Practice Makes Perfect

by Charlene Groome

  “Some relationship.” Meghan laughs. “I communicate by e-mail and even then I’m not sure if they receive it. Most of the time I don’t get a reply.”

  “They probably assume that you know they’ll show up.”

  “I appreciate Mike getting me the job.” She takes off her shoes.

  “You earned it.”

  “I know, but he put in a good word for me and I owe him that.”

  “Mike’s glad to help. He said they needed someone with promotional experience. They need you.”

  “Tell him thanks, again.”

  “Megs, you’ve told him. He knows you appreciate it.”

  Meghan pours two glasses of filtered water from the jug in the fridge. “I’m glad to be out of B & B Communications.”

  “Because of Stu?”

  “There’s that.” She hands Brie a glass. “It’s hard working with a boyfriend who checks up on you constantly. I couldn’t make a phone call without him hovering at my desk. Besides, I wanted the senior position and I didn’t get it.” Meghan gulps down her water. “They’re all in cahoots with each other. I didn’t have a chance.” She fills her glass again. “Better to get out while I could. I’m lucky you’re dating a guy who has a killer job.”

  “You have a killer job.”

  “I do now. Thanks.” Meghan smiles, filling Brie’s glass. “So, things are going well for you two?”

  Brie nods and then says, “Really well. It’s weird. Before Mike, I was dating some guys who I liked but there was something missing, you know? Then I meet Mike and my whole life has changed.”

  “I’m really happy for you guys. You think you two will get married?”

  “I think so. Do you miss Stu yet?”

  “No,” Meghan says, and laughs. “I’m glad it’s over. I should have broken up with him months ago. I feel bad for doing it over the phone though.”

  “Why? He didn’t feel bad for cheating on you.”

  “True. When you and Mike first got together did you think, ‘I like this guy, I can see myself with him for a long time’? Or, did you think he was just another guy to date?”

  “I knew we’d be together. I felt it. We love being together. He makes me laugh and is easy to talk to. We just fit.”

  Meghan sulks.

  “Don’t worry, it’ll happen to you,” Brie says, patting her friend’s arm. “You definitely need to find someone new. Someone cuter, stable, ready to get off the couch and run with you.”

  “And where do you suppose I’ll find him?”

  “Work?”

  “That’s where Stu and I met. Look what happened.”

  “You’re not there anymore. You’re at a new place with new men, new potentials.”

  “I don’t work at a dating service,” Meghan says, giggling.

  “You work with a lot of hot men. Men with careers. Men who are all business, looking for a smart woman to complement them. Let’s not forget about the gorgeous hockey players you work with. Your guy is there, right under your nose, you just have to open your eyes to see him.”

  “That’s false advertising,” Meghan says. “Just because I work with guys doesn’t mean there are any available.”

  “You’re smart and too pretty not to have a guy with similar interests. Now that Stu’s out of the picture, you can start finding a decent guy, someone who’s not going to take advantage of you.”

  Meghan sighs. “I’m not in a rush. I should give it some time. Clear my head. Think about what I want in a guy.”

  “No!” Brie jumps. “You don’t need time. You need to get back into the groove. You’re already in dating mode, you might as well find someone else.”

  “And if I don’t want to?”

  “Please. You can’t tell me you don’t want to be in a relationship.”

  “I do. Of course I do, but if I don’t find anyone that’s okay, too.”

  “You’re just saying that. You need to practice your flirting skills. Get confident in your abilities. I think Stu stole that from you.”

  Meghan laughs. “I don’t flirt.” She settles onto the couch.

  “You have to if you want a man to be interested in you. You need to practice talking to guys. I think Stu was a guy you went for because he was there and you hung out after work.”

  “It was convenient.”

  “Exactly!” Brie snaps. “You need to practice getting to know guys who aren’t so non-boyfriend material.”

  “Stu was okay.”

  “He wasn’t for you. You need to get back into the scene and show that you’re available.”

  “I’d like to be single for a little while. I could probably use a break anyways.”

  “Why? What for?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Look, you need options. I bet there are guys at work you could practice on.”

  Meghan stares at her friend. “No.”

  Jared.

  “Is there someone in the office?”

  Meghan shakes her head.

  “How about a player? I’m sure there’s someone.”

  Jared.

  “There’s no one.”

  “Not one?”

  “Nope.”

  “Come on. Seriously? I don’t believe it. There has to be guys who are single and looking.”

  “Looking for what? Not a relationship.” Meghan laughs.

  “They’re human too. They want to settle down I’m sure.”

  “No one I’ve seen or talked to,” Meghan says, although Jared keeps popping into her head. She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t even like him, but his blue-eyed stare seems to sink into her body the same way her body soaks up the sun: with a pleasurable warmth and acceptance.

  “You’re not giving yourself a chance.”

  “Since when do you care about my relationships?”

  “I’ve always cared.”

  “You didn’t like Stu, did you?”

  “Not really.”

  “How come you never told me?” Meghan asks.

  “Would it have made a difference?”

  “I don’t know. What don’t you like about him?”

  “You don’t suit each other. You don’t show interest in the same things. Even when he held your hand it was like a chore. It didn’t seem genuine.”

  Meghan thinks about this. “It was rare Stu would grab my hand or throw his arm around me, yet he didn’t have a problem with kissing in public.”

  “I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did,” Brie says. “You should have dumped him months ago.”

  “It was going okay.”

  “You should be out dating other guys.”

  “I’m just not sure where to start, let alone ask a guy out.”

  “That’s why you need some practice. There’s got to be some guys at work who you can have a conversation with and flirt a little to get your confidence up for the real thing.”

  “I don’t really know any of the guys.” Jared. “There’s no one I’d care to talk to.” Jared.

  “You work with eighty percent men and nobody comes to mind?”

  “Well . . .”

  “There’s someone? Tell me!”

  “No one,” Meghan says. “Can’t think of one guy.” She tightens her lips, shaking her head.

  “Maybe you need some more time to get to know who’s who.”

  “That’s probably it.”

  Brie grabs for her cell phone. “You might be interested in this.” She scrolls through her pages. “I follow a relationship expert and her latest feed is the flirt challenge. I tried this on Mike and it totally works.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I found I got his attention when I complimented him, told him he looks good, fixed his hair for him . . . he couldn’t keep his hands off me. I swear!” Brie smiles wide.

  Meghan giggles. “Really? You’re kidding.”

  “You should find someone to flirt with and try these tips.” Brie scans through her phone to find the article.

  Meghan giggle
s again. Why does Jared come to mind? She doesn’t even know him, or like him.

  “Here it is!” Brie waves her hand around with excitement. “The first thing it says to do is lock eyes and then look away. If he doesn’t look away,” she says, “it means he’s interested. The next thing, be approachable.”

  “I am!”

  “Don’t cross your arms. It makes you seem closed off. The other thing is, smile and laugh. If you come across as a happy person, chances are you’ll attract him. People like to be around others who are joyful. It says.”

  Meghan lies back on the couch, resting her head on the puffy cushion. “Who do you think I’m going to flirt with?”

  “I don’t know. A guy in a coffee shop, at work, anywhere. When you see an attractive guy, try this out.”

  “You’re into this, aren’t you?”

  “It works! It could help you.” Brie puts down her phone. “I’ll e-mail this to you.”

  “You think I need help with getting a guy? I just broke up with Stu.”

  “He’s a loser and you’re not wasting tears over him, thankfully!” She sighs. “He’s not what you needed and you know that. Stu totally took advantage of you and stripped you of your confidence.”

  “Are you an expert now?”

  “Oh!” She waves a hand. “It says to find ways to bump into him. If he sees you often enough, he’s going to want to see you again. Maybe your man goes to that café you go to every Friday and you haven’t noticed.”

  “I just started going there on Fridays. I treat myself to a mocha before work.”

  “You need to do this!” Brie clicks off her phone and puts it down. “You can thank me when you marry the guy who you win over with these moves. So the next time you see a guy who you find attractive, lock eyes with him. That’s the first thing you do. If he stares at you, smile. Flip your hair or play with your necklace, something like that. You have to be direct. So when you’re stirring your mocha and putting a lid on your cup, strike up a conversation, ask him a question to get him talking.”

  “And if he leaves?”

  Brie shrugs. “On to the next guy.”

  “It’s that simple?” Meghan smiles.

  “Uh-huh.”

  Meghan thinks about this. “I’m not a flirt. I can’t do this.”

  “Sure you can!”

  “I can’t just bump into a guy and start talking to him. I’ve never asked a guy out.”

  “You don’t have to. Once you flirt, it will lead to him asking you out. You’ll know if Jared is interested. Do you have someone in mind?”

  “No.”

  Jared.

  “I’m going to take off. I promised Mike we could have dinner together.”

  Meghan walks her to the door.

  “Forget about your ex-boyfriends . . . refocus your strategy on finding a new man.”

  “I’ve never needed help before.”

  “Maybe you do this time,” Brie says, walking into the hallway. “What are friends for?”

  Meghan thinks about Jared. He’s too stuck on himself. She could never go for someone like him—a gorgeous, famous hockey player, living in the same city, working for the same company. He may be too out of reach for her, she thinks, but flirting is harmless.

  Chapter 5

  “If you can score a goal like you did in practice, we’ll kick some serious ass tonight,” Alex Price says as he takes off his shoulder pads. “It would be a good feeling to win against Winnipeg early in the season.”

  Jared throws him a nod as he unlaces his skates. He listens to the guys talk around him. He’d rather keep to himself, that way he doesn’t have to get into his personal life, and the less the guys know, the easier it is to try to move on.

  “I was watching Sports National,” Alex tells the player beside him. “They say Corey Wells might be coming here.”

  Jared perks up. He hasn’t heard Corey’s name in years. Suddenly a sick feeling is at the pit of his stomach. Wouldn’t that be a nightmare if Corey played here? I’d ask for a trade.

  “Mark?” Alex shouts. “I heard you might be traded.”

  “Don’t believe them,” Mark says, sitting beside Jared.

  “I don’t know,” Alex taunts. “The media is all over it.”

  “Do you believe them?” Mark asks.

  “Yeah,” Alex says. “I do. You’ve been here for a long time.”

  “Six years,” Mark says. “We’ll see what happens.”

  Jared thinks about Corey. It’s been ten years since they spoke to each other. Thankfully, they never played on the same team, always against. Every time they played, Jared steered clear of Corey and vice versa. It was like a secret code they shared. Although, there was a time when after Jared body-checked Corey into the boards he wanted to elbow him in the face, which would have started a fight and cost him a major penalty. He hadn’t wanted his team to lose because of his decision, so he had left Corey alone.

  “Hey, Landry!” a voice says from across the room. “You didn’t make an appearance yesterday. Did you forget?”

  “Nah, something came up,” he lies.

  “Too bad. Your girlfriend showed up looking for you.”

  Jared clenches his jaw. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  The guy whistles. “Oh, wow, she wants you bad.”

  Jared keeps a straight face, proceeding to take off his hockey shorts. This is what he didn’t want from his ex, but then, she thrived on attention.

  “Our promotions girl, what’s her name? Meghan? Yeah, she was wondering where you were. Saw her checking her phone to make sure she didn’t miss your call.”

  “How do you know she was checking for me?”

  “She said.”

  Jared gives a sideways grin as he takes off his shin guards. “Is that right? I don’t believe you.”

  “Now there’s an easy target for you. She likes you.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Called you a liar for not showing up.”

  “I never said I’d be there,” Jared says.

  “She was all bent out of shape about you not showing up.”

  “It’s not a big deal, is it?” Jared asks as he heads to the showers. Once he’s cleaned up and dressed, he exits the locker room and walks down the hall. Instead of taking the elevator down to the parking lot where his car is, he rides it to the third floor where the marketing offices are. He stands tall, trying to relax his shoulders, but the thought of talking to Meghan puts a little fear into him. Will she accept his apology? He doesn’t know why he’s nervous about talking to her, he talks to women all the time. He’ll break the ice by telling her that his nephew will be taking part in the family skate. The elevator dings and the doors open. Then again, he can wait to talk to her. He can e-mail her. She’s probably busy. He won’t be able to find her anyway. That’s what he will do. She must have a boyfriend or husband. A pretty woman like her wouldn’t be single. She’s damn hot. What he would do to get his fingers dangled in her wavy, auburn hair. Her green eyes glisten like the Mediterranean Sea and her body moves with grace. The doors are starting to close. Jared makes a quick exit, signaling the doors to reopen.

  The third floor is surprisingly quiet. He’s never been here before. Never had to. He looks from side to side trying to figure out which direction he should walk in. There are no signs posted to tell him which department is where, so he decides to go left. It’s a stretch of hallway with office doors and framed action photos of past and present Warriors players. He stops to look at each one. He’s not in a hurry anyway. No one is going to tell him he can’t be here, so he takes the time to read the bronze engraved plate at the bottom of each picture. It’s like being at an art gallery. There are so many frames lining the hall that he’s interested in looking at each one.

  “Can I help you, Jared?”

  You know my name.

  Jared looks to his side to see a short, dark-haired woman holding a handful of papers to her chest, dressed in a business suit.

 
“Uh, no, well, I was looking at these . . .” He points to the wall and stops talking. “Actually, I’m looking for the marketing department.”

  “You are? Everything okay?”

  “Yup.”

  “It’s the other way,” she says, pointing her finger. “This side is sales.”

  Jared nods. “Thanks.” He takes a moment to look at a few more pictures and then walks down the hall, passes the elevators to find Meghan’s office. Does she have her name on her door?

  He saunters down the hallway, passing people as he goes. People taking second glances at him as they walk by.

  “Hey, Jared!” a guy in a business suit calls with a wide grin. “Can I help you look for someone?”

  “Meghan?” If only Jared could remember her last name. He’s read it on her e-mails, but hadn’t paid attention, that was until he met her at the cookbook giveaway. What a gong show. Cookbooks. Who would have thought they’d be in demand. What happened to a signed hockey card? Or an autographed T-shirt?

  “Marketing department?” Jared asks.

  “The door at the end.”

  “Thanks!” Jared walks to the open door. The closer he gets, the more noise he hears. People chatting, phones ringing. No wonder this department is at the end of the hall away from everyone.

  He stops at the doorway contemplating to go in. He could just e-mail Meghan like he planned. He doesn’t have to interrupt her. She’s probably really busy.... Maybe I’ll just walk in and see if I can see her. Nobody will know I’m there . . . I can always say I found the wrong door.

  Jared cautiously steps inside, looking around at all the staff gathered in small groups. It’s so loud and busy, people walking around, they won’t even notice....

  His eyes dance around the room to see if he can spot Meghan. It doesn’t occur to him that he could be standing in the wrong place and interrupt this department’s work agenda.

  He walks in farther, and the room gets quieter until the only sounds are phones ringing. All eyes are on him. Even the girl on the phone has her mouth open and looks stunned as though he’s dressed in a Halloween costume. It can’t be because of me, Jared thinks, someone important must be behind him. Ted Walker? He looks over his shoulder. Nope. It’s just him, standing in the middle of a large office with desks around the perimeter and a boardroom table in the middle. There is no privacy. The room is a wide-open space.