On the Fly Read online

  “If they have a problem with him, then they aren’t worth it, sis,” he said. “He’s a good kid. You’ve done a good job raising him.”

  “Thank you,” she said, not really accustomed to praise from her younger brother. They could still push each other’s buttons, but she was glad to see he’d matured into a good man.

  * * *

  Lana removed her apron and tossed it into the laundry bin when she saw Court walk through the door. She was putting her coat on as she leaned in and gave Joey a kiss on the cheek. He looked out into the dining room and saw Court before shaking his head.

  “Looks to me like you have a hot date,” he said, teasing.

  “I wish,” she muttered before she could stop the words. “She is hot, I’ll agree with your assessment, but she’s my real estate agent. Not a date.”

  “Too bad. But if you don’t make it home tonight, I’ll cover for you at breakfast.” He winked at her and laughed as she ignored his remark and hustled out of the kitchen, ushering Court back through the doors and to the sidewalk.

  “In a hurry?” Court asked her, looking amused.

  “You have no idea,” Lana answered with a shake of her head. She took a step back and looked at her for a moment. Her hair was wet, and Lana raised one eyebrow. “Just came from practice?”

  “Yes, and I didn’t want to smell like sweat.”

  “I’m sure I smell like pizza.”

  “Which is preferable to sweat, trust me.”

  Court opened the passenger side door for her, and Lana smiled at her. It had been a long time since another woman had opened a car door for her, and if Lana wasn’t careful, she might actually begin to think this was a date.

  Chapter Seven

  “Who owns the house, and why are we meeting with them so late?” Lana asked as Court pulled into the driveway.

  “Bill and Gail Crawford own the house,” Court said as she cut the engine. She hadn’t intended to tell her, and in fact, Gail had wanted to surprise her with it, but Court knew Lana wasn’t the type to play games. She wasn’t entirely sure how she knew it, she just did. “And we’re meeting them so late because Gail probably only got home from practice about twenty minutes ago.”

  “You’re sneaky,” Lana said, but she was smiling, so Court relaxed. “I’ll have to keep an eye on you.”

  “I hope you do,” Court answered, but she looked away when she felt her face growing hot. Maybe she wasn’t as out of practice as she thought she was where flirting was concerned.

  “Trust me, it wouldn’t be a hardship,” Lana said, and Court opened her door to get out, knowing if they stayed there much longer, she might not let Lana out at all. Wouldn’t Gail have fun with that? She waited on her side of the car for Lana, who placed a hand on her forearm when she walked up to her. “I’m sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?”

  “Not at all.” Court hoped she wouldn’t be struck down for lying. The fact was, Lana made her plenty uncomfortable. But only because she wanted to kiss her so badly. Court shook her head and motioned for Lana to go ahead of her along the path leading to the front door.

  “Welcome, please come in,” Gail said, opening the door before they were even close enough to think about knocking. Court rolled her eyes, knowing Gail had no doubt been watching out the window for them to pull into the driveway. Gail placed a hand on Lana’s forearm. “You haven’t met Bill yet, have you?”

  “No, I’ve only spoken to him on the phone,” Lana answered as she held a hand out to Bill.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Bill said as he gripped her hand briefly and gave her the megawatt smile Court was certain he thought made women’s knees go weak. He was a handsome man with chiseled features and dark hair, so Court was sure his smile did have that effect, just not on her. “And I apologize for dumping you into Court’s lap.”

  Lana glanced at Court and gave her a wink, and Court hurriedly removed her coat and handed it to Gail to cover her embarrassment at his words.

  “It wasn’t much of a hardship,” Lana told him. Gail took her coat as well, and then they all headed for the kitchen.

  “Boys, come say hello to Aunt Court, and then off to bed,” Bill said as they walked past the living room.

  Court smiled as the two boys, Bill Jr. and Carl, ran to her and spoke over each other in an attempt to get her attention. She crouched down so she could look them in the eye.

  “Are you two behaving yourselves?” she asked them. When Carl started to answer, Billy interrupted.

  “I am, but he’s been bad,” he said, pointing to his younger brother.

  “Have not,” Carl responded, giving Billy a punch in the arm. He seemed to notice Lana for the first time and was looking up at her when he leaned closer to Court. Court crouched lower so she was closer to his size. He pointed up at Lana and whispered, “Who is she?”

  “This is Lana,” Court said before making the introductions.

  “She’s pretty,” Carl said with a nod. Court wasn’t really sure how to respond, and thankfully, Lana saved her from what could have been an awkward moment.

  “Aren’t you sweet?” Lana said before placing a hand on Court’s shoulder. “You’re awfully handsome yourself, Carl.”

  Carl giggled and ran down the hall to his bedroom. Court knew exactly how he felt. Billy shook Lana’s hand and glanced down the hall.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said, his smile looking much like his father’s. “My brother’s stupid.”

  “Billy,” Gail said in a stern voice. He looked at his feet. Strangely, Court knew exactly how he felt too. “Your brother is young, he is not stupid. Say good night.”

  “Good night,” he said without looking up again. He too disappeared down the hall to his own room.

  “They’re so cute,” Lana said once they were all seated around the kitchen table. “How old are they?”

  “Six and eight,” Bill answered with a shake of his head. “They’re definitely a handful.”

  “I remember that age,” Lana told them. “My son is fifteen going on thirty. Sometimes I miss him being eight. But most of the time I thank God he isn’t.”

  “I’m dreading the teenage years myself,” Gail said.

  “I was too, but it hasn’t been bad yet. Eric is a good kid.”

  “You have the lease?” Court asked, tired of talking about kids. Her younger sister, Lori, had a boy and a girl, and Court loved babysitting for her when she could, but she was always thankful when Lori returned home and she could hand them back off.

  “Nice segue, Court.” Bill chuckled as he opened a file folder and pulled out the lease. He handed it to Lana so she could look it over. “It’s pretty straightforward. Six months, with an option to go month-to-month after. The furniture in the house can stay if you want, and we would just need first and last month’s rent, and you’ll be ready to move in.”

  “Can I ask why you moved out of the house?” Lana asked.

  “Well, we decided since the boys are getting older, it might be a good idea for them to have their own rooms,” Gail said. “We outgrew it, basically.”

  Lana nodded and signed everything after she’d read the whole thing. Bill handed her the key after she wrote them a check.

  “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have this house,” she said. “My brother still lives at home, but I don’t think I could stay there for the entire school year. I love my parents, don’t get me wrong. I just haven’t spent this much time with my mother since I left for college.”

  “I get it, trust me.” Gail laughed, but Court knew she was close with her parents. “Court says you’re here to help out your family while your father is recovering from a heart attack?”

  “Yeah, they’re saying it will be a few months before he’ll be able to get back to the pizzeria, so I’m mostly helping Joey at the restaurant.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about your father,” Bill said. “But I’m curious as to why you’re planning to stay through the school year. Of course, I’m assuming
it won’t take eight months for him to recover.”

  “Eric didn’t want to come here at all, but it wasn’t an option.”

  “What about his father?” Bill asked.

  Court wanted to excuse herself, but this was something she was at least mildly curious about as well. She’d been wondering if Lana was actually a lesbian, or if she was bisexual. Not that it mattered, since nothing was going to happen between them, right? But damn it, Court really wanted it to.

  “He was my best friend in college,” Lana said, looking as though she weren’t entirely comfortable sharing this story. “We were both gay, and I wanted a child. He offered to help. Unfortunately, he passed away when Eric was nine. So, father not an option either.”

  “I’m sorry,” Bill said.

  “Thank you. It was hard on Eric for a while, but we’ve finally moved beyond it.” Lana sighed and Court thought she physically forced herself to stop thinking about him and smiled as she looked at all of them. “Anyway, Eric compromised with me. He’d come willingly if I promised not to make him move in the middle of the school year. He had a friend who did that, and he was miserable, so he wanted to make sure he wasn’t put in the same type of situation, especially since this is his first year in high school.”

  “Wow, that’s awfully mature of him,” Gail said with a pointed look at Court, which Court ignored. She knew what Gail was trying to do. She was no doubt assuming if Court could think of Eric as a young man instead of a child, maybe she could get past the barrier of not wanting to get involved with Lana.

  “Look at the time,” Court said as she glanced at the clock on the stove. “We should probably get going.”

  “It’s not even ten,” Gail said, but Court looked at her with what she hoped was a stern face. It apparently worked because Gail backed off. “But you’re right. Bill has an appointment first thing in the morning.”

  “Thank you for everything,” Lana said as they put on their coats at the front door. “I promise I’ll take good care of your house.”

  “Is there any chance you’ll end up staying here permanently?” Bill asked.

  “No,” Lana answered with a shake of her head. No hesitation. Court felt a little disappointment at her quick response. “No, there’s not.”

  Chapter Eight

  They didn’t speak much after they left Bill and Gail’s, but Court needed to know where she was dropping her off. She thought about inviting Lana to her house for a drink, but then realized it might not be such a good idea.

  “Am I taking you home, or back to the pizza place?” Court asked.

  “You can take me home anytime,” Lana replied. Court glanced at her and saw she was smiling. She couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Do you flirt with everyone?” Court asked.

  “No, I don’t,” she said. “But it’s really easy with you. And you’re cute when you blush.”

  “Thanks, I think.” Court laughed in spite of herself.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll stop if you want me to.”

  “I never said I didn’t like it.” Court stole another glance at her and saw she was looking down at her hands. “Actually, I do. Like it, I mean.”

  “Good to know.” Lana sighed. “When’s your next game?”

  “Next home game isn’t until next Wednesday. We play a couple of games on the road this weekend, though. One down near Philly and the other out by Pittsburgh.”

  “How far do you guys travel? And how do you travel?”

  “The team has a bus, and believe it or not, we go as far west as Chicago.”

  “I bet that’s fun by bus,” Lana said. “But I had no idea the Wolves were in the same league as Kingsville. I’m sure I would if I kept up with it, but unfortunately, the orchestra plays mostly at night, so I don’t have much time to go to hockey games. Except for Eric’s, of course.”

  “The bus ride can be tedious, but it’s not so bad when everyone gets along,” Court said, her mind going back to Jen Hilton. Road trips weren’t something she was looking forward to this season with her on the team.

  “But you don’t all get along, do you?”

  “We have in the past.” Court shrugged as she turned onto her own street, only then realizing she wasn’t even thinking about where she was going. “But no, at the moment we don’t. I’m sorry. I should have asked where to drop you off.”

  “You did. I thought we decided you could take me home.” Lana sounded amused. “Your home will do.”

  Court felt her heart rate quicken, and she wondered if this was a good idea. Then she realized it was ridiculous to feel nervous about being alone with Lana. They were both adults. They could sit in her living room and have a glass of wine without anything happening between them, couldn’t they? She took in a deep breath and pulled into her driveway.

  “This is it,” she said as she shut off the car.

  “Nice neighborhood.”

  They both sat in silence for a few moments, and Court heard Lana chuckle. She turned her head and met her eyes.

  “Are we going to sit out here all night, or should we go inside?” Lana asked.

  Without a word, Court got out of the car and went to her front door, Lana right behind her. Once inside, she took Lana’s coat and hung it in the closet, then motioned for her to follow her into the kitchen. She poured them both a glass of merlot and decided maybe sitting at the kitchen table was a better idea than retiring to the living room.

  “This is a nice house,” Lana said once they were settled.

  “It’s okay,” Court said with a slight shrug. “Not much privacy, though.”

  “Nosy neighbors?”

  “Nosy younger sister who lives next door.” Court grinned at the thought of Lori and her two young children. “Either she or her kids are over here a lot when I’m home.”

  “I hope you’re close, or else it could get rather awkward.”

  “We are. I was five when she was born, and we lost our mother a year after that.” Court looked away when she saw sorrow in Lana’s eyes. “I was always Lori’s protector when we were growing up.”

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” Lana said.

  “She committed suicide,” Court said without much emotion. It had been hard to deal with when she was finally old enough to know the truth about her mother’s death, but it was far enough in her past now to not be painful. “She suffered from post-partum depression after Lori was born, and she never recovered from it.”

  “Did your father ever remarry?”

  “No, he raised us on his own. He did a pretty good job of it too, if I’m being honest.”

  “Does he live nearby?” Lana asked before taking a sip of her wine.

  “He died five years ago. Cancer.” His death was still new enough to cause Court to think she’d start crying whenever she talked about him, so she swallowed around the lump in her throat. “He didn’t get to see me win the gold medal in the last Olympics.”

  “I’m sure he would have been very proud of you.”

  “He was proud of me,” she answered with a nod and a fond smile. “I thought he was going to burst when we won the bronze four years earlier. That was before he found out he had cancer.”

  Court desperately wanted to change the subject, because she hated feeling on the verge of crying. Especially in front of someone she hardly knew.

  “So,” Lana said after a moment. “No girlfriend, right?”

  “No,” Court said, grateful for the change in subject. “Not in quite some time, actually.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “The longest relationship I’ve ever had was three months.”

  “Why? Is there really something wrong with you?” Lana smiled, no doubt to soften her words, and Court laughed.

  “I don’t think so,” she said with a shrug. “It always came down to me being too driven to play hockey. Nobody likes to play second fiddle to a game, and I can’t say I blame any of them.”

  “That’s absurd,” Lana said. She set her gl
ass on the table and sat back in her chair. “Are you saying they didn’t know what they were getting into when they started dating you?”

  “I doubt it, since I usually met them at the arena after a game.” Court sighed and leaned back in her own chair. “I guess they all just thought since the women’s game doesn’t pay enough to actually make a living, I’d give it up for them.”

  “Why are you so driven to play?”

  “My dad. I know it probably sounds crazy to you, but I feel closer to him when I play.” Of course the conversation would lead back to him. Why wouldn’t it? Court smiled as she recalled memories about him. “He always pushed me to be the best I could be, and he taught me everything I know about the game. He always rearranged his schedule to be able and see every game I played, even the ones on the road. So even now, when I step out on the ice, I like to imagine he’s there in the stands, cheering me on. I can’t give that up as long as I’m still able to play.”

  “It doesn’t sound crazy,” Lana said, shaking her head. “I think it sounds amazing. And I think you’re amazing. Any woman would be lucky to be with you.”

  Court felt her cheeks flush and she looked away as she scratched the back of her neck. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost eleven. She needed to get to bed soon.

  “It’s late,” Lana said as though she could read her mind. She stood and took her glass to the sink to rinse it out. “Could you give me a ride to the pizzeria?”

  Court nodded and led the way to the front door. The attraction she felt to Lana was incredibly strong, and she had to fight her instincts telling her Lana felt it too. If she gave in and kissed her, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be getting any sleep. And with a morning skate scheduled before they got on the bus to head to Philly, she definitely needed the sleep.

  * * *

  “I honestly didn’t expect to see you back here tonight,” Joey said when Lana walked through the doors.