~ ~ ~
I thought we were making progress and that he might actually have slept in our bed last night. Even though he didn’t, I wake up with a plan. I sit in front of the laptop, deleting email after email when I remember what Regina said.
Show him the girl he fell in love with.
An idea hits me like a puck to the head. I’m going to fight and I’m going to win. I set the plan in motion, grab my jacket, and race out the door.
~ ~ ~
I’m standing outside the locker room door. My palms are sweaty because I’m hoping that this works as I’ve planned. Several of the guys come out, waving and saying ‘hello’, and lastly, there’s my Jax.
“Hi, Jax.”
“Hey, what are you doing here?” He looks confused.
“Well, see, this is our first date again,” I tell him brightly.
“Our first date?” He shakes his head, not understanding.
“I want to start again. I want to take you out on a lunch date.” I hold up the small, but heavy cooler. “I know you’re done with practice, but I wasn’t sure which sandwich you liked.” I let him peek inside and he can see that it’s everything he brought to me on our first date at the hospital.
I’m rewarded with a smile. “Well, let’s go find out then.”
“There aren’t any benches, so we can sit up in the stands or maybe on the hood of the car? You pick.”
“Let’s sit in the stands.” He takes the cooler from me, and I follow him down the tunnel to the stands.
We find a seat, and I open it up. “Gentlemen’s choice. Which one do you want?” On our date, he let me pick first. This time, I want him to.
“I’m thinking I’ll go in blind and hope for the best.” He reaches into the cooler with his eyes closed.
“Ah, a man of danger. I like that in a guy.”
He laughs, and my inside flip at his smile. “Picking a sandwich at random is pretty dangerous.” He takes a bite, and I know instantly what’s wrong. “Ugh, mayo. Maybe we should switch?”
It’s my turn to giggle, and I hand him mine because I know roast beef is his favorite. “So, Jax, what do you do for a living?” I hoping he’ll play along.
“I play the rough and dangerous,” he winks, “game of hockey. You?”
“Mmm,” I moan seductively at him. “More danger, I like that. I was a nurse, but I recently made a career chang
e and I’m a personal assistant and accountant for some hockey player.” I wave my hand like it isn’t a big deal.
“So, Avery, aside from liking mayo, what else do you like?” He continues to inhale his sandwich.
“Well, I love Broadway musicals and hope one day to go to New York City and actually see one, but for now, I settle for the traveling shows. What about you? Hobbies?”
“I like to gamble here and there,” he smirks. “I’m pretty boring as far as hobbies go, aren’t I?”
I fake gasp at him. “I don’t know because this is our first date.” I try to keep a straight face, but fail. “I’m sure you’re not boring at all. You sound like a busy guy.” I look down at my watch, remembering he can’t hang out with me too long. “Our short lived date is over. Someone needs to go watch films with the coaches.”
He pops in the last bit of food into this mouth and washes it down with a bottle of water. “Thanks, Avery.” The corners of his mouth twitch. “Are you going to call me for a second date?”
I hiss through my teeth, trying to act unsure as I shake my head. “I’m not sure. I mean, you seem a bit pushy, but I might.” I wink at him, grab the cooler, and head down from the stands.
Chapter Eleven
Jax