Sweet as Pie by Alicia Hunter Pace
Chapter Nineteen
The plane was almost full by the time Jake boarded.
He slid into the seat beside Robbie and fastened his seatbelt. It wasn’t quite time to take off, but he liked to settle in.
“The plane’s right posh,” Robbie said.
“Did you think it wouldn’t be?” Jake pulled his iPad and noise-canceling headphones out of his backpack.
“I don’t know. We’re used to a team with its own plane. I wasn’t sure how a chartered plane would be.”
“I don’t care, as long as I’ve got a little leg room and some decent snacks,” Jake said. “But I did want the window seat.”
“So did I,” Robbie said, “and I got here first. There are a few left.”
There were. Three to be exact, but Able hadn’t boarded yet and Jake didn’t want to risk having to sit by him. Oddly—or maybe not so oddly, considering what all had happened—the animosity Jake had felt for Able had dissipated, but he still didn’t want to sit by him. True to her word, Evie had not shown up at the team breakfast. Anna-Blair had said that Evie had a headache, and they were going by to tell her goodbye before heading back to the Delta. Jake didn’t know what she’d told Able, but that was one conversation he was not going to have.
“One less window seat,” Robbie said. “Wingo just took the one up there on the right. He’s a rookie. You could make him move.”
“Nah.” Jake stored his bag under the seat. “I wouldn’t want to start any rumors that you and I have broken up.”
“Guess I’m the only girlfriend you’re likely to have for a while,” Robbie deadpanned.
Maybe not.
He’d never wanted anyone as much as he’d wanted Evie last night—and it wasn’t just because he’d had a long dry spell. It was her—the way she smelled, the way she tasted, the way she felt against him. Oh, yes, that last part especially. She had come into his arms so willingly and seemed to know exactly when he wanted her to open her mouth a little more and how he wanted her to move against him. It was like falling down a well, but without fear because he knew what was at the bottom: Evie—Evie, who knew everything about him and liked him anyway. Evie, who had given him, in just a few words, comfort about Blake without insisting that he talk about it until he was hoarse.
Maybe this was it—the meant-to-be that he had ceased to believe in.
He had almost ruined it, almost stripped her naked and made love to her right there on her couch. But it would have been the wrong thing to do. Even with their history, it was too soon. She deserved to be courted and wooed—old-fashioned words, sure, but nice words. Although he hadn’t been thinking about that when they were entangled, her mouth on his neck. He would have done it without so much as buying her a taco if she hadn’t stopped him.
His lucky puck would have been gone.
Of course, the puck wasn’t the point, never had been. It didn’t bother him in the least that he hadn’t thought about it when Evie was in his arms.
However, it did bother him that he’d forgotten his resolve to be a better man. A better man would not show up on a woman’s doorstep—especially if that woman was his friend—and take her to bed with no more forethought than buying a Snickers bar at a convenience store.
But Evie had saved him—saved him with her good sense and wise ways. It wasn’t the right time, she’d said. She knew it was too soon, despite their history. They needed to get to know each other in a whole different way, on a whole different level.
It might not work out with them, but he was going to find out. Maybe they would always save each other. He would see the bet through, too. He looked forward to the time between now and December for shared meals, skating lessons, watching movies, and just being together. She would come to his hockey games. He would hang out at Crust and wait for her to close. He wanted to wave to her in the stands when he skated out and hold her hand when they walked down the street.
Of course, that wasn’t all he wanted to do, but he could wait—should wait, though it wouldn’t be that long. If things worked out like he hoped, he would make love to her properly on a cold December day. At Christmas, they would be solid.
He wasn’t worried about the Delta Queens. Once they saw that things were working out, they’d be thrilled.
“What are you smiling about?” Robbie broke into his thoughts.
“Was I smiling?” he asked, but he wasn’t surprised. Jake felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long time—happy anticipation.
“Like Mona Lisa with the Cheshire cat on her lap.”
“I was thinking about what we’re going to do to Winnipeg tonight.”
Robbie nodded. “That’s what I like to hear.” He yawned and pulled his headphones from his bag. “I’m checking out for a while.”
Jake put on his headphones, too, and plugged into his iPad, but he didn’t turn anything on yet. He wanted to text Evie.
Hi. On the plane. How is your head?
She answered immediately.
Still attached. Yours?
Anna-Blair said you had a headache.
Yeah, well. Always got to tell Anna-Blair something. How was the breakfast?
The usual: Eggs Benedict, bananas Foster, Champagne with papaya chunks floating in it, lattes made to order. Ordinary stuff.
That was a lie. She knew it. They’d had breakfast casseroles, fruit, grits, cinnamon rolls, and plain coffee and orange juice.
Sounds fancy. I had a piece of stale bread with some peanut butter because you ate the last of my breakfast food.
That was a lie. She knew he knew it.
I owe you breakfast when I get back.
I’ll hold you to that.
I hope you do.
And I’ll hold you, too, if you’ll let me.
The flight attendant was working her way down the aisle asking people to turn their phones off. He figured he had time to fire off one more text.
About to put my phone in airplane mode. I’ll call you tonight after the game.
Be safe. Play hard. Win big.
I plan on it, Evie, and not just this game.
He turned off his phone and picked up his tablet. Maybe he’d watch Chasing Amy.