Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1)

by Colleen Charles

  Before she stepped off onto her floor, he had made it clear he never wanted to speak to her again. Finally getting it, she had nodded at him with tears flooding her eyes as he hit the door close button and continued on to his penthouse. Why did certain women never believe your actual words and think they could change you? Do they just want to fulfill their own desires so badly that they couldn’t see the forest for the trees? Although he regretted hurting her feelings, his honesty had never been in question. She’d made their brief liaison into far more than it had been in reality.

  After completing his phone calls, he glanced at the unique sketch of Lily on the table next to him. Talking to Jason had put his mind more at ease and hope blossomed that Lake would like it and think of him when she looked at it. When he’d met Lily that day, Josh had noticed how important the horse was to Lake. This artwork must arrive at its destination in all its meaningful glory.

  ****

  After her confusing lunch with Chuck, Lake sat in her office trying to explain the whole messed up situation to Lance and getting nowhere.

  “How do you know this Lauren person isn’t just some bimbo off the street? Even though he isn’t playing anymore, he’s still enough in the public eye to attract stage five clingers.”

  Lake threw her hands up. “Lauren has to be a girlfriend, she was listed in his contacts with only the first name! Chuck confirmed they dated but he said the relationship ran its course. Also, her exact words were that she wanted his head between her legs again, insinuating there was a first time! My God, nausea bubbles up every time I think about it. I’m not a prude but I guess I’ve never considered sending a text that graphic.” She’d also never admit to the jealousy coursing through her veins incited by Lauren’s subject matter. She’d spent just as many sleepless nights thinking about his tongue and what it could do than she had about her own humiliation that night.

  “I won’t even tell you what I did.” Lake had worked herself up into a state of high emotions.

  “Oh no, girl, you didn’t.” Lance shook his head frantically left and right and snapped his fingers. He seemed to know exactly where this conversation was headed. Even Summer didn’t know her like Lance did. He possessed a freakish sixth sense.

  “Unfortunately, I did, like I drove by road kill and couldn’t look away. I know I shouldn’t have because now I feel even more wretched!”

  “Let me see it. How bad is it?”

  “So bad I haven’t slept in three nights.” Imagining his lips and tongue again and wishing they were on her instead of Lauren. She found that in spite of her best efforts, she couldn’t stay mad. She just felt unhappy.

  Lake lifted the screen on her laptop and turned it towards him. He spent thirty seconds looking it up and down and tilted his head towards Lake with his lips curled in a semi-snarl.

  “Looks like skank to me and we already know it sounds like skank.”

  “Are you kidding me? She’s gorgeous and they look like Barbie and Ken together. See how she fits perfectly into the crook of his shoulder since she’s so tall?” Lance was trying to make her feel better and she loved him for it but Lauren Kennedy’s striking beauty became even more undeniable over time. Lake had stared at that photo of her and Josh out at an event so often over the past couple of days she could have made it her mental wallpaper. The worst part was seeing how happy he looked in the photo standing next to the gorgeous anchorwoman. Lauren possessed statuesque height and her reedy body complemented her silky, long auburn hair and brown eyes. Her skin was luminous and Lake did not notice one flaw.

  Over the past week, Lake had thought of Josh many times and become increasingly ashamed of how she’d handled her time with him from beginning to end. She should have known dating wouldn’t be successful for her until more time had passed. Why couldn’t she have stayed at the restaurant and made a dignified exit with grace and class? She imagined his mortification that she’d spied on his text and fled the scene like a frigid bitch. Her mind’s eye played a tape of Josh sitting in his condo as he mocked her behavior, grateful to be done with her as he moved on to more sophisticated women.

  ****

  Although he listened with empathy, Lance found he’d had enough of Lake’s constant criticism of herself. He needed to give her a push in the right direction. Obviously, if she still obsessed over this guy, she wanted him. Her behavior was over the top. Seriously? Josh had made one minor mistake in the space of seven hours. Like he could control his incoming text messages which she shouldn’t have been looking at in the first place. They weren’t married for Christ’s sake. They’d gone out on a charity date! Lake was putting too much stock in minor issues and it had to stop.

  “Lake, I think you should reach out to him for Chuck’s sake.” There, that would lay the guilt on her. He knew just how to play her like a weeping violin.

  “By the way, didn’t you say you never got your shot?”

  “Huh?”

  “I thought you were hell bent on your blue line shot? You’re so competitive. I’m surprised you didn’t take it before you left. It’s the perfect open door. Send the man a text and tell him you want your shot. Then, the ball’s in his court, so to speak.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Stop holding your insecurities in the palm of your hand. Its four simple words. Send the text, Lake.”

  Would it comfort you to know, Josh, that there is always a solution, there are always "happy grounds," and that everything is going to turn out in your favor?

  Tallyho~

  The Universe

  Chapter Fifteen

  Josh reclined a few inches backward in his leather chair. He sat in the press box going over the statistics for the game. Three feet to his left, Kevin lounged sideways on the desk, typing something on his laptop. He said he needed a new chair. The old one hurt his back so he rarely sat there. Josh hadn’t been paying attention to work and hoped he could turn on the charm for the game. The network had hired him because of his quick wit, humor and ability to tell the blatant truth, sometimes without a filter. Embarrassed to admit to how many times he’d been censored for inappropriate language, the fans loved it so the network just kept paying the small fines to the FCC. He was The Trashman after all and they had known the good and bad that came with him when they’d offered him the job right after retirement.

  Since he’d returned from Arizona, lethargy had overtaken him and he could only muster the energy to hole up in his condo and pout. After a few days, self-pity ceased to be an option because a good portion of his life he spent in the public eye. As he jotted notes for points he wanted to bring up during the broadcast, he heard Sugarloaf singing ‘Green-Eyed Lady’. Recognizing the familiar song, he thought it played over the PA system’s piped in music but noticed out of the corner of his eye it came straight through his iPhone.

  Tempted to hit his knees and praise Jesus in grand exaltation, he internalized his excitement without alarming Kevin. He had to keep his emotions in check. Now was not the time to explain it to Kevin who’d want to help, especially since it was trouble of the female variety. He didn’t want anyone else to know he was an asshole besides his family and Roberts. The whole situation was a blow to his ego.

  Her ring tone! He’d set it up a few nights ago while he reclined in bed thinking about her and trying not to jerk himself off. He’d saved that for the shower the next morning. He reached out to cradle the phone as if it contained poisonous venom, afraid to read the words that appeared on the screen.

  I want my shot.

  He couldn’t help but chuckle at her cleverness. Never let it be said he wouldn’t walk through an open door. She’d extended an opportunity for redemption and he snapped it right up. Thank God.

  You’ll have to be more specific. Tequila shot, cheap shot, big shot ... if it’s what I’m thinking of it’s a shot in the dark.

  Let’s see what she comes back with after that one. Time to see what she’s made of.

  I’d like to have a shot at it.
r />   He loved how her mind worked.

  It will be a long shot.

  The next one took a while to come through.

  In the words of sexy 80’s goddess Pat Benatar, I’d like to hit it with my best shot!

  Good one, Lake Harrison. Could you hit me with your best shot?

  That can be arranged. Do u have a Skype account?

  Lake.Harrison.1

  In the box right now getting ready for a game. Home 2morrow. When can u skype?

  2 PM AZ time okay?

  Great, looking forward to it. And Lake ... thrilled to hear from u.

  “That was a lot of texting for you,” Kevin glanced over, running his hand through his thick, gray hair. “Everything okay?”

  “Never better. This is going to be one of the best nights ever.” It looked as if he’d be able to hand deliver the sketch of Lily.

  ****

  Lake floated on cloud nine and ignored Lance’s constant gloating. She found even his annoying babble didn’t have the power to bring her back down to earth. Since the olive branch text was his idea, he hadn’t let up. Josh and Lake had Skype’d numerous times over the past month, whenever their busy schedules allowed. The more Lake got to know him, the more she liked him. Even though his wicked sense of humor sometimes made her blush, she looked forward each time to seeing his face on her computer screen and hearing the next outrageous thing that would fly out of his mouth.

  The breathless anticipation excited her like a giddy teenager. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to make love to him. She could count the number of men she’d been with on one hand. Could she ever measure up? The red heat of her skin told her she’d flushed just thinking about it. Sexual innuendo had been flowing during their conversations. She had to concentrate on not letting self-doubt overtake her. Since they hadn’t been able to see each other in person for over a month, that reprieve allowed her time to get to know and trust him. Things were moving at the perfect speed for someone who’d been through the ringer.

  The Blackhawks were not Stanley Cup Finals bound this year as predicted, which bummed out Josh. Of course, he had to say that because of his job but Lake hoped he carried secret excitement over their impending time together. Today, he might second guess his plan, the temperature hovered at a hundred degrees. It promised to be a long and steamy summer. They would have to cool off by the pool at the farm. That prospect opened a whole new can of worms because Lake lacked the courage to appear in front of Josh in a bathing suit, exposed. Could she trust him to withhold his disgust when he saw her less than perfect body?

  Josh planned to stay with his dad for a couple of weeks until he had to attend a conference in Vegas for work, then head back to Chicago. Chuck would pick him up at the airport and then the foursome would meet for drinks at Myst for a double date. Grateful to Chuck for that arrangement, relief poured over her that she wouldn’t be alone with Josh right away. Lake had trouble trusting herself with him. She knew he’d want to take her straight to bed and she couldn’t take that step until she knew for sure he’d stay monogamous, especially regarding Lauren. In spite of her happiness to see him in person again, she didn’t look forward to that type of uncomfortable conversation and hoped he broached the subject first. She didn’t need a life-long commitment to have sex but she wouldn’t share for both physical and emotional reasons.

  At that very moment, Lance had a lock of her hair in the curling hair dryer and had hit a snag. He’d curled her hair into loose waves and created evening make-up to complement her pale pink dress that Summer had urged her to purchase. Summer had picked out a low cut, lace dress with spaghetti straps. High heeled sandals with rhinestones made her taller and her legs appear longer. Lake worried that any type of dancing might cause her to flash the dance floor. She didn’t usually show so much skin. Lance had also covered her in self tanner and body bronzer so her scars faded away in low light. She felt confident no one would notice and that she looked the best she could for this reunion. She wondered if Josh liked dancing so she could wrap her arms around him and hoped to find out later.

  “Ouch!”

  “Seriously, Lake, if you would just quit squirming like a two year old getting their first trim, your hair would stop getting stuck!”

  “I can’t help it, I’m nervous and moving around helps me to not go into a full blown panic attack!”

  “Calm down, stress-o-rella. Chuck will be there. It’s not like he’s going to grab you by the hair and drag you back to his cave the moment he sees you, as much as he might want to.”

  Lake stiffened at the reference. She knew Lance had just wanted to lighten the mood but she became hyper sensitive to any references about being pulled by the hair. She’d lost a big chunk of it last year and they’d worried as it grew back in. Thank God her thick hair hid the bald spot and blended.

  “I’m so sorry Lake, I didn’t mean to send you back to that time with my stupid comment. By the way, what kind of underwear do you have under that dress, just in case?”

  “It’s okay, Lance. I’m just overly sensitive because I’m feeling inadequate. I’ve never dated someone so hot that he should be declared illegal. By the way, they’re pink and lacy, to match my dress.”

  “You’re hotter. If I’m saying that about another man, you know it must be true. I don’t think it’s that he’s so perfect, just that you’re that attracted to him. You’re like a magnet to his steel, baby!”

  After a few more minutes, her face and body were ready and the time had come to head to Myst. Summer would be there too but had promised to stay out of the way, meeting up with some other friends. Summer was still pissed at Josh and declared she was putting him on notice; he’d better man up. Lake hoped she didn’t do something embarrassing but still loved how her younger sister always wanted to protect her. Just as she’d grabbed the door handle to turn it, a text came in.

  Lake, it’s your brother. Heard through the grapevine u r going out on a date with an ugly geezer. Just remember adopted sis, keep your palm flat, rotate your shoulder, and it will hurt harder when u slap his face!

  Do u think I will have to slap his face?

  Why do u think he’s so ugly? When he was little he had to trick or treat by phone!

  LMAO, R2, u missed your true calling!

  ****

  Josh sat in the car as his dad drove him to the house to change and freshen up. The anticipation of the impending evening coursed through his body. His sexual frustration had been hounding him for weeks and he hoped Lake would let him take her home after Myst. He wanted to worship her body until sunrise. He understood from his dad that Lake had been in an accident a couple of years ago. Chuck didn’t know the details so Josh assumed it had been a car accident.

  Chuck did share that her recovery period had lasted for months and she worried about some remaining scars. They couldn’t be that bad because he’d never even seen one on her. His eyes only registered her physical perfection. He couldn’t let her fear of a couple of marks stop them from having sex. She’d probably just had to have surgery on a broken bone. Since he had been through numerous knee surgeries, he own body sported numerous scars. He had played thirteen seasons in the NHL for Christ’s sake! Scars peppered his body, including a pretty bad one underneath his hair line where he had taken blade to the head requiring his skin to be sewn back together. He’d lost count of how many stitches he’d had over the years. The worst part of those injuries was seeing his mom cry over them. He counted himself fortunate he’d never broken his nose and hadn’t needed any major dental work.

  Josh admitted to himself his dad’s idea for a double date made perfect sense. It wouldn’t surprise him if Chuck confiscated his phone and locked it in the car before they went in. Fine, he had nothing to hide. He’d already removed from his contact list the information of any woman he’d ever slept with. The electronic little black book had officially retired from commission. He had hope that this could work out in spite of the distance between their homes. If nothing el
se, he looked forward to his first real relationship since his divorce and spending quality time with the first woman that had inspired him to want to. Josh glanced to his left and noticed his dad seemed to be lost in thought himself. As he stared out the window, his mind faded back to the night his marriage had gone completely off the rails.

  Sometimes, Josh, when circumstances or disappointments bump you off track, it's the beginning of an even bigger dream coming true, that could not have come true on the track you were on.

  Yeah, always.

  The Universe

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Baby, I have some wonderful news. I know you’re going to be so happy! I could barely keep it in until you were home and I could tell you in person.” Shelly sat across the table from him at their favorite restaurant, Gibson’s. They’d just finished eating, wine flowed freely and he felt relaxed and content. His life appeared charmed and his friends and teammates proclaimed he was a lucky bastard. Shelly shifted in her chair, still so damn beautiful even after all these years with her long, auburn hair and flashing amber colored eyes. She turned heads wherever she went with her exotic look.

  She hadn’t missed a detail in planning this evening for her little announcement. Her luminous skin flushed pink with excitement so Josh anticipated her words. He hoped she’d found a job or something constructive to do. With him on the road so much, her spending loomed out of control. She couldn’t control her own boredom and he’d tried to inspire her to improve herself, without success. He wished she’d stayed in college when he’d been drafted and finished her degree. In recent months, it seemed she could only summon the energy to shop, lunch with friends and work out.