Page 30 of Stick Side
Winky faces weren’t too creepy, were they? He certainly hoped not.
Three dots appeared on his screen to indicate Melody was typing a reply.
Melody:I did, but I didn’t want to make a point of it and sound like I was keeping close tabs on you again. ;-)
A short bark of laughter escaped him. Perfect. If he was being creepy by using winky emojis, they were being creepy together.
Ben:Do you need to head into the office today?
Melody:Nope. Part of the beauty of working with retirees is that I have the privilege of working from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. I might choose to go in if I feel someone could really use a weekend treatment, but it isn’t expected.
Ben wondered if sherealized what it said about her that she would give up part of her weekend if it meant helping to alleviate someone else’s suffering. He’d seen enough selfishness in his time to know that altruism didn’t come naturally to everyone.
Ben:So, you get to enjoy a lazy day, while I have to head out to the airport, fly across the country, and prepare to battle it out on the ice against fierce competitors? ;-)
Damn. There was that winky again. He would have to be careful not to overuse it, but he hadn’t wanted her to think he was criticizing her if she did plan to enjoy a day of leisure.
Melody:Pretty much. ;-)
Ben smiled at her simple reply. It seemed like they were both making liberal use of the emoji this morning.
Ben:Do you have any special plans for the day?
He was curious how she spent her spare time when she wasn’t making him jealous by meeting eligible men at speed dating events.
Melody:As it happens, I do. :-)
Three more dots appeared on his screen.
Melody:I have exciting plans to catch up on my laundry. Lol.
He was tempted to ask her whether that included any sexy delicates, but it was too soon for that. Call it instinct, but he had a feeling she might bolt if he came on too strong too fast.
Ben:As scintillating as that sounds, do you have anything even more fun planned?
Melody:I do. After I’ve done my laundry and satisfied my sense of duty, I plan to go for a walk through Garfield Park. I might read a book by the lagoon before I meet up with my mom for dinner.
His girl—yes, he was convinced she would be his girl—liked nature, walking, and reading. Check. He filed the information away for future reference.
Ben’s lips quirked up into a smile as he drew inspiration from last night’s deck of questions.
Ben:If you could step foot into any work of fiction, which would you choose?
Melody:Oh. That’s a good one. Hmmm . . . I’m going to have to think on that.
Ben looked at the clock face again.Damn.His car was scheduled to arrive in fifteen minutes, and it might help if he were wearing clothing when it did.
Ben:You do that. Unfortunately, I have to run. I look forward to hearing your answer once you’ve had time to think it over.
Melody:Safe travels! Slaughter San Jose tonight. (But not really since I’m sure they’re lovely people. Maybe just kick their butts?)
She provided visual representation with a shoe and a peach emoji. Damn, but this girl made him smile.
Grabbing one of his more comfortable travel suits, Ben pulled on a pair of boxer briefs before stepping into his dress pants, buttoning up his collared shirt, and shrugging on a matching jacket. While he might sometimes lament the fact he wasn’t permitted to travel to games in his sweats, after a decade in the NHL he was used to the dress code. Most days, he didn’t even think about the constraint. It was just part of the job.
Now suitably dressed, he made his way into his kitchen where he positioned a travel mug under the spigot of his state-of-the-art espresso machine. It was doubtless one of the best purchases he’d ever made. Thanks to the automated grinder and milk carafe, a café-quality cappuccino was only a push of a button away.
Armed with a little caffeine, he stepped outside to find his car service pulling up the driveway. He locked his front door and breathed in the aroma of his coffee. It felt like the air was perfumed by sweet possibility. It was going to be a good day.
