I look down, wondering if I should answer her when Jefferson comes back down and jumps up on the couch beside me. She takes one look at me before turning and lying at the opposite end of the couch, away from me. “She asked me if I warmed it. Should I answer her?” I ask Jefferson who just blinks her eyes closed. “Solid answer,” I tell her. “I’ll answer her tomorrow in person.”
I toss my phone to the other side of the couch before I do something even more stupid, like call her.
I pull in the parking lot with ten minutes to spare. Getting out of my black Land Rover with my phone and my keys in one hand, I walk into the restaurant, pulling open the door and seeing the hostess behind the stand smile at me. “Good afternoon,” she greets when I walk in.
“Good afternoon,” I reply, taking off my sunglasses. “I have a reservation under the name Make the Choice.” I smile at her as she looks down at the paper.
“For a party of two?” she asks me and I nod my head. “The other party is already here,” she says, shocking me. “Right this way.” She turns and leads me past the walk and into the restaurant. Half the tables are filled and I do a quick scan of the room when I see her. She’s sitting down, her head turned to the side, looking out the window. She must feel me staring at her because she turns her head and spots me. Her blue eyes go big as I get closer and closer to the table. “Right over there,” the hostess says, stopping two tables before and holding out her hand to the table Lexi is sitting at.
I nod at her. “Thank you.” I make the rest of the way to the table with Lexi. She is wearing a white button-down shirt with blue stripes. The top three buttons are undone with a gold necklace hanging around her neck. The long sleeves are pushed up to her elbows and I can see she’s wearing a gold watch with two Cartier bracelets. “Lexi,” I say once I get to the table. She looks at me and the need to bend and kiss her lips is like the need I have for air to breathe. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Meeting with you?” she asks, confused, and then sits back in her chair. “Wait a second, are you Make the Choice foundation?”
I pull the chair out and sit down in it, placing my phone and keys beside me. “I am,” I confirm. I’m about to say something else when the waiter comes over and introduces himself.
“I’ll have a sparkling water,” I tell him and then look at Lexi. Holding my breath, I wonder if she’s going to get up and storm out. Maybe I should have told her it was me.
“I’ll have the same,” she tells him with a smile and waits for him to walk away before turning back to look at me. “I’m going to need you to explain this to me.”
“I will explain whatever you need me to explain, but then you have to tell me how you found out about us.”
“You go first.”
“Okay, we talked a little yesterday about my stepfather, and after playing hockey for years, I’ve wanted to start a foundation. Something meaningful that I’ll have a hand in when it’s time to step off the ice for the last time. I finally took the leap and hired Ms. Hayes.” I use Kylie’s name, not sure I want to tell her she’s actually my sister. She might think it’s a family business and not want to get involved. “Now, you can tell me how you found out about us?”
“Ariella,” she says and I chuckle.
“Of course. She’s the one designing the office.”
“She is; she said they were looking for someone else,” she explains and stops talking when the waiter comes over and puts our glasses down with the bottle in the middle of the table.
“Have we looked at the menu?” he asks us and we both shake our heads. “I’ll give you another minute.” He walks away.
I wait for a second, reaching for the bottle and pouring some in her glass and then some in mine. “Ariella is right,” I start. “We are looking for someone else. And I think you would be perfect for the job.” She doesn’t say anything, so I continue my pitch. “I don’t know the full extent of your relationship with Trent. And frankly, I don’t really want to know. I saw what I needed to see. We need someone who has been there before. We need someone who has compassion for what they’re going through. We need someone who isn’t going to judge the people we’re helping because of their situation. We need someone who can guide them through the most difficult time of their lives.”
“Those are big shoes to fill,” she states, reaching for her water, and taking a sip before going on. “I don’t even know if I’m qualified for all of that.”
“I’m going to disagree with you on that,” I counter and her eyebrows shoot up. “You took the biggest step of your life. You made the call. Many people don’t even take the first step. You know what they feel, why they are feeling what they are feeling. We are looking for someone to reach out to different organizations and become a liaison with them. Then we get to find those who need the most help.”
“I don’t know,” she says softly.
“I mean, there is no harm if you try it out. Maybe you won’t like it. Maybe we won’t like you,” I reply and she gasps, making me laugh. “Or maybe”—I lean in—“maybe we’re a perfect fit.”
seventeen
Lexi
“I mean there is no harm if you try it out. Maybe you won’t like it. Maybe we won’t like you,” he replies and I just gasp, and then it’s followed with a quick chuckle by both of us. “Or maybe”—he leans in and my stomach literally flutters at his words—“maybe we’re a perfect fit.”
I put my elbows on the armrests of the chair. “I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I barely know what I’m doing with my life. How can I help people change theirs?”
“Well, you aren’t going to be the only one.” He puts his hand on the armrest and I can see the ink on his wrist. The white button-down shirt goes tight around his biceps when he sits like that. “We’ll be working as a team. We will have weekly meetings, or monthly, that hasn’t been decided yet, and you’ll work closely with Ms. Hayes. Basically you’ll help us find where we’re needed the most.”
“That sounds better than just me.” I laugh nervously. “I would just give help to everyone. Like Oprah,” I joke with him. “You get a car.” I point over to the waiter. “You get a car.” I point to the hostess and he laughs.
“So are you going to do it?” he asks me and I shrug. “How about you think about it and let me know?”
“That I can do,” I answer him. The way my heart is beating in my chest, it’s a miracle I can even hear his words.
