She took the card and put it in her back pocket. She took it?
I waited for her to throw it away after he walked out, but she didn’t. She just kept on working as if she hadn’t just been hit on. Why wasn’t she upset? She was at her place of work. He should respect that. Who picks up on the cute barista?
Me.
That was beside the point. I knew her. He was just some shmuck off the street.
My coffee was gone, but I couldn’t leave.
I had to get to an interview, but I couldn’t stand.
Kendall was still helping customers and had probably forgotten I was even here. Joey came out of the back room and stopped when she saw me. She raised a single brow and I nodded. Without a word she went to Kendall, whispered something, then Kendall was walking to the back and Joey took her place at the register.
This was my chance.
That crazy woman had gotten in my head. I needed to do this before I missed my chance. Before she called back that stupid guy in the suit.
I stood and hurried to the back room before anyone could question me.
Kendall was sitting at the desk with her feet kicked up. She looked startled when I walked in. “Wyatt. What are you doing?”
I stopped in front of her as my mind went blank. What do I say?
“Are you going to use that?” I blurted out.
Her brows pulled together. “Use what?”
I pointed at her. “In your pocket.”
She reached for the front of her pants then paused and smiled at me. “You saw that?” I nodded while she leaned and pulled the card out of her pocket. “I’m not going to use it.”
She ripped it in half and tossed it in the trash can near the table. “Any other questions?”
That was easier than I thought. I was expecting her to argue, say I had no business in her dating life, call me a freak for watching her. She never did what I expected though.
“I have one more.”
“Yeah?”
I blew out a breath trying to calm myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I asked a girl out. High school maybe?
“I was wondering if…”
Her smile wavered. “Yes?”
“If you would like to go out with me. Maybe dinner. Not tonight.” I paused and ran my scheduled through my mind. Crap. I didn’t have a free night until next week. “Next Monday?”
She laughed and nodded. “I think I can make that work.”
“Really?” I didn’t mean to sound as shocked as I felt. I was trying for smooth and confident and failing epically.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
She hadn’t turned me down. She hadn’t laughed in my face. I had my first date in years planned. Now I just needed to come up with the perfect date idea. No pressure.
“Me too.”
She smiled and started walking backwards to the door. “I’ve got to get back, but I’ll see you later?”
I nodded and watched her leave. I couldn’t believe I’d really done that. I asked her out. The girl that hates my team. The one that put salt in my coffee the first time I met her. The one that ran away.
It was hard connecting that version of her with who I’d just seen. We hadn’t been able to spend that much time together with our conflicting schedules, but I knew there was more to her that I hadn’t seen yet. I couldn’t wait to discover it.
The hardest part was going to be keeping this from the guys. I didn’t need extra crap from them for going out with her. The girls would know. They had a sixth sense for things like this. If only I could avoid everyone until Tuesday. Too bad we had an away game. That was a lot of time spent together. A lot of time for me to dodge conversations.
It would be worth it.
I stood and threw my empty cup away. When I got to the doors, Noah and Colby were walking in. I saw them and spun on my heels.
A pack of paparazzi followed them.
Sure, they were used to it now, but I didn’t want any tips flying around about where I hung out. Or worse…where I lived.
I hurried to the bathrooms, but the men’s was occupied.
If only I had a jacket to cover my face. A hat wouldn’t be enough if the cameras were ready and waiting.
“Hey. You need an escape?”
I looked up to see Joey walked past me.
“Yeah.”
“Come on.” She led me to the back room and through a door leading to the alley.
I took a deep breath as soon as I was outside. “Thank you.”
She was leaning against the door with a small smile. “I know how much you value your privacy, and I value your business.”
With a wink she turned and the door shut behind her.
When I got to the main street I peeked around the corner but no one was around. I walked a few extra blocks to avoid the paparazzi, but I made it back to my place unseen.
Another day of anonymity.
Chapter Fourteen
Kendall
The weekend passed at a snail’s pace. I’d never been the type to get too excited about dances at school or dates. Maybe it had more to do with the guys I was going with, so this was the first-time excitement and anticipation set in days before. I couldn’t believe I was going out on a real date with Wyatt. How we had gone from our first disaster encounter to a date was a mystery to me, but I was so grateful for his forgiveness and second chance.
He’d texted me to dress comfortably. I wasn’t sure what that meant, and I wished, not for the first time, that I had friends to call in situations like this. I could ask Joey, but she would make too big of a deal. And probably tell me to wear tie-dye sweats.
I considered going to the arena for practice just so I could ask some of the Pride ladies, but I didn’t want them to know about the date.
After seeing what Wyatt was going through with his teammates just for hanging out with me, I didn’t want to make it worse for him. I wasn’t sure if he had told anyone about our date. I couldn’t blame him if he didn’t. I’d made this difficult for him.
I knew talking to the girls would spread like wildfire. There didn’t seem to be secrets among them.
Ugh. The last thing I wanted was for Chloe to ruin this for me with a comment about how I wasn’t worthy.
I knew that.
Wyatt Hartman was on another planet compared to me.
I knew I didn’t deserve a chance with him, but he’d asked me. He wanted to see what could be between us as much as I did.
Plus, he wasn’t the hockey star when he was with me. He was just Wyatt. I doubted the Pride would understand.
I wasn’t a jersey chaser or gold digger. I wasn’t interested in him for that, but I was going to have a really hard time convincing everyone else of that.
He’d texted me that he would be by to pick me up at seven. I tried to tell him I’d meet him somewhere, but he insisted on coming to my house and driving me. I didn’t want him to see where I lived. It was small, cluttered, and old. Like falling apart old. The grungy green couch couldn’t be hidden and the broken blinds over the windows didn’t pull up anymore. There wasn’t much I could do to make it look better.
If I timed it right I could be out front when he got here so he wouldn’t see where I actually lived.
That was perfect.
I changed into a pair of jeans and white long sleeve shirt and slipped on a pair of sandals before grabbing my bag and going to the door.
When I reached for the handle, a knock sounded.
I jumped and shook my head. Of course, he was early.
I opened the door and my breath caught. He was so handsome. Flawless in a simple t-shirt and jeans.
My heart was racing against my ribs.
This was my date. For one night he was all mine. That was enough for me to smile for the rest of the year.
“Hi.” I breathed out the word.
He was smiling, but it dimmed as he looked behind me. “This is where you live?”
I considered making a joke and tel
ling him this was just a random place I liked to hang out, but his face told me it wasn’t the time.
“It is.”
He finally looked down and met my eyes. “It’s nice. Very, um, collegiate.”
I could have kissed him then. He could have mocked it. He could have made me feel shame about my current circumstances, but he found a way to spin it making me laugh.
I nodded. “It is very starving college student.”
He laughed and I shut and locked the door behind me.
“I should dig up some photos of my apartment my junior and senior year.” He chuckled. You’re living in luxury compared to that.” He led me to his car and opened the door for me.
I got in, still smiling. “I’d love to see that.”
He was constantly surprising me. He came from money, at least I assumed that from what he said about his parents, but he didn’t allow that to define him. He created his own story. Got through on his own. I admired his strength.
“I know I told you it was a surprise, but I wanted to give you some say in at least what we eat. Are you craving anything specific for dinner?”
“We’re doing more than just dinner?” I was surprised. Most guys I’d dated seemed to cut the night short. Maybe they were too lazy to plan a full night. Maybe they didn’t want to pay for it. Either way, I wasn’t used to the attention Wyatt was giving me. I felt spoiled.
He turned and looked at me. “Of course.”
Huh. I thought I was lucky just grabbing a bite with him. Knowing he had a whole night planned made me feel…special.
“I’m fine with anything.” I tried to sound carefree. Spontaneous. Going with the flow. That was me. Laid back. Never one to overthink.
Ha.
“What’s something you’ve been craving lately? he asked.
I eyed him as he drove. “Anything?”
He glanced at me and smiled. “Anything.”
I paused. Would he make fun of me? Tell me no? “French toast.”
He laughed and nodded. “I know just the place.”
Relief washed over me. He just went with it without missing a beat. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting my answer. He probably wanted steak or a burger, but he let me decide.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling too wide.
Minutes later we were parked in front of a small restaurant in a part of town I’d never ventured. It looked a little sketchy if I was being honest. “Ruthanne’s?”
He laughed at my expression. “Trust me?”
I didn’t really have a choice at the moment. “Okay.”
We got out and headed in. An older woman greeted us from behind the counter and told us to take a seat. “We’ll be with you in just a moment.”
Wyatt led us to a booth toward the back and pulled two menus out from behind the napkin dispenser. “I’m not sure if you’ll need this since you know what you want, but they have combinations if you’re interested.”
I nodded and opened it to the breakfast page. “This is really the first place that came to mind when I said French toast?”
He smiled and there was a sparkle in his eyes. “You’ll fall in love by first bite. I promise.”
Another older woman came by and took our order before quickly returning with our drinks.
I thanked her and took a sip of water. “How did you find this place?”
He laughed. “One of the guys, Brassard maybe, was starving in the middle of the night so he looked online and this was the only place open. He came here and got almost half the menu. The next day he came to practice raving about the secret diner he found, so we came here after that practice and it’s been one of our go-to places since then.”
Of course. There’s no way someone would find this under normal circumstances. It was so far from where the arena was, or where Wyatt lived. I’d be shocked that anyone came here without a late-night craving, but I must be wrong. It was surprisingly busy.
“You’re putting a lot of pressure on this meal.”
He smiled. “I know, but I’m confident in its ability to live up to the hype.”
Our food came out suspiciously fast. French toast wasn’t hard to make but it felt like we’d just ordered.
The six triangles of bread on my plate looked like pretty much any other French toast I’d seen. Nothing special.
“Trust me.” Wyatt already had a full bite in his mouth.
I cut a corner and dipped it in the little dish of syrup it came with. Wyatt watched me as I brought the fork to my both and bit off the bread.
Oh. My.
Oh. Yes.
I chewed and slowly smiled with my mouth full. “This is amazing.”
“I told you.”
I was surprised he was able to understand me. I dove in and devoured my plate in record time.
When I was done, I leaned back in the booth feeling perfectly content. “That was easily the best French toast I’ve ever had.”
Wyatt wiped his mouth while nodding. “It really is, isn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“It was divine. We’ll be coming back here for sure.”
Oh no.
I didn’t just say that.
How embarrassing! I didn’t mean to assume we’d be going on more dates, but it slipped out.
Spending time with him was so easy. I could easily picture us doing this again and again.
“Yes, we will.” His eyes held a promise, and my stomach did a mini summersault at the thought of spending more time alone with him. But maybe he was just being nice.
This. This was why I hated dating. I hated doubting myself and second guessing every little detail.
“Are you ready to get out of here?”
I nodded and excused myself to the bathroom while he paid the bill. I needed a moment alone. Away from the effect he had on me.
He made me forget all the reasons this shouldn’t happen.
That was it.
It was so easy to be around him and think that was it. That moment was all that mattered. The real world melted away when I was in his presence.
That wasn’t good.
It wasn’t healthy.
My life, my problems, my fears couldn’t disappear. I couldn’t make myself forget about all the people I’d loved that left me. I couldn’t forget that I was on borrowed time. I couldn’t forget that I didn’t fit in his world.
These issues weren’t going anywhere. But it was nice, just for a few minutes to let myself imagine life as it could be. Life where this was real. Where an orphan girl could end up with a hockey star.
My reflection stared back at me.
Defeat. Exhaustion. Doubt.
I saw it in my eyes. Could Wyatt?
I washed my hands and left before I could psych myself out.
“You ready?” He was waiting by the front door. When I got close he reached his hand out to me.
I placed mine in his and nodded.
We got back in the car and he started driving, taking us even further from the area I was familiar with.
There was a movie theater downtown, just across from the arena.
“Where are you taking me?” I said it like I was teasing, but I was genuinely confused.
The corner of his lips twitched. “Nervous?”
I narrowed my eyes. “A little bit.”
He looked at me and winked. “Give me five more minutes.”
Since he wasn’t going to tell me, I sat back and eyed the clock.
Maybe this was good for me. Getting me to branch out of my one-mile radius.
I should have left a note for my roommate telling her where I was going and when I should be back.
Not that I’d seen her recently.
Wait. The last time I saw her had to be over a week ago.
I could text Uncle David. Tell him to track my phone if he doesn’t hear from me.
Yeah. That would be a good idea. He’d be on the next flight here, with half the new recruitment class.
“Here we go.”
Wyatt pointed as he turned into a lot.
It was an outdoor theater. An old-fashioned drive in.
“Seriously?” I was bouncing in my seat like a child. “I’ve never been to one of these. I’ve always wanted to.”
Wyatt parked and smiled. “I’m glad you’re excited. I know it’s probably not as comfortable as a movie theater, but it’s a fun experience.”
I looked around his car and laughed. “I’m pretty sure this is nicer than a popcorn grease covered chair.”
“Speaking of popcorn grease, there’s a snack counter over there.” He pointed over my shoulder.
“I’m still full, but no movie is complete without popcorn.”
His smile grew. “I’m glad you said that.” He opened his door before stopping and turning back to me. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded and he left.
I looked around, taking in the parked cars and giant screen. This was surreal. I felt like I was in an old fashioned movie.
He returned with a stash of popcorn, lemonade and Coke. “I didn’t know what you’d want.”
I smiled. “I know your drink order.”
He set the cups down and pretended to glare. “You know my coffee order.”
I raised an eyebrow and looked him over. “You’re not one to waste calories or carbs. Those are both diet.”
He laughed. “It’s a Coke zero actually.”
“That’s the one you want. I’ll take the lemonade.”
He fell into his seat and laughed. “You’re right. Pretty good barista, huh.”
I shrugged. “I guess. You’re not that hard to figure out.”
He turned his head, looking serious.
“I’m not?”
I shook my head. “No, not to me. I know you’re a private person, and you like your anonymity, but that doesn’t mean you’re a closed book.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched me.
“I know you value hard work and honesty. You put other people’s need before your own. Your priority is your team. You do everything for them.” I paused. “You’re a genuinely good person.”
“So, all that means I like diet drinks?”
His eyebrows shot up in question and I burst out laughing. “It makes sense in my mind.”
Attacking Zone (Utah Fury Hockey Book 4) Page 9