Chapter 7
THE SLOW BURN
ELI
I toss and turn all night thinking about how one touch of Stella’s skin re-ignites my desire for her.
That opens the floodgates to college memories I’ve never been able to shut down.
Easily, my favorite is the time I showed her just how sexy the supply closet in the locker room could be.
Damn, we were good together. But does she remember our times together as fondly as I do?
Either way, by two in the morning my stiff rod needs attention, so I haul my tired ass to the shower for some quality me time.
When Renae’s call comes in bright and early, interrupting what little sleep I manage to get, I don’t bother to get out of bed.
“Yeah?” I put her on speaker.
“Good morning, sir,” her voice is bright and chipper. Then she pauses. I hear the familiar hiss of a can opening, and her slurp.
“More Mountain Dew?” I croak.
“Yep. I drink the stuff like water.”
“Are you sure that’s healthy for you? The team nutritionist has soda drinks on the strictly off-limits list.”
“As a workaholic widow with kids, it’s my only vice. Do you mind leaving it alone?” I could picture her now with that typical glare of hers, brown eyes over the rims of her glasses with a quirked eyebrow. “So, how did the first night of hockey classes go?”
“I loved every minute of it, and my teammates did, too. The parents and the kids are amazing. And of course, being around Aiden and Stella was the highlight of the evening for me.” I tell Renae how her ‘missing document’ idea worked. “It gave me a few precious moments with her alone.”
“See, that’ll be key to convincing her you deserve a second chance. You need more time alone together.”
“Which might be more difficult since she told me Aiden’s grandmother would be the one bringing him to the hockey class from now on, unless their shop gets busy and the grandmother can’t get away.”
There’s a pause and another long gulp of her drink.
“Sounds like you need her shop to be busier, then. Didn’t you tell me once that the wives and girlfriends group for the Aspens are really crafty, making signs and glittering up their jerseys and such?
A few well-placed mentions to your teammates about the store wouldn’t hurt.
They tell the WAGs and boom, the store gets busier. ”
“Fuck, you’re a genius, Renae.”
“Yes, I am. Would you like me to brainstorm some more ideas to get you and Stella together?”
I sigh and scratch the stubble along my jaw. “I don’t know. This is kind of tricking her into it, don’t you think? I’d feel better if she and I naturally found our way back together.”
“So you’re completely relying on fate?”
I answer immediately. “Yeah. But until then, twice a week hoping to see Stella isn’t enough.
I need to be in Boulder every opportunity I can be, so I might happen to run into her often.
I’ve got the van there; now I need you to find me a house to buy.
Just a block or two from where the shop is.
I’ll stay there when I’m in town and commute in for practices and games. ”
I hear her clicking away at the keys on her keyboard. “Hmm. I’m looking at housing prices and available properties. What’s your budget? A million?”
“No. Nothing over the top. I’m pretty sure that’s not Stella’s style. I’m thinking a modest family home would be best. Maybe 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. A nice fenced yard for Aiden and a dog.”
“You don’t have a dog,” she points out.
“But I will. Something tells me Aiden would love to have a dog.”
More clicking at the keys. “I have the website for the official dog breeders of America. How about a registered family-friendly pet like a Golden Retriever?”
I think back to college and Stella’s passion for saving the dogs at the animal shelter.
“Not her style. Leave it to me. I’ll find a pound puppy. She’d like that.” The lengths I’m going to, when I don’t know if Stella would take a chance on us at all.
“I’ll have a few properties for you to scout out by the end of the day.”
“Awesome. Thanks.”
“So you’re really doing this? Going all in, putting down roots in Boulder? Quite the fucking gamble on that second chance, sir.”
“You could say that.”
“I just did. And along those lines…” She hesitates.
“I heard from the owners of the ice rink in Boulder. They’re a nice older couple and are ready to retire.
So they’re putting the rink on the market, and were just notifying all the renters and skating groups about it, but they don’t want to sell to anyone who will tear it down.
They want to preserve their legacy. So—if you think you’re in the legacy-building mood, this could be a solid investment for your foundation to make if you see this thing growing. ”
“How much?” I ask, already knowing I’ll say yes.
Renae gives me the number. It’s not small. But it’s nothing compared to what I can spend without blinking.
“I want it,” I shout, jumping out of bed, suddenly all revved up for the day now.
“Hell yes. Make it happen. Cash offer, ten percent over their asking price, send them into retirement in style with every assurance the rink will be there for generations to come. Tell me when the paperwork is ready to sign.”
My chest hits that strange mix of fear and thrill. Boulder suddenly becomes a place that could tether me down right into the future I want with the woman I desire—as long as I get her to need me more than the air she breathes.
A few nights later, after practice, I pick up the shiny new van from the car lot and follow Renae’s listings of houses for sale in Boulder.
None of them feel right yet, or maybe I don’t have a clue what a family home should feel like.
I grew up with parents who had very little, living in a tiny home in an Ohio suburb.
Years later, I bought my mansion in Denver.
It might be difficult for me to find something landing in between.
The last house on the list is way too close to the University of Colorado Boulder campus.
The bikes chained to railings, and kids walking in groups with backpacks and to-go coffee cups, call back too many memories of Fairfax U—and the version of me who thought love was simple and permanent—until it wasn’t.
It begins to rain as I pass the house, shaking my head—a duplex easily rentable to the college population. Hard pass for the family I envision living there. I turn away from it to escape this academic area, but have to slow down at the hazard lights on the car ahead of me.
It’s stuck half in the lane, hood popped up like a plea for mercy. As I carefully pass it by, I notice a woman leaning into the engine bay. The red ponytail stops me cold.
I pull over so fast my tires hiss on the wet asphalt. I jog back to her.
“Stella?”
She straightens, almost hitting her head on the hood as if she’s been caught off guard. Her eyes find me instantly, wide and annoyed and… tired-looking.
“Eli? What are you doing here?” Her voice comes out defensive.
“Had some business in town. Car trouble?”
“Clearly.” She huffs a laugh that wasn’t actually a laugh. “And exactly what I didn’t need tonight. I think it’s a dead battery.”
She shines a flashlight on the unit, and yep, the connections look corroded.
“I have an exam in the morning, and now fixing this will take a chunk of time out of my night. Life is just—” She cut herself off, throat working.
Just what? Tough? More challenging going at it all alone?
To make matters worse, the rain picks up. Cold drops slide down my neck. I tear my Aspens sweatshirt off and hold it over her head.
“Hey, I’m here. First thing is, we need to move your car out of traffic,” I say. I glance at the other cars trying to edge around her. “Get in. Put it in neutral. I’ll push from behind.”
“I don’t want to trouble you—”
“Stella, it will be more trouble if you get rear-ended.”
Her eyes narrow. When will she start trusting me and letting me in a little?
With a sigh, she moves into the driver’s seat. I toss my sweatshirt onto her trunk, and I plant my hands there and push.
The car rolls forward—heavy and stubborn. We get it off to the side, out of the line of danger.
By the time I open her door, I’m soaked straight through.
She takes my hand and gets out, and we run to my van.
Once inside, I take a good look at her and her damp ponytail, thin sweater clinging to her heaving chest, cheeks flushed from the cold.
It takes all my restraint not to draw her into my arms and warm her lips with mine.
“We look like drowned rats,” I chuckle. “Remember that time we were biking and got caught in the rain, soaked through for five miles before we got back to your dorm? Then we danced in the rain puddles on the lawn, anyway.”
“And we both caught colds that weekend, feeding each other soup.”
We both burst out in a laugh at the memory, locking eyes. But it’s short-lived once she looks away. She puts up a clear boundary. Her past life is fenced off, and I’m still standing on the wrong side of it.
“Thanks for the help, but if you’ll drive me to the nearest auto parts store—”
“How about I drive you home so you can study. And I’ll take care of the car.”
“That’s too much to ask of you.” She scoffs. “You have a life.” She gestures vaguely at me, like I’m a whole celebrity package she can’t believe is real.
I grip the steering wheel and breathe through her obstinance. Because this isn’t about the damn battery, but about someone showing up for her when no one else can.
“I want to help,” I grit out.
She doesn’t answer.
“How about this? I’ll grab Aiden and take him along with me, so you can study in peace and quiet for a while?”
Her head snaps toward me, as if no one has ever done a single nice thing for her. “Absolutely not.”
“Absolutely yes.”
“He already thinks you’re a superhero—”
“No hero. Just a man who is here for you if you need him, and if that’s a hero in Aiden’s book, then who are we to argue?” I say through a grin like pure trouble. “Don’t believe me? Watch me.”