“I don’t know. We’re used to a team with its own plane. I wasn’t sure how a chartered plane would be.”
“I don’t care, as long as I’ve got a little leg room and some decent snacks,” Jake said. “But I did want the window seat.”
“So did I,” Robbie said, “and I got here first. There are a few left.”
There were. Three to be exact, but Able hadn’t boarded yet and Jake didn’t want to risk having to sit by him. Oddly—or maybe not so oddly, considering what all had happened—the animosity Jake had felt for Able had dissipated, but he still didn’t want to sit by him. True to her word, Evie had not shown up at the team breakfast. Anna-Blair had said that Evie had a headache, and they were going by to tell her goodbye before heading back to the Delta. Jake didn’t know what she’d told Able, but that was one conversation he was not going to have.
“One less window seat,” Robbie said. “Wingo just took the one up there on the right. He’s a rookie. You could make him move.”
“Nah.” Jake stored his bag under the seat. “I wouldn’t want to start any rumors that you and I have broken up.”
“Guess I’m the only girlfriend you’re likely to have for a while,” Robbie deadpanned.
Maybe not.
He’d never wanted anyone as much as he’d wanted Evie last night—and it wasn’t just because he’d had a long dry spell. It was her—the way she smelled, the way she tasted, the way she felt against him. Oh, yes, that last part especially. She had come into his arms so willingly and seemed to know exactly when he wanted her to open her mouth a little more and how he wanted her to move against him. It was like falling down a well, but without fear because he knew what was at the bottom: Evie—Evie, who knew everything about him and liked him anyway. Evie, who had given him, in just a few words, comfort about Blake without insisting that he talk about it until he was hoarse.
Maybe this was it—the meant-to-be that he had ceased to believe in.
He had almost ruined it, almost stripped her naked and made love to her right there on her couch. But it would have been the wrong thing to do. Even with their history, it was too soon. She deserved to be courted and wooed—old-fashioned words, sure, but nice words. Although he hadn’t been thinking about that when they were entangled, her mouth on his neck. He would have done it without so much as buying her a taco if she hadn’t stopped him.
His lucky puck would have been gone.
Of course, the puck wasn’t the point, never had been. It didn’t bother him in the least that he hadn’t thought about it when Evie was in his arms.
However, it did bother him that he’d forgotten his resolve to be a better man. A better man would not show up on a woman’s doorstep—especially if that woman was his friend—and take her to bed with no more forethought than buying a Snickers bar at a convenience store.
But Evie had saved him—saved him with her good sense and wise ways. It wasn’t the right time, she’d said. She knew it was too soon, despite their history. They needed to get to know each other in a whole different way, on a whole different level.
It might not work out with them, but he was going to find out. Maybe they would always save each other. He would see the bet through, too. He looked forward to the time between now and December for shared meals, skating lessons, watching movies, and just being together. She would come to his hockey games. He would hang out at Crust and wait for her to close. He wanted to wave to her in the stands when he skated out and hold her hand when they walked down the street.
Of course, that wasn’t all he wanted to do, but he could wait—should wait, though it wouldn’t be that long. If things worked out like he hoped, he would make love to her properly on a cold December day. At Christmas, they would be solid.
He wasn’t worried about the Delta Queens. Once they saw that things were working out, they’d be thrilled.
“What are you smiling about?” Robbie broke into his thoughts.
“Was I smiling?” he asked, but he wasn’t surprised. Jake felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long time—happy anticipation.
“Like Mona Lisa with the Cheshire cat on her lap.”
“I was thinking about what we’re going to do to Winnipeg tonight.”
Robbie nodded. “That’s what I like to hear.” He yawned and pulled his headphones from his bag. “I’m checking out for a while.”
Jake put on his headphones, too, and plugged into his iPad, but he didn’t turn anything on yet. He wanted to text Evie.
Hi. On the plane. How is your head?
She answered immediately.
Still attached. Yours?
Anna-Blair said you had a headache.
Yeah, well. Always got to tell Anna-Blair something. How was the breakfast?
The usual: Eggs Benedict, bananas Foster, Champagne with papaya chunks floating in it, lattes made to order. Ordinary stuff.
That was a lie. She knew it. They’d had breakfast casseroles, fruit, grits, cinnamon rolls, and plain coffee and orange juice.
Sounds fancy. I had a piece of stale bread with some peanut butter because you ate the last of my breakfast food.
That was a lie. She knew he knew it.
I owe you breakfast when I get back.
I’ll hold you to that.
I hope you do.
And I’ll hold you, too, if you’ll let me.
The flight attendant was working her way down the aisle asking people to turn their phones off. He figured he had time to fire off one more text.
About to put my phone in airplane mode. I’ll call you tonight after the game.
Be safe. Play hard. Win big.
I plan on it, Evie, and not just this game.
He turned off his phone and picked up his tablet. Maybe he’d watch Chasing Amy.
Chapter Twenty
It had been twenty-four hours since Jake had kissed Evans at her front door and he still hadn’t said it was a mistake—though he still could, if he called tonight like he’d promised. And it was possible that he wouldn’t call. She didn’t know which would be worse.
She’d find out soon. The game with Winnipeg had ended an hour ago. If he was going to call, it would be soon. Probably. Maybe—depending on what he had to do after the game. Maybe Jezebel and Jolene or their counterparts had flown up and...well. No use thinking about that.
It seemed like a week since she’d called Able to tell him she wasn’t going to the breakfast. She had given an abbreviated version of what she’d originally intended, saying only that due to some past history she was emotionally unavailable and it wasn’t fair to go out with him. He’d tried to make light of it and laughed a little when he said he was a big, strong hockey player and was willing to risk it. If not for Jake and Saturday night, she might have caved, but Jake and Saturday night had happened, and she’d been firm. Able had accepted it with good grace and had pressed her no further.
She got the sense that she’d hurt his feelings, but what was she supposed to do? Marry him, have five babies, and freeze lasagna?
Ridiculous thoughts. Asking her to breakfast did not equal wanting to marry her.
The phone rang. Jake. She made herself take five deep breaths before answering.
“Hello.”
“Hi, yourself.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“How’s Winnipeg?”
“Cold. I’d had enough of that so I didn’t go out to eat with the guys. I’m back in my room.”
“Did someone at least leave a mint on your pillow?”
“I ordered room service. It’ll be here soon.”
He’d called her before eating. That was a good sign. Wasn’t it? “Post-game pizza?”
He laughed. “You sure know me. But no. Too bad for me. I had to talk them into making me something since it’s past room service time. I have to take what I can get.”
“No, ma’am. We had just beaten the home team. I like my food spit-free.”
They’d won—only 2–1, but a win was a win.
“Good game,” she said.
“Not that good. Did you see it?”
“No. I didn’t have any way to, but I kept up with it on my iPad.”
“We’ll have to subscribe to some hockey channels for you so you can watch me play when I’m away.”
Did that mean he was thinking of the future?
“You’re mighty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” she said.
“You did keep up with it. Actually watching it is bound to be more exciting.”
“Fair enough.”
“Tell me about your day.”
“Let’s see.” She lay on the sofa and pulled a throw over her. “I had coffee with the parents before they headed back to the Delta. Claire called and I met her at Crust to go over my books.”
“And?”
“I’m doing fine. We talked about my fall fest plans. Ava Grace’s mother wants to order pies for the Christmas Gala.”
“Sounds like a big party and a lot of work,” Jake said.
“It is, but big orders mean good business.” And, unlike catering, it was work she loved. She had not told Claire she didn’t want to cater for the Yellowhammers like she’d planned. She’d had enough emotional upheaval for one day. “And other than that, Hyacinth and I took a walk.” She chose not to go into how Hyacinth had given her the third degree after seeing Jake’s car at her house Saturday night. Evans had been evasive and focused on telling Hyacinth that normal people didn’t look out the window every time they got up in the middle of the night to pee. “Hyacinth said Robbie’s going to play the piano at Trousseau at the fall fest, that Claire arranged it.”
“He didn’t mention it, but it sounds like him. I hope you’ll—” Then his voice trailed off. “Evie, someone’s at the door. Probably room service. Can you hang on?”
“You should go and eat—”
“No. Please... I’ll be back. I have something to tell you.”
Anxiety set in. People hardly ever said they had something to tell you unless it was bad. If it was good, they just told you.
After about half a minute and a decade, Jake came back on the phone.
“Evie?”
“Still me.”
He took a deep breath—further evidence that this was going nowhere good.
“About Saturday night.”
And here it comes, the part where he says it was a mistake and we should just forget it.
“I don’t want you to think that happened because I was drunk and stupid.”
“I didn’t think you were drunk. I know you weren’t. I’ve seen you drunk.”
He laughed a little. “Just stupid?”
“No. Not that either. I’ve never seen you stupid. Don’t start that with me again. You’re successful. End of story.”
“I guess. But I wanted to tell you that I didn’t come to your house planning to put a move on you.”
“No, no, of course not.” She was going to make it easy for him because that was the best way for her to save face. “You don’t have to—”
He cut her off. “But it didn’t surprise me.”
Really? “It didn’t?”
“No. There has been some...attraction—at least on my part. But I’ve resisted because I didn’t want to risk our friendship.”
Was it possible that it was going to be all right, after all?
“Here’s the thing, Evie. There are lots of reasons not to pursue this. I’ve thought about them all. I don’t need to spell them out. You know what they are. But I think there are more reasons—better reasons—to see where this might go.”
Relief washed over her like cool rain on a scorching hot day. “Go on,” she said because she couldn’t think what else. If she showed the true state of her heart, it would send him running.
“I was about to say that I hoped you would go to our game against the Colonials on Friday, that I can arrange to leave you a ticket. I won’t have time to see you before the game, but after, I want to take you out for a proper meal and spend time with you.” He hesitated. “I miss you, Evie.”
He missed her—just like she’d missed him all her life. Was it possible that the missing could be coming to an end?
“I’m not asking for any promises,” he said.
But you could, Jake, you really could. I would promise you anything because I’ve had a lifetime of wishing I could give you everything.
“I can’t know or promise where we’ll end up, but there are things I want,” he went on. “I want real dates. What happened between us Saturday night felt right, and I want to give us a chance. I want to teach you to skate—and I won’t let you fall. And I do promise this—I will not jerk you around.”
She wanted to cry. She wanted to run into the street and shout that life was good. She wanted to kiss babies and hug old people, feed cats and find a home for every stray dog.
If this were a romantic movie, the credits would roll.
“Evie?” Jake said. “Are you there? Can you please say something? Even if it’s not what I want to hear, because I’m dying over here.”
She laughed a little. She hadn’t realized she hadn’t said anything. “Yes. I’ll be at the game. And afterward, you’d better order your own steak because you aren’t getting any of mine.”
His laugh had a quality she recognized all too well—relief. How about that? After all these years, Jake Champagne relieved that she wanted to be with him.
Yes, the credits were definitely rolling. There would be a border of hearts, ivy, and roses and the music would be happy.
“I would never try to eat your steak.”
“Don’t lie to me. But speaking of eating—you should go eat now before your food gets cold.” She wanted to hang up before she said something stupid that would make him want to take it back.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I should. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said.
“And I’ll hold you—if you’ll let me.”
Oh, yes. I will.
Fade to black on the movie screen.
And they lived happily ever after. Exploding fireworks and hearts and stars tap dancing across the screen.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jake took the silver dome off his food. Like he’d told Evie, he’d had to take what he could get, which was some pasta with grilled chicken.
Never had he been so nervous about asking a woman for a date. Upon reflection, he couldn’t remember ever being nervous at all. Hell, he hadn’t even been nervous when he’d proposed to Channing. There had been no reason to be. She’d picked out the ring and planned the whole thing, which was done at her Ole Miss graduation party in the company of about a hundred people. She’d given her bridesmaids invitations on the spot. Shame washed over him again for not realizing—or even caring—that Evie had not been one of them.
But he cared now—enough to make him nervous.
Though tonight, he hadn’t started out particularly nervous. After all, they had been on the same page on her couch last night—of that much he was sure. But people reflected and changed their minds all the time, and when she’d gotten so quiet, he’d begun to think that was the case—that she was going to tell him thanks, but no thanks.
He’d felt like he was in a rowboat without an oar and no way to get one.
That was the thing with talking on the phone—no facial expressions or body language to give you a clue what was going on in the other person’s head. He’d never been one to want to FaceTime. Calling was easier, but maybe he’d rethink it. After all, he was going to be on the road a lot.
Whatever the
reason for her hesitation, it had turned out fine. Maybe Evie had just been mulling over what he was asking, considering the drawbacks. Maybe she had some doubts but, in the end, she’d laughed that sweet laugh and said yes. And that was all he needed—one yes at a time.
He dug into his meal. The pasta wasn’t much to write home about, the chicken either. Hotel food. He should have ordered from Grubhub. It might have been hard to get chicken pot pie, but he could have had pizza. Did they have Grubhub in Canada? Surely they did, or something equivalent, but you never could tell about a place that sold its milk in plastic bags.
There was a soft knock on the door.
Who the hell had come calling this time of night? Since tomorrow was only a travel day and they didn’t play until Tuesday, there was no curfew tonight so it was early for anyone to be back from dinner. Certainly not Robbie.
He still had his fork in his hand when he threw open the door—to find Able Killen on the other side.
Hellfire and brimstone.
“I was afraid you might be asleep already.” Able was still dressed in his suit and tie, though he looked rumpled.
Then why did you knock on my door? Though, to be fair, he hadn’t knocked loud.
“No.” Jake stepped aside in case Able wanted to come in, which he figured he did. Why else would he be here? “I was just having some bad room service food.”
“I guess you don’t need this then.” He held up a pizza box. “I read that they stopped room service at nine o’clock. I guess that’s not true.”
“It is true,” Jake said, “unless you throw yourself on their mercy, though I don’t recommend it.”
“Well, then. I don’t know how warm this is but you’re welcome to it. Pepperoni and sausage. That’s what your mother ordered for you at Hammer Time.”
“Come on in,” Jake said. “Sit. Cold pizza is the story of my life.” He wanted the pizza and he might as well find out what Able had on his mind, though he suspected he knew.
Able sat at the round table and loosened his tie. “Another struggle win, but I’ll take it.”
“Me, too. We’re still learning each other. It’s better than no win at all.” Jake pushed the remains of the pasta aside and opened the pizza box. He had assumed Able had brought him leftovers, but it was a whole pizza. “Thanks for this. It was really nice of you.”
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