Chapter 18
~Deacon~
No response I can think of seems adequate in response to Daley’s explanation of how she ended up as a single mother, so when she changes the subject, I don’t object.
Like me, she knows what it’s like to have the future you imagined blown apart in one conversation.
Sure, the circumstances are completely different but the life-altering gut punch to the system must feel pretty much the same.
I can empathize with her situation, and a newfound admiration for her slowly sinks in as we enjoy our meal and chat easily about the upcoming season and what River can expect.
Easy is the operative word with Daley. Just like that night in Las Vegas, we seem to operate at the same level, catching jokes the other makes and sharing the same appreciation for the food and experience that Abbati’s provides.
Everything in me feels at home around her, like I don’t have to be anyone other than who I am, and it’s a freedom I haven’t felt in a romantic setting for… well, ever, maybe.
Not that she sees this as a romantic setting.
By the time the meal draws to an end, she’s given me no indication that she wants to see me again, but my feelings are clearer than ever.
This type of rapport with a woman doesn’t happen often for me and I don’t intend to ignore it now that I’ve found it.
“How long are you staying in town?” I ask after handing over my credit card to Bianca and waving away Daley’s attempts to pay for her share.
Pursing her lips, she slides her wallet back into her purse. “Just until tomorrow. I didn’t want to drive back tonight but I need to get home and get ready for the showcase this weekend.”
“Showcase?” Belatedly, I realize we spent most of our time talking about the team and I didn’t ask her for more details about her job. She said she started up a tutoring business but that’s literally all I know. Great job, Deke.
“It’s an annual thing the town does when school starts up. All the clubs and people who do private lessons have booths at the arena so kids and their parents can check out what’s available.”
“And you have a booth for your business?” I guess.
“Yes. I usually have an experiment or two set up for the kids to try and it can get a little hectic.” Her smile lets me know she doesn’t mind a bit of chaos.
“Most of it is ready but something always pops up at the last minute that needs to be dealt with. I need to be there ahead of time, just in case.”
I’m intrigued, doing my best to imagine the scene. “Is River coming to help you with it?”
Bianca returns my card and thanks us both for visiting before swiftly withdrawing, not wanting to interrupt our conversation.
“River’s settling in here in the city,” Daley answers, rising to her feet now that the meal is over. Although I wouldn’t mind lingering a bit longer, I follow her lead and we head back to my car. “My friend, Jane, will be there to help, though. She works with me, we run everything together.”
When we reach the car, I step ahead of her with two long strides to open the door for her. “Do you usually get a lot of new business out of this event?”
“It depends.” After getting her settled, I jog around the car and get in my side to hear the rest of her answer. “The other booths cheat sometimes and steal all the attention.”
A low chuckle rumbles in my chest as I start the car and steer us in the direction of River’s new apartment. He gave me the address when I offered to drive Daley home. “How do they cheat?”
Daley waves her hands around as if conjuring the scene out of thin air.
“Oh, they bring in a chocolate fountain or a bouncy castle or something ridiculous that makes their booth the place to be. Last year, the riding centre brought four of their horses. My plastic frog dissection didn’t seem so exciting in comparison. ”
She sounds so adorably put out that I have to laugh again. “Small towns are the same all over, aren’t they?”
I haven’t thought about my small-town roots in a long time, but Daley’s description reminds me of the people I knew there and the generations-long rivalries that played out.
“They probably are,” she agrees with a laugh of her own. “I could come up with a gimmick of my own rather than complaining about anyone else’s, but I want people to be excited about science itself. Is that delusional?”
“Maybe a little,” I tease. Science was never my strong subject, but as I consider the situation, another solution occurs to me, one that would solve both Daley’s attention-getting problem and my desire to spend more time with her. “What if I was your gimmick?”
Her head cocked to the side, she gives me a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”
Thinking out loud, I lay it out for her. “Some of those kids are probably Wolves fans.”
“Most of them,” she corrects.
“Alright, most of them. So, what if Deke Belin is the one doing experiments with them at your booth? That’d draw a crowd, right?”
With my eyes on the road, I can feel her staring at me as she weighs my words. “That might start a stampede, you mean.”
I shrug as casually as possible. “Your booth would be the place to be.”
She lets out a huff that’s part appreciative, part dismissive. “That’s very generous of you to offer, but I can’t accept.”
“Why not?” She’s going to have to give me a reason because personally, I think it’s a brilliant idea.
“Well, what about your safety, for one thing? You’re a celebrity…”
“I’m a hockey player,” I contradict. “And I do stuff at schools all the time. This is no different. People are pretty respectful. I’ll let the team know I’m doing it and they can check in with the organizers to see if they have any concerns.”
Not having a comeback to that, Daley pivots to another objection. “What would I say when people ask why you’re there?”
“The truth?” I shoot her a sly grin before carrying on. “Your son just got drafted to the Wolves. That’s gotta be big news in town, right?”
“Huge news.”
“So, his new teammate came to help you out. Nobody will read anything more into it than that, I promise.”
I wait for her to ask me if there is something more to it than that, but she doesn’t. Twisting her hands in her lap, she asks another question.
“What about when River asks why you’re there? He’ll hear about it even if I don’t say anything. News travels fast.”
“So, tell him the truth ahead of time. While I was driving you home, you mentioned this event and it sounded like fun, so I volunteered. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, Daley. Just a guy helping out a friend.”
“Are we friends?” she asks, a bit of humour returning to her tone. “Since when?”
“Since now, if you’d like to be.”
I don’t give a damn what she wants to call me as long as I get a chance to see her again.
I pull up in front of River’s apartment building as Daley considers my statement. When I turn to face her, I can almost read every emotion playing across her beautiful face.
Wariness and want, hesitation and hope.
She knows what I’m really asking.
Let me get to know you.
That makes it even sweeter when she gives me her soft reply. “If you really want to come, I’d like that. Can I take your number so I can send you the details?”
Fuck yes. “Give me your phone.”
She unlocks it and hands it over so I can put my information in. Once it’s there, I switch it off before handing it back to her.
“I’ll talk to you soon, Daley.”
“Okay.” She shakes her head as if she can’t believe what just happened, and I hop out of the car to open the door for her one more time. When she takes my hand to help her step out, we’re face-to-face one more time. “Thank you for the ride and for dinner.”
“It was my pleasure.”
That’s the God’s-honest truth, but I’m also pretty damn hopeful the real pleasure is still to come.