Chapter 4 #2
Unlike McKenna, she wasn’t on the clock.
It was her day off, so she didn’t have to rush back to her job as a genetic counselor at Johns Hopkins.
McKenna’s lunch invitation had been the kick in the pants Vivian needed to get off the couch, get dressed, and get moving.
The cupboards were bare at home, and she had been debating whether she should go to the grocery or embrace the laziness and just order from Instacart.
She had foolishly thought getting out would distract her from her obsessive thoughts of Dean.
She had been wrong.
“Viv?”
Jesus Christ. Was she somehow summoning this man without realizing it?
She looked up to find Dean standing next to her table. He wore jeans and a team hoodie, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Hey,” he said, his smile so genuine, there was no question he was happy to see her.
Her heart stuttered in response, because it had been so long since anyone had looked at her like that. Like Phil used to.
“Hey.”
“Eating alone?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. You just missed McKenna. She got called back to work for a rearranged meeting.”
“Ah.”
“Were you meeting someone here?”
He shook his head. “No. Just popped over to grab some takeout. They’re working on my order now. I was waiting by the counter when I spotted you sitting out here.”
She gestured to the chair his daughter had just vacated. “Want to wait here with me? I have a million errands I need to run, but the weather is too nice, so I’m procrastinating.”
He grinned. “It really is a nice day. Fortunately, today’s schedule only included a morning workout, so I have the afternoon off. Like you, I intended to mark some shit off my to-do list. I’ve got a mountain of laundry to do, and my car is two months past inspection time. Adulting sucks.”
“So much,” she agreed. “If I don’t hit the grocery store today, Pip and I are going to be dining on Ramen and a nearly expired can of creamed corn tonight.”
Dean laughed as he lowered himself into the chair across from her. “I’ve definitely had worse dinners.”
“Oh yeah?”
“When I played junior hockey, money was sparse. Trust me, instant noodles and questionable frozen burritos were practically their own food group.”
Vivian took a sip of her tea. “Tell me about it. I lived on frozen burritos in college.”
For a moment, they sat together in companionable silence, enjoying the warmth of the October afternoon. The café patio buzzed with quiet conversations, someone laughed at another table, and the breeze carried the smell of fresh-baked bread from inside.
“Did you enjoy the fundraiser event last week?” he asked.
She nodded. “It was a lot of fun, and McKenna just told me it brought in some serious donations.”
“Kenny deserves a ton of credit for that. She put together some amazing silent auction items.”
Vivian nodded again in agreement. “I know you’re only about a week in, but how’s the new season looking?”
Dean leaned back, stretching one leg out in front of him. “I feel pretty good about it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” His expression shifted into that thoughtful look she noticed he wore whenever he talked about hockey.
Her brother had the same one. “I didn’t make a lot of changes last year when I first came in.
I wanted to get a feel for how things worked and get to know the players before I put my own spin on things.
That’s changing this year. Honestly, we’re sitting where I expected we’d be this early.
A couple wins, one frustrating loss, plenty of things to clean up, but nothing too horrible. ”
“You sound optimistic.”
“I am. Last year, we’d lose one game and everyone would spiral. Probably because my predecessor had a hair-trigger temper and he took the losses out on the guys. This year, I’m determined to make sure they bounce back faster.”
“That’s because you’re an inspiring coach.” He tilted his head, curious about her compliment until she added, “According to Victor.”
He snorted. “What Vic sees as inspiring, most of the younger guys call lecturing.”
“Either way, it seems to be working.”
Dean toyed with the condensation sliding down the half-drunk glass of tea McKenna had left behind.
“We’ve got good leadership from the older guys, and the rookies are settling in faster than I expected.
I also managed a couple of amazing trades for players who are going to take us to a higher level. ”
“Victor nearly keeled over when he heard Dominic Gallo was joining the team. I think everyone thought he’d spend his entire career with Carolina.”
Dean wiggled his eyebrows. “That trade was a definite feather in my cap. The man is brutal on the ice. Little worried about ego, but we’ll see how that pans out.”
“Ego?”
“Can’t tell if it’s ego or just his nature, but he’s the quietest guy on the roster. I honestly don’t think I’ve heard him say more than twenty words.”
“Maybe he just needs time to warm up. What do you think of Jordan Bryant? He was another big trade, right?”
Dean nodded. “He’s a defenseman who never stops talking. On the ice, in the locker room, on the bus. I don’t think the guy breathes. And this is coming from someone whose daughter is dating the OG big mouth, Tank Phillips.”
Vivian laughed. Tank and her brother had been friends for years, and she’d spent more than a few Christmases with him, so she knew exactly how much Tank loved the sound of his own voice. “I thought coaches liked communication.”
“Jordan narrates everything. Every. Thing,” he stressed.
“That sounds exhausting.”
Dean shrugged. “It’s not that bad. In truth, he’s hilarious. Got a wicked sense of humor. Looked at Blake the other night in the locker room after our loss and told him he skated like his stick was embarrassed to be seen with him.”
“Oh my God. Bet Blake was ready to kill him.”
Dean shook his head. “Ordinarily, maybe. But Blake had played like shit that night, and he knew it. That’s when Blake…” Dean looked around, like he was trying to see if anyone was listening. “Can you keep a secret?”
Vivian nodded enthusiastically.
“Blake apologized, then explained to all of us that he’d been distracted because his wife just told him she was pregnant.”
Vivian’s eyes widened. Since she was Victor’s sister, she always had a seat in the team’s family box when she wanted to attend home games.
As such, she’d grown close to a lot of the girlfriends and wives of the players—including Erika.
“No way. They just got married this summer!” Vivian had been invited to the wedding, but she wasn’t able to attend because she was in Africa at the time.
“Blake swore he wanted a honeymoon baby, and it looks like they got it.”
“That’s wonderful! And I promise, mum’s the word.” She pretended to lock her lips.
“I’m fairly certain the minute Blake announced it to the entire team, it ceased to be a serious secret, but Blake—the besotted fool—couldn’t keep it in.”
Vivian knew just how in love Blake was with his former neighbor, now wife. “I doubt Erika will be too upset with him. She’s just as gone for the guy as he is for her.”
“Lot of that going around in the Stingrays’ locker room these days.”
Vivian hadn’t considered that before, but now that Dean said it, she had to admit, he was right. Blake was the first to fall, but Coulton, Tank, and Victor hadn’t been far behind, all finding the women of their dreams and settling down.
“How’s Pip liking kindergarten?” Dean asked.
Vivian groaned dramatically. “It’s been a good start so far, but slightly chaotic as well.”
“How so?”
“Apparently they’re learning about community helpers, and they had a police officer visit the classroom.”
“Okay…” Dean drawled.
“Pip came home absolutely fascinated with the concept of emergencies.”
“That sounds potentially problematic.”
Vivian tapped the tip of her nose. “The next morning, I couldn’t find my car keys. I searched the kitchen, my purse, under the couch cushions, and in the pockets of every jacket I own.”
Dean was already grinning.
“Finally, I asked Pip if she’d seen them.”
“And?” he prompted.
“She said she’d put them in the emergency box.”
Dean frowned. “What’s the emergency box?”
“Exactly. Turns out, she’d filled an old shoebox with what she considered emergency supplies.”
Dean chuckled. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“My keys were there. Along with the TV remote, a juice box, three Band-Aids, a stuffed unicorn, and half a peanut butter sandwich because, according to Pip, emergencies make people hungry.”
“Sounds like she packed all the essentials,” he joked, laughing so hard that the couple at the next table glanced over.
“She’d even written ‘emergency kit’ across the lid with a purple marker.”
Dean’s brows lifted. “Spelled correctly?”
Vivian snorted. “Not even close.”
“Sounds like we’re both surrounded by interesting people who ensure our daily lives are never dull.”
She liked the sound of that. “I guess we are.”
They fell silent again, but this time, Dean didn’t let it linger. He also didn’t turn his gaze away from her, studying her intently.
“Do you want to talk about Boston?” he asked quietly.
Vivian wasn’t sure how to answer that. Did she? Then, she found her response. “We could talk about it,” she said slowly. “Or we could go back to my place and not talk about it in my bedroom.”
Dean’s eyes darkened with the same hunger she’d seen in Boston. “Get the check, Viv, while I grab my food. Meet me in the parking lot.”
He was up in an instant, his haste making her feel all kinds of special…and horny. Of course, she wasn’t much better, because she’d been flagging down the waitress before he’d even risen from the table.
Within five minutes, they were standing in the parking lot next to her vehicle. “I texted you the address,” she said.
“I’ll follow you there.”
Vivian climbed into her car, waiting for something akin to regret or panic to set in. She sure as hell hadn’t intended to proposition Dean—again—when he sat down at her table, but the man was too sexy to resist.