She watched me closely for a moment. “Thanks for telling me.” Her eyes dropped to her lap. “You deserve better than that.”
My chest tightened. She meant it. I opened up to her, and she didn’t run. I shouldn’t let myself get too excited, but it felt like something shifted between us.
Five
Jessica
Was last night real or a dream? Lance opened up to me in a way I never in a million years would have expected. He wasn’t this perfect, untouchable athlete I’d constructed in my mind. He was real with scars and a haunted past. He let me see a side of him I doubted very many have before.
His history with his parents was hard enough to swallow, but when I remembered how he came over to ask me to the party, I couldn’t help but swoon. Just a little.
Would a playboy that had a revolving door of women available to him make that much effort? Granted, asking me in person should be the bare minimum, but that wasn’t the case with most of the guys I met. They wanted someone easy and convenient. A text would have been as much effort they could afford.
He showed up. I couldn’t think of a time I’d been more shocked in my life than when he said he was there to talk to me. Me? The very day I almost sort of admit I have a tiny crush on him to Dani, and he comes along to blow me away.
It could be a coincidence, but I sincerely doubted that. The second she got to the office I’d be interrogating her.
I was on my second cup of coffee when the door chimed. I peeked out and waved to Chloe, Taylor, and Dani as they slinked out of their coats and scarves.
“You’re early,” Dani said as she sat her bag down on her desk.
I didn’t point out that she was actually late. It was already eight-thirty, and we usually got in before eight. Neither of us had a set schedule. Event planning didn’t allow for basic nine to five hours. Plus, she was the boss. She was free to come and go as she pleased.
“I heard you had an interesting evening.” Chloe smiled as she lowered herself onto the couch.
Taylor was grinning like she was in on some secret, too.
I pursued my lips and pretended to think. “Just some leftover ramen while I sorted through the team’s responses. It was pretty quiet, actually.”
She cocked an eyebrow in a way that conveyed how little she believed me.
“Nothing before that?” Taylor asked.
Dani leaned against the back of the couch and crossed her arms. “Yeah, Jess, anything else?”
“If you guys already know, why are you drawing this out?” I asked them.
“Because you didn’t call or text us to let us know! Do you know how annoying the guys are when they have some tasty gossip before us? They’re unbearable,” Chloe whined.
“How did Reese know?” He and Lance were friendly, but I didn’t think he would be the first one to know.
“Lance told Jake who told Brandon who told Derek and Jason, then Jason called Erik, and Erik told Reese,” Dani explained the chain like it was completely normal to involve half the team.
“Well, I guess everyone knows now.” I shouldn’t be that surprised. I’d seen news spread like wildfire through the team or Pride before. It was extra fast when it was a new couple. They were desperate for developing information. I think it was their own boredom with all being stable, healthy couples. They lived for the drama of others. Hopefully, Lance and I wouldn’t have any of that. It was just one date. To a team event. Nothing for people to get too excited about.
“But we don’t know the details! Tell us exactly what happened.” Dani did a mini dance with her shoulders.
I already decided I wasn’t going to tell anyone about what we talked about after the initial date was agreed upon. That was his story, his truth, to disclose only to those he chose. I was honored he trusted me, and I wasn’t in a hurry to break that.
“He came by just a few minutes after you left. I thought he was looking for you or Jake, but he said he wanted to talk to me. Then he asked if I had a date already, and when I told him no, he asked if I’d like to go with him.”
“And you said yes?” Chloe sounded stunned. “Just like that?”
I chuckled. “Well, I thought about it for a few seconds, but I didn’t have any reason to say no. I’d rather go with someone to the party than go alone, and he asked if I wanted to go with him. The truth was that I did. I knew we would have fun together.”
“But what about him being a player?” Taylor asked. “I thought that was the deal-breaker for you.”
I shrugged. His past was a bit concerning, but he hadn’t been like that for months. I couldn’t actually remember the last time I heard about him showing up with some random girl. “It’s one night, not a commitment for something long term.”
They seemed to accept that answer, and the topic changed to what they were planning to wear.
I went back to the storage room to finalize the gift bags we were giving all the guests. Each item was from a local supplier or store including hot chocolate mixes, peppermint candies, crystal bracelets for the women and handmade bill clips for the men, and of course Fury memorabilia.
We had two hundred bags to make, and that didn’t include the gift baskets we would be giving the sponsors of the event. Since it was a charity fundraiser, almost everything we needed was donated in exchange for publicity. The money raised would be donated to the children’s hospital that the team visited throughout the year. Over the years, the patients and families there had become an important part of the Fury organization. They were a part of the team. It was one of my favorite things about my job.
“Jess?” Dani called, and I went back to the lobby. “Those just came for you.”
She pointed to the floral arrangement sitting on the corner of my desk. I approached the stunning full blooms of white and red roses. A white envelope was nestled in the middle, and I pulled it out as the woman crowded around me.
“Two guesses who those are from.” Chloe laughed.
I ignored them and took the tiny card out.
Jess, I don’t think I can wait a week. Lunch at 1? -Lance
I read the words several times, but they wouldn’t sink in. Was he asking me out? Again? He couldn’t wait a week. For the party? He wanted to see me sooner? Why? Something must have happened. Maybe he changed his mind and wanted to tell me in person.
“Oh la la!” Taylor teased. “Someone has a crush on you.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know that’s what this means.”
I set the card down next to the vase and faced them. “He could have decided he doesn’t want to go with me anymore. He’s just softening the blow.”
The three of them stared back at me like I’d sprouted another head.
“What?”
“What?” Chloe repeated. “Are you insane? No man on Earth would send flowers and ask to go to lunch to say he changed his mind about a date. One, that would be cruel. Two, that’s too much effort to dump someone. And three, men avoid confrontation and awkward situations. They don’t create them.”
I nodded. She was right. It didn’t make sense for him to spend the time and money to send me flowers when a simple text would have worked just as well.
That meant … he wanted to see me today. He didn’t want to wait until the party.
I almost laughed. We saw each other several times a week, either in passing at the arena or when he stopped by here with Jake. So asking me to go to lunch wasn’t just an excuse to see me. He wanted to spend time with me. Alone.
My heart throbbed in my chest.
This was Lance. I shouldn’t be getting all flustered over him, but he wasn’t the two-dimensional playboy I’d thought of him as for the past year. I realized that gradually over the past few months as we spent more time around each other, but after last night I knew that was so far from the truth.
He was thoughtful and caring. Maybe the reason he kept himself emotionally distant from others was because of how his parents treated him. That could be why he didn’t stay committe
d to one woman. There was pain and abuse in what should have been his most solid relationships. If you couldn’t trust your own family, then who?
He opened up and told me. Did he trust me?
I couldn’t imagine why. I hadn’t exactly given him any reason to. I did everything I could to establish distance between us. I treated him like the rest of the guys on the team.
That could be it. I didn’t fawn over him. I didn’t play games. I was myself, the same person to Dani and Jake and Chloe and him.
“So do I need to respond in some way or just wait for him to show up?” I looked at each of them.
“Wait,” Dani and Taylor said at the same moment Chloe declared, “Respond.”
My shoulders dropped. Why couldn’t just one thing be simple?
“What?” Chloe looked to the others. “It would be cute to keep things going.”
I narrowed my eyes. Did I want things to be cute? This was just a lunch date. A pre-date for the party. Two friends meeting up to share a meal.
Cute would only be necessary if I wanted this to turn into more.
Did I want that?
The fluttering in my chest just thinking about that was the terrifying answer. I think I did.
“What should I do?” I asked Chloe, and she grinned like the mastermind she was.
“He’s at the arena. They have practice until eleven,” she replied while taking her phone out of her purse. “My first instinct would be to send food, but you’re going to lunch so that’s not a good idea.” She paused and drummed her thumbs on the screen.
“You could hire carolers to sing to him. Have them waiting in the hallway or something.” Taylor said with a laugh.
I chuckled at the image of him being bombarded with Jingle Bells when he leaves the locker room. “That might draw a little too much attention from the rest of the team. I’m not sure he wants everyone to know about today.”
Okay, it was more that I didn’t want everyone to know.
Taylor shrugged as Dani perked up, “This might not be the best idea, especially if you don’t think he wants people to know, but you could have someone announce it during one of their water breaks. Have someone go on the speaker and just say Jess says yes.”
Chloe barked out a laugh. “That will definitely get the attention of the entire team.”
It would be funny to see his reaction to that, but again it felt too big.
“Can’t I just text him?” I asked.
They shared a look before agreeing.
“Fine, there goes the chance for a cute story,” Chloe grumbled.
I almost laughed as I picked up my phone from my desk and sent him a quick message thanking him for the flowers and telling him I looked forward to seeing him later.
There, short and sweet. I wasn’t the grand gesture type, so this felt much more comfortable to me. If Lance wasn’t on board with that, well, better to learn that now.
I went back to finishing the gift bags while they discussed the final details and tried not to check the time after every bag I finished. There was at least an hour and a half until he would have the chance to reply. I needed to distract myself, so I put my phone on the work table and hit play on the audiobook I’d been listening to for the last few days. I got lost in the story and nearly jumped when it stopped suddenly, and Lance’s name appeared on the screen.
I hesitated for a few heartbeats before I answered. “Hi, Lance.”
“I’m glad you got the flowers.” No hellos, just straight to the point.
“They’re beautiful, but you didn’t have to do that. You could have just called or stopped by if you wanted to have lunch.”
“Sure, but I thought the flowers might help convince you.” There was a laugh in his voice that made me smile.
Ugh. There I was again getting all gushy over him.
“Should I meet you somewhere for lunch?” I changed the topic to stay on track.
“No, I’ll pick you up at your office.” I heard a noise on his end, then he was back, “Sorry, I’ve got to help Olli with something. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, bye.” I rushed out the words before the call ended. I bit my lip to keep my smile under control. This was Lance. We’d known each other for a while now.
So, why was I so excited? And nervous?
Six
Lance
I woke up with the bizarre urge to see her again. It was an unseasonably warm day, in the low forties, so I decided to walk to the arena and past a floral store. When I saw the window displays of arrangements, the idea came to me. I knew sending her flowers was a risky move, but it worked better than I expected. She said yes.
She agreed to not one, but two dates.
To say I was shocked would be the understatement of the year. It wasn’t necessarily that I expected her to say no. She was too polite for that. But she didn’t turn it into a group date. She didn’t modify the plans at all. No suggestion of Dani and Jake joining us. She said she was looking forward to seeing me. That was a huge jump from avoiding me like she did just weeks ago.
We were making progress, and that had to mean she no longer saw me as just the rumors she heard. Right? I wanted to believe that. I wanted this to mean something more than just lunch.
It was hard to focus during practice. The entire time I was on the ice or bench I wanted to sneak back to the locker room to check my phone for her response. I wasn’t sure she would even send any reply or if I’d find out if she was willing to come by going to her office. I was hoping that wasn’t the case since facing rejection in front of people I knew didn’t sound all that enticing, but it was the only way to know. Dani would tell Jake who would tell the team, and if Chloe or anyone else was there working on the holiday party, word would spread before I had the chance to leave.
But I didn’t have to worry about any of that.
She said yes. She loved the flowers and was looking forward to our lunch date.
The risk was worth the reward.
I showered and changed and almost made it to the elevator without being stopped, but at the last moment, Erik caught me. “Where are you going?”
The button to call the elevator was just out of reach. I couldn’t move toward it without making my escape obvious. That would only raise more questions.
“I have plans,” I replied as vaguely as possible.
“Some of us are going to get lunch, do you want to come?”
I appreciated the offer, and on any other day I would have agreed, but not today. “I can’t, but I’ll try to make it next time.”
He eyed me up and down. “You’re hiding something.”
“I’m not.” I sidestepped and pressed the button.
He moved, blocking the closed doors. “What is it?”
“What’s going on?” Wyatt, our captain, asked from the other side of the hall. He looked between us with concern.
“Lance has a secret,” Erik shouted before I had the chance to open my mouth.
Wyatt narrowed his eyes. “Really?”
“No.” It was too late. Reese, Jason, and Nikolai joined our group.
“Move,” Nikolai growled when the doors slip open, but Erik remained in place, blocking all of us from entering.
“Not until Lance tells us what’s going on.”
“He’s got a date,” Jake called from behind the guys. He was waiting with Grant and Colin for the rest of us to get out of the way.
“With who?” Wyatt asked.
More and more of the team joined the roadblock and whispers faded to the back about what was going on. Soon, all eyes were on me as they waited for the answer.
Crap. I had a strong feeling Jess wouldn’t appreciate this. She stayed out of the gossip and drama, and this was going to be a huge bomb if I admitted the truth.
I tried to get Jake’s attention, but he was laughing at something Grant said. If I said no one, it could get back to her. Then she would think I was embarrassed or playing some game. I wanted to protect her privacy, but was that eve
n a real thing with this group? If I didn’t tell them, they would just follow me and find the information they wanted.
“I’m going to lunch with Jessica,” I said so only the first row of my audience could hear.
Wyatt’s bros shot up, and Erik let out a slow whistle.
“It’s about time,” Nikolai mumbled then pushed Erik aside so he could leave.
That was it? That was the reaction? I watched the rest of the guys pile into the elevator, waiting for more. At least some harassment, but they just gave a nod or smile before the doors shut and I was left alone with Jake.
“I’m glad she said yes,” he admitted.
I let out a chuckle. “Yeah, me too.”
Thanks to that diversion, I had just enough time to go home and change before picking Jess up. Showing up in my warm-ups would have been fine. She’d seen me in them a million times, but I wanted to make an effort for her.
I changed into jeans and a long-sleeved henley, before pulling on my coat, and headed back to the parking garage under my townhouse. My heart began racing when I was within a few blocks of her office. This was really happening. Our first date. I didn’t want to put pressure on us or this one lunch.
When I parked on the street, I gave myself twenty seconds to take a few calming breaths before getting out. There was no reason to be nervous. This was Jess. We were friends. Kind of. More like acquaintances, but I was trying to move past that, and she seemed to want that too.
“Hey, Lance!” Dani greeted me as I stepped inside. She was sitting at the couch, leaned over a spread of papers on the coffee table before her.
“What are you doing?” I tried to make sense of all the images, but nothing looked like it went together.
“Coming up with design ideas for a wedding in March.” She sounded distracted, and I took a step away just as Jess appeared.
“Hey, I thought I heard you.” Her smile made my heart swell.
She looked beautiful in a black dress with a fitted plaid blazer and combat boots. The combination was unexpected, but it was perfect for her. A little sassy with her polished, professional look. Her hair was swept over her shoulder in a braid, and I had the urge to reach out and touch her.
Snowflakes and Ice Skates: A Holiday Romance Anthology (Utah Fury Hockey) Page 14
