Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
Bodi
“So, let me get this straight.” West takes a bite of his burger before continuing. “She wouldn’t tell you anything about her life because her dad is famous and she has to be careful?”
“Pretty much,” I respond.
We’re sitting at a sports bar a couple miles from West’s house, watching the Falcons get trampled by the Dolphins in a preseason game.
“Did you tell her you play pro hockey?”
“Nope.” I shake my head.
“I do not understand,” Vik says, squinting.
“Apparently, her dad is famous,” I explain patiently. “So, she has to be careful for safety reasons, which I totally get. That’s why I haven’t told her who I am either.”
“Are you sure she hasn’t already figured out who you are?” West asks suspiciously.
He’s my friend so I get that he’s being protective.
I also understand being careful, especially for a young woman who just moved to a new city.
If her dad is some big-time Hollywood director or something, it’s probably tricky for her to meet men that are interested in her for who she is instead of who her father is.
Kind of the way women are interested in the hockey player instead of the man inside.
“I’ve been in Georgia three weeks and there’s no way she knew I was going to be at the DDS the day we met,” I respond. “Or that the elevator would get stuck.”
“No, but what if she recognized you and it was just a bit of good luck that she wound up on that elevator with you?”
“She’d have to be a pretty hardcore hockey fan to recognize a player like me,” I say, shrugging. “Technically, I’ve only been in the NHL one season.”
“One season?” Vik asks in confusion.
Obviously, he hasn’t done his homework on his new teammates.
“I spent my entire career in the minors,” I tell him. “Until the playoffs in the season before last when the Phantoms had that bus accident. That’s when I got called up and Ms. Barrowman gave me a shot.” Harper Barrowman is the owner of the Phantoms.
“This I remember,” Vik says, nodding. “I did not know you played only in the minors.”
“Yeah, so Jayne would have to be a serious fan to recognize me, and I don’t get that vibe from her.”
“Seems like an awful lot of work for questionable reward,” West muses. “Unless the goal is sex.”
“No. I mean, yes,” I add quickly, chuckling. “Sex is always one of the goals, but it’s not the main goal. I’m open to…anything.”
West’s brows inch up slightly. “What about the chick online?”
“I’m keeping my options open. I’ve had one lunch with Jayne and a handful of text conversations with Jeannie—I think it’s a little soon to choose.”
West nods. “Then I guess I’ll withhold judgment until I have a chance to meet one or both of them. Just be careful. It sounds like her life is complicated and we’ve got a lot of our own shit to deal with being on this expansion team.”
“Other than the two of you, I don’t know a soul in Georgia,” I say. “I could use some more friends.”
“Yeah, but that’ll change as soon as the rest of the team gets here.”
“I also have no friends,” Vik says, shrugging. “But I like this. I prefer the alone.”
West shakes his head at him. “You’re full of shit, bro. You just don’t want to have to learn better English.”
Vik shrugs. “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
I laugh and take a pull of my beer.
So far, living together has been seamless. Vik keeps to himself a lot, and West is an amazing cook. We still don’t know if our fourth roommate is going to join us, so the three of us are settling into a routine. But we’re not close yet. That takes time.
So, I’m glad I bit the bullet, calling Jayne and taking her to lunch.
Despite West’s reservations about her intentions, I like the idea of meeting a woman without any pressure.
And she’s not like anyone else I’ve ever gone out with.
Reserved, incredibly smart, and a bit shy too.
It’s refreshing. I also really liked that she’s not trying too hard.
She’s confident enough in her own skin to be comfortable not layering on makeup or whatever.
She likes me, I’m pretty sure of that, but isn’t going overboard trying to impress me.
Even her clothes—the same ones she referred to as dowdy librarian—turn me on.
In the grand scheme of things, they might be a little dowdy, but that’s not how I see it.
Everything about her pretty skirt and frilly blouse is feminine.
Sweet. Sexy in an understated way. That’s new to me and I didn’t realize how much I would like it until now.
On the other hand, I don’t know what she looks like, but I’ve had some deep conversations with Jeannie, the kind I’ve never had with anyone else. I like the fact that I can talk about losing my parents because the only other time I do is with my therapist.
The truth is, I never had a chance to grieve my parents because I had to be strong for Billie. It wasn’t until I started therapy that I realized how much it impacted me. Therapy is ongoing but it will slow down once hockey season starts, which is why I’ve been working so hard on myself.
Except Jeannie. It feels like I can tell her anything other than who I am, which is weird. I don’t blame Jayne for being cautious if her father really is a celebrity, but it makes it hard for us to bond because I have walls up too.
The whole thing is a bit confusing, but I don’t want to be stressed about it. I just want to keep talking to Jeannie and spending time with Jayne so I can see what there is to see. I’m not ready to make some kind of life-changing choice.
Besides, it’s almost time for me to focus on hockey.
Once the season starts, I may not have much time for either of them.
I decide to surprise Jayne, maybe take her to a late lunch or early dinner.
But when I walk into the library on Saturday morning, the place is hopping.
It’s eleven-thirty, and Jayne told me Story Time is from ten to eleven, but apparently all those kids are still here, running around and generally being nuisances.
They’re cute, but really loud for a library.
Jayne’s boss doesn’t look at all upset, gently reminding them to use their inside voices and picking up one little girl who fell.
“Hi, Bodi.” She smiles. “If you’re looking for Jayne, she’s upstairs shelving some books. Go on up.”
“You sure you don’t need any help wrangling the little ones?” I ask, grinning.
“Not my first day in a library,” she replies, grinning.
“Then I’ll leave you to it.” I take the stairs up to the second floor and wander up and down the aisles looking for Jayne. This place is bigger than I thought and there are so many nooks and crannies to get lost in.
Fun places to make out in too.
I wonder if Jayne has ever made out in a library.
I never have so that could be a first for us both. My gut tells me she’s not very experienced, but that’s okay with me. I probably have enough experience for both of us.
If I’m honest with myself, I’ve had a lot of fun but mostly the wrong kinds of fun.
One-night stands where I snuck out in the morning without a backward glance.
Getting so falling-down drunk that Blake had to put me to bed.
Pranks on my teammates. All kinds of things that don’t mean much in the grand scheme of life.
Going forward, I’d like to make different kinds of memories. Travel. Enjoy good food. Go to the theater. Things I never had the money or inclination to do.
And Jayne might be the type of woman I could do those things with. I honestly don’t think she’s had much fun of any kind in her life either.
I’ve almost given up on finding her when I hear a softly muttered, “Shit!”
There she is.
I can’t help but smile at the picture she makes—she’s delightfully disheveled, tendrils of hair have escaped her ponytail and are framing her face.
She’s wearing a reddish-brown skirt that falls just below her knees and a white button-up blouse with one sleeve rolled up to her elbow and the other down around her wrist. She’s got two arms full of books and is glaring at the shelf in front of her like it seriously offended her.
“Jayne!” I call out to her, intending to warn her that one foot is right on the edge of the step, but instead, I startle her.
“Oh!” She lets out a yelp, the books tumble out of her arms, and she loses her balance.
I move instinctively, getting there in time to catch her, but the force of her fall brings us both to the ground, and we land with a resounding thump.