by Toni Aleo
“Shut it,” I call to her as I cut my eyes back to Nico’s. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who hit your head today—”
“I didn’t hit my head, and even if I had, I’d still want to get to know you.”
Wow, his bluntness is a little surprising. And those eyes are unstoppable. They’re locked with mine, daring me to look away. “There is nothing to know.”
“I don’t agree.”
Our gazes lock, and I swear I feel him all over me. I really need to get laid—but not by him. He’d break me in two. Figuratively and physically. “I’ll get your one Hero and Carlton,” I say then, dragging my gaze from his. I get to work on his subs, and I can feel his gaze on me. I won’t give in to it, though. I can’t. When I’m done, I hand them over to him and meet his gaze, even knowing it’s a bad idea. “Come again.”
His laughter fills my shop. It’s raw but sorta dorky. Something I didn’t expect from such a big man. “You’re gonna make me work for it, huh?”
“Work for what?” I ask with a grin. His laughter makes me smile.
“Your time.”
I look up then. “I don’t have time. In all reality, I’m saving you time. My life is this shop and that snot-nosed brat behind me. You’d be wasting your time trying to get mine.”
“Or I’d be spending it the way I want to.” He somehow touches my hand as he grabs the subs. The simple touch has me catching on fire all over. “I’ll see you soon, Aviva.”
I’m breathless as he looks past me and says to Callie, “I’ll come check on you at the end of the week to make sure things are going good with math.”
“Thanks, Nico.”
His gaze meets mine once more, and then he walks out. I watch as he crosses past the windows toward GymMasters. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I don’t know what’s happening, but man, he’s got my blood pumping in a good way.
“I think you should give him a chance.”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t have the time.”
Truth is, I know a man like him would get bored with someone like me. He’s dripping with money. He could have anyone. He probably just feels bad for what happened today. No one like that would want someone like me. Especially when he finds out there is nothing under this shirt but two scars and a whole lot of heartache.
Someone like him? Walking perfection? Ha, yeah. He wouldn’t want me.
Chapter Seven
Aviva
“I do not understand why you are making this a big deal.”
Yes, I am being a bitch. No, I do not care. My landlords make me crazy. Dustin Sr. stands in front of me at the counter, while Dusty is stuffing his gob with a #10, Don’t You Wish Your Chicken Was Hot Like Me. It’s our take on Nashville Hot Chicken. It’s also Dusty’s favorite, so I made sure to have it ready for him when I knew he was coming in.
“I need this done. He stole over $20,000 from me.” My voice is strained, mostly because I’m trying not to cry. “I had the locks changed, upgraded my security, and bought a new safe. I really need him off the lease so that if he trespasses, I can call the cops.”
Dustin is an older man who is supposed to be giving his business to Dusty. Dustin is not impressed by me. Dusty, though… I sneeze, and he gets a boner. With his bushy brows coming together, Dustin leans on the counter. “The problem is legal, Aviva. I went into an agreement with your parents. Both of them. I was nice enough to add you on to the lease when your mom passed.”
“You were, thank you. But the thing is, it’s my business. You know it is. You haven’t had a payment from either of them in over five years. It’s all from me. Would you like to contact my dad?” Dustin looks away, shaking his head. Everyone who knows my family knows my dad is a druggie. “I need this done. To protect myself and Callie. Please, Dustin.”
I glance at Dusty, but he’s stuffing his face, ranch dripping down his jaw. Dustin looks off toward the windows, and I have a feeling I’m not going to like his answer. “I’ll do it, but your rent will go up a hundred to protect me in case your dad tries to sue me.”
This. Money. Hungry. Fuck. Hippo.
Instead of saying that, I take a deep breath. I have no choice but to make this work. I hold out my hand, and he takes it. “Deal.”
“I’ll have the new documents drawn up and sent to your lawyer. Raventorn, right?”
“Yes, Jaylin Raventorn.”
“Right. I’ll get that done today.”
They walk out without even a goodbye—or paying for the sub. Bastards. But at least that’s over. At least my dad will be off the lease. Man, it would be great if I didn’t have to deal with this. I hate that my eyes are full of tears as I dial my lawyer’s number. I went to school with Jaylin, and we’ve been close friends ever since.
“How’d it go?” she asks as soon as she answers.
“He’s raising my rent by a hundred dollars, but he’s gonna do it.”
I can hear her rolling her eyes, if that makes any sense. “He’s such a fuck.”
“I know. Listen, I won’t be able to pay you for this until next month.”
“Aviva, when have I ever asked you for money? We’re friends. You’ll get it to me when you can,” she says softly. I know she means it to be kind, but I feel like a piece of shit.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime. Can I get you to come have a drink with me this weekend? Please? One drink or six.”
I laugh along with her, even though I hesitate. I know I can’t say no. Plus, it’s been forever since I’ve seen her. “Not at a club. I’ll do the pub.”
“Sounds good. Nine on Saturday?”
“Nine? Jesus, Jay, I’m old and tired.”
She laughs. “I’ll get you the paperwork then.”
Before I can tell her I wasn’t joking, she hangs up. I do the same and lean on the counter. I can’t even remember the last time I went out. I open my laptop and navigate to my budget. I stare at it for almost an hour before I start to move some things. I hate taking from Callie’s savings, but I have no choice. I’ve crunched and crunched the numbers, but there is no other way than to take from her. I’ll pay it back; I always do. When the shop’s phone rings, I’m thankful for the distraction.
“Willz Sub Shop.”
“Hello. Is this Aviva Pearce?”
I honestly want to lie. The lady sounds like a debt collector. “It is.”
“Hi, my name is Joann Williams, and I work for the IceCats.”
“The what?”
She chuckles softly. “The IceCats? The NHL hockey team.”
“Oh. Duh, sorry.”
I want to say I’m a fan, but I’m not. I have no freaking clue what is going on with that sport. I can never find that stupid ball thingy. They start fighting for no damn reason. There are too many rules, and it confuses me. I know people think the guys on the team are gorgeous, but I haven’t met one with a full set of teeth yet. The only good thing is that penalty box. I wish I would only get put in a box for doing something wrong. All the things I want to do would result in jail.
“It’s fine. I hear you’re very busy.” How in the hell does she know that? “Anyway, the reason why I’m calling is one of our players has raved and raved about your subs. He insists we have them for game days. If you’re interested, I would love to sit down and talk to you. How much we’d pay, what we would need from you, and so on.”
I just blink. “I’m sorry. I’m not following.”
She giggles. She’s a giggler, apparently. “Which part?”
“You will pay me to make subs for your team on game days?”
“Yes,” she says excitedly. “I would love to meet with you as soon as possible. Our season is already in full swing, and he wants them as soon as possible. We’re all about keeping our boys happy so they’ll win for us.”
She’s giggling while I’m standing here dumbfounded. “Um. Okay? When would you like to meet?”
“You’re off 4th, right? I can come by tomorrow before you open or during a lull in tra
ffic.”
“Nine thirty? That would give us about an hour. As long as you’re good with me working while I listen, then I can kill two birds with one stone.”
“I love a hardworking woman. That sounds wonderful. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thank you.” Before she can hang up, I ask, “Who is the player?”
“Oh, sorry. I should have said. It’s Nico Merryweather. Our goalie. Huge fan of your food.”
It’s as if she knocked the air out of me.
I can’t seem to process what I’ve just learned.
“Okay, so I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yes. Th-thank you,” I stammer out.
“Thank you.”
The line goes dead, and I just stand there with the phone to my ear. I slammed my car into Nico Merryweather, the golden boy hockey goalie, whom everyone in town is in love with. He asked me out. And he helped my sister with her homework. And now he loves my subs?
What. In. The. Living. Hell. Is. Happening?
When the door opens again, I look up with my jaw hanging open. Callie looks at me, and she brings her brows together. “Oh no. Did Dustin say no?”
I shake my head. “Actually, he said yes. It’s not that.”
She does a little jig. “Thank God. Then what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I just gawk at her. “Nico, the guy I hit? He’s a hockey player. Like the goalie everyone loves from the IceCats.”
She blinks. “No. Way.”
“Yes.”
“You know, I thought he might be something hockey-ish, ’cause he talked about it when he was helping me the other day.”
“You didn’t put two and two together?”
“I have no clue what hockey is,” she says simply.
“Touché,” I say with a nod. “But he asked for the team to have my subs on game days.”
Her eyes light up. “Veev, that could be huge money!”
My eyes widen with hers. “I didn’t even think of that.”
“Wow, this is awesome! Such a blessing,” she gushes as she walks over to me. “Like seriously. Be excited.”
“I’m finding it hard to breathe,” I say softly, and she laughs.
“And just think, if you guys got married, you’d be rich! He’s, like, super loaded. Can you take me to Barcelona when you’re loaded?”
I roll my eyes. This girl. “For one, you don’t marry a man for money—”
“Um, after everything you’ve been through, you should.”
I shake my head. “No way. I work for what I want. And for two, he isn’t interested in me.”
She gives me that teenager’s look of boredom. “Yes, he is. He asked me to get him a date with you. And he is getting you a huge job, which is helping your business, just like he helped me with my homework. He likes you.”
I laugh nervously. “He just feels bad for what happened.”
“Or he thinks you’re smoking and wants to hit it.”
I widen my eyes. “Calliope!”
“What? You’re the one who sent me to public school.”
“Still!” I scold. “And he doesn’t want to hit it.”
She doesn’t seem convinced. “Veev, you need to let him hit it.”
“Calliope!” I cry out, my eyes about to fall out of my head.
“What? Public school!”
“What does that even mean? Are you having sex?” I ask, horrified, and the little asshole laughs.
“No, I don’t have time for that. And while I know you don’t either, I think you should make time. You probably would smile more if you were having sex.”
What. In. The. Hell?
It’s moments like this I hate cancer for taking my mom. “I am fine, and also, another life lesson—sex doesn’t fix everything.”
“That’s not what I’m told or what TV shows say. You’re sad? Sex. Mad? Sex. Happy? Sex. I mean, I think sex goes with any emotion. Kinda like chocolate and ice cream. Or better yet, swiss and ham with mayo. Mmm, I’m hungry.”
She sends me the toothiest grin before she starts making a sub. All I can do is let my head drop onto the counter. “Where did I fail?”
“I think it was letting me watch Pretty Woman.”
“But it’s a classic.”
“Friends too. Friends opened a whole can of sex worms.”
I point at her. “I will not apologize for Friends. Everyone needs to watch the whole thing at least a hundred times.”
“Oh, I don’t disagree. I’m just saying. I learned a lot from my uncle Joey.”
I groan even louder. “Please stay in the gym and keep your nose in books.”
She’s still laughing as she heads through the kitchen to go put her stuff away. “Will do. And you go get laid.”
Curse you, Joey Tribbiani!
I lift my head from the counter and shut my computer. I know I shouldn’t put all my eggs in the IceCats basket, but man, I hope doing that will put me ahead. That would be awesome. It would help so much. If I could get out from under my mom’s medical bills and get my dad to stop stealing from me, Callie and I would be great. One day at a time. We’ll get there. I just hope it’s before she graduates so I can spoil her a bit. Pay for her gymnastics. Take her on a trip. Hell, hire someone to work in this place so I can go. It’s all so overwhelming. I just want to give her a good life. I want a good life.
I don’t hate my life, not in the least, but I sure wish I could stop getting kicked when I’m down. Maybe a few good things could happen. This IceCat thing could be a turning point for me. I’d never get this opportunity on my own, and as much as I could think of it as a handout, I won’t. Nico loved my sub. He suggested it to his team, and that’s why they called. He didn’t do it because he felt bad for me…right?
Something in my chest starts to seize at the thought he did it out of pity. Did he hit on me out of pity? Did he know I was at rock bottom? I bite the inside of my lip before I look back down at my phone. I could call Amelia and get his number. That would make me crazy, though. But I have to know. I pick up my phone and look for Amelia’s number. But before I can hit her name, the door opens. Probably an act of God to keep me from looking insane. Though, when I look up to greet the customer, it’s the man who is filling all my thoughts.
With a brightness in his eyes and an easygoing grin, he says, “Hey, Aviva.”
Be cool. Be cool. Don’t be a psycho.
I hear Callie behind me as she says happily, “Hey, Nico!”
He grins at her. “Hey, Callie. How was math today?”
“Totally awesome. You helped so much.”
“Great. Let me know if you need more help.”
“I will. A Hero, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Can you make me two so I can have one for tonight?”
“Of course.”
Well, I’m glad they’re so chummy, but damn it, I need to know. “Did you tell Joann Williams to call me and get me to make subs for your team because you felt sorry for me?”
He actually stops mid-stride, and the look on his face says I went full crazy chick on him. I even feel Callie staring at me like I’m nuts as she makes his subs. Nico’s eyes cut to Callie and then back to me. “Um. No? I told her I wanted your subs for lunch before games because they’re good and I’m hungry. I don’t like pasta salad. There is something about olives. They freak me out. Then the little red things they say are tomatoes but don’t look like tomatoes and get caught in your teeth, I don’t like them either. I love your subs, though. I know what I’m eating.”
“Oh,” I say after his word vomit.
“I don’t like pasta salad either,” Callie says, and I want to scream.
“Did you ask me out because you felt sorry for me because I looked like trash?”
He squints at me, and my beautiful sister says, “What is wrong with you?”
“Shut it,” I snap as I meet his gaze. “I don’t like being messed with.”
He just blinks. “Nothing about you
looks like trash.”
“That’s untrue, and I don’t need you kissing my ass. I just want to know the truth.”
From beside me, I hear, “Hey, wanna tuck in your crazy?”
I’m about to knock her out with a loaf of French bread. The low tenor of Nico’s voice steals my attention. “Is it so hard to believe that I would ask you out because I want to?”
I snort. “Dude, look at you. You are famous. Everything on you is name brand. That watch is worth more than my shop. Those shades you have hanging on your shirt are more than I make in a week. I would be scared to touch your shoes. I mean, I’m worried there is mayo on the floor and it’ll get them dirty. You are dripping money, and meanwhile, I’m rocking some Target yoga pants that I found on clearance.”
His eyes darken a bit. “So, you’re judging me?”
I’m a little taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“You’re judging me.” He comes to the counter, and I swear, if it weren’t between us, he would go toe-to-toe with me. His eyes capture mine, and I feel a slow creep of heat crawl up my neck. “I have money, so obviously I can’t be interested in a girl who apparently is wearing Target clearance. That’s unfair. The thing is, I don’t care what you wear or what you don’t wear. I don’t see any of that. All I see are these stunning emerald eyes that I want to know. Thick lips that I want to make smile. And other inappropriate things that I can’t say in front of your sister.”
I can’t believe him. “I don’t like games, and I sure as hell don’t like handouts.”
He holds out his hands. “Neither of those things is being done here.” He then leans forward toward me, and I arch my back since I don’t know what he is doing. Holy Grilled Cheese Jesus, he smells like heaven. His eyes, they’re like little nuggets of chocolate, and everything inside me tingles. His voice is so low as he says, “A little advice. Not everyone is out to ruin your day. Some of us just want to make it a little better.”
He stands back up, handing Callie a twenty before taking the subs. “Thanks, Callie. You ladies have a nice night.”
“Bye, Nico. Sorry my sister is crazy,” Callie calls to him.
He looks over his shoulder, those darn eyes dangerous as all hell and only on me as he calls back, “It’s okay. I like a challenge.”