He shuts his door and circles around the car to me. Luckily my umbrella is big enough that he can join me under it, and it helps that he grabs the handle so he can hold it over us in a better position as he towers over me, except now his deep cologne with a hint of pine invades my air.
“You have a thing for running into me.”
His free hand swipes across his chiseled jaw. “Who says it’s me. You could be stalking me for all I know.”
The corner of my mouth twists from the smirk fighting to spread. “Should I be concerned that you’restalkingme?”
“Not my style. You should consider yourself lucky. They say third time is the charm, which means you’re getting the best version of me right now. What are you doing here?” he wonders.
“I live in Everhope. You?”
“I was having dinner at the River Bell with one of the assistant coaches who lives nearby.”
We look at one another in slight disbelief. The odds of running into one another in this county are high, but still, when it happens, it’s pleasant… okay, a gift.
“Ah yes, I remember how you enjoy evening work dinners.”
His head tips slightly to the side. “Dinner is over. I’m on my way home.”
“The River Bell is a nice restaurant.” It’s on an old steamboat.
“It was pretty good. Can’t go wrong with roast chicken, I guess. So, you live in Everhope?” he repeats. Even with the sound of a car driving against the wet pavement, I can hear he is still slightly puzzled at this coincidence.
Speaking up, I explain. “Yeah, gives me a little space from my parents and the boutique in Lake Spark. I have a friend who lives here, too.”
His smirk feels unsafe. “Makes sense. Lake Spark isn’t so far. A few of the guys on the team live around here.”
Lightning followed by a boom startles us both. I peek out from the cover of the umbrella to get a view of the sky, and even though it’s dark, I see the outline of clouds when another lightning strike flashes before I return under the umbrella. “I hate October storms in Illinois. They are cold, and then comes this weird sort of rain but not rain kind of snow.”
“We call that sleet,” he deadpans.
I give him a side glare. “Har-har.” We both stop our wide grins and realize that here we are again. “Besides, safety first. I don’t think you are supposed to have an umbrella up if there is lightening.”
“That would be a tough decision. Chance of getting electrocuted or guaranteed getting wet?”
My mouth instantly gapes, and my eyes blazefrom his words. Everything inside of me coils in the best possible way, a tightness in my belly and my chest beginning to pound. “Wow.”
He chuckles under his breath because he understands that his sentence was open to interpretation. “The rain. I mean the rain,” he says sincerely, yet there is still mischief in his eyes, the streetlight highlighting his gleam.
I hate this attraction suddenly. It’s overbearing and magnetic. And what are the chances that we cross paths at this moment.
“To even the awkward conversation happening.Maybe, I can say that you were wearing a dark gray suit at yesterday’s game.” I have no problem admitting that I turned my TV on.
His head retreats, slightly astonished. “Needed something to look at?”
I shrug and play casual. “I mean, might as well reap the benefits of a winning hockey team. If you get ejected like the last coach and swear while you stomp on the bench, then that will really make my week, if you feel so inclined.”
Flirting is good for the soul, and it seems to come naturally to us.
His deep chuckle wraps around my core. “I have a feeling that your mind could get us both in trouble.”
Stepping closer to him, my confidence causes me to feel that it is the right thing to do. I consider myself sexy no matter where I am or what I’m wearing. I have poise. “You would only think that if you knew where a dirty mind could go,” I whisper.
His eyes peer down, and his intense stare pierces mine. “Touche. I should probably go before we both find ourselves in trouble.”
“Good luck with that. The weather isn’t ideal. Sometimes the road between Everhope and Lake Spark can flood, and thedetour goes through duck territory where you end up waiting half an hour for a family of ducks to cross the road. It’s nighttime, so the deer decide they are fearless and just stand in the middle of the road, unwilling to move. Don’t get me started on the foxes around here.”
His tongue slides to the corner of his mouth, and his face remains a stoic slyness. “I would have to be careful anyways. If I’m around you, something tells me that it’s just as dangerous.”
