“You said you were hungry. Let’s go grab something to eat.”
A trickle of goosebumps run along my spine. I have zero desire to hang out with any of these Granite Ice guys. However, if I go with Noah and put up with his ridiculous flirting, I might be able to find out some more dirt on the team . . . and that’s an opportunity I can’t pass up, especially since I’m way behind. “I like food.” My heart motors hard against my rib cage, and I enforce a face of steel trying not to add a devious smile.
I know what I’m up to, but his gaze lingers on me long enough for me to start to wonderwhat he’s really up to.
five
Noah
I was over the photo, but I had a lingering residue of Paisley’s fiery eyes imprinted on my brain. It had me wandering down the hall of the arena, hoping for a glimpse of her. When I found her in need of help, I didn’t hesitate because it gave me every excuse to be near her.Now, I steer out of the parking lot, rolling through the stop sign while I toss a glance over my left shoulder and check my blind spot. “Where do you like to eat?”
“I’m not picky.” She offers a lazy shrug as her feet shuffle in front of her as if she can’t get comfortable, and I roll my bottom lip in, hoping she’s nervous because she feels this magnetism too.
“Red Barn Kabobs?” I offer a team-favorite place right on the edge of town. I risk another glance in her direction and suck back a hard breath as I catch her looking back at me with those fierce blue eyes firing all the light. There’s no color equivalent on the planet, and it’s hard to not study them.
“They have the best barbecue chicken. Tender and juicy inside. Crisp and not too flaky on the outside.” Her automatic reply hints she’s done some heavy analytics on her food reviews. Most likely she’s a foodie.
“Or what about The Grove?” I throw out another place to make sure she isn’t being agreeable to be nice. This place is also super inexpensive. I try to watch my budget, since I live off my AHL salary like the rest of the guys. And, I’ll say it aloud for the people in the nosebleed sections, it’s almost nothing.
“They have the best curly fries.”She nods, pursing her lips.“Crunchy and the right amount of salt.”
“Is that a yes or a no?” I slow my speed, since I’m coming up on the turn to Red Barn’s, and I don’t know if I should take it yet.
“Neither. It’s just fact. You can pick what you want.”
I sigh in relief that she doesn’t seem too high maintenance. I can work with this. “Since you like the chicken from Red Barn and the fries from The Grove, we’ll go to both places. Now the question is, who has the best desserts?” I hold my grin in while I wait to see her reaction as I already feel like I’m going to get a weighted response.
“JD’s Cheesecakes.” The inflection in her voice mirrors that of someone cracking a life-saving code.“They havethecheesecake.” Her voice lowers into a secret-sharing volume. “You know the one. It’s cheesecake with a brownie crust, and that should be enough to make a perfect dessert, but then when you bite in, it explodes your mind because it has coconut hidden in the center.”
“Brownie explosion.” A chuckle moves up my throat, as that’s the cake that made JD’s famous in the New England states. “I guess we are going tothreeplaces.”
“If we are doing all three, we should start with Red Barn first,” she instructs, the conviction in her tone confirming she’s a serious foodie. “I have all the apps so I’ll order ahead. That waywe can just pick everything up.”Her gaze is already locked on Red Barn’s website.“What do you want?”
I study her face, not wanting to miss her animated expressions. “A number four.”
“We have one thing in common.” Her fingers dart over her phone screen, adding things to our virtual takeout bag. “Ordered.” She confirms and drops her phone to her lap.
“Perfect plan.”
She smiles a coy smile that lights up her whole face. “Planning is sort of my thing.”
“I’m starting to see that about you.”
“What about you?” Her expression turns a tad sour. “What’s your thing?”
“My thing . . .”I drag the word out, placing emphasis on the last half of the word. “I just play hockey and procrastinate everything else.”
“So, procrastination?” She tucks a long strand of her dark hair behind her ear, and it contrasts with her pale skin so much that it’s strikingly beautiful.She continues, “I’m a planner, and you’re a procrastinator. Not sure we can be friends.”
“It might be rough.” With a slight smirk on my face, I put my blinker on, take a sharp left, and slow the vehicle to a stop in the pickup lane. I roll down my window. When the server hands me the drinks, I pass the first one to Paisley and wait for her to take the first sip.
“Yep, they still have the best soft drinks in town,” she quips as she finds the cup holder in the center console.
“All right, let’s get the fries next.” I pull out of the drive-through and turn back onto the main road, steering toward The Grove.
A comical grin pulls on the edges of her lips. “I’ve never had three places to eat for one meal.”
I make a right turn into The Grove as their parking lot is adjacent. I find their drive-through empty and go right to the window. We only wait another minute for the bag, the fumes of grease wafting in my car, and we both steal a glance at the bag. “We are eating those now, right?”
