“Root beer floats?” I asked with a chuckle.
“What? It was your idea, and it sounded good.”
“I was fucking with you…”
“Still, I haven’t had one of these in forever,” Puck said gleefully as the root beer he was pouring over began to foam.
“I thought you were drinking beer.”
Puck shrugged and handed me a mug.
I took a sip.
“That’s delicious,” I muttered before going back for more. “I forgot how good this tasted.”
“You’re welcome,” Puck said, bowing with an exaggerated tip of his head.
I laughed and shook my head.
“Idiot,” I said, not bothering to hide the affection in my tone.
“You love that about me,” he said, grabbing his own mug and moving back toward the living room. “Now, tell me all the ways you loved Simone last night.”
Puck knew everything … Our weekend at the Bellagio, my abstinence since, and the way Simone was constantly busting my balls.
“I think things may finally be turning around there,” I told him with a grin. Then I remembered I forgot to check my phone after my shower to see if it was charged enough to shoot a text to Simone.
I may not know where she lived, but I had her number.
“Be right back,” I told him.
In my room, I picked up my phone and called Simone.
No answer.
Figuring her phone probably died as well, and if she was as tired as I was, she was probably asleep, I shot her a text.
Call me when you get this. Or, better yet, since we’re off tonight, come over. I’ll make dinner.
I added my address and hoped she’d wake up feeling brave.
Thirteen
Simone
I woke up to Princess kneading her paws on my stomach.
“Mmmm, not now, Princess,” I muttered, rolling over to see what time it was.
Princess protested audibly and jumped off the bed.
When I saw it was after five thirty in the evening, I sat up and tried to bring myself fully awake, before reaching over to grab my phone off the charger.
“He called,” I squealed when I saw the missed call from Micah pop up.
Princess gave me a dirty look and stalked out of the bedroom.
Feeling giddy, I opened my phone. When I saw there was no voicemail, my excitement faded a bit, then I saw text messages pending and my stomach dipped.
“He wants me to come over for dinner!” I yelled.
Yes, I talked to my cat.
I’d been doing it so long I didn’t even find it strange. It only got weird when I paused for her to answer me back.
I’d been to Micah’s a couple times when he’d had parties and invited everyone from work. His roommate, Puck, was a funny guy, and was a fixture at the club. Since he also mostly worked nights, he’d come in to unwind after work and sometimes ride home with Micah.
I’d vowed to call Micah when I woke up, but decided to accept his invitation and go over for dinner instead.
It was better to talk things out in person anyway. At least, that’s what I told myself as I hurried to get ready.
My hair was still in a braid and looked nice, so I decided to leave it. In fact, I decided to go without my usual armor of hair, makeup, sexy clothes, and heels. Instead, I was going to keep it at-home casual in jeans and a T-shirt with my hair in the braid and minimal makeup.
If Micah and I were going to actually do this, he’d have to get to know all sides of me, not just the one he saw daily at the club.
I was ready and calling bye to Princess a mere fifteen minutes later, which was completely uncharacteristic of me, and headed out to Micah’s before I could second guess my decision.
Micah’s place was about twenty-five minutes from mine with no traffic, but, since I’d left the apartment in the middle of rush hour without even thinking, I was stuck.
I blamed Micah and decided to tell him so.
“Simone, hey, I was hoping you’d call,” Micah said smoothly.
“Actually, I accepted your invite and am on my way over. Except, now I’m stuck in traffic because it’s rush hour. I never venture out on the streets during rush hour. This is your fault, Micah. Ugh, I hate traffic.”
There was a pause, then … “Is this our first fight?” he asked, sounding way too cute for my current mood.
“Uh, more like our thousandth,” I retorted.
“Right, so we’re experts,” he said with a chuckle. “Well, I’ll take the blame and say I’m sorry that you’re in traffic.”
“Thank you,” I managed as I drove two feet and stopped.
“But, I’m really happy that you decided to come over. Call me optimistic, but I have steaks marinating.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, my stomach rumbling. “What else are we having?”
“Loaded baked potatoes and roasted asparagus. And, a salad.”
“Just you throw the salad in there for my benefit?” I asked, thinking his menu sounded delish.
“I did,” he admitted. “Puck and I don’t often throw a salad together.”
“Well, I appreciate it.”
I was a pretty healthy eater overall. Really, I had to be in the industry I was in, but I did enjoy a heavy meal a couple times a month.
Looked like tonight was one of those times.
“Okay, well, I’ll let you get back to it and I’ll see you once all of these assholes get out of my way,” I said, merging lanes when I saw a gab.
Micah chuckled and said, “See you soon, babe.”
My heart did a little pitter-patter as I pressed disconnect. I wasn’t normally one for nicknames, but I liked the endearment on Micah’s lips.
As I navigated traffic, I gave myself a mental, and verbal, pep talk.
“Time to stop being a freakin’ chicken, Simone. You are a bad-ass bitch who doesn’t take shit from men three times your size. No way you’re going to let the feelings you have for Micah turn you into a weak little girl.” Every once in a while, I’d catch my eyes in the mirror, to make sure I was driving my point home. “You’re going to go in there and lay things out. Tell him what you want, and not settle for less. Got it?”
By the time I pulled in front of his house, I had my game face on.
I also had a fence around my heart, just in case. Not a wall, because I was done shutting him out, but a fence … with a gate. Sure, there was a lock on the gate, but all he needed was to open it with the key and he’d be able to come inside.
I took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out, then knocked on the front door.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Puck said with a grin as he swung the door wide. “Aren’t you a pretty sight on this fine night.”
“Hey, Puck, how are you doing?”
He leaned in to kiss my cheek, so I shifted to let him.
“Great. Not as great as our boy in there,” Puck said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder. “He’s all atwitter about having you over.”
I smiled, pleased that Micah was excited and not ashamed to let Puck know it.
“Are you joining us for dinner?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m actually about to head out.”
Puck let me in and shut the door, placing his hand on my shoulder to stop me from going any farther.
“Try not to crush his nuts in a vice, eh, love?”
I grinned at Puck and said, “No promises.”
He let out a sharp laugh.
“That’s my girl.”
Fourteen
Micah
I poured the salad into a large bowl. It was one of those chopped-up salads that come already prepared; all I had to do was open bags and pour it all together.
“Am I supposed to add tomatoes or something?” I muttered as I looked at the bowl.
It didn’t look like much of a salad, with everything chopped into bits like that.
“Nope, those salads come with everything you need.”
I looked up at
Simone’s voice and watched her walk into the kitchen with Puck trailing behind, a big grin on his face. His eyes trailed over her body and when they paused on her ass he shot me a thumb’s up.
I glared at him.
“Hey,” I said in greeting, rounding the counter to pull Simone into my arms.
Without hesitation, I lowered my mouth and kissed her hungrily.
When I pulled back she looked up at me in a daze.
“Is that how we’re saying hello now?” Simone asked.
I grinned. “I sure hope so,” I replied.
“Message received,” Puck said with a laugh and I flipped him off behind Simone’s back.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked as I went back behind the island and got back to prepping dinner.
“What do you have?”
“Every type of liquor you could image, beer, wine … white and red, and probably some water or expired milk,” Puck replied.
Simone gave a light laugh. “Pass on the milk…”
“Good choice,” I said, catching her eyes.
God, she looked pretty … soft. And, that wasn’t a descriptor you’d usually use for Simone.
“Wine sounds good. Red.”
“You got it,” Push said, then asked me, “Micah?”
“I’ll have a beer.”
“Beer and wine,” he confirmed as he moved behind me to get the drinks. “Then, I’ll be on my way and give you two lovebirds some privacy.”
Simone flushed at his comment, and I found I really liked the way she looked in my kitchen.
“Thanks, man,” I said when he placed the beer down next to me and popped the top.
I was seasoning asparagus and Simone had climbed onto the bar stool on the other side of the island.
“Thank you,” she told Puck as he handed her the wine glass.
“Oh, before I go, there’s something I needed to tell you,” Puck said, leaning against the counter, his body turned toward me.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Before the craziness of the blackout last night, I was sitting in on a meeting waiting for some of the guys to be done so we could go out. You’re not going to believe what I heard…”
Puck liked to drag things out for dramatic effect.
I stopped what I was doing and looked at him.
“What did you hear?” I asked patiently.
“They are planning to open a new restaurant and bar right outside the arena, but still on property. They were talking about maybe franchising something, but Greg Decarro suggested maybe opening up something new. I immediately thought of you. A place like this will be crazy successful. There’s a built-in clientele.”
My stomach clenched at the thought, even as my adrenaline started pumping.
“I don’t know…”
“Fuck, Micah, what don’t you know? That this is exactly what you’ve been waiting for? That you’re a kick-ass mixologist wasting your talents? That you’ve been saving money to start your own place, but now that I’ve got a guaranteed money maker, you’re shitting your pants?”
Wow, fucking harsh. But, that was Puck, he didn’t pull any punches.
Seems I’m drawn to hard asses.
“Well, yeah, I’m shitting my pants. It’s a big risk and it’s not easy to give up what you know to take a chance on the unknown.”
Puck shook his head put clapped his hand on my shoulder and said, “Just think about it, yeah? I told Greg not to make any commitments until I had a chance to talk to you. We could do this, brother, together … just like we talked about.”
I nodded, agreeing to think about it, and honestly, I probably wouldn’t be able to think of anything else.
“All right, well, that’s my cue,” Puck said, even though no sort of cue had happened. “You two have fun, and make sure you’re safe. We don’t need the pitter-patter of little feet anytime soon.”
“Jesus,” I spat. “Get out of here.”
Puck only laughed, gave Simone a kiss on the cheek, and danced out of the kitchen.
The potatoes were in the oven, the toppings were out, and everything else was good to go, so I went outside to start the grill for the steaks and asparagus.
My mind was reeling, thinking of the possibility of opening my own space. Of having a restaurant outside the hockey arena, and what that could mean. I was so caught in my head that I didn’t realize that Simone had been uncharacteristically silent until I went back inside and saw her still at the counter, sipping on her wine and staring off into space.
“Hey, is everything okay? Sorry I wasn’t being a great host, Puck’s news kinda caught me off-guard.”
Simone’s lifted her gaze to mine, a strange expression on her face.
“You’re leaving the club?” she asked, her voice full of worry.
Fifteen
Simone
I hadn’t meant my question to come out sounding quite so needy, but hearing Puck and Micah talk about Micah leaving the club and opening his own place sounded like a foregone conclusion, and it made my heart hurt.
Micah was watching me closely as he replied, “Well, yeah, eventually. I can’t work there forever and I’ve already been there longer than I’d planned. I’ve always dreamed about opening my own place.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said. “That’s great, I mean, you should totally do it. And, I can understand not wanting to stay at the club forever. I’ve actually started thinking about moving on myself. I feel like I’ve outgrown the scene.”
“Exactly,” Micah said, leaning across the counter, his focus on me. “It takes a lot out of you, and lately it feels like I’m burning the candle at both ends. You think that means I’m getting old?”
I laughed. “No way. Because if you’re old, then I’m old, and that’s just not happening.”
The corners of Micah’s eyes crinkled as he smiled and my stomach did a flip. “Definitely not,” he agreed, reaching across the granite to take my hand. “You looked upset there for a minute, at the prospect of my leaving.”
Wow, he’s going for it. Laying it all out. After a year of avoidance, I found I liked his straightforwardness.
“I hate change. I hate losing people,” I admitted. “I hate that people always leave and after Ginger telling me earlier that she was moving to South Carolina, and now you leaving the club…”
“Hey,” Micah said, lifting up my hand and brushing his lips over my palm. “Even if I get this place, or some other place, that doesn’t mean I’m leaving you. I’m serious about this, about us, and we don’t need to work together to be together.”
I gave his hand a little squeeze.
“I know, it’s just … ahhhh … uncertainty.”
He chuckled and stood, letting my hand go.
“I’m gonna put this on the grill. Want to come out with me, or hang in here?”
“I’ll come outside.”
I grabbed my wine and his beer, while he grabbed the plates with the seasoned asparagus and steaks.
They had a nice covered patio, with a couple of chairs and a table, along with a massive grill and what looked like a smoker.
The yard was typical desert landscape, with rocks instead of grass, and a few cactus in the corner. The sun had yet to go down, so it was still hot out, but luckily not too hot to be outside.
“Where you able to catch a nap?” Micah asked me as he organized the food on the grill.
It was cute, the way he lined everything up just so.
I found myself grinning as I said, “Yeah, it was just what I needed. And, Princess snuggled with me, so it was nice.”
“Princess?” he asked, looking at me quizzically.
“My cat.”
“You have a cat?”
“Yeah, she’s a Persian. I’ve had her for about five years now. She’s my baby.”
Micah started laughing and I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I just never expected you to be a cat person.”
“Why not
?” I asked.
Honestly, I was an animal person. I loved all animals and would probably have a small zoo if I could, since I’d never had any pets growing up. Unfortunately, my apartment only allowed cats.
He turned to me and shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I expected something like a pit-bull, or a snake.”
My mouth dropped open and I punched Micah’s shoulder when he started laughing.
“Fuck you,” I said, trying to be mad, but his laughter was contagious.
“Come here,” he said, pulling me into his arms. I went, but stayed stiff with mock outrage, which only made him laugh harder. “I’m just fucking with you.”
I relaxed into his arms and hugged him back.
It felt good.
Not just the hug, but Micah’s teasing. Nobody ever teased me. I guess most people who knew me didn’t think I had a sense of humor.
Or, they were afraid of me.
I hadn’t realized what I’d been missing out on until now.
God, he smells good. I melted into the hug, not wanting it to end, and Micah leaned into it, holding me tighter.
“I’d like to meet your cat,” Micah murmured. “And see your place.”
“Okay,” I said, my cheek against his chest. “When do you want to see it?”
“Well, I was hoping you’d stay here tonight, so … tomorrow?”
I pulled back slightly to look up at him.
“I didn’t bring any clothes or anything to stay the night.”
“Hmmm, guess my text should have been more detailed.” He brushed a stray hair off of my forehead. “Then, what do you say we eat, then I’ll pack a bag, and we’ll go to your place?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Sixteen
Micah
We had dinner and cleaned up together.
It was nice. Easy. And better than I’d ever dared to hope it would be.
Now, we were at her place.
We’d rode together in her car, figuring we would ride into work together tomorrow, and I was excited to spend more time with her.
Night & Day--A Time for Love Series Novella Page 5
