Texas Was You

Chapter 8

"You look fine, Lisette", said Josephine reassuringly.

"I have never been to a bar before, aren't they rough?", she asked dubiously.

"Han, where we're going isn't some hole in the wall joint, everyone goes to bars in the US, you'll be fine", she replied.

The women got into the taxi waiting for them downstairs and Josephine told the driver the address. "You ladies gonna watch the Stars game tonight?", asked the driver.

"Yeah, my friend here is new to Texas and I am going to show her a good time, some Big D hospitality", said Josephine cheerfully.

"That's good, you gotta root for the Texas teams. I'm a Cowboys fan myself", laughed the driver.

Josephine paid the driver and led her inside. "This is the Dubliner, it's an Irish and a Stars bar", she explained.

Lisette nodded as they found seats at the bar, looking about curiously. It was on two levels with a balcony overlooking the lower level and plasma TV's mounted on the walls all tuned the Fox Sports Southwest pregame show, framed Stars' jerseys and banners next to the TV. "Howdy, Miss Josephine. The usual?", asked the bartender.

"Yeah. This is my friend Lisette, she's new and she's from France", she replied.

"Howdy ma'am. What can I get you to drink?", he asked.

"I will have a gin and tonic with Sapphire, monsieur", she said.

"Reckon it's the first time I ever been called monsieur", he laughed.

Lisette raised an eyebrow when she saw the martini glass Josephine had. "It's a tequini, it's a martini made with tequila. That's my usual drink", she said.

Lisette nodded in thanks as she sipped her drink. "You can make martinis with tequila?", she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, blame James Bond for that. It's not so cut and dry anymore, you can make martinis with anything. I'd recommend the loaded fries or the wings with the firecracker sauce for starters, the place makes a really good burger and steak", said Josephine.

Lisette sipped her drink and her heart skipped a beat when she looked up at the screen and saw Antoine being interviewed on TV. "Proud of your big bro, huh?", she teased.

"Oui, I have seen him play in juniors and saw clips on Youtube, but not like this", she said.

Lisette was on her second gin and tonic and having a salad when she glanced up at the screen and saw Tyler being interviewed, a blush forming on her cheeks and her food momentarily forgotten. "Hon, all the girls in Big D like that boy, at least you're French and he likes you, you are smart and interesting. Reckon he got tired of bimbos", said Josephine.

The bar was crowded as the game approached, fans in the new victory green jerseys and vintage ones ordering drinks with their eyes on the screen. After the Canadian and American anthems were played, a little girl in a dark blue Winnipeg jersey was escorted to center ice and stood between Jamie and Andrew Ladd. She dropped the puck and Jamie won the draw as him and Ladd shook hands and people took pictures, both captains skating back to the bench.

Lisette ordered a glass of water and was riveted to the screen as Tyler faced off against Olli Jokinen, Tyler winning the draw as the Winnipeg fans booed angrily. He passed it to Jamie just before getting checked by Enstrom, skating away from the boards and rushing up the ice to join Jamie and Antoine. Jamie passed it back to him as Tyler skated towards the net, lifting his stick and firing a wrist shot that went just above Pavelec's glove as his teammates embraced him and the fans booed louder.

"So how was your first time in an American bar?", asked Josephine as the cab approached the building, the Stars having won 3-1.

"Tres beaucomp bien, the crowd was very polite and it was a good place", she replied.

"That's my place, we oughtta do it again some other time. Lucky we don't have class tomorrow. Good night", said Josephine.

Lisette paid the driver and went upstairs to the condo, taking off her shoes and quickly changing into a slip and a robe. She sent a text to Antoine and was surprised when the phone rang and Tyler's number appeared on the screen. "Bonjour, my little French tart. Did you see the game, I scored a goal for you", he said gallantly.

"Tyler, do not let the coach hear you say that", she chided.

"Haha, the guys are chirping me over that, but we won. We have to get on the flight to Edmonton, I am going to score another for you, my little French tart. Good night", he said.

"Bonne nuit, Tyler", she replied.

The plane touched down in Edmonton two hours later as the team went straight to the bus. Jamie put his hands in his coat and felt his phone, debating whether it was a good idea or not to call. "Go for it, bro. What's the worst thinkg that can happen?", asked Jordie.

"It's almost midnight and she's probably asleep", he replied.

"Just go for it, you haven't been with a girl in too long", he said encouringly.

Jamie took the phone and scrolled through the Contact list, saying a silent prayer before dialing her number. There were a few rings and his pulse quickened when he heard her answer. "Howdy, Jamie. Great pass to Tyler, him scoring like that for Lisette. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?", she teased.

Jamie immediately relaxed and smiled when he heard her soft Texas drawl. "We just landed in Edmonton and we're on the bus to the hotel, we play the Oilers tomorrow", he replied.

"Damn, reckon you better rest up then. When do you get back to Dallas?", she asked.

"We got the game against Calgary after that and then we fly home, we'll be back on Sunday and then we get off on Monday", he said.

Jamie took a deep breath. "Josephine, you want to go out Monday?", he asked in a rush.

"Sure, I don't have class Tuesday. See you then and try not to get distracted, captain", she drawled.

"See you in a few days, Josephine", he said.

"Au revoir, Jamie", she replied.

"You finally grew some balls, captain", teased Ray.

"Oui, finally is right. Mon capitan, you need to find yourself a woman, Josephine is a beautiful girl and you have the hots for her, mon ami", teased Antoine.

Jamie blushed. "Guys, this is just a date", he mumbled.

"When was the last tiime you went on a date, captain? Hell, even Segs has been mooning over his girl and he hasn't been chasing the bunnies since he's gotten with Antoine's sister", said Ray.

Tyler blushed at the older man's words. "Dude, you make me sound like I'm already married or something", he muttered.

"So what are you guys anyways?", asked Alex.

"I don't know yet, Toaster. I like her a lot and she's a cool girl, but we haven't been on an actual date yet", he replied thoughtfully.

"Go on a real date, get her tickets to the game", suggested Ray.

"Good idea", he replied.