Chance Encounters of the Canuck Kind

Jacob opened the yellow door that had become so familiar to him over the last few months. It was 3 days before Christmas and the Canucks’ game schedule had fallen in Jacob’s favour, giving him a previously unheard of 7 full days at home. Keen to not let any of this time go to waste, he’d unofficially moved in with Juliette and Suze for the week, even going so far as commandeering the spare house key. He’d spent his morning fighting through the crowds Downtown, just another member of the last minute shopping club. He’d never been in this position before and was utterly clueless. Sure, he’d bought Christmas presents for his family – and that was okay, he could buy them the crappiest present in the world and they’d love it, because they were his family and that’s what families do – but a girlfriend? That was another matter entirely. And not just any girlfriend either; Juliette had become a firm fixture in Jacob’s life, she’d embraced her role as a hockey WAG and had integrated fully into his Canucks family. The guys loved her and she’d been throwing herself into the Canucks’ Autism Network charity, proving herself to be just as much of an ambassador as Jacob was. He was falling more and more in love with her every day and was coming to the realisation that she might just be the woman he spends the rest of his life with. So this was why he needed to get her a present that would blow her away, that would say a million words and show her that she was the only woman he would ever want or need. It took him three weeks, a WhatsApp group chat with Sutter, Bo and Nilsson, 5 borderline tantrums in 4 different stores and a near nervous breakdown, but he’d (just about) managed. He set his keys down on the side table in the hallway, carefully avoiding all of Juliette and Suze’s Christmas nick-nacks that were on their yearly escape from the attic and took his heavy parka off. The city had got a welcome break from the snow that day but it was still barely above freezing and as Jacob removed his winter boots he could feel his feet begin to thaw in the welcoming warmness of the house. The smell of Christmas spices was intoxicating and he couldn’t help but follow his nose towards the source.
“You’re back!” Juliette said excitedly as she saw him enter the kitchen. She dropped the measuring spoon she was holding and rushed over to him, almost leaping at him, and threw her arms around his neck. “Shit, Marky!” she squealed as he slipped his cold hands under her jumper and placed them on her back, causing Jacob to laugh.
“Sorry, babe. Couldn’t resist.” He greeted her properly with a soft kiss. “It smells awesome in here, what’s cooking?”
“Gingerbread. One batch is in the oven, which should be due out any minute actually.” She bustled about the kitchen purposefully, preparing the cooling racks and searching for the oven mitt. “I’ve got the next batch on the go now, just about to knead the dough – which is the perfect job for a big strong man like you” she winked.
“Kneading dough? That sounds like far too much responsibility for me. I’m not qualified enough.”
“Even you can’t fuck up kneading some gingerbread dough, Marky” joshed a familiar voice.
“Hey, don’t underestimate my ability to mess up simple cooking tasks, Suze” Jacob replied. “I cooked Juliette dinner one time and we ended up having to get takeout because I messed it up that badly.”
Suze looked at Juliette for clarification.
“It was an oven pizza” Juliette said with a straight face causing Suze to erupt into a fit of giggles.
“HEY! In my defence I was using your oven and your settings are weird, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah… whatever, Marky”
“Here…” Juliette motioned towards the dough with a smile “I’ll show you what to do, it’s easy and it doesn’t matter so much if you overwork the dough.”
“Overworking dough? See this is exactly why I’m not qualified enough to be given this job” Jacob protested.
“The worst thing that will happen is the biscuits will be hard, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, they’re the best ones for dipping in coffee.” Juliette smiled encouragingly at her boyfriend who began to tenuously knead the gingerbread. She wiped her hands on her apron and began to take the baked gingerbread off the baking sheet and placed them carefully onto the cooling racks. A ringing started in the other room causing both girls to jump.
“What the fuck is that?” Suze asked.
“The home phone I think… Is it the home phone?” Juliette looked confused.
“No one ever rings the home number…” Suze grumbled as she dashed into the lounge to answer the incoming call. “Hello? … Well, shit! How’re you doing Ray? … Yeah, everything’s great here. What’s it like in the fucking 1950s? … Why else would you ring a landline? Juliette has a perfectly working cellphone … Rude. Look I know you want to speak to your sister but you should at least entertain me for a whi… OKAY! Fine... Yeah I’ll just get her for you…” she passed the phone to Juliette “It’s your brother, WHO WAS VERY RUDE TO ME BY THE WAY” she added loudly so that Ralof could hear on the other end of the line. Ray could be heard chuckling away down the phone as Juliette placed it to her ear:
“You should be nicer to my friend, Ray” she teased.
“Bah, she’s a big girl. She can take it. So the reason I called…”
“Oh, so it wasn’t just to have a lovely chat with your favourite sister…”
“I’m coming home for Christmas.” Ralof cut Juliette off.
“YOU’RE WHAT? WHEN? OH MY GOD, RAY! THAT’S FUCKING AWESOME. WHERE ARE YOU STAYING? WHEN DO YOU GET HERE? OH MY…”
“Whoa! Try not to explode, Jules!” Ray chuckled “I’m flying in tonight, I don’t currently have anywhere to sleep but I can find a hotel or something once I get here.”
“You will do no such thing” Juliette opposed. “You can’t come to visit and stay in a fucking hotel. Why don’t you stay here?”
“Don’t take this personally but your couch is uncomfortable as shit to sleep on.”
“No, I’ll sleep on the couch” Juliette replied “You take my room.”
“I can’t kick you out of your own room.”
Juliette didn’t hear Ray finish his sentence as she was too busy looking at Jacob who was mouthing something at her. “Sorry Ray, two secs...” She looked at Jacob baffled.

“He could stay at my place if he wanted” Jacob clarified “or we could stay at my place and he could take your room. That way, nobody has to sleep on the couch.”
“Ray?” Juliette returned to the phone call “Jacob said you could stay at his place if you wanted? Or you could have my room and we’ll go to his place to stay while you’re here.”
“That sounds great… you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all, I’m just happy to have you home.” Juliette smiled
“Hopefully it’ll be a more permanent thing…” Ray began “but we’ll talk more when I get here. I land at 10:30, so I’ll be with you for 11. Don’t go to any trouble, okay?”
“Do you need a ride from the airport?”
“It’s fine, Jules, thanks. I’ve got a rental so I can drive myself. I’ll see you real soon, okay, Monkey?”
“Okay, safe trip, Moose. I love you”
“I love you too, Juliette.”
Juliette set the handset down onto the worktop and looked at Suze who was sporting a peculiar look on her face. Was it excitement? Worry?
“Ralof is coming home for Christmas” Juliette said.
“I guessed as much…” Suze replied slowly. “Is he staying here?”
“I don’t know, we’ll work it out once he gets here at 11.”
“He’s coming tonight?!” Suze exclaimed. “Right… okay… I’m going to er… shower and stuff.” And with that she left the room hurriedly.
Jacob looked at Juliette bemusedly.
“What the fuck was that all about?” he asked.
“I’ve literally got no clue what happened there…” Juliette replied. “Wow, that dough looks good. We’ll make a star baker out of you yet, Marky.”
“I don’t know about that, best not give up my day job, ey?”

Notes