Page 7 of Ice, Ice… Maybe?

“Maybe a little bit of both?”

“Maybe…”

“It’s well-deserved in the hockey world, but I’m not there right now. I’m just a guy with a cell phone issue, hoping to ask a reallypretty girl out for a cup of coffee or dinner sometime,” he said softly, as her heart flipped wildly in her chest. “What do you say?”

“Well, if you are as famous as you say, then maybe we should hold off on the public dates and stick with just talking for a little bit.”

“Oh.”

His crestfallen face surprised her. Travis just stood there, almost like he didn’t know what to do or say to her response, which made her feel like a million bucks. Obviously, he really wanted her to say ‘yes’ and was trying to figure out how to win her over.

“But,” she said quietly, looking at him with a soft smile. “We could get this phone issue taken care of – and talk so we can get to know each other.”

His shoulders sagged in relief as he smiled at her, his shaggy hair hanging almost in his face, and she wanted to push a lock of it out of the way. He was extremely handsome with a winning smile, dark eyes, and a slightly crooked nose that had been obviously broken at one point – but none of that detracted from the overall package he presented. No, Travis Giroux was gorgeous, and she didn’t want to be like all the other girls.

“I would really like that, Becca… a lot.”

“Me too.”

They stood there, and she finally gave a nervous laugh, unsure how to respond or what to say to such attention. She had been on dates in the past, but they were usually a bunch of local guys who simply wanted to brag that they were dating one of the Baird’s. All of that small-minded, small-town gossip, combined with the stresses already going on at home, is how she ended up in Dallas, two hours away.

Everyone knew them – or at least had heard of them. If it wasn’t her oldest brother bossing people around, then it was one of her other siblings acting out, running around town, or all the fighting as they tried to manage after her father’s death. She felt like the black sheep of the family because she didn’t want to run a farm or smelllike manure on a regular basis – nor did she want to work for her brother, Jason. He could be a real jerk, bossy as could be, and short-tempered. Since she moved away, they were only now getting back to having some sort of peaceful communication between them.

“Let’s get you fixed up then,” Becca said nervously, wondering how her family would be around Travis.You’re putting the cart in front of the horse, Becca… relax.She flashed him a smile – and then focused on the computer terminal before her, trying to ignore just how attractive she thought he was and what all of this could mean.

That evening,when Becca got home, she kicked off her shoes and plopped down onto the loveseat – exhausted. It had been a long night, incredibly exciting, and she hesitated.

The jersey Travis had given her was neatly folded and hidden under the driver’s seat of her car to keep it from getting stolen. Barefoot, she padded down the stairwell and ran back out to her car in a hurry. She wasn’t leaving it there to get forgotten. No, she wanted to savor those moments, relish what it felt like to suddenly get picked out of the crowd by a good-lookin’ guy; like she was something special.

“This is crazy…” she whispered before pressing her face into the material to see if she could smell his cologne – and sighed. Nothing, not even fabric softener. Yanking it over her head, she wrapped her arms around her waist and wondered if Travis meant what he said or if he was even thinking about her – only to hear her phone ding.

There on the screen was a picture of a mangled peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a paper plate with the words, ‘This could be your dinner’ and a smiley face emoji – and she laughed. The bread was torn, there was a lump of grape jelly hanging off the crust, and the used knife was stuck to the countertop.

Are you trying to impress me?

Is it working?

No. My bar is set just a bit higher.

So peanut butter isn’t your Achilles heel?

‘Fraid not…

I make an incredible box of Kraft Mac and Cheese

I take it you cannot cook?

I cannot… le sigh.

Is that French?

Naww, it’s kind of a joke.

Giroux is a French name but I’m not. I was born in Arlington and grew up there. A lot of guys on the team are from Canada – and they definitely speak French. If you need a French cuss word, I’ve got your back.

… Or if you need a dentist.

Becca laughed at the weird text messages that were flying between them. He was obviously interested in having dinner with her and had zero skills in the kitchen, which was kind of nice.

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