Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
CHANCE
After the game, I shower, change into a fresh shirt and I’m on my way to April’s. Enroute, Derek calls and I can hear the smile on his face.
“Chance, you were on fire tonight.”
“I know.”
“That flip trick was insane!”
“ That’s what impressed you?”
“Of course, of course.” His tone changes into one of a proud parent. “You avoided the penalty box. How’d you manage that?”
It was because of April, but I’m not telling my agent because it feels like something I should tell April first.
Derek doesn’t seem to mind my silence. “Holding back was the right move. Everyone’s saying you’ve been rehabilitated by love. Cheesy, right? But hey, cheesy sells. And that’s not all, Chance. Some big players are taking notice of you. Did you see Spellman tweeting about the game tonight? He’s got lots of clout with the league.”
“Yeah?” I click the indicator, driving down an uneven, gravel path.
“Mark my words. You’ll kick that team of nobodies to the curb and fly back to the top in no time. I’m telling you. I can smell the blood in the water already.”
I cringe at the term ‘nobodies’. Theilan, Renthrow and Gunner played far too skillfully tonight for that.
My tires spit gravel as I park the Lambo in front of a modest bungalow. Warm yellow lights glow from the porch and an old, sturdy tree stands guard. Leaves dance gently in the breeze. May’s bike leans against the front porch that wraps around the side.
“Derek, I’m at April’s. I gotta go.”
“Tell her I said hi,” Derek croons.
Yeah, I don’t think April would receive Derek’s greetings kindly.
“And buy that girl something nice, Chance. She’s playing her part to a T.” He snickers. “Who knew there was such a stunner under all those baggy clothes?”
I bristle.
Derek says goodbye and hangs up before I can call him out.
He’s not the only one making comments about April’s appearance. The woman sent a ripple through the entire stadium, which was probably the point. That red dress was designed to be noticed.
But I don’t particularly like the way she’s popping up on so many radars.
Especially when those radars belong to eligible bachelors.
The whole town is mesmerized, as if they’ve never seen her before. But the thing is, I saw her before. And I thought she was jaw-droppingly gorgeous with curly hair and over-alls too.
The front door opens.
April stalks down the stairs and I scramble out of the car, hurrying to open the passenger door for her. She hasn’t changed out of the dress and I’m surprised by that. I thought she’d switch into something more comfortable as soon as she went home.
Not that I’m complaining.
My eyes slide over that mouth-watering outfit. The fabric is shiny and soft and it hugs her in all the right ways. The dress, paired with her fancy straight hair, makes me feel like I’m with someone totally different.
April stares at the ground and I know I should say something, but my eyes catch on her mouth and my steps falter.
Soft. Subtle. Pink in the moonlight.
I think I’m obsessed…
When we kissed earlier, her lips were a bright burning red that singed right past my skin to my heart. She left her mark. Literally. I had to wipe her lipstick off my mouth during the post-game conference.
“Hey.” April pauses. Her eyes shift to my T-shirt and jeans. Back-pedalling, she gives my outfit a long scan. “You’re casual.”
“And you’re…” Hot enough to burn a cat’s paws on the sidewalk. “Not,” I finish lamely. Realizing how unimpressed I sound, I clear my throat. “I mean, you look amazing.”
Her eyebrows knit.
I cringe. Real smooth, Chance.
“I mean it. You look beautiful.”
“It’s the makeup.” She waves a hand in front of her face. “Take me swimming and I turn back into a pumpkin.”
A frown crosses my mouth. Why does April seem on edge tonight?
“You were never a pumpkin, April,” I assure her.
She gnaws on her bottom lip, and I realize we have yet to make eye contact. Tilting my head and stepping closer, I test whether she’s really avoiding me.
April drops back a step, her eyes on the ground.
Why won’t she look at me?
“It’s getting late. We should go.” She dives into the car like she’s being chased. I try to close her door for her, but it’s yanked out of my grip as April slams it shut herself.
Inside, the air is icy. April stares straight through the windshield, her fingers pulled into fists on her lap and her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She tosses the word at me.
“You can rest tonight if you’re not up to going out.”
“No, I’d rather get it over with.”
Ouch.
April can be… prickly, but she’s never been like this.
I pin my mouth shut and turn down Main Street. It’s surprisingly heavy with traffic. Must be from all the spectators going out for drinks and revelry after the game.
The sound of fabric rustling brings my attention back to April. Streaks of silver light falls on her as we pass under a streetlight. I stare at an exquisitely made up face, mesmerized. Big green eyes. Button nose. Not a hint of freckles.
Why did she cover up her freckles?
I wrack my brain for a way to break the ice. Nothing comes to mind so I turn on the radio. Twelve inches to my right, a red-painted fingernail taps out a rhythm on her skirt.
Focus on the road, Chance.
What perfume is April wearing? It’s a light, flowery scent that fills the car and makes my head spin.
Eyes ahead.
April swings one leg over the other. Red fabric parts and reveals a tantalizing slit. Have mercy. Since when did this dress have a slit? Is she trying to murder me?
“Chance, what are you doing! It’s a red light!” April screams.
I wrench my gaze back to the road just in time to slam on the brakes. A drunk crossing the street yells expletives and shakes a beer-clad fist at me. Lifting a hand in apology, I studiously ignore April’s mad-dog stare drilling into the side of my face.
The Lambo purrs as I switch lanes.
My heart is banging on my ribs like a drummer at a rock concert.
Squeezing the steering wheel even tighter, I force my attention on the new sign in the town square. They’re advertising a food drive. That’s good. Very humanitarian. I should probably donate some cans. I’ll first need to buy some cans since I’m still living in a hotel and don’t currently have groceries… that perfume—what on earth is it? It smells so good.
I press the tab on my door and my window rolls down. Air. I need some air.
“Can you roll that up? My hair is…” April tries to corral the strands. “It can’t take that much wind.”
I close the window. Cans. Food cans. Can drive. Charity. What cans should I donate?
In the corner of my eye, April is raking her fingers through her mane. Her hair, it’s a different color, isn’t it? I can’t exactly tell. It’s still brown, but not the same brown as before. Her hair smells good too. Every time she flicks it, I get a whiff of fruity shampoo. Does every part of her body smell insanely good?
I can’t think about her body parts.
Leaning forward, I turn up the music.
April turns it down. “Chance, you’re being weird. Do you not want to do this?”
“I do.”
“Then do you want to tell me where we’re going? Because unless there’s a new secret restaurant on this road, it seems like we’re going to the library.”
She’s so pretty even when she’s asking questions like she wants to start a fight.
“Just wait. You’ll have your answers soon.” I accelerate down the road.
Her silence turns even icier.
I wish she hadn’t flicked off the radio.
April swings her right leg over her left this time. The split inches up even further. Her perfume drowns my senses in a fruity-floral bliss.
I’m glad when the library rises in view or I would have had to stop the car, throw myself outside and take a walk.
Her eyes meet mine for a split second before darting away. “We are at the library.”
“Come on.”
I lead her inside using the keys that I got from Ms. Glennice, the sweet, older librarian. The light flickers on and illuminates rows and rows of books shelved neatly in wooden bookcases.
The smell of air freshener and worn pages fills the air. For a small town, the library is surprisingly sizable and well-maintained.
“This way,” I say, gesturing for April to follow me.
She remains in place, her arms folded over her chest.
“Why are we here?” she demands. “Aren’t we going to show off our relationship in front of the town tonight?”
“Is that what you want to do?”
“Isn’t that what you want?” she fires back.
“I want you to have a good time,” I admit. “I want to talk with you, eat with you and get to know you.”
She bristles. “Like a date -date?”
I don’t understand why she’s so mad. I thought that was obvious.
Patiently, I tell her, “Isn’t that what this is?”
She turns her face away and takes three deep breaths. When she faces me again, she looks guarded, even a little angry. “Chance, I’d appreciate if you didn’t blur the lines here.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Blur the lines?”
“Yes, you and I… we can’t ‘hang out’ just because.” She gestures between us. “We’re business partners. That’s it.”
“Business partners?”
Her chin snaps down in a sharp, decisive nod.
“Business partners can still enjoy each other’s company, April.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She frowns.
I study her intently. “I’m not going to apologize for wanting to spend time with you if that’s what you’re waiting for.”
Fire crackles through her usually sweet eyes. “Of course not. Why would I expect the great Chance McLanely to apologize?”
Her tone makes me tense. “I’ll apologize if I did something wrong, but I didn’t.”
“You’re going against our contract!”
“You broke the contract first.”
She blinks at me in surprise. “ Excuse me?”
“Was that kiss a part of our ‘terms’?” I lean against the bookcase in the reference section and watch as the wheels behind April’s eyes turn at a fast clip.
Her neck becomes splotchy and the red is quickly mirrored in her cheeks. It could be a trick of the light, but I think I see a hint of my beloved freckles too.
“That…” April tosses her long hair off her shoulders. “That was nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Her chin inches higher. “Yes. Nothing.”
My heart pounds as I study her face.
“People kiss all the time for absolutely no reason at all.” Her eyes lift to the ceiling and I can tell she’s just spouting whatever’s popping into her mind. “We’re both adults and there’s no need to make a big deal out of something meaningless.”
“Oh, really?” I step toward her.
She steps back. “Although, I will admit that I could have gotten your consent beforehand. Men have rights too.”
Her eyelashes flutter. Her cheeks brighten even more.
I suddenly have the urge to kiss this woman and never, ever stop.
But April looks too horrified by my approach.
Her back hits the bookshelf. Her head twists around as if she needs visual confirmation that she’s trapped.
I press my hand on the shelf just above her head and lean down until our faces are separated by mere inches. Her breath catches as I sweep my eyes over her, from head to toe and back.
“W-what are you doing?” April stammers. She presses up on the tips of her toes as if she wants to climb the bookcase backwards.
“That kiss really meant nothing?”
Her eyes dart away. “That’s what I said.”
“You can kiss anyone without feeling anything for them?”
“Y-yes.”
“Prove it.” My eyes lock on her lips.
Her breath escapes in panicked spurts, but I show no mercy when I add…
“Kiss me.”