Chapter 3
GRACIE
There is something cozy about Main Street in Everhope on a fall evening.
There is an abundance of haystacks and pumpkin decorations around town and the occasional scarecrow where a shop owner got creative.
Outside of Foxy Rox, the coffee spot in town, they have a scarecrow sitting on a hay bale with a to-go coffee cup.
Some people use white decorative lights, which is smart because they can keep them up for the rest of the holidays this year.
I’m not one for ghosts and goblins, but more refined autumn colors and elegant decorations.
I mean, maybe when I was younger, I got a little festive during the holiday.
You can’t exactly go wrong dressing as a cheerleader with fake blood on her head.
But now, I’m older and appreciate a little more subtlety when it comes to the Halloween costume.
However, right now, with sleet on an October night, it suddenly feels like a horror film.
I hate that I need to hold up an umbrella because it means that I can’t hold my coat tighter around my body.
They say it’s going to be this way all night.
Typical Illinois, unpredictable. Snow in October isn’t that rare, and I’ve heard it indicates many omens when it does happen. Who knows what this year’s omen is.
There are a few people walking on the other side of the street who are using their coats as cover as they dash into a new wine bar in town.
The beep of a car unlocking and the flash of lights right in front of me draws my attention up, from staring at the dusting of white melting on the ground to the man running to the sports car, but as he opens the door, he flicks his gaze up, with his eyes striking my own before he does a double take and his gaze holds onto me.
“Gracie?”
That voice. It’s familiar. Already something bounces above my bellybutton, I guess excitement.
I hurry a few steps to get a better look, and the streetlights give enough brightness. It doesn’t take long to confirm what I thought. “Asher?” I sound just as surprised as him.
He shuts his door and circles around the car to me. Luckily my umbrella is big enough that he can join me under it, and it helps that he grabs the handle so he can hold it over us in a better position as he towers over me, except now his deep cologne with a hint of pine invades my air.
“You have a thing for running into me.”
His free hand swipes across his chiseled jaw. “Who says it’s me. You could be stalking me for all I know.”
The corner of my mouth twists from the smirk fighting to spread. “Should I be concerned that you’re stalking me?”
“Not my style. You should consider yourself lucky. They say third time is the charm, which means you’re getting the best version of me right now. What are you doing here?” he wonders.
“I live in Everhope. You?”
“I was having dinner at the River Bell with one of the assistant coaches who lives nearby.”
We look at one another in slight disbelief. The odds of running into one another in this county are high, but still, when it happens, it’s pleasant… okay, a gift.
“Ah yes, I remember how you enjoy evening work dinners.”
His head tips slightly to the side. “Dinner is over. I’m on my way home.”
“The River Bell is a nice restaurant.” It’s on an old steamboat.
“It was pretty good. Can’t go wrong with roast chicken, I guess. So, you live in Everhope?” he repeats. Even with the sound of a car driving against the wet pavement, I can hear he is still slightly puzzled at this coincidence.
Speaking up, I explain. “Yeah, gives me a little space from my parents and the boutique in Lake Spark. I have a friend who lives here, too.”
His smirk feels unsafe. “Makes sense. Lake Spark isn’t so far. A few of the guys on the team live around here.”
Lightning followed by a boom startles us both.
I peek out from the cover of the umbrella to get a view of the sky, and even though it’s dark, I see the outline of clouds when another lightning strike flashes before I return under the umbrella.
“I hate October storms in Illinois. They are cold, and then comes this weird sort of rain but not rain kind of snow.”
“We call that sleet,” he deadpans.
I give him a side glare. “Har-har.” We both stop our wide grins and realize that here we are again. “Besides, safety first. I don’t think you are supposed to have an umbrella up if there is lightening.”
“That would be a tough decision. Chance of getting electrocuted or guaranteed getting wet?”
My mouth instantly gapes, and my eyes blaze from his words. Everything inside of me coils in the best possible way, a tightness in my belly and my chest beginning to pound. “Wow.”
He chuckles under his breath because he understands that his sentence was open to interpretation. “The rain. I mean the rain,” he says sincerely, yet there is still mischief in his eyes, the streetlight highlighting his gleam.
I hate this attraction suddenly. It’s overbearing and magnetic. And what are the chances that we cross paths at this moment.
“To even the awkward conversation happening. Maybe, I can say that you were wearing a dark gray suit at yesterday’s game.” I have no problem admitting that I turned my TV on.
His head retreats, slightly astonished. “Needed something to look at?”
I shrug and play casual. “I mean, might as well reap the benefits of a winning hockey team. If you get ejected like the last coach and swear while you stomp on the bench, then that will really make my week, if you feel so inclined.”
Flirting is good for the soul, and it seems to come naturally to us.
His deep chuckle wraps around my core. “I have a feeling that your mind could get us both in trouble.”
Stepping closer to him, my confidence causes me to feel that it is the right thing to do. I consider myself sexy no matter where I am or what I’m wearing. I have poise. “You would only think that if you knew where a dirty mind could go,” I whisper.
His eyes peer down, and his intense stare pierces mine. “Touche. I should probably go before we both find ourselves in trouble.”
“Good luck with that. The weather isn’t ideal.
Sometimes the road between Everhope and Lake Spark can flood, and the detour goes through duck territory where you end up waiting half an hour for a family of ducks to cross the road.
It’s nighttime, so the deer decide they are fearless and just stand in the middle of the road, unwilling to move.
Don’t get me started on the foxes around here. ”
His tongue slides to the corner of his mouth, and his face remains a stoic slyness. “I would have to be careful anyways. If I’m around you, something tells me that it’s just as dangerous.”
I swear he steps a smidgen closer to me, our bodies almost brushing. The touch would fill the void of this static tension between us. But just as I make my move, cold water lands on me, and I yelp.
It comes from the side, which means the umbrella doesn’t save me.
Looking over my shoulder, I see that a little boy is following his parents and stomping into puddles in the process.
He would be a little rascal, except his unruly behavior means I’ve fallen forward and straight into Asher’s hard body.
His free hand steadies my arm, and I freeze. It’s not even from the cold water. It’s because I get that touch I’ve been seeking, but only because Asher holds my arm in concern, his hands feeling strong. “Yikes. You okay?”
I peer up, only to find his own eyes dipped down to watch me. Everything feels heavy between us still.
I reluctantly glance behind me to see my jeans completely soaked. “It will be fine, just cold.”
“Where’s your car?” He slowly lets me go.
“Parked up the street, but it doesn’t matter, I live up here.” I point to a few buildings up ahead.
His eyes grow big and his nose lifts. “Really?” Not my imagination, that sounds promising.
“Yeah, uh… do you want a coffee or tea?” I try to avoid the view of his facial expression, instead focusing on the street, and in the corner of my eye, I notice that he has done the same.
We both observe the sleet turning into giant watery snowflakes.
“It will probably stop a little later.” Our eyes latch at the same moment.
He smiles tightly and scratches his cheek, debating with himself, and I find it amusing. “That is…”
“Tempting, I know.” I finish his sentence in good humor.
We hear the sound of the music and patrons from the wine bar in the background when someone opens the door while he thinks for a second. “Okay.”
My grin is satisfied, but my body is heightened from his presence.
He begins to wrestle with the umbrella. “I think I choose rain. I can’t risk the lightning accident.”
I laugh. “The statistics of that are slim, you know.”
Closing the umbrella, he shrugs as we are left standing in the rain. “Fuck, this was a bad idea.”
“Not going to argue. Come on.”
Indicating with my head, I motion for him to follow me.
My loft apartment is in an old building with a specialty wine store downstairs. My place is by no means a mansion, but all of the fixtures have been updated and the ceilings are high. The place feels like a home.
We race under the door’s overhang and let out a sigh, mixed with wide smiles on our faces. I stomp my shoes on the mat before leaning down to the plant by the doormat, and I lift the pot and swipe out my key.
Asher touches my arm. “What the hell?”
“What? I forgot my key, so I’m using the spare.”
“Anybody could find that and break in.” He sounds both shocked and protective, and that isn’t helping my heightened senses.