3. Natalie

NATALIE

"Hey, sis!" Emile jogs after me, and I quickly turn around, catching a glimpse of Luc Bouchard as he gets in his car and drives off. I can"t help but chuckle. Looks like he can follow detour signs after all.

"Don't you have practise to get to?"

"I do. And I'm going. But I had a reason for showing up here." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a long envelope. "Tickets. VIP section as promised."

My eyes widen. "Emile! That"s... that"s incredible. Thank you!" I grab the envelope, and the expensive feel of the paper makes my fingers tingle.

"Be ready to cheer for me when I score, all right?" Emile grins, looking positively thrilled with himself.

"I will scream myself hoarse for you, little bro, I promise," I say, squeezing his shoulder.

"Thanks. And, uh…" He rubs the back of his neck like he's not sure if he should say whatever's on his mind.

"Uh, what? Spit it out, Emile. We're both busy people."

"I'm sorry about Luc. He's an arrogant SOB, and I know you kinda hoped he'd be…I don't know."

"Instantly in love with me?" I ask, giving him a smile as he gets a little red in the cheeks.

"I wasn't gonna say that…"

"It's OK, Em. I thought he was nice to look at, but now that I've met him, I think I'll look elsewhere from now on."

"OK. Just…I have to get along with the guy. And you're likely to run in to him again at some point. So if you two are?—"

"I'll be on my best behavior from now on," I say, holding up my palm to display my solemn vow. "I'm not about to mess your big chance up for you. And I guess I should have been a little less fighty with the guy, knowing who he was and all."

"Nah. You were in the right, Nat."

"Aww. Thanks for the backup, little bro. Now get out of here before you lose your spot on the team for being late, and I have to put you to work peeling potatoes."

"Yes, ma'am." He salutes me then darts out of the restaurant, all boundless energy and goofy grins. I shake my head, smiling as I think about how far he's come. My annoying little brother, the newest star player of the Nighthawks and somehow still the same kid who would steal my dolls just to rile me up. I get this big well of pride filling up my chest as I look at the tickets in my hand. This envelope right here, symbolizes his big break.

But my smile fades as I tuck the envelope into my pocket and reality sets in. My argument with Luc Bouchard, ridiculous as it was, could affect Emile. Shit. I really need to learn to pick my battles better. But…but seriously, who does that man think he is? Thinking he can just waltz up and demand special treatment? Why? Because he"s a hockey star? If he thinks I"m going to fawn over him like some star-struck schoolgirl, he has another think coming. And it's not like I could move the crane for him, anyway…

And yet... there's a part of my reaction that stems from wounded pride too. Because I swear that when I first turned around, there was a ‘moment'. A moment when our eyes locked and I couldn't even breathe. It felt like there was something there, a spark, a connection that I couldn"t quite put my finger on. It was like the world stopped for a split second, and it was just the two of us. But then he opened his mouth, and well, we all know how that went…

Shaking my head, I dismiss the ‘spark' as me being momentarily star struck over meeting the man I've been lusting over from afar since he joined the Nighthawks hockey team. I let out a sigh, saying goodbye to the fantasy I held in my head as I enter the kitchen and find Louis busy with prep for the day. He looks up as I push through the swing door, a knowing smirk on his face.

"So, I noticed your dream man stopped by. How do think it went? Is he in love with you already?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, please. Surely you saw the disaster it was. The man"s a complete jerk. He actually had the audacity to demand we stop construction because it was inconvenient for him to use another entrance."

Louis lets out a low whistle. "Wow. Sounds like a real charmer."

"Yeah, well, apparently being a hockey superstar gives you a free pass to be a dick," I grumble, grabbing my apron and tying it around my waist.

Louis chuckles. "I don"t know, Nat. From where I was standing, it looked like there was some serious chemistry between you two."

"He was probably imagining the crane dropping that window on my head!"

"Stop that." He laughs. "I'm serious. He got all…weird when he saw you."

I pause, my hands stilling on the strings of my apron. "What do you mean?"

"Just that. He may be an ass, but there was definitely a spark between you two. You should have seen him watching you walk away," Louis says with a sly grin.

"Please." I scoff. "I think you're reading this all wrong. He was probably just hoping I'd fall over a stray piece of construction material after the way I spoke to him."

Louis raises an eyebrow. "Sure, keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile, your blush is up to your hairline."

I sigh, leaning against the counter. "OK, fine. Maybe it felt like there was a tiny, minuscule, barely there spark on my side in the beginning. I mean, we both know I think—well, thought—he's hotter than Hades. But then he went and ruined that by opening his yapper. After that, any attraction I had just evaporated."

Louis gives a slow nod. "Ah, yes. The classic "he"s hot until he speaks" scenario."

I can"t help but laugh at that. "Exactly. The Luc Bouchard in my dreams never acted like an entitled, self-absorbed jerk. Maybe I"ll start fantasizing about the Nighthawks" mascot instead."

Louis chortles, shaking his head as he goes back to chopping vegetables. "Well, that would certainly make for an interesting twist in your love life."

"Monster romance is a thing, ya know."

He chuckles. "Well, at least now you can focus on cheering for your brother instead of drooling over the captain," Louis says, patting me on the shoulder.

I nod, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the tickets Emile gave me. As I look down at them, I let out a sigh. "You know, for Emile"s sake, I"m going to have to put my newfound dislike for Luc behind me. I don"t want to cause any more tension between them than I already have, especially since Emile"s just starting out with the team."

Louis nods in understanding. "That"s very big of you, Nat. I"m sure Emile will appreciate it."

I tuck the tickets back into my pocket, my brow knitting tight. "Do you think I should"—my stomach sours before the words can even make it out of my mouth, but I push through—"apologize to Bouchard? Try and make things right? For Emile's sake…"

Louis raises an eyebrow, his knife pausing mid-chop. "You, apologize?" He lets out a low whistle. "He really must have gotten under your skin."

I scowl at him. "It"s not for him. It"s for Emile. I don"t want my little brother to suffer because I couldn't bite my tongue."

"OK. I hear you. But you do realize that entails swallowing your pride, right?"

I gulp. "Maybe I"ll just give him a free bowl of gumbo and call it even."

Louis lets out a hearty laugh. "Somehow, I don"t think a bowl of gumbo is going to quite cover it this time. You're probably going to have to say something, too. I mean, you don't necessarily have to apologize, just inspire a truce."

"A truce." That's way better than saying sorry. "I can do that," I say, even though my stomach lurches at the thought of facing Luc again. But for Emile"s sake, this is something I have to do.