by Kat Mizera
“And I get to be the third wheel?” Jared asked in amusement.
Brad grinned. “You could bring a date, but I don’t think that would be fair to her.”
“Probably not.”
“I don’t know what he’s thinking,” Brad admitted after a moment. “He likes you, but you’re young and have a reputation as a hothead. You went off the deep end for a while after your accident and he wants to be sure you’re ready for this.”
“There’s no way to know that for sure.”
“You impressed him during the championship, but that was seven games. A whole season will be something else entirely.”
“So what do I do?”
“Be yourself. Lonnie can smell bullshit a mile away, so don’t try to charm him or play him. Just be who you are. It was always good enough for me. It was good enough the last week. It’s been more than good enough in Boston. Just do what you do and it’ll be okay.”
“If you say so.”
“Have I ever been wrong?”
Jared chuckled. “You don’t want me to answer that, do you?”
“No, probably not.”
Renee lost track of time over the next two days, finishing her book and sending it off to her editor. By the time she realized she hadn’t heard from Jared, it was late and she figured he’d gotten busy. The team was doing all kinds of events to celebrate winning the championship, and though he’d come in at the last minute, from what she understood they were including him in everything. She had enough on her plate right now that she wouldn’t pine for someone she’d spent just one day with, but a tiny bit of disappointment was hard to avoid. She was only human, after all, and their day together had been pretty incredible.
When her phone buzzed on her nightstand, she reached for it lazily.
A text.
From Jared.
JARED: Sorry I didn’t call—was running all day with the team. Looks like our date is a no-go. I have a dinner meeting with the team owner and the GM. What about lunch the day after tomorrow?
RENEE: Call me. We’ll figure it out.
JARED: Good night, beautiful.
RENEE: Good night.
She lay back and smiled. At least he was thinking about her.
They didn’t see each other the next night or the day after that, with him getting sucked into one event after another. She’d resigned herself to not seeing him before she left for Europe. Today, however, she was having lunch with the girls, and it was a welcome distraction. She and Chelsea hadn’t even talked on the phone, they’d all been so busy, but hopefully today would be a nice day for all of them to catch up. There was a group of nine of them that usually met, an eclectic assortment of women ranging in age from twenty-one to almost sixty. They were nothing alike yet had begun spending time together, and their monthly lunches had become something they all went out of their way to find the time for. The other eight members of the group were all romantically involved with members of the Sidewinders organization and Renee had initially felt odd about it, but she, Chelsea and Jen had been the original three so she was somehow grandfathered in.
Renee and Chelsea arrived at the same time and sank into chairs at the end of the table across from each other.
“I want every detail,” Chelsea hissed. “Before everyone gets here!”
Renee laughed. “I don’t know about every detail, but if you’re talking about the sex, it was incredible. Like, absolutely, by far, the best I’ve ever had.” She paused, looking around and lowering her voice to a whisper. “Have you ever had multiple orgasms?”
“Multiple?” Chelsea blinked. “No. What’s that?”
“It’s amazing… It’s like having one after the other, a few seconds apart, where it feels like one is just rolling into the next. I’d never experienced it before. There’s a lot of science about it—I read up on it yesterday since I had no idea it was the real thing—but no one is a hundred percent sure why it works the way it does and there appear to be a bunch of different definitions. But that’s what mine was like.”
“Now I have to figure out what this is and see if I can do it.”
Renee flushed. “It was intense. Be prepared to lose your mind.”
“And then you went out with him the next day.”
“Indeed, she did.” Andra joined them, dropping a kiss on each of their cheeks and sinking down next to Chelsea.
“Hey, guys.” Tessa and Zakk’s wife, Tiff, arrived together.
“Hey!” Everyone was exchanging greetings as two more from their group showed up, Tina Papadakis, who was engaged to Royce Lenahan, and Angel Papadakis, who was married to Tina’s brother, Dmitri.
“Where’s Jen?” Tina asked Chelsea, sitting down.
“Late, as always,” Chelsea laughed.
“Hi, everyone!” Donna Bouchard, who was married to the team’s general manager, was the next to show up.
A waitress arrived, taking their drink orders, and they all began chatting once she left, talking about the championship game and all the ongoing festivities.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Andra said. “I’m so happy for Brad that he could end his career on such a high note.”
“What are you guys going to do with all your free time?” Renee teased.
Andra smiled girlishly. “We’re older, but we’re not dead, you know. There will be lots of naughtiness going on at the Barnett household. In between visits from the grandchildren.”
“Are you going to travel?” Donna asked. “I’m forcing Pierre to take a vacation this summer, whether he likes it or not!”
“We’re going to Paris in the fall,” Andra said, “but right now it’s just too busy. We’ve got Royce and Tina’s wedding, the ongoing Cup celebrations, and of course, there are a hundred projects to do around the house that Brad has never had time for.”
“I need a beach,” Angel sighed. “We may drop the baby off with my parents and head to an island for a week.”
“Sounds heavenly,” Donna sighed.
“Oh my god, you guys.” Jen McNamee, Chelsea’s best friend and the final member of their group, flounced over to them dramatically.
“What’s wrong?” Chelsea asked, looking up.
“Tore wants me to move in!” Jen rolled her eyes. She and Tore Brekken had been dating for about four months.
“You practically live together already, don’t you?” Renee asked in confusion.
“No.” Jen shook her head vehemently. “I mean, yeah, we keep toothbrushes and clean underwear at each other’s apartments, but he wants me to sell my condo and for the two of us to buy a place together. That’s nuts.” She paused. “Right?”
“Why?” Donna asked. “You love him and he loves you. You spend all your time together when you’re not traveling, so wouldn’t this just be a natural progression?”
“It’s been barely six months since we first hooked up,” Jen said, taking a deep breath. “This feels really fast.”
“But you and Tore have done everything fast,” Chelsea responded. “Why is this different?”
“Selling my condo?” Jen wrinkled her nose. “That means no escape plan.”
“Nonsense,” Renee said firmly. “You have all of us and your family if something was to go wrong. I have three empty bedrooms in my house and Chelsea does as well. You travel for your job a lot, so it’s not like you’d be an inconvenience if you needed to stay with one of us in an emergency.”
“Then why is it so scary?” Jen whispered, looking from one to the other.
“Because you’re you and Tore is…” Tina’s voice trailed off as she looked at the other women.
“A handful,” Renee laughed. “But he’s your handful, and that’s why you get along so well.”
“I guess so.” Jen had a faint smile on her lips. “I love him like crazy. It’s a little scary. I never thought I’d fall in love like this now, at twenty-three.”
“I found my soulmate at fifteen,” Renee said softly. “He’s been gone longer than we were together,
but I still miss him every single day.”
Jen shifted her gaze to the older woman. “You met your husband at fifteen?”
“High school sweethearts.” Renee nodded. “And this isn’t one of those cases where I’ve put him on a pedestal because he’s been dead for so long. We were happy, in love, truly planning to be together forever. Even with a new baby, him working full-time and taking part-time college classes, and me taking a couple of classes at a time while waiting tables, we were happy. Being broke never mattered. Nothing mattered but each other.”
“Is that why you’ve been single all these years?”
Renee thought carefully about Jen’s question before answering. “I don’t know. There are a lot of reasons. Partially because of Daisy. I wanted to be sure any man I brought into our house was a good human being and it takes a lot of time to build that kind of trust. It also took me years to stop grieving. By the time I got past all of that, I’d started selling a lot of books and then I was worried men were after me for my money. So I stuck to casual relationships and a handful of one-night stands.”
“Isn’t it lonely?” Donna asked.
“Very, but at thirty-nine, it’s hard to find a good man who’s attractive and single. Most guys my age are looking for a woman under thirty and, frankly, while it works in theory, I don’t know if I could be with a guy who’s fifty at this stage of my life.”
“Speaking of attractive men…” Andra coughed lightly into her margarita. “You did just spend the night with one.”
“She did?” Angel demanded. “When? Who?”
Renee grudgingly filled them in. She hadn’t meant for everyone to know, but she also didn’t want to act like spending time with a sexy man was wrong.
“Really?” Jen’s eyes widened. “Tore said he was badass on the ice when he played, but he kind of dropped off the radar while he was rehabbing. He’s done really well for himself professionally, but there is zero info on his personal life. Believe me, I checked.”
“You’re like the CIA, with green eyes and big boobs,” Chelsea said, laughing.
“Are you going to see him again?” Tessa asked. “Toli says he’s at the top of the list to become the new head coach.”
“Believe it or not, we’re both going to be in Switzerland in a few weeks. I’ll be there to go on vacation with Daisy, and he’s got some hockey clinic he’s doing.”
“It’s kismet!” Tiff said happily. “Oh my god, how great would this be?”
“Jared said there’s nothing definite,” Renee pointed out.
“Oh, phooey.” Tina pouted. “You need your own Sidewinder to round out the group.”
“Oh, hush,” Jen nudged her. “She’s still one of us, just having less sex.”
They all collapsed with laughter and Renee shook her head, remembering why they were her tribe, the people she had begun to count on and spend all her time with. They had certainly filled a void after Daisy left for college, but finding them had been totally unexpected. Daisy said she talked about them too much, which was probably true. Luckily, Daisy was a good sport since she talked about her group of friends incessantly as well.
“When do you leave for Switzerland?” Tessa was asking her.
“A week from today.”
“Are you ready?”
“Mostly?” Renee wrinkled her nose. “I have a few piles of clothes laid out that I know I’m taking, two bathing suits, and four pairs of shoes. I have to get serious about it all now, though. It’s getting close.”
“Do you know when you’re coming back?”
“Not yet, but I’ll keep in touch and let you know my schedule. I’ll be gone at least a month, but six weeks is probably more realistic.”
They talked for the rest of the meal and the checks had just arrived when Renee’s phone buzzed. She looked down at Jared’s name and opened the text.
Leaving for Boston in the morning. Can I see you tonight?
She hesitated a long time, giving the waitress her credit card and signing the check when it came back. It was probably better not to, she decided. Maybe this would make things easier. She liked him a little too much, but that was always a problem for her. She hadn’t had a steady boyfriend since Billy had died and if Jared was going back to Boston, this wasn’t going to lead anywhere.
I’m sorry—I have plans. Safe travels. Talk soon.
10
The dinner with Lonnie and Pierre had gone well, Jared reflected as he packed up a box of things to give to Goodwill. They’d offered him the job as head coach but his start date was way sooner than he’d been expecting and he refused to give up a minute of his time in Switzerland with Fabrizio. That was the only family he had anymore and no job in the world would make him cut his vacation short. Unfortunately, that meant getting his shit together immediately. He’d flown home to Boston yesterday and had already contacted a realtor. He was selling everything that wasn’t important, packing the stuff he planned to keep in his SUV, and shipping it all to Vegas. Hopefully, it would arrive before he got back from Europe and he would be able to get settled.
It was hard to believe he was thirty-five years old and his entire life could be reduced to a handful of suitcases and seven or eight boxes. Some yearbooks, photo albums, hockey equipment and electronics were essentially all he cared about. He’d bring most of his summer clothes with him to Europe, while his suits and winter gear would be packed in the SUV. He had a computer monitor he loved but his sixty-five-inch TV was just too fragile to move, so he’d already sold it to one of his neighbors, who would be picking it up at the end of the week.
He had a few days’ worth of things to do, including tendering his formal resignation to his current boss and saying goodbye to some friends, but it didn’t escape him that leaving his home of five years wouldn’t take more than a few days. He’d never really set down roots, something that had never been on his radar before meeting Renee. They’d spent one damn day together and she was all he thought about. He’d been disappointed when she’d blown him off, but he hadn’t had the time to find out why. He would make that a priority in Switzerland, though. They were going to be in the same town at the same time, so he would make it work. Even if it was just to get her out of his system.
When Fab’s name flashed on his phone he grabbed it with a smile. “Hey, man.”
“Would you get your ass to Switzerland already?” his friend demanded.
“Relax, man. I have to pack up my whole life for a move across the country.”
“You got the job? Fucking awesome!” Fab had a fun, lilting accent, though his English was perfect.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I just have a fuck ton to do before I get to Switzerland. They want me reporting to work the first week of August, which is like six weeks away. So I’ll literally fly back from Europe and start work.”
“Could be worse.”
“True.”
“We’re looking forward to having you, and Zio has lots to tell you… He’s met a girl.”
“Jesus, I don’t know if I’m ready for that.” Jared was grimacing on the inside. Zio was still a kid in his eyes. He was a legal adult, of course, but he didn’t want to think about that.
“Me either, but it is what it is. Anyway, I’ll see you at the airport next week, yes?”
“See you then.” Jared hung up feeling a lot better about everything. In a week’s time he’d be in one of his favorite places, with some of his favorite people, and in the same town as the first woman to really get his attention since his divorce.
Switzerland was beautiful in June, one of Renee’s favorite places. She’d been here twice already and always enjoyed it. Seeing Daisy was even better. She looked radiant, happy and relaxed, nothing like the surly teenager who’d left last August. They talked nonstop about her classes, finals, and friends the first night Renee arrived and the following morning as they walked through Lugano’s historic town center, the Piazza della Riforma. It was a fantastic collage of historic buildings, luxurious boutiques, hotels
, fabulous restaurants and even pedestrian alleys that featured interesting shop windows and lovely architecture.
“Since when are you up so early?” Renee asked as they lounged in seats at an outdoor café having breakfast. “I feel like you’re setting me up for something.”
Daisy flushed, her pretty face scrunched up in a sweet but embarrassed smile. “I am, but it’s not a bad thing.”
“Okay.” Renee cocked her head. “What’s going on?”
Daisy pulled out her phone and typed something, then looked at her mother. “Please give him a chance. I really, really like him.”
Renee smiled. “Unless he’s on drugs or spectacularly rude to me or something equally ridiculous, do you really think I wouldn’t like him?”
“You’re just so…overprotective, after the last boyfriend disaster.”
“I sent you seven thousand miles away to go to college. I’m fairly certain I’m not that overprotective.”
“Shh! Here he comes.” She got up and greeted a handsome young man with dark hair and light blue eyes. He hugged her with one arm, kissing her cheek before turning to Renee.
“Mrs. DeSantos. I’m Fabrizio Bianchi.”
Renee got the strangest feeling when he said his name, but she stood up and extended her hand regardless. It had to be a coincidence. Right?
“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said, instead of what she was thinking.
“Daisy has told me so much about you, I couldn’t wait for you to get here.” His blue eyes twinkled, as though he knew what she was about to say.
“I can’t say the same since she never told me about you, but I’m happy to meet you nonetheless.” Renee was happily surprised. In addition to being spectacularly good-looking, he seemed about Daisy’s age and was very polite. So far anyway.
“Sit down,” Daisy urged him. “We just ordered.”
“How long have you guys been dating?” Renee asked, sipping her cappuccino.
“We met through our art history study group,” Daisy said. “Back in January. We got to be good friends and started dating…” She paused, looking at him.
