Page 34 of Trust Me

Needing to divert my thoughts, I say, “Okay, so you do all those things for me, for the deal. But why aren’t you warm toward me in moments like this?”

She folds her lips together, something I’ve noticed she does when she’s hesitating to say something. “We can’t be friends, okay?”

“Why the hell not?” I throw back, my face screwing up from confusion.

“We just can’t,” she mumbles, not at all believing her own words.

I want to pry, but seeing that it’s a lost cause, I try something else. “Give me the day.”

Her face scrunches up in confusion. “Huh?”

Setting my bowl on the coffee table, I look at her intently so she knows I’m serious. “Do something with me today. Let me prove that we can be friends and nothing bad will happen. We do have to live together for the year, so we may as well try to enjoy it if we can.”

“And I should do this because?”

“Because you know that deep down you want to stop pretending like you hate me. It’s probably exhausting. As much as I enjoy your fiery comebacks and don’t want them to be gone entirely, let’s do a trial today to see if we could get along. Make things less stressful for you?” I offer, knowing it’s going to get to her. She already has so much going on, pretending to hate me is only adding to the weight on her shoulders.

Mocha eyes stare at mine for what feels like a lifetime, neither of us backing down. I love that she’s not intimidated, never once breaking eye contact.

Finally, she sighs. “Fine. But I’m only doing this because if you’re going to help me with my business, then I need to trust you.”

“Let’s get to know each other then,” I propose, nodding toward the TV. “Do you like cartoons?”

She scrunches her lips to the side, shaking her head. “No, I don’t like TV. I actually never watch it.”

I put a hand over my heart, feigning offense. “Seriously? It’s my guilty pleasure.”

“I find it interesting that a grown man, who’s a hockey legend and all that, enjoys watching cartoons made for kids.”

A devilish smile curls on my lips. “So you think I’m a legend?”

She groans at that, putting a hand over her face. “No, I mean that’s what it says online. But I’ve never seen you play.”

I need to show her a highlight video one day, along with bringing her to the rink so she can see the skills I still possess.

“What would you expect me to watch?” I ask, rerouting back to her comment as I turn the TV off.

“You don’t have to turn it off.” There’s an apology in her tone. “But I guess I expected sports networks, maybe some kind of mystery show?”

“I watch the sports network occasionally, but oftentimes, it aggravates me. So, it’s mostly cartoons.”

A half-smile dons her lips, and it makes me want to work harder to put a real smile on her face. I haven’t seen one yet, except for the night I watched her dance at the gala. But I want it to be me who puts it there.

“Now tell me something about you. What do you like to do to relax on a weekend?” I ask, watching as she spoons the last bite of yogurt into her mouth.

“I like to read, obviously.” Her cheeks turn pink as she fights off another smile. “I also like to play chess, bake, and do Pilates.”

She likes chess too? I’m beginning to think God made this woman just for me.

“How long have you played chess for?” I ask, running a hand over my bearded jaw.

“Since I was ten,” she answers, then stands and takes both of our empty bowls to the kitchen.

I follow right behind her, coming to her side at the sink and gently nudging her away. “Go sit down. You made breakfast. Let me clean.”

Surprisingly, she doesn’t argue with me, sliding out of the way. “Thanks,” she grumbles, and it makes me laugh, knowing how damn hard it was for her to say thank you.

“Let’s play once I’m done,” I offer, jutting my chin in the direction of the chessboard.

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