“Good evening,” he announced, holding up a shot in greeting.
Sam didn’t look like himself. His normally unkempt hair was smooth and combed back, his tux flawless. A far cry from the messy-haired boy with mismatched socks he was accustomed to teasing in the locker room. “Good evening to you too,” he said, laughing. “You’re dressed to impress tonight. Where is your date?”
Sam shrugged. “Late.” He downed the shot.
“Wait a second. You’re telling me you didn’t even go pick her up?”
“I offered,” he grunted, “but—”
“You’re embarrassing him, Henrik,” Leila whispered, walking over to give Sam a quick hug. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too. I feel like I see you every day, as much as I hear about you.”
Leila turned and raised a curious brow toward him. “Oh, really?”
“Oh. I mean—” Sam stuttered, realizing his mistake, “—I hear about you from your brother.”
Henrik snorted. “Smooth, Sam. Real smooth.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, shaking his head, “I’m having a bad night.”
“It’s all right.” He smiled, putting his arm around Sam’s shoulder. “I’ll buy you another drink.”
An hour later, he was still at the bar with Leila and Sam. He was four drinks in, and swapping bad date stories with Sam, which had Leila in tears. The good kind of tears. “I’m sorry.” Leila almost spit out her ice water. “The girl actually asked you that on the first date?”
Sam nodded, shooting back the remainder of his drink. “Yep. Like I had nothing better to do than walk her dog while I waited for her to get ready.”
“I bet you did it too.” Henrik laughed, imagining the horrifying scenario. “You are way too nice to say no.”
“I did no such thing,” he defended himself, straightening his shoulders.
“Don’t lie, Sam. You totally walked that dog, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he groaned. “It shit all over the sidewalk too. I didn’t even care.”
Leila covered her mouth, trying to compose herself. “Okay, you two have got to stop. I can’t handle any more.”
As if on cue, the music died down, and someone announced for everyone to find their tables. Sam looked around the room, his face falling. “Well, I guess I have officially been stood up.”
Henrik exchanged a look with Leila, and he knew their romantic evening was officially shot. “Don’t worry,” he told Sam, “after all the speeches, we’ll get you so drunk, you won’t remember her name.”
He found their table in the front corner, sitting with the highest donors. Austin sat at the table next to them, an empty chair at his side. “Where is your date?” he asked him, sinking down in the empty seat. “Don’t tell me you got stood up too?”
“What? No. Decided to go stag and see what’s here. I offered my extra ticket to Drew, but he said he had plans.”
“Plans,” he grumbled. “Probably out with his boyfriend he refuses to let me meet.”
Austin laughed. “Do you blame him? And who got stood up?”
“Sam. I promised him I’d get him good and drunk after this.”
“I got it covered,” Austin assured him. “You have fun with your date.”
He eyed his friend suspiciously. “You do remember that my date is your baby sister, right?”
“I figure I owe you one.” He smiled. “Just one, though. After tonight, you’re back on my shit list.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks a lot.”
Henrik joined Leila at their table, scooting his seat up close to hers so he could wrap his arm around her. She leaned into him, and he rested his chin on her shoulder like they’d done it a thousand times. “I feel bad for Sam,” she whispered. “He really looked upset.”
“Yeah, I know. Austin said he’d take care of him since he’s flying solo tonight.”
“Really? That doesn’t sound like my brother.”
He smiled against her cheek, closing his eyes. “Yeah, well, we’re all full of surprises lately.”
Soon their table filled with smiling donors, and dinner was served. What normally would have been just another night of work, comprised of forced conversations, now felt comfortable and easy with Leila by his side. He marveled at the way she glowed against the candlelight, her laughter rich and sincere. She was by far the hit of the table, and not only because she entertained the guests with embarrassing stories from his college career.
He couldn’t imagine the night going any better. After dinner, she held his hand as he led her around the room, making the necessary introductions and chatting with donors about the new changes to the youth hockey program the charity supported.
He introduced her to the director of the program, Chet Darrenger, an elderly man with thin, white hair. “The kids are looking forward to your visit next month,” Chet told him. “I really appreciate you taking time out of your schedule during such a hectic time of the season.”
“No problem,” Henrik assured him. “I look forward to it every year.”
“We are grateful for your dedication. We’ve benefited a lot from the Rylander family this year.”
He glanced at Leila before quirking his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how we would have survived if not for your brother volunteering when Harold had his heart attack.”
His eye rounded at the news. “Wait. Drew’s volunteering? Since when?”
Chet involuntarily scratched his brow. “Well, Harold got sick back in September. Drew took over his two beginner and intermediate training classes in October. Surely, he told you?”
“I’m starting to think my brother doesn’t tell me anything anymore,” he grumbled, giving Leila a knowing look.
“So, Drew’s playing hockey,” Leila asked for clarification, her hand intertwining with his because she understood the magnitude of what Chet was telling them.
“Yes. He’s amazing,” Chet said with a laugh. “I’m surprised Henrik hasn’t been sending scouts to the pickup games on Thursday nights. The kid has got some impressive skills.”
“He’s playing pickup games?” He shot Leila another look. “I guess now we know where he’s been creeping off to at night in his sneakers.”
“I wonder why he didn’t tell us.”
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I’m glad to hear it, though. Chet’s right. Drew was amazing at hockey. It’s a shame he gave it up.”
“Well, you’re welcome to join anytime,” Chet encouraged. Someone called for him from the bar, and he gave them a wave. “I’ll see you next month for sure, though.”
“Yes, of course.”
Chet left them alone, and Leila must have realized he suddenly had a lot of his mind, because she pulled him over to the side. “Want to skip out of here early?”
“Are you asking if I want to track down my brother and finally shake some truth out of him?”
She grinned, running her finger up the front seam of his tux jacket. “I meant more like us, continuing our date someplace with a few less distractions.”
He eyed her. “You’re not going to let me ask Drew about the hockey thing, are you?”
“He will tell us when he’s ready.”
“But he’s playing hockey again! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this? You saw him at the Halloween party. He wouldn’t even put skates on. He stayed in the suite with Sam and Callen, playing video games.”
“I understand it’s a big deal, but obviously, this is something Drew needs to do on his own. Whatever is changing in his life right now is working, so just trust in that, and in Drew.”
He screwed up his face. He wasn’t accustomed to letting his baby brother cope on his own. He’d always been there, every step of the way, prepared to catch him if he happened to fall. Now, Leila suggested he do nothing.