Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)

by Jaci Burton

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I thought you were upset that night.”

  “I was upset. No one likes to get dumped. We were seeing each other fairly exclusively, you know? But it wasn’t love or anything.”

  “I see.”

  She could tell he didn’t see at all. “I’m not a player. I don’t date multiple men. Levon and I had been exclusive for about three months. But I could see the writing on the wall with him well before that night. He had some idiosyncrasies that were beginning to get on my nerves. It was only a matter of time until we broke up.”

  “But maybe you wanted to be the one to do the breaking up?”

  “Not necessarily. Maybe I wanted it to be more of a mutual thing, where we’d sit down and have a civilized discussion about where we saw our relationship heading, and that we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, so we should probably go our separate ways. What I didn’t expect was his it’s-not-you-it’s-me speech and how he didn’t have time to devote to the relationship so we need to break up bullshit, which wasn’t the case at all. I mean, is it too much to expect an honest conversation from a guy?”

  “Of course not. But I can tell you’re still harboring some hostility over him dumping you.”

  She stood, irritation rising. “No, I’m not hostile. To be hostile I’d have to care, and trust me, I don’t. What aggravated me was his less than honest way of ending the relationship.”

  “Okay, I think I see your point. You wanted him to sit down with you so the two of you could mutually end your relationship with an honest discussion about why it wasn’t working.”

  “Yes. That’s it exactly.”

  Barrett laughed. “Babe, that’s never going to happen. With any guy. First, because we’re just not wired that way. If we want out of a relationship, we want out fast. So we’re just going to end things, in the least messy way possible—at least that’s the way we figure it out in our heads. If we have to make up bullshit reasons for it, we will, mainly to spare your feelings.”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “Seriously, Barrett? You’re taking his side?”

  “I’m not taking anyone’s side. If you ask me, the man was a dick. I usually try to be as honest as possible throughout a relationship and don’t set up a woman with any unrealistic expectations. And when it’s over, it’s over. But I can guarantee you the last damn thing I’m gonna want to do is sit down and have a long-ass conversation with a woman about why it’s over. That tends to lead to accusations and recriminations and tears on the woman’s part. No man wants that. It’s best to just cut the cord and be done with it.”

  She stared at him for a few long seconds, then shook her head. “I do not understand your species. At all.”

  “Ditto.”

  He didn’t seem at all upset, while she wanted to take one of the very colorful decorative pillows on the sofa and throw it right at his damn head.

  Deciding she needed a break from men in general, she packed up her things in her bag. “I’m going to the room.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  She shoved her sunscreen in the bag. “No, I’m not hungry. I’m pissed.”

  “Want me to go with you?”

  “Oh, hell no. The last thing I want or need right now is you.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “You can hang out here, or in the water, or at the gym, but honestly, Barrett, I need some space from you for a while.”

  He looked confused.

  “Okay. Like . . . for how long?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Awhile.”

  She walked across the sand toward the hotel entrance, shaking her head.

  Maybe Barrett was right and she needed some space to think about men in general. Because right now getting involved with any man—Barrett included—seemed like a giant waste of her time.

  Men were obtuse, made no sense, and clearly did not care about women’s feelings.

  All men.

  Okay, so maybe Barrett had gone too far in his discussion with Harmony, but if he’d succeeded in pushing her away, it had been the right thing to do.

  Right?

  After all, that had been his intent. To make her see that she was possibly attracted to him only because she was on the rebound from her breakup with her ex-boyfriend, and she needed some time to honestly think about what it was that she wanted.

  Only now she was pissed at him, and that part he didn’t like.

  They’d had fun today. At least after her bout with hypoglycemia this morning, she’d eaten and relaxed and they’d managed to have a good time.

  Now he’d gotten her all riled up, and that part he hadn’t intended.

  Plus, it didn’t sit well with him that she’d lumped him into the category of “all men are assholes.”

  He wasn’t an asshole. He could be brutally honest with a woman at times, and he’d managed to piss off a few, but he’d never lied to a woman in his life and he didn’t intend to start now.

  But this was Harmony, and she was . . . different.

  He was going to sit here awhile and let her have her space.

  Then he was going to try the talking thing again, maybe this time with a touch more tact.

  Fourteen

  After going up to the room and taking a shower that cooled her down, followed by some quiet time with a great book, Harmony found her mood improved dramatically.

  She’d blown up at Barrett for no reason whatsoever. What could have been a highly enlightening conversation on the relationship differences between the sexes had turned into her throwing a tantrum because Barrett refused to see things her way.

  That wasn’t how she normally behaved. She was typically levelheaded and saw the other person’s point of view in a discussion. She might not agree with it, but she was always willing to listen.

  So what the hell had gotten her so emotional?

  She laid her book down and stood, walking over to the balcony to look out over the water.

  She knew exactly why. Because he wasn’t playing her game. He was trying to get rid of her and she didn’t like it. She’d flirted with him, and to a certain extent he’d flirted back, but for the most part, he’d held his ground—rather firmly, much to her frustration.

  She might think he wasn’t interested except she knew better. He’d sprouted some rather impressive erections around her. Biology, sure, but a man who wasn’t interested in a woman didn’t get hard around her.

  And he’d definitely gotten hard around her. She wasn’t a naïve kid. She was a woman, and a woman knew when a man was interested.

  It was just his stupid man code rearing its ugly head. And while she appreciated all that nobility crap and his dedication to her brother, she was going to have to stand firm if she wanted Barrett in her life.

  Resolve firmly in place once again, she changed out of her shorts and tank top into a sundress, fixed her hair and applied makeup.

  Then she left a note for Barrett and headed downstairs.

  Figuring a couple of hours should have been enough time to leave Harmony alone, Barrett made his way up to the room. When he opened the door, he peeked his head in first.

  “Harmony?”

  No answer. Maybe she was in the shower, so he stepped in and shut the door.

  The bathroom door was open and she wasn’t in the room.

  Huh. He walked into the room to find a note on the pillow.

  Barrett—

  I’m downstairs in the bar. Why don’t you clean up and come meet me?

  H

  Okay, so maybe she wasn’t pissed at him anymore. That was a good sign. He took a quick shower and changed clothes, then headed downstairs to the bar. He saw Harmony sitting at the bar chatting with some dude. The guy wore shorts and a button-down shirt. Looked to be a vacation type. Only he had no wife or family with him. He was a big burly guy with short, spiked blond hair and lots of muscles.

  Harmony laughed at something the guy said and the guy laid his hand over hers.

  Okay,
enough of that shit. He walked over to the bar. Harmony saw him and smiled. The dude smiled, too.

  Whatever, buddy.

  “Hi,” Harmony said. “Barrett, this is Ted Lester. He works here at the hotel. Ted, this is Barrett Cassidy.”

  Barrett shook his hand. “Ted.”

  “Barrett. You play for the Hawks, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Big fan.”

  “Thanks. What do you do here at the hotel, Ted?”

  “I manage the bar.”

  Barrett had a burning urge to tell him he should go manage it. “Off duty?”

  “My shift isn’t starting yet.”

  “Ted was telling me about how much he’s traveled. He’s worked for hotels all over the world. Tokyo, Sydney, London, Beijing.”

  Barrett cocked a brow. “You must love travel.”

  Ted grinned. “I do.”

  “So what are you doing in Tampa?”

  “My family lives here. Grandparents are getting older and frail. Figured I’d set down roots here for a while, put the travel on hold for a bit, ya know?”

  Barrett nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  Okay, so maybe Ted wasn’t an asshole. The guy loved his family, and you couldn’t hate on someone who wanted to be there for his grandparents.

  Dammit.

  “Are you two staying the night?” Ted asked.

  Harmony lifted her gaze to Barrett.

  “We have a room, yeah,” Barrett said.

  “You should eat at the Salt N Pepper Bistro. Best French restaurant in Clearwater. Amazing food.”

  “Thanks for the tip, Ted,” Harmony said.

  Ted picked up his phone. “I gotta run. I hope to see both of you here in the bar later. Great to meet you.”

  “You, too,” Barrett said, then slid into the chair after Ted left.

  “He was a really nice guy,” Harmony said. “Since he’s come back home, he’s reconnected with one of his old girlfriends from high school. He was talking to me about her.”

  Okay, so Barrett really had it wrong. “He was, huh?”

  “Yes. He was telling me about how they went their separate ways in college, and how she ended up back here in Tampa at the same time he did. It’s like they were destined to meet up again.”

  “Like a freakin’ fairy tale or something.”

  She laughed and picked up her cocktail. “Something like that.”

  The bartender came over and Barrett ordered a beer. “What are you drinking?”

  She lifted the glass with the pink liquid. “A vodka and cranberry juice. And I had a mini snack in the room earlier when I was up there alone, so I don’t want you to worry about me and food and eating. I won’t be fainting on you.”

  “Good.”

  “And about earlier,” she said. “I’m sorry I went off on you.”

  He nodded. “It’s okay. I’m the one who should be sorry. I was being a dick about relationships.”

  “No, we were having a discussion. One where we didn’t agree on a few things. And I got mad and stormed off in a very immature fashion.”

  “You were entitled to disagree.”

  “That’s true. But storming off was childish. And for that I’m sorry.”

  “I pushed too hard and I spouted a bunch of bullshit I shouldn’t have. And for that, I’m sorry.”

  Her lips curved. “We’ll agree that we both acted badly. Let’s forget all about it then, and start over?”

  “Agreed.” He grabbed her drink. “How about we get comfortable at a table. There’s one by the windows with a view of the water.”

  “Sounds good.”

  They sat and had drinks and, this time, had positive conversations about his work and hers and kept relationship talk out of the equation. Barrett decided he’d back off trying to get Harmony to see that she shouldn’t be with him. He intended to keep it neutral for the rest of their time together tonight. Probably safer that way.

  And when Ted came over and told them he’d arranged a reservation at the French bistro he’d mentioned, Harmony grinned.

  “Thanks so much, Ted.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Barrett said. “We appreciate it.”

  “Hey, I told you. I’m a big fan, and Harmony put up with me talking about my girlfriend.”

  “Nothing to put up with,” Harmony said. “From what you told me, you and Willow seem perfect together.”

  “That means a lot to me. I hope the two of you enjoy your dinner tonight.”

  Barrett paid the bar tab and they headed out front to grab his car. It wasn’t a long drive to the restaurant, which didn’t look like much on the outside. But Barrett had found many a great restaurant when he traveled that looked like hell on the outside but had great food.

  They made their way into the restaurant and were seated by the waitress, who dropped off menus and said she’d be right back to get their drink orders.

  “What would you like to drink?” Barrett asked.

  “I’m going to switch to water.”

  He nodded, and when their waitress came back, he ordered two waters.

  “This menu looks amazing.”

  Harmony nodded. “I can’t decide whether I want crepes or pasta or the duck.”

  “I want the steak.”

  She laughed. “Of course you do.”

  When their waitress came back over, Harmony ordered the duck and he ordered the steak.

  “Thank you for today,” she said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I know you probably have a million things on your to-do list, and instead, you pushed it all aside to spend the day with me.”

  He took a sip of water, then laid his glass on the table. “Maybe not a million.”

  Her lips curved. “You’re a busy man.”

  “Gearing up to be, but not yet. I’ve got some free time before training camp starts.”

  “That’s true. And I’ll be hitting you up during some of that free time for house stuff.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Don’t sound so excited.”

  “I actually am. About moving in once it’s finished, anyway.”

  “I know the waiting part is tough, and you’re not all that thrilled about having to select appliances and paint and all that.”

  He waited while their waitress set down salads before he replied. “Not really. But I know it’s part of putting the house together, so I’ll deal.”

  “Trust that I’ll take care of any part that you don’t have to. I’ll only come to you with the essentials.”

  “I’ll trust you on that.”

  “Besides, I know how busy you’re going to be once training camp starts.”

  “We’ve got a while yet. But I do plan on doing some traveling.”

  She dug into her salad and took a bite, followed up by a sip of her drink. “Really? Where are you going?”

  “I want to head out to San Francisco to see my brother, then down to the ranch in Texas to visit my folks.”

  “I’ve never been to San Francisco. I’d love to go there sometime. Be sure to say hello to Flynn for me. How’s his restaurant coming along?”

  “Right now he’s remodeling.”

  She smiled. “Remodeling. A lot like you, then.”

  “Yeah, sort of.”

  “I’d love to see what he’s doing with the place.”

  He scooped up a forkful of salad, then looked at her. “So, come with me.”

  “Oh, sure. Just like that.”

  He shrugged. “Why not? I’ll only be gone a few days. And you said you want to see San Francisco. You could come with me.”

  Harmony knew Barrett was just blowing smoke, that he thought being self-employed she’d never take him up on his offer. But the idea of it was tempting. She really did want to see San Francisco, and she honestly was interested in seeing what Flynn was doing with his restaurant.

  “When are you going?”

  “Heading out this weekend.”

  The timing was kind of p
erfect. She had nothing going on this weekend, and she had a lull in work.

  It would also give them time alone. How would he react to that?

  “What would you do if I said yes?”

  He had finished his salad and nudged his plate to the side. “Yes to what?”

  “To your invitation?”

  “Oh, about San Francisco? I didn’t think you’d be able to take the time off.”

  “So why make the offer, unless you really didn’t mean it.”

  “Uh, sure I meant it.”

  “Then I accept.”

  He stared at her for a few minutes, then shrugged. “Okay. We’ll go together.”

  Fifteen

  Okay, so Barrett had thrown out the invitation figuring Harmony would be too busy to take him up on it. But when he’d told her earlier today that he never said things he didn’t mean, he meant what he said. He’d invited her. She’d said yes. So he was going to take her to San Francisco.

  Which would likely open up a lot of questions from Flynn about Harmony and him, but he’d have to tell Flynn he and Harmony were just friends. And then hope like hell Drake never found out he’d taken his sister to San Francisco.

  After dinner, they headed back to the hotel. Harmony said she was overly full from that great dinner, so she wanted to take a walk on the beach.

  He had to agree with her. The food had been damn good. He made a note to find Ted later and thank him for the recommendation.

  Harmony had pulled off her shoes and held them in her hand while they walked along the edge of the surf. Even though it was dark, it was still hot outside, but being next to the water helped some.

  “Someday I’ll have a place right on the water,” she said.

  “You’ve got that now. Sort of.”

  “I have a view of the water, which I enjoy. But I mean a place right on the water. Kind of like you have, though you’re not beachfront.”

  “You want beachfront.”

  “Yes. Mama used to bring us to the beach on weekends whenever she could. And I hated to leave. I’d sit and dig in the sand for hours, then play in the water until Mama insisted we leave. I fell in love with the water from an early age. It’s my dream to live somewhere right on the beach, so I can get up in the morning, grab my coffee and go sit outside and watch the sun come up over the water. Then in the evening, pour a glass of wine and listen to the sound of the waves as the sun sets.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I love the water, so my goal is for it to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night.”