“Amber, would you like a glass of wine?” Lovey had gotten plates out of the cupboards and had the food arranged. “I picked up a bottle of Moscato on the way here.”
“I love Moscato. Sure.”
Soon the four of them sat at the island eating, the girls with wine, Duper and Duncan with beers.
Lovey started asking Amber questions about her college classes. Duncan liked hearing her talk about them—she sounded so smart. But Lovey kept shooting him looks and he knew she was dying to ask about their relationship and what was going on with them. He just grinned at her and she made a face back at him. Luckily she didn’t embarrass him in front of Amber with some jab at his crappy love life.
There was plenty of food, and when they were done, Lovey poured the girls more wine and they moved into the living room. Duncan picked up the remote for the TV and turned it on.
“Duck Dynasty?” Amber sat beside him on the couch. He pulled her closer, arm around her, while Lovey and Duper snuggled on the other couch.
“Nope. Hockey.” He clicked through channels until he found the Penguins versus Sharks game. “I heard a rumor that you’re into hockey now.”
Amber’s head whipped around and she glared at him. “How’d you hear that?”
He grinned. “Easton and Jamie told me you’ve been making them watch it all week. By any chance were you watching the Aces games?”
“Um, maybe.” She slid down into the couch a bit more.
“I don’t mind hockey.” Lovey gazed doubtfully at the big TV. “But I really only watch it when you guys are playing.”
“Hey, no need to stick around if you’re bored.” Duncan gave his sister a pointed look.
“Ha. Want to be alone, do you?”
Duncan just smiled and adjusted the volume. Hell yeah he wanted to be alone with Amber. Sadly, Lovey and Duper didn’t move off the couch, both of them appearing to be quite interested in what was happening with him and Amber. Probably more so than the damn hockey game.
“Okay.” He tossed the remote aside and settled her against him. “Ask me anything you want to know about hockey.”
“You’ll think I’m an idiot.”
“No, I won’t.”
He felt her big sigh but she focused on the TV.
“Fuck, Netzer’s having a good year,” Duper said. “Think he’ll hit thirty goals?”
“Fuck yeah. He’s got twenty-eight now.”
“How many goals do you have?” Amber asked Duncan.
“Twenty-three.”
“How about you, honey?” Lovey asked Duper.
He frowned. “Twenty-five.”
“Okay, why is Pittsburgh getting a penalty here?” Amber asked.
“Puck went over the boards,” Duncan said.
“But that doesn’t seem fair. Doesn’t it happen a lot?”
“It shouldn’t. Delay of game.”
“When any player, while in his defending zone, shoots or bats the puck directly out of the playing surface, a penalty shall be assessed for delaying the game,” Duper said.
Duncan grinned. “Did you just quote the rule book?”
“Yep.”
“Christ.”
Amber laughed. “Also, I don’t understand why they keep blowing the whistle for no reason.”
Duncan grinned. “There’s always a reason.”
“Not always.” Duper rolled his eyes, and they both laughed.
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Duncan asked Amber.
“Just there…it seemed like Pittsburgh was trying to score and then they blew the whistle.”
“Ah. Offside. The puck came out of the zone. If a player on the attacking team enters the offensive zone before the puck does—that’s the other team’s zone—”
“I understand offense. I, uh, played a little soccer in high school.”
“No kidding? That’s cool. Okay, so if they’re already in the offensive zone and the puck goes out—over the blue line—they all have to leave and go back in, making sure there’s no player in the offensive zone before the puck. Make sense?”
“Yep.” Her forehead creased as she watched the game. “Okay, there. That’s why they can’t have one player standing in front of the other team’s goal the whole time, right?”
“Right.”
“Look at that play,” Duper said admiringly when Netzer and Gilmore executed a beautiful passing play that netted Netzer yet another goal. “Twenty-nine.”
“Yeah.” Duncan nodded. “Damn.”
At the end of the period, Amber looked over at Lovey. “You’re right. It is more exciting watching the Aces play.”
Lovey grinned, and Duncan smiled too, giving Amber a squeeze.
“But thank you for explaining things,” Amber said to him.
“You should come to a game. I’ll get you tickets.”
“Um.” She licked her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
“Come on. Next home game is Tuesday night.”
“I really have to study.”
He frowned. “Why don’t you want to come to a game?”
Chapter 13
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Amber hedged. “It’s just…exam time.”
“You can’t study twenty-four hours a day.”
“True.” She sighed.
“What can I do to help?”
Amber gazed at Duncan. “Help?”
“Yeah. I mean, I can’t help you study. But maybe there are other things I can do.”