Chapter 11 Ben
Ben
Ben woke up feeling great. He hadn’t slept deeply or for a particularly long time, but he came to with vibrant energy and the type of enthusiasm that was synonymous with an exceptional day.
He pillowed his arms behind his head as he replayed the events of the previous evening in his mind. As had happened so many times last night, a happy smile rose to his lips.
He could still picture the astonished expression on Melody’s face when she’d first seen him walking toward her table.
He could get very used to a woman looking at him the way she had.
He was no Sherlock Holmes in his powers of observation and deduction, but he could swear he’d made a very positive impression on her by the end of their speed date.
He’d seen a most alluring combination of emotions cross her face.
Surprise. Delight. Anticipation. Shyness.
Attraction. It had all been there, wrapped up in such an enticing package that he hadn’t known whether to thank his lucky stars or groan in frustration because it was once again the wrong venue for pulling her into his arms and seeing if her lips tasted as sweet as they appeared.
Melody had looked as beautiful yesterday as she always did.
He thought he might have detected a light coat of mascara—giving extra length to her already alluring lashes—along with a coat of lip gloss, but that was about it makeup wise.
It was the perfect combination to subtly enhance her stunning features while making him wonder whether she was wearing makeup at all.
She’d left her hair to fall in long dark waves around her shoulders.
His fingers had itched to comb through it.
Her look was natural, but extremely appealing.
Seated at the table as she was, Ben hadn’t been able to see what she was wearing on her lower half, but her upper half had been draped in a fitted gold top that brought out the warm, honeyed tones in her skin and made her big brown eyes look even more luminous than normal.
The cowl neck had brushed her upper breasts, hinting at a rich valley of cleavage.
The understated sophistication of her attire was more tempting than a revealing scooped neckline would have been.
Melody had reminded him of a present waiting to be unwrapped. Only, it wasn’t Christmas morning, so all he’d been able to do was stare and appreciate the gorgeous gift before his eyes as anticipation built within him.
He’d been practically mesmerized by the sight of her.
It had taken some serious strength of will not to let his eyes linger where they shouldn’t.
Fortunately, the willpower that had gotten him into the NHL and kept him there had prevailed and he’d managed to keep his gaze focused on her face. For the most part.
Ben sighed in contentment as he rolled over in his bed and reached for the cellphone on his bedside table.
Opening his email, he found a message from Cupid Connections. It looked like it had come in late last night. He clicked on the message and read its contents.
Dear Mr. Benjamin Logan,
Thank you for joining us at our speed dating event at the Brookstreet Bistro this evening.
We are pleased to inform you that you have a match!
Please find Melody’s email below.
Wishing you all the best in your romantic future,
Maureen Spencer
General Manager
Cupid Connections
Feeling even more stoked than he had mere moments before, Ben piled a couple of pillows behind his head and leaned back against them.
Now comfortably propped up, he opened his texting app and started to type.
He supposed he could have sent Melody an email at the address Maureen had provided him with, but texting felt like the faster, better, and more convenient option.
Ben: Good morning, beautiful. I hope you had a pleasant sleep and woke up to find everything as right with your world as I did with mine.
Was his remark a little cheesy? Probably, but it was what was genuinely going through his mind, so he went with it.
It was 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, so he wasn’t sure when Melody might see his text.
He was an early riser by nature, but he wasn’t sure what her routine looked like.
Did she like to hop out of bed and greet the day along with the sunrise, or did she prefer to take the opportunity the weekend afforded to remain curled up in bed under a pile of fluffy blankets?
These were some of the details he hoped to learn about her. And soon, if he could help it.
He had to be at O’Hare to catch an 11:00 a.m. flight, so he had some time to spare, but not much. A car service was scheduled to pick him up in just under an hour. With his travel schedule in mind, he threw off his sheet and walked to the bathroom.
He took a quick shower and toweled himself dry before wrapping his towel around his waist and wandering back into his bedroom. He gave into temptation and checked his phone to see whether Melody had responded to his morning text. To his surprise, she had.
Checking the clock to make sure he was still on schedule, he took a seat on the edge of the bed. Getting dressed could wait a few minutes. He settled in and proceeded to read Melody’s reply.
Melody: Good morning. I’m just waking up, but I’m feeling pretty good so far. Thank you for wondering. :-)
Ben smiled as he pictured a gentle blush rising to color her cheeks.
There was something charming about such shyness in such a smart and accomplished woman.
Given the way she responded to him, he would think no one had ever flirted with her before.
His inner caveman delighted at the idea, even though his rational mind dismissed it as improbable.
Ben: I’m just getting ready to head to the airport, but I imagine you might have guessed that. ;-)
Winky faces weren’t too creepy, were they? He certainly hoped not.
Three dots appeared on his screen to indicate Melody was typing a reply.
Melody: I did, but I didn’t want to make a point of it and sound like I was keeping close tabs on you again. ;-)
A short bark of laughter escaped him. Perfect. If he was being creepy by using winky emojis, they were being creepy together.
Ben: Do you need to head into the office today?
Melody: Nope. Part of the beauty of working with retirees is that I have the privilege of working from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. I might choose to go in if I feel someone could really use a weekend treatment, but it isn’t expected.
Ben wondered if she realized what it said about her that she would give up part of her weekend if it meant helping to alleviate someone else’s suffering. He’d seen enough selfishness in his time to know that altruism didn’t come naturally to everyone.
Ben: So, you get to enjoy a lazy day, while I have to head out to the airport, fly across the country, and prepare to battle it out on the ice against fierce competitors? ;-)
Damn. There was that winky again. He would have to be careful not to overuse it, but he hadn’t wanted her to think he was criticizing her if she did plan to enjoy a day of leisure.
Melody: Pretty much. ;-)
Ben smiled at her simple reply. It seemed like they were both making liberal use of the emoji this morning.
Ben: Do you have any special plans for the day?
He was curious how she spent her spare time when she wasn’t making him jealous by meeting eligible men at speed dating events.
Melody: As it happens, I do. :-)
Three more dots appeared on his screen.
Melody: I have exciting plans to catch up on my laundry. Lol.
He was tempted to ask her whether that included any sexy delicates, but it was too soon for that. Call it instinct, but he had a feeling she might bolt if he came on too strong too fast.
Ben: As scintillating as that sounds, do you have anything even more fun planned?
Melody: I do. After I’ve done my laundry and satisfied my sense of duty, I plan to go for a walk through Garfield Park. I might read a book by the lagoon before I meet up with my mom for dinner.
His girl—yes, he was convinced she would be his girl—liked nature, walking, and reading. Check. He filed the information away for future reference.
Ben’s lips quirked up into a smile as he drew inspiration from last night’s deck of questions.
Ben: If you could step foot into any work of fiction, which would you choose?
Melody: Oh. That’s a good one. Hmmm . . . I’m going to have to think on that.
Ben looked at the clock face again. Damn. His car was scheduled to arrive in fifteen minutes, and it might help if he were wearing clothing when it did.
Ben: You do that. Unfortunately, I have to run. I look forward to hearing your answer once you’ve had time to think it over.
Melody: Safe travels! Slaughter San Jose tonight. (But not really since I’m sure they’re lovely people. Maybe just kick their butts?)
She provided visual representation with a shoe and a peach emoji. Damn, but this girl made him smile.
Grabbing one of his more comfortable travel suits, Ben pulled on a pair of boxer briefs before stepping into his dress pants, buttoning up his collared shirt, and shrugging on a matching jacket.
While he might sometimes lament the fact he wasn’t permitted to travel to games in his sweats, after a decade in the NHL he was used to the dress code.
Most days, he didn’t even think about the constraint. It was just part of the job.
Now suitably dressed, he made his way into his kitchen where he positioned a travel mug under the spigot of his state-of-the-art espresso machine.
It was doubtless one of the best purchases he’d ever made.
Thanks to the automated grinder and milk carafe, a café-quality cappuccino was only a push of a button away.
Armed with a little caffeine, he stepped outside to find his car service pulling up the driveway. He locked his front door and breathed in the aroma of his coffee. It felt like the air was perfumed by sweet possibility. It was going to be a good day.