Caught off Guard by Catherine Cloud

Author:Catherine Cloud [Cloud, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: M/M, Hockey
Published: 2023-04-29T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

COOP’S BIRTHDAY IS on a game day, but it’s a matinee, so he throws a party. Of course he does. Matthias is exhausted just thinking about it, but everyone is going and Coop promised cake.

Matthias is in goal, they lose in overtime, and he’d rather just go home and go to bed. Yes, at five o’clock. Whatever.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Oliver tells him for the tenth time.

And, objectively, Oliver is correct. It wasn’t Matthias’s fault. He didn’t make a mistake. The goal that tied up the game was a rebound and he tried to get to it, but he’s pretty sure that not even Casey would have had that one.

“Eat a chicken nugget.”

“I don’t want a chicken nugget,” Matthias says, even though he does want a chicken nugget. He’s being difficult on purpose, which, yeah, okay, isn’t a great thing to be at someone else’s birthday party.

So he takes a chicken nugget.

“There, there,” Sid says and ruffles Matthias’s hair, hopefully not with the same hand that he’s been using to eat chicken nuggets.

“Look, it’s a point,” Bolt says. “A point is good. We’ll take the point.”

Matthias heaves a sigh, takes a second chicken nugget, and sits down next to Oliver. They’re out back by the pool. On the other side, people are dancing with Coop right in the middle, having the time of his life.

“I don’t get where he finds the energy to organize these parties,” Matthias says.

“He makes like five phone calls. That’s all it takes,” Oliver says.

“No way.”

“Seriously, I’ve watched him do it.”

“Also,” Matthias goes on, “how does he know this many people?”

“It’s people who know people who know him,” Sid says. “Theresa invites like a dozen people to these parties every time.”

“I don’t even know a single person in town who isn’t on the team with us,” Matthias says. That sounded kinda sad. And pathetic. He’s sad and pathetic. “Okay, I know my next-door neighbor, but I wouldn’t invite her to a party.”

“Eat some pizza,” Bolt says, batting his eyelashes at Matthias. “And bring us some, too?”

Matthias gets up to grab them a pizza carton from the kitchen. On the way, he runs into Casey, who’s talking to a handful of wives and girlfriends.

“Matthias,” Theresa says and pulls him into their huddle. “You’re single, too.”

“Uh, what?”

“We were just talking to Casey,” Greenie’s wife Ashlee says and winks at him. “We were trying to figure out who his type is so we can help him out.”

“Maybe you should help Matthias out instead,” Casey says, giving Matthias a pointed look.

Before Matthias can protest, Casey escapes.

Theresa turns to him. “So?”

“I, uh, like all girls,” Matthias says. “I’m not…” He shrugs, watching Casey weave his way through the partygoers, only to flop down in the seat Matthias vacated a few minutes ago.

Ashlee cackles. “That’s very cute. But everyone has a type. Like, at least a little bit?”

“Hm,” Matthias says. “I mean, it helps when you hate the same things, I guess.”

“Oh-hooo,” Theresa says. “Okay, okay, that makes sense.”

“What do you hate, then?” Ashlee asks.

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