She shoos me with her hand, putting the box in the cart. “I bet you I’ll eat them all within a week.”
I read the box. “You’re going to eat twenty-four bars in seven days?”
She nods, so sure of herself.
“And if you don’t?”
“Why must everything be a challenge to you?” she asks before thanking the lady giving out chocolate almond samples and inserting one into my mouth.
“What fun is it if there’s no reward to the bet?”
“But why must you bet in the first place?”
I snatch her by her waist and pull her toward me. “Because it’s fun, and now that our relationship has progressed, we can use sexual favors as rewards.”
Her mouth forms an O shape.
“Now you get my point.” I slap her ass.
“Are you Maksim Petrov?” a small voice says from behind Paisley.
I look over her shoulder at a little blonde girl with pigtails who most likely just saw me smack Paisley’s ass. Great.
I smile and nod. “I am.”
Paisley turns around, welcoming the little girl with a big smile. “I love your pigtails.”
She nods and her pigtails bounce. “Thank you.” She holds out a piece of paper and a pen. “Could you sign this? My dad is a huge fan and his birthday is next week. I heard people saying it was you and I can’t get my daddy anything because I don’t have a job. Mommy says he likes homemade things and that he’d love a card, but I don’t like getting cards. You can’t play with a card.”
I glance at Paisley, who looks as though she’s a second away from cracking up at this little girl.
“This is the back of my mom’s grocery list, and if you sign it, I’m gonna make a collage.”
I think for a moment. “You’d need proof though, right?”
The little girl’s eyes widen. “What?”
“Proof that it was my signature.”
Her bottom lip pops out. “My daddy would believe me.”
“Oh, I was going to offer a picture, but sure, I can sign.” I take the pen and paper, scribbling my name.
“A picture!” Her eyes light up, and I nod. “Let me get my mom.”
I catch sight of her mom watching from a distance, so she’s not surprised when her daughter takes her hand and drags her over to us.
“Thank you for being so nice,” she says when she reaches us.
“Our pleasure. She’s adorable.” Paisley speaks first, and I like the word our coming out of her mouth.
“She really wants to get her dad a gift on her own. I suggested some socks over there, but she said no way.”
“I said she could take a picture with me and add it to her collage.”
“Oh, that would be great.” The mom smiles.
“Daddy will love it.” The little girl is already taking the mom’s phone out of her purse and handing it to Paisley. “Can you take it?”
“Calm down, Ashley.” The mom chuckles, looking a little embarrassed at her daughter’s enthusiasm.
I pick up the girl, and Paisley snaps the picture. Once we’re done, I lower her back down and Paisley hands the phone back to the mom.
“It was nice meeting you,” I say with my hand raised.
Ashley smacks it. “You too. Sorry about the playoffs. Drake kind of screwed you.”
“Ashley!” her mother scolds, cheeks turning red.
The girl looks over at her mother. “It’s what Daddy says.”
The mom gives me an apologetic smile.
“We’re not out of the playoffs yet.” Though even I can admit that it’s a long shot we’d make them now, but never say never. “Give Drake a break. He had a lot going on and his game is back, so I say next year you’ll see us win the Cup if it doesn’t happen this year.” I wink at her.
Ashley nods, still looking unconvinced. I’m not sure how much of a fan she is.
“Thank you again for doing this. It means so much. You’re a very sweet man. Not at all like they talk about you when you play.” The mom touches my forearm. “And you two make a very attractive couple.”
I watch the mom and her daughter leave, and Paisley links her arm with mine. “So that’s what it’s like to be with someone famous.”
I glance over. “They’re not all that nice and cute. Believe me.”
We leave Costco with more stuff than I thought I’d buy, but that seems to happen to everyone who goes into that place. Since I have stuff that needs to be refrigerated, I figure we’ll stop by my house, then figure out what we want to do for the rest of the day.
“Nice shack,” Paisley says when we pull up to my beach house.
It’s not anything like Drake’s, but it’s a nice size with four bedrooms, four baths, a pool, and a hot tub. Plus it’s right on the beach. I spent way too much for it, but since I’m not some world traveler and kind of a homebody, it suits me well.
“It’s not that amazing.”
“I think my apartment can fit in your garage,” she says, carrying a load of the stuff from Costco into the house.
“I like your place. It suits you.”
“I imagined you lived in an ice castle, so this is refreshing,” she says, laughing as she walks through the archway of the door.
As I’m making sure the door is shut behind us, Paisley drops everything in her arms, each item free-falling to the floor.
Nadiya stands in the kitchen, wearing a barely-there bikini. Fuck.
“Oh, hey, I’m Nadiya,” she introduces herself with a smile.
“Paisley,” she says and looks back at me, eyes narrowed.
“Sorry, my bad. Nadiya, this is my—” I’m not sure how to refer to Paisley, so I look at her.
“Friend,” Paisley fills in the blank. “I work for the Florida Fury.” She puts out her hand and Nadiya shakes it.
Okay, we’re only friends. Irritation creeps up my spine, but I’ve got a bigger issue to deal with right now.
I drop my boxes on the floor. Nadiya and Paisley both go to pick up the boxes she dropped.
“Nadiya is a friend from back home. I was best friends with her brother for years.” I try as best I can to heal the wound I know this surprise has probably caused Paisley.
“Nice to meet you,” Paisley says and walks toward the pool Nadiya came from. “What a beautiful view.”
Nadiya bites her lower lip and punches my arm behind Paisley’s back.
Yeah. I’m a fucking idiot for surprising her like this.
I try to catch my breath by walking out to the pool. His best friend’s sister? Of course, she’s a hot blonde with decent-sized breasts and not an ounce of fat on her. Why wouldn’t he mention her to me?
My phone buzzes in my purse and it gives me an idea. An easy way out.
It’s just a text message from a store about a sale, but I pretend someone called and answer the phone to no one.
“This is Paisley Pearce,” I say.
I feel Maksim before he comes into view—an excuse on the tip of his tongue, I’m sure. I have no reason to feel the jealousy that’s racing through my veins. She’s his best friend’s little sister. But why didn’t he mention her if it’s really nothing? Maybe he wasn’t expecting her to be here when we walked in.