A Perfect Selection

by Anna Sugden

  “Perhaps I could sway your opinion over dinner sometime.”

  Yes! Mental fist-pump.

  “I’m willing to give it a shot.”

  “We’re on the road next week. How about Saturday?”

  Alarms bells rang. If he’d recognised her, why would he explain? He’d know she had the Cats’ schedule stuck to her refrigerator.

  “Okay. I’m glad you didn’t suggest a school night.”

  He laughed. “You teachers are like us players; no messing when you have to work the next day.”

  His comment, paraphrasing one she’d made, had her wondering if he knew who she was, after all. “I can’t chastise a child for yawning in class, if I’m doing it too.”

  “I could pick you up at seven. Where do you live?”

  Daisy’s heart sank. That was pretty conclusive. She was about to change her mind, pleading a prior engagement, but instead decided to use this as a final opportunity to make him see her as she was.

  “Let’s meet at the restaurant,” she countered. “Then you won’t have to worry about taking me home afterwards.”

  Jamie frowned. “I don’t mind, but if it makes you more comfortable … sure. How about ‘Ma Bella’s’?”

  “Great. I’ll see you on Saturday at seven.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” There was a wealth of promise in his voice.

  “Me too.”

  As Jamie rejoined his team-mates, Daisy walked over to the buffet. “Time for Plan B.”

  Lilia looked confused. “We have a Plan B?”

  “Not yet, but we will by Saturday.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  The last person Jamie wanted to bump into tonight was Daisy.

  The guilty feeling hadn’t disappeared by Saturday. If anything, it had increased. He didn’t know why. He’d dated other women since he’d know Daisy. This was no different.

  Except it was.

  Blade knew, deep down, there was something special about Catwoman and it had nothing to do with how sexily she filled her costume. He didn’t believe in love at first sight, but there had been an instant connection between them. Just as there had been with Daisy, an internal voice reminded him.

  For sure -- only he could take a chance on a relationship with Catwoman. No way could he risk it with Daisy.

  For all their similarities, the two women couldn’t be more different. When he’d seen his neighbour yesterday, after returning from the road trip, he’d made a point of testing the water. He liked her and was attracted to her -- man, was he attracted to her -- but nothing she said or did changed his mind. She was too damn nice.

  And off-limits.

  There had been a sticky moment when Daisy had asked about the charity event. He’d hedged, saying it had been fun, but hard work. She’d given him a funny look, but had changed the subject to the latest antics of her pupils.

  Blade closed his front door and was halfway down the steps, when he heard Daisy’s door open. His stomach sank. He continued to the sidewalk, before plastering a smile on his face and turning to greet her.

  “Hey …” Before another word could leave his mouth, his jaw dropped.

  Holy moly! Blade’s brain froze, as his body flashed with heat.

  That couldn’t be Daisy.

  Long legs in silky hose and skyscraper heels. A black, sparkly sweater dress that finished at mid-thigh and clung lovingly to every mouth-watering curve. Her dark hair swung loose around her shoulders. Her green eyes looked bigger, her scarlet lips fuller.

  He blinked. She didn’t morph back into the sweet girl next door.

  Jamie was relieved, but at the same time bewildered. Words formed, but he couldn’t arrange them into sentences. His mouth didn’t want to work.

  Then the pattern of sequins on her dress merged into a recognisable shape. A slinky, black cat stretched across her body from her hip, to rest its paw on her shoulder.

  No. It was wishful thinking. His mind playing tricks on him. It couldn’t be.

  His pulse jumped. Could it? Please let it be true.

  As if she’d read his mind, her lips curved into a seductive smile.

  Finally, he managed to speak. “Catwoman, I presume.”

  “Took you long enough to figure it out.” Her husky voice clinched it.

  Why hadn’t he seen through her disguise? Hell, JB had even pointed it out to him.

  He sighed. “I’m an idiot.”

  “No, you just judged a book by its cover.” She tilted her head. “So, what’s the verdict? Are we going for dinner? Or, now you know the truth, are you going to bail?”

  He’d discovered two different, yet surprisingly complementary sides of Daisy. He wanted to explore this fascinatingly complex woman and see what else he could find. Maybe, at last, someone who could deal with the kind of man he was.

  “I’m not completely stupid.” Jamie held out his hand. “Besides, you promised me the chance to prove I’m worth hanging out with.”

  She laughed. “All right. I’m prepared to let you convince me.”

  As Daisy laced her fingers with his, a sense of rightness washed over him.

  Who’d have known that beneath the trick of a Halloween costume, he’d find his perfect treat? This could turn out to be his favourite holiday, after all.

  A Perfect Reunion

  ♥

  A New Jersey Ice Cats short story

  “I HOPE WE have enough food.”

  Troy Davidson slung his arm around his mom’s shoulders and steered her away from the heavily laden buffet table. “There’s enough for five teams, let alone a dozen Ice Cats.”

  She shook her head, concerned. “I know how much you boys eat. Perhaps I should’ve got another …”

  “Ma, it’s fine,” Troy interrupted firmly. “This is great. The best Thanksgiving spread we’ve ever had. Trust me. We usually have bland hotel food.”

  Aisla Davidson smiled. “But this is the first time your friends from your New Jersey team have been here, so I want to make a good impression.”

  The Cats were in Chicago ahead of a game the following night against the Blackhawks. They were on the tail-end of a west coast swing, which had included four games in six days, so Coach Macarty had given the players a rest day. Troy’s parents had invited a bunch of his team-mates to their annual holiday party.

  “No worries. They’ll love you and your food almost as much as I do.”

  She rolled her eyes, but reached up and pulled his head down to kiss his forehead. “Make sure you eat plenty. Can’t have you being too skinny. You’ll get knocked about the ice.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Awesome food, Mrs. D.” Jamie ‘Blade’ Wilkinson came to stand next to them, carrying a loaded plate. “You don’t want to adopt another son, do you?”

  “I’ll consider it,” she laughed. “Now, I should top up the potato salad.”

  She grabbed the half-empty dish and headed to the kitchen. In the doorway, Troy’s dad grabbed her around the waist and kissed her, making her giggle and blush.

  Troy grinned. His parents were lucky. They still adored each other after all these years.

  A shame his own love story had fallen way short of theirs.

  Being back in Chicago was making unwelcome memories resurface. Not surprising given this was where he’d screwed up, big time. Where he’d lost … no, thrown away the girl he loved.

  Not wanting to go there, Troy turned to Blade. “Hope all that food doesn’t slow you down tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Blade waved his fork dismissively. “You’re the one who has to be solid. The Hawks’ top line is freaking sneaky and hellish fast. You’ll need to ride their asses tight.”

  “I’m ready for them. They won’t burn me, like the last time we played here.”

  “Pin them in their own zone for long stretches and I’ll be happy.”

  “Count on it.”

  Easy to say now. He’d had a rough ride the first couple of years after his high-profile move fro
m Vancouver, the team that had drafted him, to New Jersey. Bad enough that he’d been brought in to replace a fan favourite -- Tru Jelinek -- but he’d also had to play alongside two of Tru’s brothers -- Ike and Kenny -- and his best friend -- Jake ‘Bad Boy’ Badoletti. Worse, Troy had taken a long time to settle into the team and the new style of play.

  The breakdown of his marriage had made things doubly difficult.

  Recognising that his happy-ever-after wasn’t going to last forever -- unlike his parents, grandparents and every other freaking Davidson in history -- had been hard to accept.

  Part of the problem had been that no-one was to blame for the way his marriage had fallen apart. His wife, Sierra, hadn’t had an affair with one of her co-stars. He hadn’t done the dirty with a puck bunny. No storming rows, no broken china. They’d simply drifted apart. Despite their demanding careers, they’d tried to keep their marriage together. But, in the end, there hadn’t been enough between them to hold onto.

  This summer, they’d agreed amicably to divorce. It was like a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. He’d found his feet and balance again. Which, in turn, had helped him play better. He felt like he’d finally turned the corner.

  Yes, his life was headed in the right direction -- both professionally and personally. Today, of all days, he had a lot to be thankful for.

  So why was he on edge?

  As if answering his question, a burst of laughter came from the living room.

  Troy looked up. His stomach dropped when he saw his team-mate, Chance Rivera, was flirting with a familiar, curvy brunette in a red sweater and black jeans.

  Why hadn’t his mom warned him that Charlie was in town?

  She was still the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. While Sierra was classically beautiful, with perfect features the camera loved, Charlie’s striking looks hit him square in the logo with the power of a slapshot. Her big, dark eyes, her high cheekbones and lusciously full lips took his breath away, just as they always had.

  Troy wanted to go over and shove his friend aside. Only he didn’t have the right. Hadn’t for a long time.

  Still, the sight of her lifted his heart. Troy drank in her presence, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to talk to her. Ached to touch her.

  As thrilled as he was to see Charlie, he wasn’t dumb enough to believe the feeling was mutual. He’d be lucky if she didn’t slap his face. Yet, he couldn’t stop himself moving towards her. He knew how that moth felt about the freaking flame.

  This was his opportunity to put things right. He wanted that more than anything. Well, not quite. But a second chance was not going to happen. The best he could hope for was her forgiveness and the possibility of her friendship.

  Steeling himself for disappointment, he walked into the dining room.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Charlotte Daniels knew the moment Troy stepped into the room.

  Her nerves fizzed, like her personal radar. Even though she’d convinced herself that she was well over Troy, the way her pulse skittered proved it was a lie.

  Why couldn’t she be as affected by the gorgeous man standing beside her? Or by any of the guys she’d dated since her abruptly-ended engagement. There was always something missing. That special spark she’d only ever felt with one man.

  Damn it.

  Turning her smile up to mega-watt, she listened to Chance’s story about his young twins. He should be the perfect fit for her. Single dad, financially sound and that sexy mix of green eyes and golden Latin skin. Yet all she felt was that he’d make a good friend.

  Double damn it.

  A flash of heat streaked through her. Troy was right behind her.

  Charlotte deliberately moved closer to Chance. “I can’t believe you haven’t shown me any pictures.”

  Chance pulled out his wallet to display snaps of his curly-haired toddlers.

  “Cute rug-rats, Rivera.” Troy’s deep voice slipped over her skin like a caress, making her toes tingle. “Hello Charlie.”

  “It’s Charlotte,” she said flatly, without looking at him. “They’re precious, Chance. You’re a lucky man.”

  “Yeah. They’re the best.” He sent a wary glance at Troy, then said quickly, “Blade needs me. Nice meeting you, Charlotte.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Troy’s ‘hands off’ look.

  How dare he? Troy had lost that right when he’d stood Charlotte up at their engagement party and eloped with Sierra.

  That had been rock bottom. But, driven by the pain of her heartbreak, she’d focused on her career and was now a successful food blogger. Some day, she might be grateful to him.

  Today wasn’t that day.

  “I hope we meet again soon.” She snagged a pen from her purse and scrawled her number on Chance’s hand. “Give me a call.”

  “For sure.” Chance looked from her to Troy and grinned. “Later, bro,” he said, before sauntering away.

  Troy’s jaw twitched, sending a glimmer of satisfaction through Charlotte.

  He cleared his throat. “I thought you’d be at your parents’ place in Florida.”

  “Work commitments.” She crossed her arms. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “I’m not disappointed. It’s good to see you.”

  His words did not thrill her. “Well, I’d better check if your mom needs help. Take care.”

  He blocked her path. “Can we talk?”

  “What’s there to say?”

  “I was a jerk. I treated you badly and I’m really sorry.”

  Her breath hitched. “True, true, and apology accepted. Goodbye.”

  “Please, Charlie. Give me five minutes. For old times’ sake.”

  That was a low blow. “You humiliated me.”

  “I was stupid and thoughtless.” He glanced around. “Look, can we find somewhere quiet to talk?”

  “You’re married.”

  “We’re divorced.”

  Damn Charlotte’s heart for leaping. “I hadn’t heard.”

  “We’re keeping it quiet. Sierra’s next movie is about to be released and the studio doesn’t want any gossip until after the premier.”

  “That’s tough.” She was proud of the perfect note of sympathy in her cool voice.

  “Yeah.” He jammed his hands into his pants’ pockets. “I’d rather not do this in front of an audience. How about the sun-room?”

  “Okay.” As soon as she agreed, Charlotte wished she hadn’t. They’d spent too many hours there when they’d dated. “Five minutes.”

  She strode into the hallway and out the back door, into the glassed-in porch. Twinkling white lights looped across the panes, casting a soft glow around the cozy room. Perching on the arm of an Adirondack chair, she tilted her head. “The floor is yours.”

  Troy rubbed his hand over his face. “I should have broken our engagement face-to-face.”

  Remembered humiliation jabbed under her ribs. “You couldn’t even make a phone call?”

  “I meant to tell you before the party, but things snowballed and before I knew it, I was in a wedding chapel in Vegas.”

  “Leaving me to tell our guests that there was nothing to celebrate.”

  How many times had she imagined this conversation? She’d wanted him to grovel. Then she’d toss his words back at him, causing him as much pain as he’d given her.

  Yet, now the moment was here, Charlotte felt weary. What was the point? Rehashing the past wouldn’t change a thing. “I’m over it. I’ve moved on.” Almost true. It certainly would be once this party was over.

  “I never meant to hurt you.”

  Her short laugh was wry. “Like I said, it’s done. You can go back to Jersey with a clear conscience.” And maybe she’d finally be able to find that special someone.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  “Yeah, right.” Charlotte rolled her eyes to hide the tug of pleasure in her chest. “You were married to a beautiful, successful woman.” She hated that Sierra seemed to be a nice person and even admire
d her outspoken stance on important female issues.

  “Do you want to know why our marriage failed?”

  “Tell People magazine, not me.”

  “It wasn’t enough,” he said quietly

  “Oh please. Your smiling faces are always plastered over the media.” Great. The last thing she wanted was Troy thinking she’d sought news on him.

  “Because we got on well together. And initially she was hot.”

  Charlotte held up her hand. “I don’t need details. I’m not TMZ.”

  “But hot fades pretty quickly.”

  It hadn’t for them. From their first kiss to their last, if anything they’d only grown more intense and passionate.

  She did not need to think about their kisses.

  He continued, “All we had left was friendship.”

  “That’s sad. But really not my business.”

  He walked over the window and stared out into the darkness. “The real reason my marriage failed was because she wasn’t you.”

  Charlotte couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. She must have misheard.

  “Even Sierra knew it.” He returned to her side.

  She told her racing pulse to slow down. This didn’t change anything.

  Troy crouched beside her. “It’s always been you.”

  The words wouldn’t come. What could she say? She didn’t want to look like a fish, mouth opening and closing, so she bit her lip.

  “I was so caught up in the excitement of my first year in the show -- having money to burn, being treated like a rock star -- I lost sight of what mattered. Hell, I’d made it. And a popular actress wanted me.” He laid his hand on hers tentatively. As if he were afraid she’d shake him off like a bug. “I rode the wave. Didn’t think about what I was doing to anyone. Least of all, the girl I loved.”

  She didn’t want to see his side. To understand. What he’d done was unforgivable. Yet his quiet words ripped out the festering shards of bitterness from her heart, relieving the pain.

  Maybe the healing really could begin now.

  Looking chagrined, he said, “By the time I realised that we’d mistaken lust and laughs for love, it was too late. Easier to let it ride, than correct it. I finally put that right.” His thumb stroked the back of her hand. “Now I want to put things right with you.”