Chapter Text
Since the talk with Tyler the seed had been planted and he became more and more open to the idea of using Joanne's services only for the purchase of the new house, and be guilt free when asking her out later. However every time he winded up thinking about it, it made him feel like a shallow person who use loopholes in order to harass someone who somewhat works for him. In result of that guilty feeling at the pit of his stomach, he decided to talk about the situation with Darth sometime during the Christmas break. His older brother knew him well enough to give good advice, yet live far enough on a regular basis, so he was able to give an objective opinion.
Once he knew that he wanted to talk it through with Jordie he was impatient and eager to go on with it. However he still had a bit of a common sense left, and realized by himself that he can't steal Jordie right away from their family while they wanted to catch up with the both of them. What he ended up settle on was that their first day would be with the family, and on their second day back home he would get the chance to have a little one on one chat with Jordie. When he sensed an opportunity for their talk (when their mom went for a nap and their dad was at work) he just led Jordie to his childhood bedroom. He was hesitant for like two seconds about how to start off the conversation. Yet apparently it was one second too late, because Darth already started talking.
"Chubbs, before you die out of self-doubt I would like to say that I agree with Tyler. If you like her and no longer hires her, then you do nothing wrong with just asking her out. She could always say no, and you are gentleman enough to know that no means no. So I don't see any harm in it".
When Darth stopped talking he looked expectedly at his younger brother, waiting for an answer or some sort of typical lecture of Jamie's set of codes. Yet, Jamie was too busy processing the fact that Tyler kept his older brother posted. At last he came up with the articulated response of "You knew about my situation in Dallas?"
To that he heard a familiar voice, that he may or may not was too fond of, saying "What, about your crash on Joanne the realtor? Yeah, Segs gave me a heads up for an incoming heart-to-heart talk over the Christmas break".
After hearing that, his insides filled with happiness from how his bros were looking out for him. However he tried to push it away, just for a few seconds, in order to press Jordie for his real advice on the situation. His brother saw how much he counted on this answer so Jordie gave him a much more serious answer.
"Honestly, I haven't met her yet, but from what I heard about her from you and Seggy I approve. Furthermore, I know that after what happened with Julie you were a mess. And the incident over the summer hadn't helped.
But, you are better now, and things between Tyler and you are better now. There's no reason for you to keep punishing yourself. You are allowed to be happy".
Jamie felt so much better after hearing his brother's advice. Now he knew for sure that he would ask her out after the house buying process would be behind them. Once he told Jordie his final verdict he was sure that they could stray to another subject, like their seasons thus far, however he stopped when he spotted Jordie's worried face. He asked tentatively what matter was, once it was clear that Jordie wasn't going to explain himself.
Even after the question it took eternity for his brother to answer. However at last he answered with a simple "What did you say her last name was?"
Jamie was expecting some major bad news, so the question kind of landed out of left field. It took him a few speculative seconds of trying to figure out the question's motive before answering "River, Joanne River. Why?"
Jordie didn't acknowledge the question. He just started firing off a set of confusing and ridiculous questions such as "Is she sarcastic and judgmental?" Throughout the interrogation Darth remained with the same seriousness, even becoming bleaker looking as the time passed. As it exceeded from one or two question to an impressive amount of questions Jamie became more and more worried, trying to think of some reasonable explanations as to why this barrage of questions were even subjected to him. Finally he came up with the theory that Jordie met Joanne before, prior to the trade, and tried to confirm that indeed it was the same woman before warning him about her. This theory made the most sense, so he went along with it, trusting Jordie to finally tell him what was wrong. Only with the question of "Is she a bit of a fashionista?" he started to suspect what the gig was about.
"Did you just imply that my realtor is the same person as the comedian from 'The Fashion Police'?"
With that Jordie got his que and started laughing so loud that Jamie was worried he'd wake their mom from her nap. He didn't want Jordie to feel validated about his unfunny prank, so he just started to wait him out. Only he really under estimated his brother because not only was he still laughing a full minute after, but now he was also crying out of laughter. And that was his limit and what pushed him to fire up an angry "Could you stop being a dick?!" at his brother.
For a moment it felt like it made his situation worse, but then Jordie wiped his eyes away the tears and actually looked at Jamie and actually redeemed himself by stopping with the laugh. Once he stopped with the laughing he still had a big smile on his face, almost like he was egging him to start laughing as well. Jamie then on principle decided not to laugh (it would only encourage Jordie to continue with pranks like that in the future). From then on they started a staring contest, with neither of them willing to admit defeat. Eventually, after what felt like century, Jordie started talking (which meant that Jamie totally won the battle).
"I'm sorry, okay? It just accord to me that her name is awfully close to the name of Joan Rivers, the comedian, so I decided to have some fun. And if you weren't lame unlike me, you would have appreciated my joke".
Jamie was still a bit frustrated, yet he wasn't that angry anymore so he decided to throw his brother a bone.
"It would have been funnier if it weren't right after me asking you on whether I should ask her out or not. I for sure thought that you remembered like an encounter you had with her when you lived in Dallas. I was ready to hear how she was a horrible person and I should run for my life or something along those lines".
With that Jordie showed more sympathy and had a rueful smile. Then he just gave him an apologetically bro hug. Of course Jamie took it as the appropriate apology and from there they just took the conversation to another path. From than Jamie got his decisive answer and knew what was the game plan for his return to Dallas. Since the conversation he just laid back and exploited the quick vacation as much as he could.
+++
When he got back to Dallas he felt refreshed and relaxed, ready to the second half of the season. He was also ready for another round of house hunting with Joanne. He told her beforehand the dates in which he would be at Canada, for the Christmas break, fully expecting her to take a break as well. However she obviously hadn't taken the break because as he was back in Dallas, getting ready for their short trip to Minnesota, she sent him a full list of no less than ten new places to check. He was shocked and felt guilty about the off chance that maybe she thought that he expected her to work while he was gone. After a full minute of him considering with himself what to do, he finally decided to review the houses.
He was aware that they had been for quite some time at that process, so he was not that surprised to see that on paper every single one of the houses was perfected to his set of expectations. After reviewing one last time every house she sent him info about he shot her an email where first of all he thanked her dedication and her time to still work on the house search during the holiday break and second of all his affirmation that every single house she sent him he would like to check first hand. After that Joanne just sent him a schedule for the next few days, with an expectation of his approval.
+++
As they first stepped into this particular house he knew that it was different from all the other options and previous houses he stepped in. it was a two stories, six bedroom house, and a basement, which was really nice with hardwood floors. But what really sold him about this house as opposed to all the previous options was the back yard. It was a big yard that as oppose to the pool that so many different places offer, this place had this big field full of flowers, vegetables and spices. Something about this field just fascinated him and when he asked Joanne about it she explained to him that the previous owner was a botanic who enjoyed growing his own food. He was still mesmerized and speechless with the field that Joanne started to reassure him that they could get rid of it if he indeed purchases this house. That remark took him out of his thoughts quickly and he assured her that the field is not a problem. After that he asked for another tour inside the house. At the end of the tour he was sure of himself- he wanted to live here.
The tour of the house was just before the bi-week, so it worked out lovely that they had a full week where he was fully available for any back and forth with the previous owner. And by the end of the bi-week he was the proud owner of a new home. During that said week he also did a thorough research on what it entailed to grow your vegetables and spices. Because he never thought of himself as an organic fanatic, unlike different captain of NHL teams, but as part of his plan to change a bit and become a better person he could see himself devote to that. Plus, it is a nice challenge that he could see himself winning at the end.
Once he got from Joanne the keys to his new house and the phone number of a realtor that Joanne recommended him with regard of selling the previous house he owned, he felt like it was truly possible to check where Joanne stood. He took a deep breath and stammered a long speech (much longer than he planned originally) about how he started to like her and how he would like to take her out on a date considering that they longer under professional relations. At the end of the speech he was mortified about the amount of silliness that came out of his mouth, as well as the number of details that he was pretty sure made him look and sound like a total creep.
He was too caught up in his self-hatred that he almost missed completely Joanne's positive answer. It took him a few seconds to realized what her answer was, and then he just shot her an incredulous "Are you sure?" that she just laughed to and once again told him how she was sure and was interested in giving him a chance. Jamie was pretty much on cloud nine so he was all smiles as Joanne gave him her personal cellphone number while telling him to give her a call. After that she left him alone to enjoy his new house, and he was grateful for the fact that that was the only one to see his embarrassing celebration at the entry of his new house.
+++
With the season starting back again, his process of moving out to his new house, and Joanne's packed schedules, the date of their first date was scheduled towards the end of the month. So in the meantime he just basked in the moment. They had more wins than loses thus far this month so he felt good. Plus, he once again cashed his invitation to one of Tyler and Emma meals. It was the second time that he went to Tyler's house for a meal, however this time he was finally the only guest and he didn't get to share the meal with another teammate. He was especially grateful for that because he had a lot of recent events that he wanted to share with Tyler and also he didn't want an audience for him thanking Tyler for sticking up for him.
During said dinner, which was surprisingly tasty considered the fact that most of the food was done by Segs, they first chatted on the season and what they needed to do to improve their performance. But from there on it pretty much evolved to a chat about Jamie's escapades from the last few weeks (they both wished him luck on the fast approaching date). After they stopped talking about Jamie, Tyler and Emma's (though it was really Emma's) turn was on. Emma told him about her new job and how she was still adjusting to Dallas (yet she did admit her growing fondness for Dallas). After that she told him how they celebrated Christmas and what she did during the All-Star Week.
At the beginning Jamie wasn't sure what exactly the deal between the two of them was or what to think of Emma. However as the season progressed, he the rest of the team saw more of Emma and got to know her better (greatly because of those said meals). And that was how they found out about her being a total sweetheart and ridiculously way too good for Tyler. Yet, they were good together, and it was kind of obvious why they were together. Of course Tyler was still a jerk and never told them that he and Emma were dating and together. Yet, considering what he put them through over the summer, they didn’t really push him to talk about it and gave him a bit of a slack.
The rest of dinner was nice and they followed it up with a movie. By the time he went home, it was much later then he expected and he was pretty much out the second he laid his head on his pillow.
+++
On the day of their first day he woke up with a nervous energy. It was a day of morning skate followed by conditioning at the gym, so he tried to exhaust himself onto relaxation. It didn't really work, yet he did get compliments from Coach and various teammates on being a beast today. So once he got back home he spent the next few hours just relaxing while trying to boost his self-esteem. By the time he drove over to her place to pick her up to the restaurant he made a reservation at, he was pretty confident that tonight would turn out okay.
Pretty much from the get go it did. Joanne was stunning in a beautiful black dress so he was quick to compliment her. She blushed in response and told him he looked nice also. The car ride wasn't long and before they knew it they approached the restaurant. But more importantly there wasn't a second of silence. A few seconds after him picking her up she asked him about whether he phoned the realtor that she recommended him and that opened their conversation. As they were led to their table they still talked about that subject.
It was a nice place that from various teammates' recommendations he knew it was supposed to be real romantic. Once he was there himself he was really impressed by how nice the place was. They spent a few quiet minutes while scanning the menu and ordering their food. The restaurant itself mostly served Italian food, so he took ravioli while Joanne took lasagna. Once the waiter took their order they pretty quickly resumed talking.
They started with basic first date talk- where are they from originally and talks about their family. Jamie was surprised to find out that Joanne was born and raised in Dallas and her family was still living in Dallas as well. When he talked to her about his upbringing in Victoria she confessed to him about how she never left the country, and that just led to more talk about family vacations and dream destinations places.
When the conversation of their professions came up Jamie talked first about how it was being a professional hockey player. Plus, Joanne told him that she didn't really know how the game worked ("I grew up in Texas, so shut up") so he then just had to teach her the basics of the game. Throughout the conversation it was obvious that Joanne was willing to learn, so he was optimistic.
Once they started to focus on her job the conversation didn't die to one bit. At first Jamie asked her how she got to that business, and then from that point on she just gave him an in-depth insider on what entailed in being a realtor. Jamie liked how charismatic Joanne got once she was on a roll. With a loll in the conversation he asked curiously "What is your favorite part on the job?"
To that Joanne just watched him for a minute before she answered with a teasing comment of "You sure you want to know?"
Jamie honestly didn't care if she would start talking about the most disgusting thing in the whole world. So with what he hope would be an earnest face just nodded encouragingly. To that Joanne just nodded in an affirmative matter, took a long sip of her wine and started to answer.
"Okay, since you insisted I'm going to tell you. However, first you need a little background. I assume that you know in what realtor company I work for, considering the fact that you just used my services".
Joanne looked at him with expectant look, obviously waiting for an answer. That was why he hurried to reassure her that he was aware of the company she worked for. Once she saw his affirmative face she started to talk again.
"Well, so originally Laviston Realtor Company started with two brothers. They started the company together in the 70's. Since then the company grew and grew to the point that the company is currently one of the main realtor companies in all of the U.S. So the company has a large number of branches if it wasn't clear, and every year the company throws a seminar to a large number of their employees. The seminar is four days long, and every year a different branch is the host. They have technically two seminars- one for the north states and one for the south states. And like every branch sent four employees, mostly from different positions, to attend the seminar. The hosting branch gets to present their accomplishments from the past year.
Anyway, so like two years ago was the first time that I was one of the four employees out of the Dallas branch. I was so excited to go to the seminar. And let me tell you, it was really fun. It pretty much consists on lectures all day long. But only the bare minimum is work related and the rest are lectures for fun about verity of different subjects. Plus you get to travel said city after the seminar ends for the day. We were staying at a local hotel at the city and there were so many people at the seminar. I got to befriend some of them and I still talk to the majority of them till this day."
Throughout her speech she wore such a wide smile he was sure it would split her face to two. So he followed it up with "You got to go to another seminar?"
To that Joanne was quick to say "Actually this year the hosting branch is our branch, so my second would be in little less than a month. The hosting branch gets to send six employees, so I am one of them. But what would be different this year is that I was chosen out of the branch to present ourselves on the stage. I seriously can't wait for it, yet I have to be honest and admit that I am a bit nervous".
To that Jamie was quick to respond with a reassuring "I'm sure you would be great. There was a reason why they chose you to represent the branch's accomplishment out of all the other employees".
Before they could get to a different subject the waiter came to clear their dishes that were long gone and he gave them the dessert menu. With Jamie being a professional athlete and all, they settled on a shared relatively healthy desert.
Once they finished the desert they asked for the check and left the restaurant. The following day was a game day for Jamie, meaning a morning skate, so they kind of hopped in the car relatively quickly. During the drive to Joanne's place there wasn't much talking, but it wasn't an awkward silence kind of thing. It was rather a content silence kind of thing. Once they got to Joanne's home he parked his car and chaperoned her to the door. At the front steps of her house he told her honestly "I had a good time tonight. Would you be interested in going on a second date with me?"
Joanne was quick to respond with a shy "I had a great time too. And yes, I would like to go on a second date".
Jamie smiled a little and then he just gave Joanne a chaste kiss on her cheek. When he stepped back he watched how Joanne said a final goodbye and went inside her house. He stalled for a second, before he turned around and began striding back to his car. He had the broadest smile he ever had, and went inside his car filled with great hopes for the future.