Page 12 of What If We Do

“Whoa. This one is badass. I think this is it, Scarlett.”

“Really? Let’s see it!” I sit up, ready to see the perfect costume for my hockey player date.

He steps out of his dressing room and I can’t stop smiling. “Oh, my God, Oliver! This is it! You look incredible!”

He stands before me in a dark blue V-neck drawstring shirt, his sculpted chest peeking through the lace-up front. God, he fills it out perfectly. His deep brown leather pants taper near the ankle and hug his strong legs. The leather belt with all the perfect Viking accessories hangs off his hips and the arm guards coupled with the fur collar… Oh, my God, it’s perfect.

“You are…” I shake my head, speechless for a moment but smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush. “Oliver, you make one sexy ass Viking if I do say so myself. This costume is,” I kiss the tips of my fingers, “chef’s kiss perfection.”

He turns a full three hundred and sixty degrees, allowing me the opportunity to take him all in. “So, this one’s the winner?”

“Without a doubt. Yes. Rip those tags off, you sexy beast. The party starts in an hour.”

“Alright. Let me grab my clothes and pay for this and we’re out of here.”

Chapter 5

Oliver

Since we have a little time before the party starts, we take some time to walk through a few of the other shops on the street, all of which are touting special Halloween activities and sales. Outside one of the small art galleries, there’s a table set up for children to create their own Halloween themed paintings. Some are painting pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, some have painted bats, and a few are creating their own haunted house complete with ghosts and magical sparkles and all sorts of colorful decorations.

“Wow! Those look amazing,” Scarlett raves, a hint of excitement in her eyes. “You guys are pretty darn good at that.”

The kids all smile and thank her for the compliments and one boy looks at me, his jaw dropped, his little eyes bulging. “Wait…are you?” His head cocks to the side as he takes in my costume and then he smiles. “Do you play hockey?”

I give him a mischievous shrug. “Maaaaaybe.”

He gasps. “OH MY GOSH YOU’RE OLIVER MAGALLAN, AREN’T YOU?”

Scarlett beams as she watches my interaction with the kid.

“You’re rather good, kid. What’s your name?”

“Oliver.”

My brows shoot up. “No way! Your name is Oliver too? How cool is that? You an Anaheim Stars fan?”

He nods enthusiastically. “Uh huh. You’re my favorite player.”

“Well shoot, that’s so nice of you to say.” I give him a high five. “It’s not every day I meet a fan this far away from home. Iwish I had something on me I could give you, but we’re on our way to a Halloween party.”

“How about a picture?” Scarlett suggests, gesturing to a woman standing behind him. “Is this your mom?”

The woman smiles. “Yep. I’m Mom.” She shakes my hand. “It’s very nice to meet you Mr. Magallan.”

“The pleasure is mine. Yeah, we can totally take a picture. Let’s do it, Oliver.” Oliver’s mom comes out from behind the table and I kneel beside him and smile for a few pictures. When we’re done, he thanks me and wishes me luck in our next game.

“Thank you so much, Bud. I’m really glad I got to meet you.”

Before we step away, Scarlett gathers the kids standing around and says, “Who wants to paint something really cool?”

Several small hands shoot into the air in hopes she chooses them and to their surprise, she picks every one of them. “Grab your paintbrushes and your favorite color because I think this dress needs a makeover.” She smirks when all the kids gasp. Scarlett raises her arms and twirls in front of them. “Thirty seconds to paint wherever you want. Ready?”

“Yeah!” they all shout, dabbing their brushes into their paint.

“Okay, ready…set…GO!”

I step back and watch in wonder as the kids create splashes of color all over the white canvas that is Scarlett’s dress. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I snap several pictures of her as the kids are painting. Her smile is sincere as she encourages each of the kids to make a colorful mess. She’s truly mesmerizing as I watch her behind the lens of my phone camera. More than once today I’ve silently thanked the Gods, or at least Ledger, for encouraging me to do this with Scarlett because so far, she’s everything I enjoy in a woman. Fun loving, adventurous, spontaneous, driven, and funny with a beauty about her that needs no filter. If she weren’t going through the pain of recently being left at the altar, I could see myself asking her out.

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