Drew led me to his car, a sleek black Beamer. I assumed his SUV was in his garage. He opened the car door for me, allowing me to slide into the dark leather seats before shutting my door and heading around.
It still smelled new.
The leather seats clung to my body like a second skin and I felt myself relax more than I normally would have in a stranger’s car.
“You’ll have to give me directions,” he said. His voice was gruff, slightly strained.
I knew it had to do with his breakup. I knew he knew that I knew about it too, making this infinitely more awkward than it would have been if I hadn’t shown up in the first place. He should have been allowed to wallow without an audience.
“Do you want to get some sushi?” I blurted out, as if sushi would make everything better.
He blinked. “I’m sorry?” he asked.
I couldn’t fault him his response, because even I had no idea what the heck I was doing.
I shifted my gaze to my lap. “You know what?” I said, playing with my fingernails. “Never mind. I’m just going to shut up now, except when you need the next directions back to my place.”
His lips quirked up but it didn’t turn into a full-fledged smile. At least it was a start.
“Sushi?” he questioned as he started the car.
“I mean, I know this place in Irvine on Alton and Barranca, in this shopping center,” I continued. “It has the best sushi I’ve ever had and I’ve tasted a lot of sushi. I think the only place better was when I went to Hawaii, but then nothing compares to Hawaii.”
He shrugged, his eyes on the road ahead of him. “Never been,” he said, as if it wasn’t a big deal he had never been to Hawaii.
“Drew, look, I’m not here to tell you how to live your life,” I said. “And granted, I know, I’m just a person you met and we really don’t know each other at all. If you want my opinion though - and I know you never asked so I’ll take that into account - that should be your first priority in the off-season. You should go.”
“I don’t have anyone to go with,” he said.
“Please,” I said, waving him away. “You do not need anyone to go to Hawaii. Hawaii is so warm and welcoming and there’s always so much to do that you won’t have time to be lonely. And, you know, being single and by yourself isn’t a bad thing.”
His lips quirked up. “Is that so?” he asked. “Are you single?”
My heart stopped. I should have expected that question. It was only fair. It still felt weird though that Drew cared about my marital status.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, yes,” I said. “Yes, I am.”
His smile widened but he didn’t look at me. Instead he kept his focus.
“Right, so stay on PCH until you hit Newport Boulevard...”
11
Drew
I didn’t expect eating sushi at eleven o’clock at night with someone I barely knew could be so much fun. I drank water just because I didn’t drink alcohol during the season. In lieu of partying or going out clubbing, I walked Simba and went to bed early. I knew some of the guys thought I was stupid for letting opportunities pass me by, but I firmly believed there was a reason I had never missed one game in my entire career - until recently - and I clung onto that belief for the past eleven years.
Kira was completely animated as she talked and ate. She was a welcome distraction from everything that had happened the past hour. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her listening in on a private conversation, but I wasn’t going to penalize her for it, especially when she was honest after I called her out on her bullshit. Her babbling was adorable, nearly as adorable as her red face.
“How do you know about this place?” I asked before plopping the last dragon roll into my mouth. I had offered it to her but she politely declined, focusing on her order of crunchy rolls.
“I grew up in Irvine,” she said before taking a sip of her lemonade. “Actually, that’s not true. I grew up in Fountain Valley but went to school in Garden Grove. My parents divorced and they sold the townhouse, and since my mother got custody, we had to move. Of course, my mom being all about getting the best education, she moved us to a two-bedroom apartment in Irvine. From seventh grade on, I went to school there, which is great, because Irvine has the best schools in the country.”
I watched her with obvious amusement on my face. She liked to talk. I didn’t know if that was a trait that was cute at the beginning of a relationship, but would eventually get on my nerves once we had been together for a while. Not that Kira and I were going to get together, let alone be together for a while.
She cleared her throat as though she also recognized what she was doing, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Before I could stop myself, I reached across the small table between us and placed my hand over hers.
“I really like hearing you tell me about yourself,” I murmured.
I didn’t know why I did that. It was something a guy might say if he were on a date... but we weren’t on a date. We were two friends eating sushi at eleven at night. Friends did that sort of thing. Right? I didn’t really know. I wasn’t incredibly social.
If this isn’t a date, a voice muttered in my head. Why are you still holding her hand? And why hadn’t she pulled hers away?
I immediately snapped my hand back down to my lap like it had been burned. She glanced down at her own hand, as if she had found something wrong.
“So how’s Simba?” she asked, her voice tainted with awkwardness. Her eyes were on the two rolls she had left and she popped one in her mouth after she asked the question. I wasn’t sure if she did it because she was hungry, or if it gave her an excuse not to talk right away because she had food in her mouth.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to settle down,” I blurted out.
Her eyes snapped to mine, but she didn’t say anything. It didn’t look like she would, even if she didn’t have that food in her mouth. For someone who talked as much as she did, she seemed to know when it was most appropriate to be quiet. I realized just how much I appreciated that she knew the difference.
“Rose and I were great together,” I said. “I considered her my best friend, and she made me really, really happy. It got to the point though where I didn’t think I was making her happy and she started to resent me. It seemed like the whole thing completely blew up when I got that suspension.”
I didn’t know why I was telling this stranger my entire breakup story. I couldn’t believe Rose and I had broken up. I realized she probably moved her stuff out of my place and Simba had no idea what the hell was going on. He might think I was traveling again and he hated when I traveled. I would need to make sure he was okay when I got home.
That was when it hit me.
I cared more about Simba’s well-being than I did about Rose’s.
Maybe she was right and the feelings I had for her had fallen away, and that was really why I had never wanted to settle down with her.
How much time I wasted - hers and my own.
Kira and I finished our sushi, talking and smiling. If Rose and I hadn’t just broken up, I would have considered this a nice first date. I found myself falling more and more for Kira’s ramblings, the blush on her face when she realized she had been talking too much, her smile.
My God, her smile.
It was too new to really say we had feelings for each other, but I did like her and I wanted to see her again.
We pulled into a large apartment complex in Costa Mesa, just on the border of Newport Beach. I pulled right up to where her apartment was located, pulling into an empty reserved spot and put my hazards on. I intended to walk her to her door.
She paused at the foot of the steps and turned to look at me.
“I had a really nice time,” she told me. “I’m sorry about everything, but you’re an amazing guy, Drew Stefano. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”
I smiled, but I was sure it didn’t translate on my face. There was something about Kira, something I wanted to get
to know better, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was there though and it was mine for the taking.
If only I would just make the move.
12
Kira
He was going to kiss me. I knew he was going to kiss me, but being kissed by Drew Stefano was the last thing I wanted right now.
Okay, that was a lie.
He needed time though to work out that he and his girlfriend were probably not together, and I refused to be a rebound. I liked being Drew’s friend right now and I hoped that was something he could accept. I hoped he realized he didn’t need a fling right now. He needed to heal after his five-year relationship dissolved into nothing.
I would definitely be there for him... as a friend.
“I, uh.” I stepped back from him even though that was the last thing I wanted. “I should probably go. I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I really appreciate tonight.”
“I should probably be thanking you,” he said. “I don’t remember the last time I had someone pay for my meal, or anything really.”
He seemed surprised that I stepped away from him, as surprised as I was.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I told him. The crisp breeze nipped at the back of my neck and I glanced up the stairs to where my apartment was. “Again, I’m sorry for what happened tonight. I’m sorry that you have to deal with this right now, and I know it’s the last thing you want, but here.” I stuck out my hand. “Can I have your hand?”
He gave me a quizzical look but stuck out his hand and I turned it over so it was palm up. I reached in my purse and grabbed a pen and scrawled something on his wrist.
“If you ever need a distraction from anything,” I told him, “or you want to go to the dog park, or maybe you just need a flea medication recommendation. Call me. I don’t have any dating expectations but, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to be your friend.”
Before I stopped myself, I leaned towards him and placed a lingering kiss on his sharp cheekbone. I closed my eyes and for the briefest of moments, I allowed myself to imagine that we were more than two passing ships in the night, that we were more than just friends. I had to pull away though or everything I just said would be voided.
I stepped back down on the ground and gave him a smile.
“Thank you again for everything,” I said, “especially the ride. I know it was presumptuous of me to assume you would go out of your way to give a stranger a ride, but I’m glad I took that chance.”
He gave me a small smile. “You’re not a stranger,” he said. “At least, I don’t want you to be.”
I felt myself smile. Before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and gave him another peck on the cheek. I hurried into my apartment and closed the door, refusing to let myself see his reaction. My heart hammered, my mind screamed at me, but I did not regret it. Instead, I sunk down onto the ground, leaning against the door and started to giggle.
The next morning, I took Sherlock for a long walk around the neighborhood, enjoying the feeling of the cool air and the high sun. I would be at work tomorrow morning and this whole Drew Stefano thing would probably be over, regardless of his kind words about me not being a stranger.
I showered and got ready, before grabbing a piece of toast and heading to my car with Sherlock following me. I had his leash around my wrist, my purse over my shoulder, and my car keys in my purse. I was just lucky this was a new car that didn’t require me to push a button in order to unlock it.
Monday went by as it normally did. Tons of people with no appointments and dogs with diarrhea, freaking out because they thought the dog had cancer. In reality, the dog ate some old food they had sitting out or had thrown away when their owners weren’t looking. If they wanted to pay the money it took to come see me, fine. It made my job tedious, but easy. It was always fun too to meet the new dogs and hopefully get them used to me.
After I came back from my lunch break, I walked into a room and immediately recognized the dog waiting for me.
“Is this Simba?” I asked, my lips curling into a big smile.
When I looked up to see who had brought him in, I was hit with the blue eyes of a very pretty young woman.
“You know Simba?” the woman - I was sure it was Rose - asked, a friendly smile on her face.
“I see Stefano’s shelter ads all the time and Simba’s on them,” I said, thinking quickly. “I would recognize Simba anywhere.”
I looked down at the dog, because I didn’t want Rose to read the curiosity on my face.
Where was Drew? If they had broken up yesterday, why was Rose here with Simba?
13
Drew
I didn’t get Rose’s call until after I got off the ice. I knew Rose well enough that she wasn’t calling to beg for us to get back together and apologize for her rash decision. Rose had a few flaws, but she wasn’t one of those women who played games.
I knew something had happened for her to call and I didn’t hesitate to call her back once I had showered and was heading to my car.
“Drew?”
“Is everything all right, Rose?” I asked, sliding into the driver’s seat and tossing my gym bag into the passenger seat next to me.
“No,” she replied. “It’s Simba.”
My heart stopped. I gripped the phone tighter and the keys fell out of my hand and hit the floor. I couldn’t even shut the car door. I had one foot hanging out of the car, my entire body seizeing like I had been slapped with a bucket of ice water.
“What about Simba?” I asked. My words were clipped and low.
“It’s not good, Drew,” she said. “I’m taking him to the vet. He keeps walking with his head to the left. He can’t even walk a straight line. I’m worried. I know you had morning skate, but I still tried to call.”
“Are you heading there now?” I asked.
My mind suddenly flipped and I started to go through the motions so I could get to Simba. I had to see my dog. I had to make sure he was okay.
“Yeah, I just got here,” Rose said. “I guess one of the vets knows Simba? She recognized him from the clips you do for your dog charity. She’s putting a rush on him so we don’t have to wait and she took him into the back to draw blood and hopefully get a urine sample.”
“Why aren’t you with him?” I demanded, then I clamped my mouth shut. The fact that Rose took Simba to the vet meant a lot, especially since I was unable to.
Technically speaking, we weren’t together anymore. Simba was my dog. I had him before Rose. Just because he loved her didn’t mean we would even split custody of him. I didn’t even plan on using her to watch him when I had to travel. I didn’t want to have that awkward what-were-we relationship a lot of couples fell into out of convenience.
Rose was still packing things up though and offered to walk him. I wasn’t going to refuse Simba a walk, especially when she was already over.
“Sorry,” I said slowly. I was glad she didn’t jump in and get defensive like she used to, not that I had any right to snap at her in the first place. It was just nice to have that part figured out for the both of us, the best ways to deal with each other. “I’m just...”
“I know.” Her voice was quiet. “Like I said, the vet is running tests. She thinks he’s had a stroke, but she doesn’t want to confirm in case the results rule it out.”
“A stroke?” I said, starting the car. It took a bit before my blue tooth connected to the audio system of the vehicle. “He’s barely six! How could he have a stroke?”
“From what Dr. Frank told me, strokes in dogs happen for different reasons than in humans,” Rose explained. “Sometimes, it’s -“
“Wait.” I didn’t mean to cut her off, but I needed clarification on something. “Did you say Dr. Frank?”
Rose made an affirmative noise. “I told you,” she said. “She recognized Simba from all your dog charity promos and rushed him in.”
“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” I told her. “Newport Boulevard, correct?
”
“Yes,” she said. “Right across the street from Hoag.”
I managed to make it in twenty minutes, which was unheard of on PCH.
—
When I got there, Rose stood and immediately threw her arms around me. I was too stunned to push her away. I happened to glance over her shoulder, only to lock eyes with the familiar pair of green ones.
Kira.
I should have put two and two together and realized that she was the vet who recognized Simba. Even though she didn’t have to lie, I appreciated the fact that she showed me discretion regarding how she knew Simba.
Her eyes narrowed in on me and rose before flickering away. She shook her head, closing those eyes. I could tell she was lecturing herself about something. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I wanted to reassure her that Rose hugging me meant nothing more than friendship. It was really nothing more than reassurance that Simba was going to be okay.
Rose stepped back and looped her arm through mine. “This is Dr. Frank,” she explained, leading me over to Kira. “Dr. Frank, this is Drew. He’s the owner of the dog, which you obviously know.”
I waited to see what she would do and I would go with whatever she decided. She was already taking care of my dog, and she already made sure that Rose didn’t think there was anything inappropriate going on either. I owed her more than financial compensation. If she didn’t pretend that we didn’t know each other, I would come clean to Rose about everything, even if I didn’t think I needed to come clean about anything.
“Hi,” she said slowly. Her eyes were searching mine and I could tell she was trying to read me, trying to figure out how she should act. “Drew Stefano, right?”
Seductive Suspensions A Slapshot Novella Page 4