Music to My Heart

Merry Christmas!

It was late, or early depending on whether you had been to bed yet, which Jordan Eberle had not. A flight from San Jose back to Edmonton two days before Christmas (although, it was now technically Christmas Eve so one day before? He wasn't sure) and all he wanted to do was sleep in his bed for a few hours before going out to finish all his last minute Christmas shopping. Instead, there was a gift wrapped box sitting in front of his door, a card on top. He picked the card up and turned it over in his hands, finding the back blank. He had no idea who the package on his doorstep was from, or whether said package was going to be filled with Christmas cheer or a dead pig's ear.

He picked the wrapped box up and unlocked his door, leaving the present on his dining room table. He leaned against the wall and stared at it for several minutes before pulling his phone out of his pocket. Despite the hour, he knew he'd get an answer.

“Hi, Ebs!” Danni Nugent-Hopkins answered. “How is my favorite Oiler?”

“Hey!” He heard her husband Ryan exclaim in the background.

“Yeah, you're right, Nugie; second favorite, after Benny but before you.”

Jordan chuckled at his friends good natured teasing. “Sounds about right to me.”

“What's up?” Danni asked. “It's late.”

“I knew you'd be up though, missing Nuge after a week on the road.”

“So you thought interrupting our reunion was a good idea? I have a plan to make up for the last six days.”

“Don't be gross.”

“You called me,” she reminded him. “So spill it already so I can watch Ry get out of his suit.”

“Danni!” He groaned.

She laughed. “It must be important for you to call after getting in from a road trip so tell me what's going on.”

“I, uh....” he paused, trying to decide what to say. “Someone left a Christmas present on my doorstep.”

“And?”

“And I don't know who it's from. Did you leave it?”

“Did you open it?”

“No! What if there's some body part in there?”

“Why would someone wrap a body part and leave it in front of your door for Christmas?”

“I don't know but they didn't sign the card.”

“Jordan, you live in a high security building. Do you really think some rando could just walk in and drop off a dead rat at your door?”

“Maybe.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Just open it doofus.”

Jordan approached slowly and lifted the box off the table. He shook it gingerly before peeling the tape from one end.

“Ebs, I dropped that off on my way home from dinner with Cary. It won't bite and it's not dog shit either,” Danni said in his ear.

“You left it?”

“Yes!”

“But we always exchange gifts at your and Ryan's place.”

“If you would just open the damn box you'd understand.” He sighed dramatically. “Just do it Ebs or I'll never make you grilled cheese again.”

Jordan tore the paper off the box, letting it fall to the floor. No way he'd risk Danni not making her fancy grilled cheese sandwiches for him. He opened the box and lifted out another card. Ripping open the envelope, he held the square white card in his hands, written in Danni’s looping, expressive script.

“Please join us for Christmas dinner....black tie... Danni,” he whined, “we have to dress up this year? Why? We always eat at your place.”

“I wanted to do something different this year, deal with it.”

“Just because you're a newlywed doesn't mean we have to change tradition.”

“Taylor isn't here anymore; it doesn't feel right without him.”

“We did it without Sam after he was traded.”

“Sam wasn't Taylor. You and Ryan and Taylor and Justin, you were my guys, you always have been. Anyone else that comes or goes is a part of life. But you four are always going to be special. After Justin left in March, and then Taylor this summer, it's not the same and it's time to start a new tradition, one for me, Ryan, and you.”

“So I'm the third wheel.”

“You're not a third wheel, Ebs. Ry and I love you. You're family.”

“Third wheel,” he repeated. “Who else is invited?”

“No one.”

“So I'm definitely the third wheel.”

“Look in the box again.”

Jordan peered into the box, pushing aside tissue paper to find a bottle of cologne, toothpaste and a toothbrush, and an expensive looking toiletry bag with his initials on it. He looked inside, finding an array of grooming products inside.

“Is this your way of telling me I smell?”

Danni laughed. “Oh, Ebs,” she smiled. “No, I do not think you smell bad. I just want you to look and dress your best for dinner.”

Immediately Jordan’s senses perked. “Why?”

“Because it's Christmas.”

“You're up to something, Danni.”

“You're too suspicious, Jordan. Wear that new navy suit you got for this season too.”

“Fine.”

“Good. See you tomorrow night!”



Sunday evening, Jordan stepped from his car at the valet stand, accepted a ticket that went into his coat pocket, and brushed the front of his pants smooth. A sharply dressed man at the door opened it as he approached, greeting him as he passed.

Stepping inside the Chateau Lacombe, he took the elevator to the twenty fourth floor to the hotels restaurant, La Ronde. Several other people rode with him and Jordan had a place in the back of the elevator, leaning against the wall. There was a couple in front of him, and what seemed to be a mom and dad with their two adult sons beside them.

And then there was her. A raven haired woman that snuck on just before the door closed. He had only gotten a brief look at her face but he had been momentarily stunned by the woman's simple beauty and grace as she excused herself into a space at the opposite end of the elevator.

Everyone else hurried off the elevator when they reached their floor and Jordan paused so the woman could go in front of him. He smiled politely when their eyes met and she smiled in return. Jordan thought to himself how lucky the bastard was that she must be meeting because no way was this girl coming here to eat Christmas dinner alone.

When he stepped off the elevator, Jordan glanced around for Ryan and Danni and upon spotting them, headed in their direction. Several steps in, he realized he was following the girl from the elevator and he looked for who she might be meeting for several seconds before realizing that she was headed right for Danni and Ryan and that Danni had the biggest smile on her face and an obvious sparkle in her eye.

“Hey, Ebs,” Ryan greeted him as Danni hugged the girl. “Glad you could make it.”

“What is going on?” He whispered to Ryan.

Ryan shrugged. “Sorry man; I couldn't stop her.”

“Jordan!” Danni squealed, hugging him tightly. “You look so handsome!”

“Thank you,” he replied, giving her a meaningful look that she ignored. “You look pretty great too but why couldn't you do anything to dress Nuge up?”

Danni laughed as she leaned into Ryan's side. “Ry is perfect; stop being so jealous.”

“Because he got you,” he bantered back. “What's so special about him anyway?”

“Number one draft pick,” Ryan smiled.

Jordan rolled his eyes and turned to the woman standing to the right of the couple. He noticed that her eyes were grey, and there were freckles across the bridge of her nose. “Hi, I'm Jordan,” he said, extending his hand to her.

“Eve, it's nice to meet you,” she replied.

“Eve started teaching the fourth grade class beside me; she just moved here from Moose Jaw.”

“You worked in Moose Jaw?” Jordan asked.

“I was born and raised in Moose Jaw,” Eve answered. “But my family moved when I was sixteen to Grand Forks, North Dakota.”

As they moved to check their coats and then towards the hostess to give the name of their reservation, Danni shared a knowing smile with Ryan as Jordan fell into step beside Eve.

“Why North Dakota?” Jordan asked her.

“My dad got a job teaching at UND. After high school I went to college there and after graduating, I went back to Moose Jaw to be a teacher.”

They were led to a table for four by a window and Ryan held Danni’s chair for her and Jordan did the same for Eve before taking the seat beside her.

“Look how incredible the view is,” Danni gushed as she peered out the window. “I've been trying to get Ry to bring me here for ages,” she said to Jordan and Eve.

“And all it took was getting rid of Hallsy,” Jordan joked.

Danni giggled. “I'll send him a thank you card.”

“You're not going to the game in Jersey on the 7th?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Of course she is. Taylor sent her a Devils shirt to wear.”

“I'm leaving on the 4th and going with Danny B to see the Flyers game that night, then I'll spend a couple days with my parents, go to your game in Jersey on the 7th, and then I'm flying after that to Columbus to see Scott and watch the Flyers again.”

“She's also meeting up with some college friends in Columbus for a reunion,” Ryan added. “The timing just so happened to work out with her getting to see the Flyers again.

“Yes it did,” Danni grinned.

“When do you come home?” Jordan asked.

“I fly back to Edmonton on the 9th.”

A waiter appeared then, offering wine that they all accepted. After their glasses were poured, he was gone and as they waited on the first course of their meal, Jordan turned to Eve to learn more about her.

“I grew up in Regina, maybe we knew some of the same people,” he said to her. “I'm 26 and I'm guessing you're somewhere between my age and Ryan’s, but closer to me and Danni since Danni made sure I looked good tonight to assumedly set us up.”

“Since we both ran in hockey circles, I'd imagine so,” she replied. “My dad coached my brothers team when he was young, and kept doing it long after he aged up. At least until we moved. And I'm twenty six tomorrow since you asked.”

“Happy birthday,” he smiled.

“Thank you. ”

Jordan rattled off a few names and Eve offered a few in return. They each recognized a couple but no one they were close with. He looked across the table to find Danni watching them intently.

“I knew you two would hit it off,” she said.

“If you two actually end up hating each other, let it be known that I told her she should not be playing matchmaker, not after the disaster that almost derailed Benny and Cary for good,” Ryan spoke up.

“But it turned out fine,” Danni pouted.

“After two weeks,” Jordan pointed out.

“Whatever,” she answered dismissively. “You two grew up less than an hour away from each other, you're the same age, you both love country music and golfing, and Eve likes hockey. This is a match made in heaven, trust me.”

“Did you know she was setting you up tonight?” Jordan asked Eve.

She shook her head. “I had a suspicion. Why else would she invite me to join her and Ryan for Christmas?”

“Um, hello, you don't have any family here and you told me you weren't going to North Dakota,” Danni said.

“And she has a single friend that she thinks would be perfect for you,” Ryan added.

“I just want all my friends to be happy.”

“Even when I'm your third wheel I'm happy, Danni, but thank you for caring enough to want to me to find happiness like you have with Ryan,” Jordan told her honestly. He smiled and she smiled back.

“Love you, Ebs,” she said.

He reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “I love you guys too.”

They chatted away as a group after that and as their food came, talk shifted to funny stories the girls had about school and then the guys traded stories about pranks they had played or had played on them over the years.

Part of the appeal of La Ronde was that it rotated 360 degrees for what was supposed to be the best view of Edmonton. As they waited for dessert, the room began to rotate and Jordan leaned a little bit closer to Eve to get a better look out the window.

“It's pretty, isn't it?” Eve said quietly, turning her head just slightly to his.

“Very,” Jordan agreed, even though he couldn't take his eyes off Eve. “Hey, since tomorrow is your birthday and your family is in North Dakota, could I maybe take you out for a birthday scoop of ice cream?”

Eve turned to face him with a smile. “I would like that. I love ice cream.”

“Me too,” he grinned.

Across the table, Danni nudged Ryan. “I told you so,” she whispered.

“Yep, you told me so,” Ryan agreed quietly, brushing his lips across her temple.



After dinner, the foursome headed back to Ryan and Danni’s house. They had made an offer on a house together back in April as the previous season had been winding down and after several back and forth offers, had finally signed all the paperwork for it in early June. They stayed in Edmonton until the school year ended at the end of June, and then went to Ryan’s family home in Burnaby for a week before heading to Danni’s family home to finish preparation for their upcoming wedding.

Their new home in Edmonton was in an up and coming central neighborhood in the inner city that was seeing new growth and revitalization. It was also less than two miles from Rogers Place Arena and a little more than two miles to the elementary school Danni had taught at since coming to Edmonton.

Their little two story house had been built in 1912 and had a certain charm about it that both Danni and Ryan had fallen for. It also needed some love and care. As soon as the keys were in their hands, they immediately set out to renovate the home. They got in touch with a contractor who had worked on the homes of some current and former teammates and they made a plan, work going on throughout the summer even while Danni and Ryan were thousands of miles away, coordinating almost everything over phone, Skype, and email and trust in Big Dave.

Following their wedding in July, they had honeymooned by backpacking all over Europe and in mid August, after quick trips back to Philadelphia and Burnaby, officially moved into their Edmonton home, renovations complete and furniture purchased and assembled by a separate interior design firm. They took care of the finishing touches to the house themselves, picking out photos and arts and some of Ryan's more special memorabilia to decorate the walls.

The basement was where they gathered that Christmas night, joined by Benoit Pouliot and his wife Cary, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisatil. Big Dave and his crew had installed the hardwood floors and full bar but the decorating was all Ryan and Danni.

It had been the one room they agreed they wanted to furnish and paint themselves. It was where everyone gathered when they had their friends over and they wanted it to be comfortable and fun. An enormous tv covered one wall, gaming systems hooked up to it. Two large sectional couches dominated the space. And of course the bar, where many good times had been shared since the season had started.

Now there was also a Christmas tree in a corner and as Danni passed out hot cocoa and a bottle of whipped cream flavored vodka, they all sat around talking and laughing before starting their annual white elephant gift exchange.

“In case anyone missed the introduction,” Ryan spoke above everyone else. “This is Eve, she teaches at the same school as Danni, and she just moved to Edmonton back in August and her family is in North Dakota so Danni dragged her into this.”

“So she could have another American?” Connor asked.

“I'm Canadian,” Eve replied. “My dad teaches at UND.”

“So I'm still outnumbered but I adopted Leon as an honorary American since he's the only German,” Danni added as she sat across Ryan's lap.

“What grade do you teach, Eve?” Benoit asked.

She was momentarily struck by the handsome Frenchman. She had seen a picture of him on Cary’s phone once but it did not do him justice in person. She blinked, smiling politely as she answered. “Fourth; my classroom is next to Danni’s. I heard a commotion one day and stuck my head out to see what was going on but it was just Ryan visiting.”

“I could visit your kids,” Connor spoke up.

Jordan frowned and slid closer to Eve, shooting a dirty look at Connor as he did so. Leon snorted and Ryan choked back a laugh. Danni grinned victoriously.

“I wouldn't recommend that,” Benoit told him with a smirk, patting their young captain's shoulder.

“Come on,” Danni spoke up loudly, “it's time to draw numbers.” She stood up and grabbed a Santa hat from the bar and moved around the room until everyone drew a number. She grabbed the last piece of paper for herself and paused in front of the tree.

“Okay, the rules are simple. Each person may either pick a gift from under the tree or steal a present that has already been opened. If your present is stolen, you can then pick a new present or steal somebody else's gift. A gift may only be stolen once per turn and a turn ends after three swaps. After three steals, a gift is out and can no longer be stolen. After everyone has picked a gift, the person who has number one can either keep their gift, or steal someone else's gift that is not out of play. Everybody got it?”

There were nods from all around the room and Ryan pulled Danni back into his lap. “Who's got number one?” He asked.

“I do,” Cary spoke up, getting to her feet.

It took a little more than two hours to pick and steal eight gifts. There was a lot of laughter and joking, and more steals than Ryan, Danni, or Jordan could ever remember from their past exchanges. Benoit and Cary left shortly after they had finished and as Danni walked with them to the door, Eve yawned beside Jordan.

“Tired?” Jordan asked her quietly.

“I was up early to Skype with my family this morning, and then getting ready for dinner, not knowing what Danni was up to.”

He chuckled. “Can't trust that one.”

“I should probably head home soon.”

“I can walk you out to your car.”

“That would be nice,” Eve smiled.

Jordan stood and offered her his hand, helping Eve to her feet. Eve said goodbye to the others and Jordan followed her upstairs. They passed Danni as they went and the two girls hugged goodbye. She stopped Jordan and hugged him too, kissing his cheek lightly.

“She's your one; don't fuck it up,” she whispered before smiling and disappearing down the stairs.

Jordan shook his head at Danni's retreating form before turning back to Eve. “Lead on,” he smiled, touching Eve lightly at the small of her back as he motioned towards the front door.

They walked outside in silence and Eve paused beside her car to get her keys from her purse. Jordan stuck his hands in his pockets, not sure what he was supposed to do next.

Eve beeped her car unlocked and looked up at Jordan. “I should give you my number.”

“Yeah...yes, yes,” Jordan answers, fumbling with his phone as he pulled it out of his pocket. Eve giggled to herself, finding it charmingly endearing how nervous he was.

She reached for the phone as he unlocked it and quickly texted herself before handing it back to him with a smile. “Now you just have to save my details.”

Jordan tapped furiously for a second and looked up with a beaming smile. “Done.”

Eve was pretty sure her panties melted just a little when he did.