Page 24 of Let It Be Me
“So what other weird foods did you grow up on?” I ask her and look back down at my menu as if I wasn’t staring wistfully at her. A balled-up straw wrapper hits me on the forehead and I jump a little at the trash hitting me. “Hey.”
“I’ll have you know, boiled peanuts are not weird foods.” Sarah says as she points a finger at me, but with a smile on her face.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I say as I continue looking through the menu.
She sets her menu off to the side, a clear indication that she knows what she wants and turns her gaze on me. “So should we get to the nitty gritty of the brands you want to work with?”
I decide on what I want to eat and then set my menu on top of hers. I cross my hands and place them on the table in front of me. “Cologne, naturally. Every man needs a brand they reach for. I personally am hoping to work with Tom Ford one day. Maybe a cat food brand because I am a Cat Daddy after all.”
“You having cats was not on my bingo card.” Sarah says as she types the information in on her phone.
“I like all things pussy,” I tell her.
“You were doing so well.” Sarah claims through a laugh as she drops her head onto the tabletop.
I like making her laugh. If it makes our working relationshiprun smoothly, then I’ll make her laugh as much as humanly possible.
Our server comes over to take our orders and once again, we’re alone. Only not really. Sarah keeps looking over my shoulder and I can only assume that we’ve gathered more attention. My assumption is confirmed when I peek behind me and see phones all pointed towards us.
“That’s not going to bother you, is it?” I ask and now I’m kicking myself in not recommending we just eat at my place. Although, I understood her refusal.
“I’m used to it. Happens when you’re best friends with a successful fashion designer who’s also dating the former Cincinnati quarterback and you decide to all have dinner on a Friday night after a playoff win.”
“Yeah, how did that happen?”
“I’ve known Mason since high school. Then Kamryn and I were roommates and sorority sisters through college,” she explains to me and then realizes something. “This is very date-like talk.”
“Hey.” I hold my hands up. “I’m just trying to get to know my publicist better.”
“Mm-hmm,” Sarah responds.
Our server comes back out with our food and to refill our waters. We talk about her job and what I like about hockey. I don’t tell her how I got into hockey as that’s probably too deep for lunch. By the time we’re done eating, apart from my cologne and cat food brands, we’ve gotten no actual work done.
“This work lunch was a bust.” I say as I sign off on the receipt. I refused to let her pay. Momma always said that if I offer to take someone to get food that I need to pay.
Sarah looks at her phone and huffs. “I guess you’re right.”
We come to a mutual agreement to handle everything by email. I have a pre-season skate coming up and she has baseball games to attend. It will also be easier for us as my thoughts continue to stray to NSFW activities. I slide out of my side of the booth and hold my hand out to her when I move to her side to help her out. As we walk out of the restaurant, hushed whispers and the sound of cameras going off reach my ears. When we finally reach outside, we both let out a sigh of relief.
“Well that was some exit,” I say.
Sarah snorts as she gets her keys out of her purse. “So our next event is your first regular-season game.”
“Yep. I’ll make sure to set you up with some team gear.” I say, leaning up against her car.
Sarah drops her bag in the passenger seat and faces me, mimicking the same position as the one I’m in. The amount of comfort she shows towards me is one of understanding. Our eyes lock and every moment since we met is reflected in her eyes as I’m sure it’s the same when she’s looking at me.
She looks like she wants to say something. Instead, with a deep breath, Sarah pushes off her car and grabs the handle. “Well, today was good. Seeing you in your element on the ice, helps me to understand you a little better. I’ll see you later, Riley.”
I watch her get into her car and make my way around to my door. When I’m about to open it, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling my phone out, I see Logan calling me.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” I ask.
“What’s up? How come you didn’t tell us you were dating the redhead from the charity event?”
I rear back. “What are you talking about? I’m not dating anybody.”
“That’s not what sports channels and gossip blogs aresaying,” Logan says. “Check your phone. I’ll talk to you later.”
