did something that drove me insane.

I grabbed the shower gel out of my bag from the rink and once again it wasn't until the smell of vanilla cupcakes reached my nose that I realized I had grabbed the sabotaged bottle out of my bag. I'd figure out who completed the switch and then they'd need to watch their soap carefully.

I left my room dressed in my sweats and jersey, ready to relax until game time.

Penelope looked up from where she'd sprawled out on the gray couch with her fuzzy purple blanket. "Dad?"

"Yeah, Sweet Pea," I said as I sat down next to her.

"Is it time for Charlie's?"

Glancing at my watch I bit back a groan, we'd have to leave within the next forty minutes to have time for lunch before the game. "I haven't had a chance to talk to Lia."

" DAAAD, " She whined. "Call her."

"Anything for you." I picked up my phone and showed her when I hit the call button.

The phone rang three times before Lia answered. The pause after we greeted each other was a little awkward, so I got straight to the point.

"How does noon sound for lunch? Will that interfere with work?" I asked.

There was a long pause. I checked to see if the call dropped, but it showed that we were still connected.

"Lia?"

Finally, she answered, "I don't have work."

"Great. Text me your address and I'll pick you up."

"You don't need to do that. I can meet you there."

"This is my treat, and Charlie's can get pretty busy on game day."

"We can go another day. I don't want to make you late for your game."

"You won't, I promise."

A woman in the background, who sounded a lot like my great aunt, asked "Is that him?"

Lia confirmed it and the woman said, "Are you going to kiss him?"

Lia hushed the older woman, and I nearly choked on a laugh. It sounded like she put her hand over the mic so I couldn't hear her answer, just a muffled conversation and I couldn't tell what was being said. Curiosity burned, but I decided it was for the best if I didn't think about kissing the attractive redhead. I couldn't remember the last time I had kissed someone. Erin had seen to it that any woman I looked at more than once quickly dropped out of my life. It was easier if all I focused on was Penelope and hockey. I didn't have the time or energy to date anyway.

Lia came back on the line, "I'll see you soon. I'll be waiting outside so you don't have to come up."

"I don't mind."

"Trust me, my neighbor is a huge hockey fan. You'll be here all night answering questions for her if I don't."

I smiled at that. "Is that who you were talking to."

She confirmed it and added. "She's been telling me all about the season. She finds it abominable that I don't know anything about hockey."

My smile grew bigger at that. "She sounds like my kind of person."

"I can give you her number. Although in full disclosure I'm not sure if she'd date you or try to set you up with her granddaughter."

The woman in question answered in the background. "I'm keeping him for myself if you don't snatch him up deary."

I laughed, and it felt good to laugh after everything that had happened earlier. "I'll pick you up soon."

Lia sighed, "I'll text you the address."

We said goodbye, and I got changed into my navy suit for the game. It was my night for the post-game interview tonight. The press would inevitably ask me about my injury and how it felt to be back on the ice. I had that speech memorized so it wouldn't take too long. I turned to Penelope.

"You good sitting in the suite tonight Pea?" I asked her.

She got that teasing glint in her eye. "What's the penalty ref?"

I smiled at her, "I don't have rinkside tickets for this game. So it's the suite or I see if Angelica can babysit."

She shuddered at the mention of the babysitter the agency found me after the last nanny quit. The woman might resemble a witch out of a fairytale with warts and a hump, but she made sure Penelope got her work done and was in bed on time. Penelope just didn't like the traditional stew the older woman had made for dinner. I couldn't blame her as the condo had smelled like tomatoes and vinegar for a good week after I'd tossed the pot.

"Angelica smells like feet. I pick the box. Can I bring my pencils and sketchbook?"

"Sure thing. Now get ready, unless you don't want Charlie's."

She hopped up from the couch faster than a cat avoiding a sprinkler and ran for her room. Ten minutes later she had a blue Glacier Bay jersey on, jeans, and her white sneakers. Her hair was back in its usual ponytail. I held out my hand for her and we were off to get Lia. The best part of Glacier Bay is that it doesn't take more than twenty minutes to drive from one end of the city to the other on the highway. Taking the backroads it took me fifteen to get to Lia's place.

While Glacier Bay doesn't have a bad side of town per say, Lia was definitely not living in the best part. Her building was on a street of older buildings that were showing their age. Cracks in the sidewalk, graffiti on one of the walls, and unshoveled sidewalks. Lia waited on the curb next to a red brick building, in a puffy white coat and canary yellow scarf. She looked like a cross between a snowman and a marshmallow that had been set on fire. Her red hair spilled over her shoulders in fancy waves. Her hands were tucked into her pockets, and she was fidgeting as I pulled up to the curb.