Page 12 of Taking The Shot

Honestly, she never even thought about dating because she felt like one of those ‘magic slates’ where you marked with a stylus, yanked up the paper to make it disappear, but there were still marks, scars, and imprints there. She felt used. Adrift. Released back into the wild long before she was ready… because Robert had died.

Maybe that was part of the reason she’d mentioned it so quickly to Keith, to run him off or draw that line in the sand because she found him attractive, and it scared her. As he walked toward her with the pony in one hand and the trash in the other, she saw his easy smile and swallowed.

He was sexy in a quiet confident manner, comfortable in his own sense of self, and could be anywhere right now, which made it even more appealing that he was here.

“How’s the food?” he said simply, handing over the pony to Paige but looking at her. His golden-brown eyes held hers, flicking slightly, like he was trying to read her like a book.

“The kids are almost done,” she said simply and hesitated. “I snuck a bite in the kitchen, though, and it’s delicious.”

“Great. This place used to be really good before they changed chefs. I stopped going there for a while and started again recently. Places with drive-thrus are my favorite, you know?”

“Oh, I get it,” she smiled, nodding. “McDonald’s queen, right here. Forgot to thaw out some ground beef – Happy Meals for dinner. It’s not exactly healthy, but in some weird way, I justify it as ‘self-care’ for my mental well-being.”

“Exactly,” he chuckled, smiling as he met her eyes. “Do you mind if I go wash my hands?”

“Not at all,” she shrugged, pointing. “The bathroom is over there.”

Hesitating, Constance grabbed a wet rag and looked around her apartment with candid eyes. It was dated, old, and in desperate need of updating. The walls were yellowed from a previous tenant, and you could smell the smoke during the summer heat. The carpet had been replaced when she moved in but with the cheapest stuff on the market. She remembered how it would ball up, and now it was starting to get worn patches from use near the front door and down the hallway to the two bedrooms. The light fixture was a brass chandelier that hung low on a swag chain, plugged in nearby, and the cabinets had the same brass pulls on them. Keith had to think this was a dump because she sure did in that moment, and she drew in a shaky breath. This was just two new friends talking, and she was making a big deal out of nothing.

“Are you okay?” Keith asked quietly, touching her elbow as he returned to join her at the table.

“Yeah, I’m good. Kids, if you are done…”

“Yup. I wanna keep my food down,” Paige tossed in Keith’s direction as the man sighed and shook his head. Her daughter was gone in a heartbeat – with her new toy and Kayla not far behind her.

“That girl…”

“I’m so sorry…”

“Is phenomenally smart,” Keith finished, smiling at her openly. “I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s bright, quick, clever, and should be taking debate or something because she’s on top of her game.”

“You aren’t upset that she’s been so rude to you?”

“Heck no. I’m in her territory and a threat. I get it. If someone skates into my zone, I’m gonna check them, you know?”

“Check them?”

“I play hockey for a living. I’m on the Coyotes and…” he paused, looking at her. Heck, she’d look too, because her face was sagging with utter shock as it clicked in her head. She had seen him on the news, in the sports segments, but never put it together in her mind. “I’m that guy.”

“I’ve seen you on the news…” she whispered, marveling in shock as he flinched.

“I bet.”

“Oh my gosh… you’re famous.”

“Infamous,” he corrected glumly.

“And you’re here? Oh my gosh,” she uttered as a wave of shame and disbelief washed over her. “You are here, in my dump, and I’m wearing a T-shirt like you’re a nobody…”

“Constance…”

“I’ve gotta change. I should have worn makeup. Please tell me there isn’t some news crew following you or…”

“Heck, I hope not…” Keith uttered under his breath, rubbing his neck. “Look, if things are about to get really weird – then I’m gonna bolt. I’m sorry, but I neednormalanddown-to-earthin my life. Clingy isn’t cool, fake is even worse, and I cannot stand liars or manipulative people –justplease– be yourself.”

“I’m nobody,” she whispered, confused, as he sat down in a rickety wooden chair that had seen better days – and pointed at her seat, to which she immediately sank down. “I’m… I don’t understand. Why… why are you here? Why did you call me?”

“Because you are normal and look at me without an agenda,” he admitted openly, picking up his fork. “I’m a little jaded and wary about things and people, and I like that you are open. Heck, I like that Paige is painfully candid because it’s real. I’ve seena lot, dealt witha lot, and I could use a wholeLOTless in my life.”

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