Chapter 6
HANNAH
Kinsley can’t go anywhere without guys hitting on her. Case in point, the two who followed her back from the bar where she went to get drinks. I’m honestly surprised they stayed after realizing she was very taken and super not interested.
“You have to visit Florence,” one of the guys says, Brandon, I think. “But don’t spend too much time in the city center. It’s cool to see the architecture and history but there are so many more great local spots if you venture farther out.”
I can’t remember how they got on the topic, but he and Skylar have been talking about Italy for the past ten minutes.
Brandon’s friend, Ezra, catches my eye and smiles.
I give him a polite smile back before looking away, then dip my head and place a hand over my mouth to hide a yawn.
It isn’t completely their fault (although Italy isn’t among my top conversation topics).
It’s several hours past my usual bedtime and all the self-loathing of the past few days has made me more tired than usual.
The increased intensity of my training probably has something to do with that too.
Whatever the reason, I’m grateful when a familiar face appears beside Brandon. I sit straighter and my mouth opens in surprise.
“Ruby?”
“Hannah!” The pretty redhead lifts a hand in a shy wave.
“Oh my gosh. What a surprise!” I get to my feet to hug her. It’s probably an overly friendly reaction to seeing someone I’ve only met once before but I am so genuinely happy to see her in this moment that I don’t hold back my excitement.
“I know.” She laughs as I squeeze her. When I pull back, I notice her boyfriend behind her. “Hey. Good to see you too. Congratulations on the win tonight.”
“Nick.” He reminds me, graciously and appreciatively since I had forgotten his name. “Thanks, and it’s good to see you again too.”
I open my mouth to ask them both what they’ve been up to, but I don’t get the question out before my gaze falls on the man slowly coming to stand next to Nick.
I thought I’d seen him earlier then convinced myself it was on the TV.
“Hannah, this is my friend Travis,” Ruby says. “He and Nick are teammates.”
Travis’s mouth pulls up on one side and his eyes are lit up with something like mischief or charm—two things I’m certain are a staple in his life.
“We’ve met,” I say to Ruby without looking away from Travis. He’s just as handsome as I remember. His dark hair is cut shorter on the sides, but the top strands are wavy with one wayward curl hanging down on his forehead. But it’s that big, lopsided grin that makes my stomach dip.
“Hey, Hannah.” His deep voice has a slight rumble to it that I feel in my body as he takes another step forward.
I take a step back. “Hi.”
There’s something about him that makes me feel off balance.
“Hey there!” Kinsley calls from behind me.
I open my stance to introduce my friends. “This is Kinsley and Skylar.”
I don’t bother introducing the guys, but they do it themselves.
“No way. Travis Bennett and Nick Galaxy!” Ezra’s voice is awe-filled as he lifts a beer toward them. “Nice game tonight. We’re big fans.”
“Huge!” Brandon says, waving both arms in exaggerated fashion. “Can we buy you a drink?”
“Thanks, but we’re heading out soon,” Nick says, lifting his nearly empty glass in polite appreciation.
“Really? You’re leaving?” I ask Ruby, sad that I won’t have more time to catch up. “How long are you in town?”
“Yeah. Apparently playing hockey is tiring.” She looks up at Nick adoringly. “But, actually, I live here now.”
“Really?” I look to Nick, easily understanding why she’s moved. When I met her, she was only planning to be in Moonshot for a short time, and they were still figuring out what they were to each other.
“Yeah.” She nods and grins bigger. “We should get together sometime when you aren’t busy with gymnastics.”
“We’re always busy with gymnastics,” Kinsley says.
“True,” I admit. “But I’ll make time. Let me give you my number.”
I feel Travis’s stare as I move closer to Ruby. She hands me her phone, and I input my number, then text myself so I have hers too.
I’m vaguely aware of Brandon asking Travis if he wants a drink. And hyperaware of Travis’s response. “I’m all set, but thanks.”
Ruby and I hug again and promise to hang out soon. Travis says his goodbyes to them too, which answers the question I most definitely had not been thinking on whether he was leaving too.
I wave to Ruby and Nick as they leave. Brandon and Ezra wander off too, which is exactly what I expect Travis to do. Instead, I find him watching me.
“How’ve you been?” he asks me. He doesn’t step closer this time, but I feel the full weight of his attention.
“You mean since you got me arrested and cost me my sponsorship? Or since you ate my dinner?” I ask with fake sweetness dripping from my tone. “So good, thanks for asking.”
“This is your hottie neighbor?!” Kinsley asks in a loud screech.
I groan inwardly and then shoot her a death glare. She tries to look apologetic, but it turns into a sheepish smile.
“Travis.” He flashes a wide grin at my friends, but when he turns his attention back to me, he manages to look remorseful. “I’m really sorry. Can I buy you a drink or a thousand to make it up to you?”
I wish it were that simple. He seems like he might be a good guy—flirty but kind. However, when I look at him, all I can think about are my dreams going up in flames.
“Thanks, but I should probably head out as well.”
“What?” Kinsley doesn’t even bother hiding her disappointment. “No!”
“It’s late. You should get home too,” I tell her. We have to be at the gym in less than eight hours.
“Nah. I’ll risk being tired tomorrow for a night out with my girl.” She and Skylar share a smile as they snuggle closer to each other. I’d risk a little sleep deprivation if someone looked at me like that too.
“Can I offer you a ride?” Travis asks me.
I do my best to offer him a polite smile. “No thanks.”
“Why not? I’m going that way.”
“I don’t get in vehicles with strange men. Or strange women for that matter.”
“Good. Good. Safety first.”
I wait a beat, certain he’s going to say something else to sway my decision. He doesn’t.
“Okay, well, bye.” I turn from him, hug both Kinsley and Skylar, and when I look back, he’s gone.
Relief hits me at the same time as something else…something a lot like disappointment. I try my best not to think too hard about that as I ride home in the back of the Uber. I thank the woman and step out into my driveway at the same time a black Range Rover pulls in next door.
Travis parks and gets out.
“You followed me home?” I raise my voice to call to him across the side yard that separates our driveways.
“Did I or was I just leaving the bar at the same time and going the exact same way?” The smirk he wears gives me my answer.
“Stalk much?”
“If I followed you home, and that’s a big if, then it was because I wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
“I’m very capable of getting myself home.”
“Of course you are.”
His agreement is almost more maddening than if he were to fight me on the subject.
“Grrrrah!” The noise that comes out of me is similar to that when I’ve failed to land a new skill after dozens of attempts. Travis Bennett is a maddening, frustrating, and annoyingly handsome man.
I march to my front door without sparing him another glance. His laughter filters through the quiet neighborhood.
“Night, Hannah!” he calls after me.
On Thursday, I walk out of the gym feeling the stress of the week in every muscle of my body. I’ve pushed myself hard. Partly to prove to Coach Rodier that I deserve to be here and partly to forget about my dwindling bank account.
It’s worked. Mostly.
All I want is to go home, shower, and crawl into bed. Unfortunately, it’ll have to wait. I desperately need groceries and I ran out of shampoo this morning.
I drive toward the house, looking for a store on my way where I can grab everything I need. I luck out and find a supermarket halfway between the gym and home.
I’m still in my leotard so I pull on a pair of shorts and a baggy sweatshirt.
My hair is sweaty, and my cheeks are still flushed from a day full of working out.
I groan at my reflection in the sliding doors before they open and I step inside.
Oh well. I just need a few things, and it isn’t like I’m going to run into anyone I know on this side of town.
One of the oddly satisfying things about moving away from where you grew up is that you no longer fear running into someone you went to high school with while looking like shit.
After grabbing a cart, I start in the produce section.
Bananas and blackberries make it into the cart, followed by a wide range of vegetables I can eat raw like carrots and cauliflower.
No matter how much I force myself to eat them, I’m never going to be a fan.
But I can practically hear my grandmother’s voice in my head telling me I need to get at least two veggies a day.
She is hardcore in her daily nutrition requirements, but she turns eighty this year and still gets around like she’s thirty years youngers so she must know something.
I offset the healthy stuff with three different kinds of pretzels, muffins from the bakery, and white chocolate chips, which I typically eat by the handful while deciding what to eat for dinner.
I’m going down the last aisle, looking for any final items I can’t live without when a tall, athletic guy comes around the corner on the opposite side. His walk is familiar even before I place my handsome neighbor.
I seriously consider hiding but before I can figure out how to best crawl into the ice cream freezer, Travis sees me. A smile instantly lifts the corners of his mouth, and despite my best efforts, my stomach does a somersault.
Traitorous body.
He’s good-looking and somehow seeing him amidst the other grocery shoppers, it’s all the more obvious. Not only how attractive he is but how attractive I find him. Usually, flirty guys aren’t my type. I guess he’s hot enough that even that can’t fully take away from his looks.
His leisurely steps pick up pace as he navigates his shopping cart right at me. How is it possible he even looks good pushing a bright red cart with a wobbly wheel?
“Must be my lucky day,” he says with a cockiness that should be studied. No man with five boxes of Cocoa Pebbles in their shopping cart should look this confident.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Do you really use lines like that?”
“Uhh…” His brows lift but his smile remains.
That’s a yes.
A surprised laugh escapes my lips. “Let me guess, we just happen to be going to the same place at the same time?”
“Looks like it.”
“Is this your current shopping window?”
He arches a brow. “Trying to avoid me?”
“Oh no. Definitely not.” Of course that’s what I’m trying to do. I can’t keep running into this guy everywhere I go. He has my nervous system all out of whack. And I’m still pissed at him. Kind of.
“Don’t worry. I typically use their online ordering and delivery service, but I couldn’t get through the night without a few essentials.”
“Cocoa Pebbles?”
He doesn’t look even the slightest bit embarrassed. “Absolutely.”
“Definitely essential.”
He eyes my cart with the same interest I did his. “You should swap out those blueberry muffins for the huckleberry.”
“I like blueberry.”
“Have you ever had huckleberry?”
“No,” I admit.
“Moon Cafe makes them fresh while the berries are in season.” He groans, a deep rough sound that makes my stomach dip. “I think I need to make one more stop before I head home.”
I take that as my cue to go. “Well…happy shopping.”
He huffs a short laugh as one side of his full lips pulls up. “Happy shopping, Hannah.”
The next morning when I walk out of my house to head to the gym, there’s a white paper bag on the hood of my Jeep.
My steps slow as I approach it, but when I see my name written in Sharpie on the front, I just know.
I know it’s from him, even without having ever seen his handwriting before.
It’s small and slanted and there’s a little smiley face to the right of my name. And inside is a huckleberry muffin.
At least it isn’t Cocoa Pebbles.