“Oh, how so?” he asked, encouraging her to continue.
“My theory is that some men are intimidated by the fact that I’m a therapist. I think they worry that I’m psychoanalyzing them, trying to sort out what kind of disorders they may have or whether or not they have mommy issues,” she offered with a smirk. Gage chuckled softly.
“Are you?”
“Well, not intentionally...” she mused playfully.
“Occupational hazard.” he teased, reaching for more food.
“Funny,” she replied lightheartedly, appearing to enjoy their banter. “Actually, outside of my office I find it challenging to read men. I have never been very good at it. That makes dating challenging too, I suppose. To tell you the truth, I haven’t dated much.”
“Why is that?” he asked, surprised by her admission.
“I’ve been pretty focused on my career since finishing my education, and it has been non-stop work trying to build the practice,” she explained, reading his face carefully, as if analyzing his thoughts. He did his best to appear impassive. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in any way.
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?” he asked, hoping he wasn’t getting too personal. This wasn’t his typical first date chatter, but he felt so comfortable with her and he got the sense she felt the same way.
“I have,” she confessed, “but it was a long time ago. I was married when I was quite young but it didn’t work out. We were impulsive and crazy in love.”
“How old were you?” he asked, carefully masking his surprise. She shrugged her shoulders and let out a soft sigh.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to talk about it,” he said, reaching over and grazing the top of her hand. She smiled at the gesture, raising her chin proudly.
“No, no it’s ok. I just realized I haven’t talked about my divorce in a really long time. It seems like another lifetime,” she explained with hushed melancholy. “I was only 18 when we got married.”
Coop raised his eyebrows in disbelief. She was young, still a child really. Nora raised her own brows and calmly nodded at him as if to say ‘it’s true’.
“I know, it’s hard to believe. We were married just under four years and separated shortly after we moved out to California. It just got to the point where we weren’t communicating anymore. I lost trust in him.” Nora looked up at Coop and he smiled, encouraging her to continue.
“You lost trust?” he asked gently. She nodded and looked down again, hesitating before she spoke.
“Yes,” she whispered, “I saw him kissing one of his co-workers. I had gone to surprise him after work one afternoon and I saw him standing in front of the restaurant where he worked. I was waiting to cross the light and noticed him, and then her. He put his arm around her and casually pulled her in for a kiss. The thing is, it wasn’t their first kiss, they were far too comfortable for that. It was the kind of kiss you share with someone you’ve been intimate with for a while, you know?”
“Wow... what did you do?” he asked, suddenly feeling protective of her.
“I turned around and went home… and never breathed a word of what I saw to him or anyone else,” she admitted quietly, shrugging her shoulders, “In fact, you are the first person I’ve ever told.”
She looked at him curiously, taking another sip of wine. Coop gave her another reassuring smile and waited for her to speak again, unsure of how to respond. Although he empathized with her, he was pleased that she felt safe enough to open up to him.
Nora placed her empty wine glass down, just as the waiter came by.
“How is everything? Are you guys still working on this?” he asked, gesturing to their half full plates.
“Actually, I’m stuffed, but I would love some coffee,” Coop answered cheerfully, “Nora?”
“I’m done as well, and yes to the coffee. There’s so much left over. Can we wrap it up?” Nora asked, addressing the waiter.
“Of course,” he replied, lifting the dishes off the table. He cleared almost everything away and left them alone again.
“Can I ask why you never told your ex what you saw?” Coop asked, trying to be as sensitive as he could, and hoping to learn more about her.
“Honestly, I think I knew that things had been over between us for months and maybe I just didn’t feel the need to invest any more energy into it. If I confronted him one of two things would happen. He would either deny it and I would lose total respect and trust for him, or he would admit it and I would still feel the same way. From where I stood the outcome was going to be the same—our marriage was over. I wasn’t good at confrontation, and at the time I wasn’t very good at communicating my feelings. So a few days later, I asked him if he wanted to separate. I knew he was as unhappy as I was. We probably should have parted ways in Michigan. If I knew then what I know now...” she said, her words quietly trailing off.
“There’s so much wisdom in retrospect, isn’t there,” he added, drawing an agreeable nod from Nora.
“Absolutely. Anyway, we parted ways amicably. We didn’t have any assets to fight over and thankfully, we didn’t have children, so it was a pretty simple process. He went his way and I went mine. Last I heard, he took an acting job in Australia in a popular daytime soap opera. As far as I know he’s still there,” she shrugged, appearing completely indifferent about him.
The waiter returned to their table with coffee and take home containers. Coop nodded at him, sending him on his way.
“So what about you? Any serious relationships? Marriages? Deep, dark secrets?” she asked playfully.
“No, no,” he laughed, “Never married, never engaged, no juicy secrets. I’ve had two fairly serious relationships in my life, but I’ve been single for a while now. My last relationship ended over a year ago. That was a tough one.”
“Did she break your heart?” Nora asked. He normally shied away from talking about Kim and the details of their break up, but Nora had been so trusting and forthcoming, she deserved the same from him. Besides, he felt comfortable with her, so while they sipped their coffees, he shared his story with her while she listened quietly.
“I know it was all for the best, and I’m over all that now. I guess the timing just wasn’t right,” he concluded, hoping she didn’t doubt that.
“Maybe, but I think you’re being far too kind. What she did was pretty fucked up, if you ask me,” Nora sassed, waving her hand in front of her dismissively.
Coop chuckled, setting down his coffee.
“Is that your professional opinion, Doc?” he teased, grinning back at her. She smiled broadly and shrugged at him.
“Yes, yes it is,” she offered, in mock seriousness, “in any case, you deserved a hell of a lot better than that.”
He looked at her thoughtfully, appreciating the validation. She was something else. He was impressed with how she had risen above the adversity in her own life and came out of it so balanced. She was down to earth and brilliant at the same time. She was exactly what he’d hoped she would be when he asked her out.
The waiter came over one last time with the bill and Coop paid him right away. He didn’t want the evening to end, but he had to get to the arena to catch the team bus to the airport. Nora must have noticed the reluctance on his face because she reached out and caressed his hand reassuringly.
“I had a great time tonight, Gage. You’re not exactly what I was expecting,” she offered kindly, her eyes searching his. Coop grinned at her curiously.
“What were you expecting?”
“Truthfully? I’m not sure. I grew up around plenty of hockey jocks, and most of them were... hmm, how can I put this diplomatically... players… douche bag players,” she grinned cheekily. “Something told me you might be different, so I’m glad we did this,” she assured. He chuckled, appreciating her honesty.
“You’re right about that. Unfortunately, that seems to be our reputation, and for good reason. I’ve never been like that, even when I was younger,” he assured her, pi
cking her hand up gently in his own. “My mom raised me well, I guess.”
“Remind me to thank her.” Nora quipped, then shook her head gently and chuckled, as though regretting her presumptuousness. He kind of liked it though, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Ready to go?” he asked, reaching for the take home bag. Nora nodded and stood up, waiting for Coop to slip in beside her. He gently placed his hand on the small of her back, escorting her toward the door. She rewarded him with a soft moan, which he took for approval.
There were no uncomfortable silences on the way back to her office. They chatted like they had known one another all their lives, completely at ease together. Nora was like a breath of fresh air, playful, inquisitive, and honest. He couldn’t help but feel hopeful that there might be something good between them that they could build on and he hoped she felt the same way.
“Can we do this again when I get back in town?” Coop asked, as he walked Nora to her car, hand in hand. Nora nodded her head softly, a warm smile playing on her lips.
“Of course,” she agreed, offering his hand a gentle squeeze. They stopped in front of her car. Nora shrugged her shoulders, as if to say ‘this is me’.
“So, we get back to L.A. on Wednesday and then we have a game Thursday night. I’m off next Friday. Dinner?” he asked, holding both of her hands in his. He hoped she wasn’t already busy. He didn’t have a lot of time off, so coordinating his schedule with people had always been a challenge. Nora took a breath and hesitated. She looked like she wanted to tell him something but changed her mind.
“I would like that. Call me when you get a chance and we can confirm the details,” she agreed. She smiled and tipped her chin up in a gesture he understood all too well.
He wanted to kiss her, too. He had been wanting to all night. He tucked his hand behind her head and pulled her into his kiss, touching her lips gently with his own. Her mouth was soft and inviting, and he wanted nothing more than to turn that kiss into something more passionate, but he also didn’t want to rush things like he had in the past. He wanted to take care of her, to do things right this time. He offered her another tender kiss and then pulled himself away. She had a peaceful look on her face, her eyes softly focusing on his, expressing her approval. She let out just a whisper of a moan.
“That was nice,” she offered quietly. “Thank you for everything. It was perfect.”
“Of course. I really enjoyed it, too,” Coop agreed, opening her car door for her. She caressed his arm before tucking herself into the driver’s seat and then accepted the take home bag from him.
“Have a safe trip. And kick ass against Vancouver and Edmonton. I’ll try and catch the games,” she encouraged, starting the engine.
“Piece of cake,” he teased, closing the door behind her. He tapped the top of her car as she easily backed out of the space. She offered him a little wave before pulling away.
Coop shook his head and let out his breath slowly, releasing a happy whistle. If he could have he would have jumped up and clicked his heels together, but the fear of looking foolish held him back. Instead he strolled back to his car, unable to wipe the grin off his face. He was already crushing on Nora, hard.
CHAPTER 10
NORA
“So tell me everything about Thor,” Dana said, flopping herself into Nora’s sofa, a plate of pancakes in her hand. It was a lazy Sunday morning and Nora hadn’t even gotten dressed yet. Nora sat down, carefully balancing her own plate and tea cup to avoid spilling.
“Okay, but can we stop calling him Thor now? It’s unsettling,” Nora chuckled, rolling her eyes at her twin. She set her tea cup down and settled back into the sofa.
“Okay, okay, but you have to admit, he does look like Chris Hemsworth!” Dana gushed, stuffing a giant bite of pancakes in her mouth.
“That’s it! Chris Hemsworth! I can see it a little bit, but can we just refer to him as Gage from now on?” Nora smirked.
“Fine, but it’s not nearly as much fun. So, how did it go?” Dana pushed, waving her fork impatiently.
“It was so good,” Nora blushed, recalling how much she enjoyed being with Gage. “He seems like a really nice guy. You know, thoughtful, sweet, and super easy to be around. And he seems loyal.”
“Sounds like you went out with a golden retriever.” her twin teased, raising her eyebrows. Nora chuckled and shook her head impatiently.
“Well, what do you want me to say? It was a good date. I liked him. A lot,” she admitted, feeling annoyed by the way her sister always seemed to push her out of her comfort zone, but appreciating her bluntness at the same time.
“Were there sparks? Did you have chemistry? Did he kiss you? Does he make you hot? Is he fuckable?” Dana asked, listing off all the pertinent questions on her ‘need to know list.’ Nora laughed and gave her sister a playful shove.
“Stop it,” Nora squealed, “it was just our first date.”
“So? Your first date with the fireman was pretty hot. When you know, you know, right?” Dana blurted, proving that she almost always saw the world in black and white. Nora was just the opposite, and knew the world had many, many shades of grey. That if you were patient enough, and explored deep enough, you would see the things that so many other people missed. This mindset made her exceptional at her job, and it also allowed her to be open minded and inquisitive on so many levels.
“He was different from Leo, self-assured but not as outwardly confident, and definitely not as assertive, but I enjoyed being with him just as much. I felt really comfortable with him,” Nora explained carefully, hoping Dana would understand. “He seemed genuine Dana, like he really wanted to get to know me.”
“Hmmmm,” her sister replied thoughtfully, as though processing Nora’s words, “that does sound nice.”
“He was a gentleman through and through, which you might not expect from a hockey player, but everything about him was respectful. He intrigued me,” she admitted, “and ya, he left me wanting to know more.”
“And the kiss?” Dana pressed, unwilling to let her off the hook. Nora grinned and set her plate down on the table in front of her, playfully stalling in the hopes of annoying her twin just a little.
Dana raised her eyebrows assertively. “Well?”
“It was... alluring. The kind of kiss that promises something exceptional is waiting right around the corner if you are willing to be patient. The kind of kiss that warms your lips and heats you up just enough to pique your curiosity, but not enough to completely liquefy you, you know what I mean?” Nora looked at her sister thoughtfully.
Always the diplomat, Dana blurted, “Cut the flowery shit! Did you want to bang him or not?”
Nora laughed wholeheartedly and pulled her sister closer offering her a quick squeeze and a kiss to the forehead.
“You goofball! Of course I’m curious. I want to see him again and see what develops. He’s adorable!”
“There, was that so hard?” Dana scolded playfully, straightening herself up and putting her own plate on top of Nora’s.
“I guess I’m just struggling a little,” Nora mumbled quietly. Something had been bothering her ever since her date with Gage, and she hoped that Dana could help her work through it, or at least validate her feelings.
“What is it?” Dana asked, suddenly very intrigued. She always seemed interested in Nora’s dilemmas, especially if she could offer advice. Nora picked up her tea, holding the warm mug in her hands, allowing it to comfort her while she grappled with her feelings.
Dana sighed impatiently, prompting Nora to share her thoughts.
“I really like Gage,” she began. Dana shrugged softly and smiled, encouraging her to go on. “But, I’m also into Leo. I mean, really into him. Our second date was off the charts hot.”
Dana opened her eyes widely, curiously looking at her sister as if to say ‘do tell!’
“I took your advice and decided to just let go and have some fun,” Nora admitted, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks.
“You have no idea. He’s so confident, Dana, and he makes me feel so fucking sexy. It was the hottest date I’ve ever had. The man has a way of looking at me that makes me want to drop my panties.”
“Nora!” Dana laughed, amused by the confession. Nora grinned naughtily, and shrugged.
“I know! I even surprised myself,” she continued, happy to finally share the experience with her twin. “He took me dancing at this really cool little club on 1st Street.”
“The Grenada Night Club? Yeah, I’ve been there,” Dana interrupted. “Latin dancing, a fun place, loaded with hot people. Of course that was B.M.”
‘B.M.’ was Dana’s way of saying ‘before marriage,’ like it somehow represented a time in her life when she was a completely different person. Although she usually referred to B.M. with a wistful tone, Nora knew that her sister wouldn’t give up A.M. (after marriage) for anything. She was crazy about her man Sam. Nora wanted to have what they shared more than anything. Sam doted on her sister and loved her deeply, and as far as Nora could tell, they had a wonderful partnership. They balanced their work and home life perfectly, each allowing the other to have space to grow and enjoy things independently, while still spending quality time with each other. Of course that would probably change once they had children, but the foundation of their marriage was solid. Nora respected them both so much.
“It was amazing. I haven’t danced in a long time,” Nora continued, pulling her feet up on the sofa and making herself comfortable. “And Leo can dance. We had so much fun. Once we got thoroughly worked up, we went back to my place.”
“Uh-huh?” Dana gushed, hoping to hear more. Nora sighed, chuckling softly to herself, the naughty memories still fresh in her mind. She shook her head slowly and grinned at her sister.
“Let’s just say he has skills. No man has ever made me cum that hard in my entire life. And that was just the foreplay. Fuck, Dana, I was such a slut. You would have been so proud,” Nora teased, taking a sip of her tea.
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