His Game, Her Rules

by Charlene Groome

  She stops skating so she can see his upper lip curl when he asks her out. “When I leave here?”

  He smirks before he answers. “Yes.”

  There is something about his curved smile that makes her smile back. Maybe it’s the way he looks at her with those bright blue eyes, making her feel like no one else is in the room or rink. Or maybe it’s the way he says her name in a flawless and endearing kind of way.

  “I’m busy,” she says.

  “With what?” He twirls his hockey stick.

  She arches an eyebrow. Did he forget she has other work to do?

  “I was hoping we could grab a bite to eat.”

  “Hmm.”

  “We’re supposed to be a couple, you know,” he teases, nudging her with his shoulder. She finally looks over at him. When she doesn’t respond again, he asks, “So?”

  “So . . . what?”

  “Pick another day then.”

  “I don’t know.” Eileen wrinkles her forehead in thought. How can she tell him they have to stop seeing each other?

  “Why not?” he asks, shocked by her answer. “Wasn’t it a good night?”

  “I’m your skating coach, remember? I don’t go out with guys I work with. Well, at least I try not to.”

  “You did the other night. Wasn’t it worth it?” he asks playfully. “And why the sudden change of heart?”

  She can feel her cheeks heat up. “Because I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

  “I don’t know why all of a sudden you’re trying to pretend nothing happened,” he says.

  “I have to,” she says. “Let’s pretend nothing happened. I think it’s best for both of us if we do.”

  “That’s too bad. I haven’t stopped thinking about it . . . or thinking about you,” he corrects. “It doesn’t mean we can’t go out for dinner, right?”

  “It can lead to other things,” she reminds him.

  “It did lead to something.”

  She puckers her lips in thought. This is what she was afraid of.

  “What’s gotten into you?” He tries to make eye contact. “I don’t get it.”

  Eileen looks away not sure what to say. Does she remind him that there will never be another Saturday night like the one they shared?

  Ty waits for an answer. He’s patient and observant as though waiting for the opportunity to disagree. “We had a great time Saturday night. I didn’t see a problem then, and I don’t see one now.”

  Didn’t he get what he wanted?

  “What kind of guy do you think I am?”

  “I don’t have to explain,” she begins. “I’m sure you’ve heard it before.” She tries to shrug him off.

  “I want to hear what you think of me,” he states. “Because clearly you have a different opinion than you did on the weekend.”

  “No, you don’t want to know,” she argues, shaking her head.

  “Yes, I do,” he urges. “Come on, everyone has their own opinions, I know you have one. Let’s hear it.”

  “As if,” she mutters. “You’re like the rest of them. All you guys want is attention from women and I’m not playing this game. I don’t want to be like the others.”

  “Like the rest of them?” he asks, offended. “I think you’re getting me mixed up with Visconti.”

  She looks at him with hurt-filled eyes as though he called her a bad name. The shame Mario put her through was upsetting enough, but he also broke her heart many times over and couldn’t keep their relationship real. There was always someone else even when she felt like she was the only woman in the world. He was charming, like Ty, had incredible talent and looks that magazines flocked to, just like Ty. He paid attention to her and expected her to drop everything for him, just like Ty. But Mario wasn’t persistent and encouraging like Ty. Nor did Mario give her the attention Ty does.

  Why does this situation feel all too familiar? This time she will be proactive and not let Ty break her heart. She’ll be one step ahead.

  “You guys are all the same,” she says. “But I’m to blame for the other night. I shouldn’t have let it get as far as it had. Quite frankly, I’m mad at myself. Disappointed, really.”

  “I don’t see it as a problem,” he says, cradling his hockey stick.

  “If this continues, it could be,” she says. “I don’t want to be a trophy you’re trying to win. Trying to win another night with your skating coach.”

  He takes in a breath and pauses for a second before he responds. “By the sounds of it, you’ve had some bad luck with men.”

  He had no idea.

  “Look, I just thought we could both use the company and have a drink, maybe even dinner, again . . . friends,” he finally concludes.

  “Friends?” she repeats, as though she doesn’t believe him.

  The look in his eyes tells her he’s playing. He takes off his helmet with one easy sweep and brushes back his hair and wipes the sweat away from his eyes.

  “Yeah, don’t tell me you’re Miss Popular and having another friend would be a burden on you. Come on,” Ty encourages, getting her to smile.

  They hold a gaze. “What do you really think of me?” he asks.

  “Why does it matter what I think?”

  “I’m curious.”

  “About my opinion?” she asks. The Zamboni driver opens the gate, and they watch from center ice as he starts up the ice cleaner. “You don’t even know me.” They skate together for the bench.

  “Maybe not well, but I want to know you better,” he replies confidently.

  He never gives up.

  “I don’t think so,” she says and skates slowly off the ice.

  “I’m telling you that I do,” he says, following her to the bench. “Why are you not letting me get close to you?”

  Eileen sits on the bench and unlaces her skates. “I’m not. I’m giving you an honest answer.” She grabs her duffel bag and puts on her shoes. “I’ve got to get back to work. I do have another job to get to,” she reminds him.

  “What time are you off?”

  “I don’t know.” She sighs and zips up her bag. “Whatever time I get my work done will determine the time I’m home.”

  “Okay, let me pick you up. We’ll grab a drink and dinner, and you can tell me all the reasons why we shouldn’t see each other, okay? I think that’s fair. I think I deserve to know your reasons.”

  “I can tell you right now,” she says.

  “I think you have more than one excuse.”

  “It’s not a date,” she reminds him.

  Ty rolls his eyes, “Okay,” he says with a sigh. “It’s not a date.” “And how about we meet at a coffee shop for seven?”

  Eileen swore that she didn’t want to start a relationship with Ty and now it was happening, a relationship she wasn’t expecting. A relationship she didn’t want because it came with expectations. Didn’t every professional sports player date a bombshell beauty, an ex-model or an actress? She was an athlete and not a woman who is comfortable with hanging off his arm like a charm bracelet.

  The attraction for Ty Caldwell is real. She can admit she likes him, maybe a bit too much. If she keeps going with him, her fear is it could lead to further disappointment. Did Ty Caldwell make every other woman before her feel this special?

  Eileen walks to her car feeling a bit light in her step, wondering if anything will become of them once this gig is over. When it comes time to settle into a relationship, she wants to be with someone who is willing to stand by her and be a friend as well as a lifelong companion. Was she wasting her time?

  She takes out her keys from her purse and opens her car door. Her heart races as she zooms in on the note left on her window. She glances behind her to see if she sees the person who is responsible. She flicks the note off her window.

  You have been warned. Only time will tell.

  Only time will tell? Eileen asks herself as she drives away. Then what? Am I going to be physically hurt, again? Am I going to get fired? What does this all mean? Ei
leen needs to call her uncle Gary, a man who cares about her well-being, the only man she trusts, besides her overreacting brother, but that call will have to wait. She has to make a call to Constable Dundas.

  Chapter 14

  Eileen meets Kelly for a quick bite to eat. “Elle!” The warmth of a familiar voice shouts from the open restaurant door and the young woman in two-inch heels scurries to the booth.

  “Hi,” Elle says, relieved when her friend sits down.

  “What’s wrong? You’re pale. Are you feeling all right?”

  “I’m okay. Just got off the phone with the police. Those threats I was telling you about haven’t stopped.”

  “Do you know who it is?”

  “Not a clue.”

  Her friend sealed her lips in thought. “Can you trace the number?”

  “I’ve tried. It’s blocked.”

  “What did the police say?”

  “Keep the notes, document the time and days I’m threatened. There’s not much that can be done without knowing who it is. I just have to be careful. For now.”

  “Maybe Ty can be your bodyguard,” Kelly says.

  “Right.” Eileen smirks. “You’ve probably heard the news, then?”

  Kelly blinks, her eyes widening. “No, what news?”

  Eileen sighs. “It’s nothing then,” she says, wishing she didn’t open her mouth.

  “What’s the news?” Kelly presses.

  “There was an article in the newspaper that said Ty and I are a couple.”

  “Are you?” Kelly asks with hesitation.

  “No . . . no. I just thought since everyone else seems to be talking about it . . .”

  “You can’t be all that surprised, I mean, you are coaching the Warriors, it was only time before an article was written.”

  “I guess so,” she says, opening her menu and skimming it.

  “Have you talked to Ty about it?” Kelly glances up from the menu.

  “Yes.”

  “And what does he say about all of it?”

  “He doesn’t seem to care,” Eileen says sadly, folding her hands on the table.

  “I’m sure you do though.”

  “Well, yeah,” Eileen says. “How can I not?”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “I need to phone the reporter who wrote the article and ask him who the source was. I think it was made up. Who would tell him that we are going out? That’s not much of a source.”

  “It must have been someone on the team. Maybe one of his teammates is jealous. You told me that there are always reporters there, trying to get a story, so maybe that’s how it happened.”

  “I don’t want a reputation. It’s bad enough I went out for dinner with him.”

  “You need to get out more,” her friend says, shaking her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I have a job to do.”

  “The old Elle would have taken it as a compliment. Yes, you have a job to do, but you also have a life. You need to get out with the opposite sex and enjoy yourself.”

  Eileen lets out a breath and in a whisper, she asks bravely, “So what would you do?”

  “I’d let it go and be flattered that I was picked as a candidate.”

  “Let it go, huh?”

  “Yeah. That’s what I would do.”

  The waitress comes by to take their order.

  Eileen hands over her menu. “I can’t pretend it didn’t happen,” she says, sipping her water. “I’m meeting him tonight for a coffee. He wants to talk. I can only imagine what that means.”

  “It’s not like you slept with him, right?” Kelly asks.

  “Uh,” Eileen says, not sure how to answer her.

  Kelly shrieks and immediately lowers her head. “You slept with him?”

  Panic fills Eileen’s face. She’s not sure how to answer, since she doesn’t want anyone else besides Brooke to know about her fling.

  “You did, didn’t you?” Kelly asks, her eyes large in disbelief.

  Eileen can feel her face grow hot. How could she hide this?

  “You can’t tell anyone,” Eileen blurts out. “Please,” she begs, close to tears. “I don’t want anyone to know. Please swear you won’t tell anyone? It’s horrible—I made a huge mistake!”

  “Ohmigod, I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!” Kelly squeals. “Wow! I didn’t know you did that sort of thing.”

  “I know. I know. I can’t believe it either,” Eileen says regretfully, closing her eyes for a second and shaking her head. “What have I done? I can’t undo this. Now he wants to see me again and I don’t want a relationship with him.”

  “Why not? You’re crazy! This isn’t a bad thing. Stop beating yourself up.”

  “It won’t last.”

  “That’s up to you if you want it to last.” Kelly’s smile widens. “So, is he as good in bed as one might think?”

  Eileen sucks in her lips, not wanting to brag about it, but it was good. Really good. “Yeah, he’s pretty amazing.”

  Her friend bobs her head as though waiting for more information.

  Eileen drinks more water. “Nobody knows about this except you.”

  “Who are you kidding?” Kelly asks. “If there was already a write-up on the two of you, there’s bound to be more.”

  “I hope not.”

  “You can count on it,” Kelly says. “I know you’re second-guessing your feelings for Ty because of your failed relationship with Mario. But you can’t compare the two. Mario was different. He was self-centered and didn’t treat you like he should have. “I don’t know how you stayed with him for a year.”

  “I loved him.”

  Kelly is right; the two are incomparable. But how can she not compare? They have similar personalities and professions.

  “Look,” Kelly says. “Mario is history. You have a new man now who is starving for your affection. Give him a chance. I know you want to; you’re just scared of him being the perfect guy.”

  Eileen’s face softens. “I didn’t want to get involved with him.”

  “It’s too late now.”

  “What do I do?”

  “Look, you can pretend nothing happened, but what good would that do? You’re better off enjoying this new relationship; it’ll be good for you.”

  “We’re not dating,” Eileen says.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

  “Please! You already have, so get over it! Now you have to figure out what you want out of the relationship. If you don’t want anything to do with him, stop talking to him, or if you do—obviously you do—keep the relationship going.”

  “That’s the thing—I really don’t know if I should,” she says, thinking about the threats.

  “It’s not hard, Elle. Do you like him or not?”

  That question was embedded in her mind long after she left the restaurant and headed over to a coffee shop to meet Ty.

  Eileen gets there early to finish up on some lesson plans before having a serious conversation with Ty about their relationship and where it is headed.

  She’s glad they’re not meeting at a pub since that would require a few drinks and a few promises she wasn’t sure she could keep. A clear mind is what she needs. What is she going to tell Ty? She is attracted to him, but doesn’t want anything to do with him? It sounds crazier the more she thinks about him. It’s hard to be involved romantically, while it poses a threat to her dream job.

  “Is this seat taken?” a male voice asks and Eileen looks up from her day timer. Ty is standing in front of her casually with his charming smile.

  “Now it is,” she says, and he pulls the chair out from under the table.

  “Coffee?” he asks, holding on to the back of the chair.

  She lifts her cup toward him. “No, thanks. I still have some.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He leaves and comes back with a large coffee, two chocolate brownie desserts, and two forks dangling from his t
humb. He sets down the coffee first and then the two plates. “Not much of a date if we buy our own coffees, is it? I had to buy dessert.”

  She clears off the table and places her work back in her bag on the floor beside her. “I had some things to finish up.” She sits up and takes a drink of her warm coffee.

  “Still working?” he asks lightly.

  “I have three new classes starting this week and had some new ideas I could teach.”

  He slices off a bite of brownie and holds it up to his mouth. “You’re a hard worker, Ms. Francis.”

  “I care about what I do.”

  He swallows the chocolaty dessert and says, “And it shows. Try your dessert. I can’t eat two.” He swallows a sip of coffee to wash it down.

  She picks up her fork and takes a bite, enjoying the sweet and creamy taste of the icing. “That’s how you succeed, right? Working hard pays off.” She takes a drink.

  “Yes, it does,” he says, taking a sip. “Do you like what you do? Teaching kids?”

  “Yeah, I do. I’ve always been able to coach.”

  “You keep pretty busy.”

  “By choice.” She takes another bite of her brownie, enjoying the satisfaction of sweetness. “It’s supposed to keep me out of trouble.”

  “No wonder you don’t want a relationship.”

  Her head shoots up from the plate. “I never said that I don’t.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “No, I didn’t. I said I don’t want to mix business with pleasure.”

  “Nobody cares if we date or not.” He puts down his fork with one bite to go.

  “I care. Ted cares. He’ll fire me if he knows about us. Besides, this isn’t a permanent job,” she reminds him. “I’ll be around for three months, tops. We’re already into the second month.”

  “So, where does this lead us? We can be more secretive if that’s what you want. I’m fine with that. It could be interesting, listening to people talk and us denying it. . . .”

  “We tried that and you couldn’t keep it a secret.” Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn’t he understand that if they just waited a few months everything would be fine?