Just Say Yes

by Samantha Lind

  “I wouldn’t mind taking some with me as well,” Brian agrees.

  “We can vacuum seal it and put it in the deep freezer. Then you can either box it up with dry ice and take it as a checked bag, or I can overnight it to you.”

  We get everything unloaded, and all the fish packaged and in the freezer. I head to my room to take a shower and get changed, while Brian and Murph head for the guest rooms to do the same. Once I’m finished, I grab my cell to text Becca, when I notice she’s already sent me one.

  Becca: Hey, did you guys make it back today?

  Scott: Yes, we got back earlier. Just finished unpacking my truck and getting the fish packaged and into the freezer. I didn’t want to text you earlier and wake you up. How was your shift last night?

  I grab clean clothes and get dressed quickly. I want to be ready when she is.

  Becca: Work was crazy. It was a Friday night and a full moon out, so it was one thing after another. I don’t think I sat down more than a handful of times and when I did, it was only for a minute or two. We had to call in a couple of float nurses as we had two regular nurses out sick.

  Scott: Sorry to hear it was so crazy. Are you still up for going out tonight? I totally understand if you need to stay home and sleep more.

  Becca: I’m fine. I got a decent amount of sleep, so as long as we’re not going out to do anything wild and crazy, I’m still up for going out for dinner.

  Scott: A quiet non-crazy night it will be. Any requests on where we go to eat?

  Becca: How does Asia Gardens sound to you?

  Scott: If that’s where you want to go, then that’s where I’ll take you. It’s 4:30 now, can I pick you up in a half hour? We can grab a drink in their bar before eating and then figure out what we want to do from there.

  Becca: Sounds like a plan!! See you soon.

  Now that I have my plans with Becca set, I head out to see what Brian and Murph are going to do tonight. I know Brian had hoped to take Kinley out, but I haven’t heard if he has anything figured out with her yet.

  “Any plans yet for you two?” I ask, as I enter the living room and find the guys lounging, watching a baseball game on TV.

  “I’m waiting on Kinley to text me back where she wants to go eat, and when,” Brian replies.

  “I think I’m going to hang out here, order in and watch the game on TV. Madison texted earlier, checking in on me, so I’ll probably call her once you guys leave. She’s taking care of Max for me while I’m gone, making sure he gets walks every day and feeding him,” Murph tells us.

  “I have a stack of restaurant delivery menus in the kitchen if you want to look through them. Or, if you know what kind of food you want, I can recommend a restaurant to order from.”

  “I’ll take a look. I’m not sure what I will be in the mood for once I’m hungry.”

  “Okay, they’re in the drawer next to the fridge,” I tell him as I walk out of the living room grab a bottle of water. “Do you guys want anything to drink?” I call back to them.

  “I’ll take an Alaskan Amber,” Murph calls back to me.

  “Grab one for me, too!” Brian yells.

  I grab two beers and a bottled water and head back into the living room.

  “What are your plans with Becca tonight?” Brian asks.

  “She wants to go to her favorite Asian restaurant, so we’re going to head there to have drinks and dinner. After that, we’ll see what the night brings us. She had a pretty rough night at work last night and wanted to keep it low-key.”

  “Kinley mentioned having a hectic night as well,” Brian replies.

  “Becca said they were short-staffed and had a revolving door of patients. Sounds like they were on their feet for pretty much the entire twelve hours of their shifts last night.”

  “Damn, that sucks,” Murph comments.

  “Yes, it does, so I get why she wants things low-key tonight. We’ll probably head to her place, or maybe here, after dinner.”

  Brian’s attention is drawn away from us as he receives a text. I’m sure it’s from Kinley getting back to him about their plans for tonight.

  “Kinley says she’ll be here in about 45 minutes to pick me up,” Brian tells us.

  Our attention is pulled to the TV as the announcers’ voices shout in excitement about the play that just took place. Kris Bryant of the Cubs just hit a grand slam, putting them up by three runs over the Cardinals. We get sucked into watching the game for a few minutes until I realize it’s time for me to head out.

  “I’ll see the two of you later,” I tell them as I stand up to head to my truck. “Murph, I left my address for you on the counter in case you need it when ordering food. Don’t worry about waiting up for me.”

  Brian starts hooting after that comment. “Scott is on the prowl tonight!” he shouts to my retreating back.

  I chuckle and shake my head as I walk to my truck. If he only knew what I would do to get Becca in my bed; or hell, into her bed. I would be one happy man. But I want this to work between us, so I’m willing to take things slow. I know how great things can be between us, based on our history. I just have to convince Becca dealing with the hectic schedule is worth it for now.

  I jump in my truck and head to Becca’s condo. She only lives about ten minutes away – hell, pretty much anything in Anchorage is only ten minutes away, unless you get stuck in traffic. I park, then head up to her door and knock. When she opens the door, the sight of her takes the wind out of my lungs. She’s always been beautiful, but damn, she is a knockout tonight. She’s dressed in a flowery, flowy summer dress that hits her mid-thigh. Her long, tan legs are calling my name, begging for my hands to run along their smoothness. She has simple sandals on, with barely any makeup, and no jewelry.

  “Well, hello handsome,” she says, as she lifts up on her toes to place a kiss on my cheek, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

  It takes me until she releases the hug to realize I still haven’t said anything to her. “You look beautiful tonight,” I state, as I place a kiss to her cheek before letting her go.

  “Thanks. Just something new I picked up last weekend.”

  “Well, you look stunning in it,” I tell her with a huge smile on my face.

  “Want to come in for a few minutes? I need to grab a few things before I’ll be ready to go.”

  “Sure, take your time. I’m all yours tonight.”

  “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “I’m good,” I reply as I take a seat in her living room. She ducks into her room and a few minutes later comes back out. She has on a little more makeup and has added a necklace and earrings.

  “Ready?” she asks me.

  “I am if you are,” I say, as I stand and reach for her. “I know I already told you this, but, really, you are absolutely beautiful.” I grin, looking down into her beautiful brown eyes.

  “Thank you,” she says as a blush creeps up her cheeks. Seeing her blush brings back all the memories of us in bed together, and how she looks during sex. This, of course, causes my blood to start flowing south. I need to get us out of here quickly, or else we may not make it anywhere but her bed.

  I clasp our hands together, pulling her toward the door and out to my truck. After opening her door, and helping her up into the passenger seat, I come around to my side and get in. “Feel free to pick whatever you want to listen to on the radio,” I tell her as I start the truck and put my seat belt on. She finds her favorite channel but leaves the volume down low enough so that we can talk on our drive to the restaurant.

  “So, tell me about winning the cup,” she asks, smiling.

  “It was amazing. I can’t even fully put into words what it was like. It was so surreal. When Murph scored the go-ahead goal in the last few minutes of the third period, it felt like the time was standing still; yet at the same time, also felt like it was going double its normal speed. At that point, we just needed to keep the puck from finding the back of our net. Our goalie, Matt Soaps, had his work cut o
ut for him a few times, but he pulled through for us. When the final horn sounded, I was in such a daze that we had done it. I was so proud of my team. We fought through injuries, and a hectic travel schedule, and pulled it off. It was so amazing to win on our home ice, and in front of our fans. Having our families there supporting us. I just can’t put into words how incredible it truly was.”

  “It sounds amazing. Kinley and I watched it at my place. We were on pins and needles for you guys. I can’t even imagine what it was like to be in the arena or to be someone on the team. To see you hoist the cup brought tears to my eyes. I know that it’s been a dream of yours for so long. I just wish I had been there in person to see it.”

  Her admission guts me, yet gives me so much hope that we can rekindle what we had so many years ago.

  “I wish you could have been there, too,” I admit to her. “My parents, as well as Nate and Katie, were there. They left Abby and Chase here with Katie’s parents. So, it was amazing to have my own family to see us win. Once we finally left the ice and all got changed, the party didn’t stop until well into the next day. It was the craziest experience of my life. A few days later we had the parade, followed by the locker clean out day. So for a little while, it was kind of nonstop. But, now that my day with the cup is over, I feel like I can finally take a breath and relax for the next few weeks.” I reach over and intertwine our fingers, resting our clasped hands on her leg.

  “I designed a tattoo to commemorate winning the cup, and have an appointment to get it done later this summer.”

  “That’s exciting! I can’t wait to see it! Have you gotten any other ink over the years?”

  “I had my sticks and puck tattoo touched up and added my number to it. I also have the outline of Alaska with the big dipper inside of it on my back. I have a few other ideas for future ones, but they can wait for now.”

  “If I’m off, can I go with you when you get it done?”

  “Sure!”

  “Any big plans for your time off?” she asks.

  “Not really. I’m helping with some youth hockey camps here in town in a few weeks, and then I have a conditioning coach coming to keep me in shape over the summer. I have to be back in Indy a little earlier than the rest of the team for captains and coaches’ meetings, but that isn’t until early September. Do you have any plans for the summer?”

  “Not yet. Kinley and I were thinking of planning a trip somewhere. We just don’t know where we want to go yet. We might hold off until this winter and go somewhere warm when it’s freezing out. We’ve looked at some cruises in October as well.”

  “Sounds fun. Maybe you can take a couple of nights off, and we can go to my cabin for a week?” I suggest.

  “I would love that! I have to give my charge nurse at least a ten-day notice. So, we should pick a time soon so that I can get my request in and we can work around your youth camps.”

  “Do you have your schedule memorized, or on your phone? We can compare calendars when we’re at dinner.”

  “Yep, it’s all programmed into my phone calendar.”

  We arrive at the restaurant and easily find a parking spot, then head inside to grab a drink at the bar. While we wait for a table, we continue to catch up on each other’s lives, and just enjoy each other’s company. As soon as we finish our drinks, our name is called and walk to our table. We slide into the booth, each accepting a menu from the hostess. It’s been years since I’ve been here, but it has always been one of Becca’s favorite places to go, so it doesn’t surprise me when she doesn’t even look at the menu.

  “Let me guess. You already know what you want?”

  “I can never decide, so I’ve started ordering everything I love, and then I have leftovers for the next few days.”

  “That works for me. I’ll let you order, and I’m sure I’ll be happy with it all. Make sure to order a few extra of their appetizer plates. I do remember loving everything on them.”

  Our server approaches our table to take our drink and food order. With everything Becca ordered, you would think my entire team was joining us for dinner and not just the two of us.

  “I didn’t order too much, did I?” Becca asks, concerned now that the server has left our table.

  “Not at all. Like you said, we’ll have leftovers for tomorrow.”

  Becca slides her cell out and pulls up her calendar. “When do your camps start?”

  I pull out my phone and bring up my schedule. “The first one starts July 10th. What are you scheduled to work the week of the Fourth?”

  “I’m scheduled to work the first through the third, and then the sixth through the eighth.”

  “Do you think you could take all of those days, so that you could have an entire week off? We could head down to the cabin then, before the Fourth of July. Maybe invite our families to join us for the holiday weekend?”

  “I can try. The first through the third might be a little tricky, as it isn’t ten or more days from now, but I shouldn’t have an issue with the sixth through the eighth. I’ll send a quick email to my charge nurse and see what she says. She sometimes has a list of people who are looking to pick up extra shifts so that she can accommodate late requests.”

  Becca shoots off the email to her boss, and our food arrives a few moments later. Every inch of our table is covered with different dishes we ordered, and the first bite takes me back to when we were teenagers and would come here on date nights. It’s just as I remember it, and brings back memories of our time together.

  The conversation continues to flow between us as we finish dinner. Our server kindly packs our leftovers and brings me the check. While I’m waiting for the server to return with my credit card, I try to think of what else we can do tonight to prolong our date. I know Becca wasn’t up for anything super active, but I’m not ready for the night to end.

  “Would you like to come back to my house? We can relax in the hot tub or watch a movie, or lounge on the couch and keep talking.”

  “The hot tub is very tempting. It would, for sure, help me relax all the sore muscles I’ve developed from my past few shifts. Can we stop at my place so I can grab my suit and a change of clothes first?”

  “Sure thing,” I tell her as I sign the check and we leave the restaurant. If all goes my way, I’ll have Becca in my arms tonight. It’s not about the sex. I’ll just be happy to have her in my arms, next to me all night.

  Chapter Six

  Becca

  Scott drives us over to my house so I can grab my suit and a change of clothes. I don’t plan to spend the night, but I guess we’ll see where the night takes us.

  “Can I get you anything to drink while I pack a few things?” I ask Scott as we enter my condo.

  “I’m good, I’ll wait out here for you,” he says as he walks into my living room. I notice he’s looking at some of my photo collages hung on the wall and along the mantel. In my bedroom, I grab my normal overnight bag that I keep already stocked with toiletries and quickly grab my bikini and a change of clothes.

  “Wow, is this Ben?” Scott asks as I walk back into the living room, pointing to a picture.

  “Yes, and his girlfriend, Ashley.”

  “He sure has grown up since the last time I saw him. Have they been together long?”

  “He sure has. He loves being a police officer. They’ve been together for a little over a year. They moved into their place a few weeks ago. She’s such a sweet girl. I hope he proposes soon. They are so good together.” Scott continues to look over the rest of the pictures I have out. “I’m ready to go if you are,” I tell him as he makes it to the end of my display.

  “Sure, let’s go.” He reaches out to take my bag from me, as we head to his truck and get settled in.

  “Before we head to my place, how does dessert sound?” Scott asks.

  “I’m sure you could convince me. What did you have in mind?”

  “Whatever you want, I’m easy to please.”

  “Have you tried the new ice cream place
, Wild Scoops?” My eyes twinkle as I do a little dance of excitement in the seat, which causes Scott to grin at me.

  “Nope, but we can go there if that’s where you’d like to go. I know how much you love ice cream. Where are they located?”

  “Downtown, next to the Egan center.”

  We head toward the ice cream shop, chatting as we drive. Scott points out all the things in town that have changed since last summer that he notices along the way. It shows how much he truly is away from here. After getting our ice cream, we walk across the street to the little park to enjoy the beautiful evening and our dessert. A few people recognize Scott, but nothing like the night last weekend when we bumped into each other. Once we finish our ice cream, we head back to his truck.

  Back at Scott’s, we find that Brian is still gone with Kinley. They must be having a good time; I haven’t heard from her at all. Murph is sprawled out on Scott’s couch with empty take out containers in front of him on the coffee table. He has a sports channel on, but I notice the TV is muted, and he appears to be FaceTiming someone.

  “Hey guys, have a good dinner?” Murph asks as he sets his phone down.

  “Yes, ugh, we ate way too much! And there are enough leftovers to feed an army,” I tell him. “You didn’t have to end your FaceTime call on our account.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. We’d been talking for a while already, and its midnight in Indy. Madison needed to get to bed anyway.”

  “I didn’t think you had a girlfriend! Why didn’t you bring her with you?”

  “I don’t have a girlfriend. Madison is a good friend of mine. She takes care of my dog for me when I’m gone, so I was checking in with her.”

  “Ah, but you want her to be more, don’t you?” I volley back at him.

  Before he can reply to my digging question, Scott butts in, “Hey, Becca and I are going to hop in the hot tub. Did you want to join us?”

  “I’m good. I’m going to finish watching this game and then call it a night.”

  “Sounds good, man. See ya in the morning then,” Scott tells him and then turns to me. “You can use my room to change if you’d like; the second door on the right. I already set your bag on my bed. I’ll get everything ready for us. Can I grab you something to drink for outside?”