Chapter 17
Lucky
Winnie’s hand grips mine hard as we follow the ma?tre d’ through the restaurant. I feel the tension exiting her body and flowing into mine.
“Everyone’s staring,” she whispers.
I squeeze her hand. “They’re staring at you. And why wouldn’t they… because damn, girl… that dress.”
She makes a scoffing noise low in her throat and I glance down at her, which is dangerous because she doesn’t look a thing like the Winnie I’ve come to know.
The emerald-green dress is fitted to her curves with a V that dips just enough to make me think things I probably shouldn’t be thinking in public.
Her hair’s down, smooth and shiny, brushing her shoulders like it knows it’s part of the presentation.
Her makeup is glamorous, highlighting bone structure that takes her from freshly pretty to bombshell.
“So, you’re saying you like what I’m wearing,” she teases as we arrive at the table.
I beat the ma?tre d’ to the chair, pulling it out for her. I make a point of looking her up and down, lifting a shoulder. “You clean up all right.”
“Just all right?” She laughs, sitting with a wink. “That’s dangerously close to average.”
I grin and slide into my seat across from her, taking the large leather menu in hand. “You’re the statistical outlier, Shaw. The rest of us are just trying to keep up.”
We chat about her workday after the waiter takes our drink order—she gets a glass of red and I stick with sparkling water.
We peruse the menu together, choosing courses we’re both interested in so we can share.
She tells me about Sadie’s latest reading obsession and a kid in her class who insists his dad is Spider-Man.
I tell her about a bet in the locker room involving Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a jockstrap that I wish I could unsee.
“This is beautiful,” she says, glancing around the low-lit space. White linen tablecloths, flickering candles, an actual piano with pianist tucked in the corner. “Do you bring all your TikTok girlfriends here?”
“Only the exclusive ones,” I reply.
She laughs and reaches for the bread basket. “So I’m number what—twelve?”
“Nah.” I watch the way her fingers tear into the roll. “Just number one.”
That earns me a side glance. Warm. Curious. Like she’s not sure if I’m being serious or charming, and the truth is, I’m both. “I can honestly say I’ve never brought a woman to an expensive, high-end restaurant for a date before.”
Winnie pauses, a piece of bread halfway to her mouth. “You’re kidding?”
I rub at my jaw and give her a sheepish smile. “I’m not sure if that makes me look good or bad to you.”
She shakes her head as if saying, I’m not thinking bad of you. “I guess I sort of thought…” She looks around at the setting before her gaze comes back to me. “That this is normal for you.”
I look around as well and I see what she sees. The linen’s crisp enough to make a sound when you touch it. The crystal glasses sparkle. The butter is shaped into tiny roses and there’s gold leaf on the dessert menu. All easily affordable for me, so I get where she’s coming from.
“I eat in restaurants like this all over the world. But I’ve never brought a date to one.”
“I’m not tracking why you wouldn’t.”
I lean forward and cross my arms on the table. “You’ve never asked me about my past relationships. I know you were in a serious one and he cheated, but you’ve never shown any curiosity about mine.”
Winnie ducks her eyes and I can’t tell from the candlelight’s glow if her cheeks are red. “I didn’t want to be intrusive.”
“Jesus, Win,” I exclaim with a dip of my chin. “Why would that be intrusive?”
Her face scrunches as she contemplates that. “I don’t know… I guess I didn’t want you to think I’d set my sights on a serious relationship. Or that I was trying to take advantage of you. If I ask about it, you might think I’m plotting.”
Admittedly, that both charms me and feels like a strike to my soul. I don’t think I’ve ever given her the impression that she’s a gold digger or fame seeker. “I’m an open book, so you can ask me anything. And since you seem shy about doing it, I’ll just tell you… I’ve never dated anyone seriously.”
“Never?”
I shake my head. “I’m all about the casual.”
“Oh,” she says.
“Until now,” I say, and her pretty eyes snap back to me.
“I’ve never wanted to bring a woman out to a fancy restaurant to spoil her.
I’ve never invited a woman to my games or to go out with me after.
Please don’t hold this against me, but I played the field and I never went out with someone more than a few times. ”
She looks at me skeptically. “A love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy, huh?”
“Never love,” I correct her. “Meaning… I’ve never been in love. Not sure if that makes me lucky or not.”
“That’s actually profound,” she says, her hazel eyes locked on me.
“Some would say that makes me skeptical,” I point out.
“I think it makes you discerning and cautious.”
And that right there is the correct answer. I don’t tell her that I’ve never even thought about what a relationship could mean to my world… until I met her. She might think it disingenuous.
“This is pretty far outside your comfort zone,” she observes, fingertips circling the top of her wineglass. “Which makes me appreciate it more. So, thank you for a lovely evening.”
I cock an eyebrow at her. “It’s nowhere near over yet.”
She laughs, soft and tinkling but still reaching my ears over the noise of dozens of voices in low conversation, as if the sound were made for me. It’s happened on a few occasions with Winnie… like I’ve been hit over the head.
“You’re staring at me.” Her lips curve upward, eyes curious.
“Yeah. I’m trying to figure out if this is one of those dreams where I wake up covered in Buttermilk’s fur.”
She snorts into her wine. “You think my rabbit’s fur is dream residue?”
“Pretty sure he shed judgment on me last time.”
Winnie dabs her lips with a napkin, her grin lingering. “He’s actually a good judge of character.”
“Great. So I’m killing it on all fronts.”
Before she can respond, the server brings our food. I watch as Winnie snaps her fingers at me, an order to hand over my plate. She cuts a third of the steak and places it on her plate and heaps pasta onto mine before passing it back.
While we eat, I notice two girls at the bar staring at me and pointing—and not with much stealth.
I hope to God they don’t come over here because while I normally don’t mind getting interrupted by fans, I don’t want to share tonight with anyone else.
More importantly, I don’t want Winnie to get spooked.
Gushing fans are not the norm for most people and something tells me Winnie’s going to have a hard time with that aspect of my life.
Luckily, the women stay put and we finish dinner without interruption. By the time dessert comes—one shared crème br?lée and two spoons—her leg is tucked casually against mine beneath the table, like it’s always been natural for us to touch.
It’s getting close to ten p.m. when we step outside into the crisp night air.
I know Winnie has to work tomorrow and I’ve got another home game.
After that, I have one free day and then I’m on a road trip that will take me away for another four days.
I’m slightly frustrated that my career is an obstacle to having time to go on dates with Winnie, but we’re managing to navigate it.
I hesitate. “You want to go somewhere else?”
She glances up at me. “Like where?”
Before I can answer, the door to the restaurant swings open and the two women who were at the bar come walking out, their eyes locked on me. I know without a doubt they followed us.
“Lucky.” This from a woman with dark red hair spilling down her back, a sexy black dress and insanely high heels. “Hi… um… we’re big fans.”
I cringe at her breathy tone, something that would have had me grinning like a Cheshire Cat just a few weeks ago.
Here we go.
I nod, polite but not overly welcoming. “Thank you. Always nice to hear that.”
She lights up because I replied to her and her companion, a woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes nowhere near as pretty as Winnie’s, steps forward. “I love your TikToks. And your passes. You’re, like, my boyfriend’s man crush. Think I can get a photograph? He’ll die.”
“Glad I could help your relationship,” I say with a chuckle, but my eyes cut to Winnie. I don’t know how to describe her expression other than it’s a little too blank for my comfort. There’s no overt dislike of the situation but no understanding smile either. I look back to the woman.
Just wide green-gold eyes taking in the perception of fame.
“I love your TikToks too,” the redhead says. “I’d love a photograph too.”
“Of course,” I say and take a minute to pose with each of them individually while the other woman snaps photos with their phones.
I pull a Keanu Reeves, not wrapping my arm around either as we pose, instead holding it out and away from them.
It doesn’t stop either one from practically snuggling into me.
“Okay, ladies… I’m going to get back to my date now,” I say, extricating myself. “Appreciate your support of me and the Titans.”
“Thank you,” the brunette gushes, her eyes playful and mischievous. “I just love how you’re doing this whole average-girl experiment—it’s so real of you.”
Another cringe at the backhanded slap about Winnie. This isn’t my experiment into average, it’s hers. But what they don’t know is that Winnie is anything but.
I move to Winnie, take her hand and look back to the women. “If you’re saying she’s average, then you’re clearly not paying attention.”
Their jaws drop, mouths sagging, and Winnie makes a strangled sound low in her throat.
The redhead recovers first and stammers a defense of her friend, “I’m sure that’s not what she meant.”
“She meant it,” I say, but I’m already turning me and Winnie toward my Tahoe. My hand squeezes hers and I look down at her. “Sorry about that. The whole fame thing isn’t what I wanted to be a part of our evening, but what that woman said was just mean.”
To my surprise, Winnie smiles back, and it’s as bright as any other smile she’s bestowed upon me. “It’s part of your life. I get it. But I definitely need to figure it out. It’s a little jarring.”
“But what she said—”
Winnie shakes her head. “That’s the price of putting yourself out there. I see the negative comments and I know there will be more.”
“That’s fair,” I say, keeping my voice low. “But I’ll always try to protect our space. Even if that space includes fangirls who think jockstraps are personality traits.”
Her mouth twitches. “I’m still working through the Cheetos visual. Don’t throw too much at me.”
I throw my head back and laugh. We reach the Tahoe and I open her door. “You are the most un-average woman I’ve ever met. Please don’t ever aspire to normality with me.”
“I’ll try my best,” she quips and then turns to face me fully. “You always this smooth?”
“Nope,” I admit. “Only with you.”
“I don’t want the night to be over,” she says, and my heart slams against my breastbone.
“What do you want to do?”
Winnie’s gaze slides back to the restaurant. I flick a glance that way, but the women are gone. She’s quiet for a beat and then her attention is back on me. “Want to come to my house for a nightcap?”
“Is that something I have to wear on my head?”
“No. Just an antiquated way of asking you to come into my house for a drink after a date, which may or may not lead to something more than conversation. I honestly don’t know what we’ll do when we get there.”
I don’t know either and don’t have a single expectation. I mean… I know what I hope will happen.
But I won’t push for it.
“Okay,” I murmur. “Let’s go to your place and at a minimum, have a drink and keep talking.”
Winnie smiles and starts to climb in the passenger seat but hesitates. She turns partially my way and next thing I know, her hands are circling my neck and she’s pulling me down for a kiss. It’s the first time she’s initiated one and I’m here for it.
There’s no hesitation. No wondering if it’s the right move. The city lights stretch behind her and she’s warm in my arms, her lips parting against mine like she’s been waiting for this all night.
The kiss deepens, her hands sliding under my coat to grip my sweater. Her mouth moves against mine and our tongues meet, a tiny moan bubbling free from her.
She pulls back breathless, looking up at me with bleary eyes. “This isn’t a normal date.”
“No,” I agree, brushing my fingers along her jaw. “But it feels real, right?”
She nods once. “Yeah. It does.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
I kiss her again, slow and deep, until the air goes hot between us despite the chill. I don’t extend it because otherwise we’ll stay out here all night kissing. “Come on… let’s get you home. We won’t make it a late night as you have to be up early.”