Release (4 page)

“Thanks. Hey, sorry if I’m keeping Samara by chatting with her.”

Liz waved a dismissive hand. “Not at all. Did you need to order a cake?”

“Actually, I’m trying to persuade her to have dinner with me.”

Liz’ lips parted in shock. Yeah, that made two of us blown away by this turn of events.

“What do you mean
persuade
?” She turned to me, her eyes about to pop out of their sockets. “Did you say no?”

I shook my head, annoyed. “Liz—”

“Oh no.” She put her hand up in stop sign mode. “Hell no. You’ve been back home for almost three years and haven’t been on a single date.”

I rolled my eyes skyward. “Thanks for publicizing my personal life.”

“It’s not personal. Everyone knows it.”

A middle-aged woman approached the bakery case and I looked at her, relieved.

“Can I help you?” I asked, reaching for my order pad.

“Nellie Weston,” Orion said, grinning at the customer. She turned to him with the same awestruck smile Liz had given him.

“Orion Caldwell!” She pulled him into a hug and he looked at me with a knowing smile as they embraced. “How are you? Your mom is always telling us about your games at bridge club. And I’m so happy to hear you broke up with that Munson girl. You can do so much better.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Weston. I was just asking Samara here to have dinner with me so we could talk about the book she recommended at the library. Can’t seem to convince her, though.”

Nellie Weston turned to me with the same look of surprise Liz was giving me.

“Orion is a very nice boy,” she said in an admonishing tone. “I’ve known him since he was a baby. And just look at him.”

“
Look at him
,” Liz repeated, inclining her head toward Orion.

I sighed with frustration. I couldn’t very well tell any of them why I didn’t date. The Supersaver had a snack bar. I’d meet him there, have a sandwich and leave.

“Fine,” I said. “We can—”

“Good girl!” Liz cried, clapping her hands together. Now I’ll help Nellie while you two work out the details. Go on.” She shooed me out from behind the counter.

I regretted letting her do it when I glanced down and saw the white frosting smeared across my apron. My hair was tied back and secured in a net. I didn’t look very date-worthy.

“What time can I pick you up?” Orion asked, tactfully ignoring my stained apron.

“Uh … can we just meet here? Is five o’clock okay?”

He smiled. “Five’s good, but let me pick you up.”

“I was thinking we could just have dinner here. At the snack bar by the deli.”

“Samara.” He arched his brows with amusement. “Let me take you out on a real date.”

“It’s not a date, it’s a book discussion.”

“Can’t it be both?”

I sighed and met his sparkling blue eyes. “You heard Liz. I haven’t been out on a date in three years. Longer than that, actually.”

“I’m looking forward to breaking that streak.”

I gave a reluctant groan of agreement. “I live on Poplar Street, at Petra Larsen’s house.”

“That’s a big house for just you,” he said.

“I live in the garage apartment.”

He nodded. “Great, so I’ll see you tomorrow night then. Should we trade numbers?”

“No, I’ll be there.”

With a grin, he glanced over at Liz. “You got a pen I can use?”

She handed one over and he took out his wallet, removing a business card with his name and team logo on it.

“Here’s my number. Not so you can cancel – so you can text me later if you want.”

I felt a flare of annoyance. No matter how many ways I tried to tell him I wasn’t like other women, he just refused to listen.

“I don’t text,” I said flatly.

“Text me that you think I’m a douchebag if you want.” He handed the pen back to Liz.

“There’s an idea,” I muttered.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking nervous for just a second. “I’d better get reading. Talk to you later?”

“Sure.” I nodded and tucked his number into the pocket of my apron.

Somehow I’d get back at Liz for this. Instead of saving me, she’d made it impossible for me to refuse this date. I decided I wasn’t staying late to help her today, and I also wasn’t doing all the dishes like I usually did.

A date. With Orion Caldwell of all people. He’d find out that my awkward, closed-off nature wasn’t just a way of putting him off. It was my actual personality. Hopefully this date would be over in record time.

The Dugout had a good crowd for a weekday evening. Like me and my buddy Casey, everyone was there to watch the baseball game.

I liked baseball, though I did think it was kind of a pussy sport. Just chasing a little ball all over the field and trying to hit it. Yeah — those guys would piss their pants if a 225 pound defender was barreling at them with his hockey stick in the air.

“Oh look, it’s you,” Casey said, rolling his eyes and pointing at a framed, signed photo of me on the wall. This was why I liked him. Not only wasn’t he impressed by my career, he tended to laugh about it.

“If you were better looking they’d have your picture on the wall, fuckstick,” I said, shrugging.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” he said, pointing the tip of his beer bottle at me. “If I was an NHL player, I’d at least be getting some ass.”

I shook my head, about to reply when movement on the open stool next to me made me turn. And there was Amy. Fuck.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey,” I said tightly.

“It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah. I just came to catch the game with some friends.”

She reached out and touched my arm. I pulled away and glared at her.

“I think we should talk,” she said. “We’ve both had a break to let things settle a little.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I looked at her, hoping she’d read my serious expression well. Her hair was cut shorter, and her eye makeup was heavier. But otherwise – same old Amy. I didn’t feel much of anything as I looked at her, other than annoyance.

“Orion, we both made mistakes—”

“Not really.” I tipped my bottled beer up to my lips and drank.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding a little pathetic. “I miss you so bad.”

Casey leaned in from his side of me to talk to Amy. “Hey, did they forget to put the sign up tonight? No whores allowed.”

“Fuck off, Casey,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I told Amy. “I blocked your number for a reason.”

“Look, I know you’re still pissed—”

“No, I’m not. I just want you to go the fuck away.”

I turned toward Casey and heard her leave.

“She’ll get the message eventually, right?” I said.

He grunted skeptically. “Yeah. She’s desperate ‘cause she knows she’ll never get anyone like you again. Brett dumped her a couple weeks after you guys broke up.”

“It was never right with her. She was all about the money and the pro athlete thing, you know?”

“Aren’t most women?” Casey asked, grinning.

I nodded. “A hell of a lot of ‘em. It’s why I haven’t dated anyone in forever.”

“You wanna order some pizza? I’m starving.”

“Yeah.”

Casey reached for a menu. My phone buzzed with a text, and I took it out of my pocket. Probably Niko rubbing the baseball game in my face. Damned Yankees fan.

But it wasn’t his name that popped up on my screen – it was an unfamiliar number. When I read the message, a smile spread across my face.

How goes the reading?

Samara. I hadn’t really thought she’d text me. I added her to my contacts and wrote back.

Me: I read all afternoon and finished.

Samara: And??

Me: Liked it a lot. Looking forward to talking to u about it tomorrow.

Samara: Me too.

Me: What r u up to?

Samara: Just finished at the library. Going home.

Me: I’m watching baseball at the Dugout if u feel like stopping by.

Samara: Thanks, but I have to be up early. What should I wear tomorrow night?

Me: I’m planning on Aurelio’s. It’s casual. I’ll wear jeans.

Samara: Ok. See you then.

Me: Goodnight.

Samara: Goodnight.

I looked through the t-shirts stacked on a shelf of my bedroom closet, wishing for once that I cared about fashion. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like it, but that my budget limited me to clearance racks.

With a sigh, I pulled a plain black v-neck shirt from the pile and put in on. I didn’t know what to wear on a date. I also didn’t know what to do or what to say. This night was going to be all kinds of awkward.

My jeans were nothing special and neither were my sandals, but my hair looked pretty good. That was something.

I considered standing at the curb so I could just jump in the car when Orion pulled up. I wasn’t particularly excited about him seeing my garage home. But I was pretty sure that was bad date etiquette.

It was 4:55. I’d checked my hair and makeup dozens of times, and fussing over it was only making me more nervous. I sat down at the kitchen table and drummed my fingers on the wood surface.

Benny Bolding came to mind, and I smiled. He was a produce clerk at the Supersaver who’d asked me out many times since I started working there. He was in his forties and had a beer belly with its own zip code. Part of me wished I’d done a practice date with Benny. It might have given me a boost of confidence.

There was a knock at the door, and my stomach did a full somersault. I stared at the door for a couple seconds, wanting desperately to back out, put my pajamas on and get in bed with a book.

But part of me wondered what a real date was like. I’d been out with guys, but never like this. Never with one who asked sweetly and picked me up at my door.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. The heart-stopping grin and bright blue eyes on the other side made my stomach churn nervously.

“Hi,” he said, looking almost shy for a second.

“Hi. I’m ready.” I grabbed my purse and walked out the door. There was no way I could handle having a man inside my apartment.

He stepped aside at the top of the garage stairs so I could go first. I gripped the handrail and walked down slowly.

“You look nice,” he said, glancing at me as we walked to his car.

“Oh.” I scrunched my face and tried to come up with something better to say. Nothing came out.

A dark Cadillac Escalade was parked in front of Petra’s house, and when Orion approached it and opened the passenger door, another wave of anxiety hit. I’d never been inside a car like this.

With a small, steadying breath, I stepped up and in. He closed the door, and I took a deeper breath. The smells of leather and woodsy cologne mingled in a way that was all man.

When Orion stepped into the car, he looked at me, his eyes still sparkling. I could only hold his gaze for a second before I turned my face to my lap.

“Is Aurelio’s okay?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“You hungry?”

“Yeah.” I put my hands in my lap, fidgeting nervously.

The music coming from speakers that probably cost more than my entire car was catchy. I caught myself tapping my foot to it.

“I like this music,” I said softly.

“Yeah? It’s the Black Keys. I’ve got a bunch of their songs on my driving playlist.”

“What other music do you like?” I asked, trying to avoid an awkward silence.

He gave a slight shrug. “Depends what I’m doing. My pregame list is hardcore ass-kicking music to get me in the zone. After games or on flights I like to listen to Alternative stuff. I’ve got Kings of Leon, Smashing Pumpkins … check out my list if you want.”

He picked up his phone and handed it to me. I was too embarrassed to admit I didn’t know how to use an iPhone. My phone was a cheap flip one that did the job and nothing more.

“What do you like to listen to?” he asked.

“I don’t listen to much music.”

“What do you like to do in your spare time?”

“Mostly read.”

He grinned at me. “I really did love
The Count of Monte Cristo
.”

I repeated my favorite line from the book, enjoying his look of amusement. “How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure.”

“That was epic. He’s my kind of guy. Don’t get mad, get even, right?”

I nodded as he pulled into the parking lot of the small Italian restaurant on the edge of Henley. “I suppose. But revenge is generally overrated.”

Orion parked and leaned closer to me. “Don’t tell anyone, but I kinda dug the romantic parts of it. Like—Woman is sacred; the woman one loves is holy.”

I swallowed hard and stared straight ahead. He was downright delicious already – speaking those words so close to my ear that I felt his warm breath on my skin. My cheeks warmed.

I reached for the door handle, needing some fresh air.

“Gimme a sec,” Orion said, jumping out of the car and rushing around to open my door. He offered me a hand for support as I stepped out of the car, but I’d already grabbed the armrest.

“So how long are you in town for?” I asked as we walked toward the front door of the restaurant.

“All summer. ‘Til training camp starts up in August.”

“Oh.” Wow. That, I hadn’t been expecting.

“Yeah.” He held the door open, and I stepped through. “You probably heard about Joe leaving Olivia and the kids.”

“No.” I furrowed my brow in distaste. “I don’t hear much of anything unless Liz happens to be talking about it. That’s too bad.”

He shrugged. “I always thought the guy was a douchebag. Wish I would’ve been wrong. I came home to help Liv with the kids. And my mom … you know, she just lost my dad ten months ago.”

The greeter smiled at Orion and gushed about hockey as he led us to a small table in a corner.

“Thanks, man,” Orion said, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it.

“I didn’t know about your dad,” I said when we’d both sat down. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.” Our eyes met across the table, and I felt a charge of electricity pass between us. Maybe just a sympathy thing?

“So are your folks still around here?” he asked.

I sighed, wishing for a way around this subject. Maybe if I kept it simple he wouldn’t press me. “No.”