Four simple words that send an electric spark coursing through my body. Every hair on my arms is standing to attention.
I’m getting mixed signals here. Hot and cold. One moment she’s the ice queen, and the next she’s sort of talking dirty to me?
As if realizing she’s been flirting, Summer lowers her gaze and takes another bite of her burger. But not before I note the faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
Interesting.
Poses the question of which approach I should take. Should I be blunt, or subtle? Could I be both?
For now, I sense it’d be better to steer the conversation toward safer waters.
Something happens on screen and Summer groans. I stare at the TV; the camera is doing a close up of a Kings player stuck in the penalty box.
“Did he deserve it?” I ask.
“Oh, yes. Manual boarding, but sucks anyway.”
Finally, the bartender drops my food on the counter alongside a receipt. I sign the bill and take a bite out of a fry, asking, “Are you a fan of sports in general, or just hockey?”
“Only ice hockey. My ex-boyfriend got me into it and, well, he’s long gone, but after following the Kings for fifteen years the love for the game stuck. You?”
I chew down the first mouthful of my delicious burger, swallow, and say, “I’m out of the country too often with no reception to follow any sport. But I enjoy all the classics: hockey, football, basketball…”
“What about baseball? Isn’t that the classic?”
“Nah, baseball is only good for when I have jet lag.”
Summer polishes off the last of her fries and cleans her fingers on a paper napkin. “How so?”
“Whenever I put on a game, I fall asleep within the first ten minutes. Pretty handy when you travel as much as I do.”
She chuckles. “Guess you’re right; baseball can be less than thrilling. Anyway, the only other game I watch is the Super Bowl, but I do it more for the commercials than the sport. I don’t travel that much, so I don’t need a jet lag fixer, but tell Winter, I bet she could use the tip.”
“Hey, I never asked. What do you do for a living?”
“I work in a skincare company, in the lab. I’m a chemical engineer; I’m responsible for the formulation and development of the company’s foundation line.”
And just like that, an image of her in a doctor’s white coat and nothing else but sky-high stiletto heels pops into my mind. I take a sip of beer and swallow. “A lab rat, uh? I wouldn’t have imagined.”
Pinning me with a stare, she asks, “And what would you have guessed?”
I can’t voice any of the dirty, dirty thoughts swirling around in my head, but say, “I would’ve pinned you down as more of a front-end cat. Like PR or marketing. Event planning, maybe?”
“Heaven spare me, I’ll leave that to Tucker.” She smiles. “Poor bastard. How my sister and Logan roped him into organizing this wedding is still beyond me.”
“Well, Tucker is our logistics man… so.”
“Still, camping supplies and survival gear are a far cry from frills and flowers. He seemed so stressed at the meeting you skipped.”
“Hey, I had an emergency.”
Deep blue eyes pierce me. “What kind of emergency?”
I shuffle through the possible answers:
Option number one: A sleepover involving a redhead who made me work extra time last night and miss my wakeup call today?
Nah, buddy, the lady is already prejudiced enough thanks to whatever stories her sister has been feeding her, which I will have to investigate later.
Option number two: A slip-up with the wedding rings and their unexpected retrieval inside the fridge? Cute, self-deprecating enough. This is the way to go, I tell her the story.
Summer laughs. “The fridge, uh? How did the box end up in there?”
“I swear I still have no idea.”
We chuckle again, and I’m happy to note she finally appears more relaxed. Nothing super obvious, but her mouth doesn’t go taut the moment she stops speaking, her body language seems less rigid, and even her eyes have more of a spark. “But promise never to tell Tucker or Winter,” I add.
“You bet,” she says. “Anyway, you’re lucky you missed that meeting. Tucker was super picky, and my sister… She’s gone a little bridezilla.”
“Winter?”
“Yeah, I know she’s usually the laid-back queen, but getting married has made her obsessive.”
“Is that why you didn’t join them for dinner?”
Summer’s easy-going expression darkens. “No,” she says. “I just wasn’t feeling that social.” She stares at the counter for a long moment before adding, “To be honest, I can’t wait for the week to be over. I’m dreading the next few days.”
I don’t know why she’s opening up to me. It might be the two glasses of wine, or that I already know about the skeletons in her closet. But I’ll gladly use any breach into the mystery that is Summer Knowles.
“Because of what happened with Lana? I met her earlier, and she’s cool.”
“She’s not the issue; everybody else is. My entire old circle of friends.”
“Are they being nasty?”
“That’s what I’m expecting, but I haven’t talked to any of them in months, so I don’t really know…”
“Maybe they won’t be as bad.”
“Yeah, sure, and tomorrow the sky will part and unicorns will come galloping down the rainbows.”
I swallow the last bite of my burger. “Sarcastic much?”
“Realistic. I foresee dark times ahead. I’m going to spend this week in isolation, and that’s the optimistic outcome.”
“Hey, we can be buddies if you ever feel lonely.”
Summer picks up her glass, eyeing me with half a smile. “Are you propositioning me?”
“Hey, I’m single, you’re single. I offer a week of great, no-strings-attached fun. But if you prefer to mope alone over spilled milk…”
She takes a sip of wine while studying my face, her eyes lowering to my mouth.
I’m already thinking I have this in the bag when she says, “Thanks, but no, thanks.”
My expression must crumble, because Summer adds, “Oh, please, don’t sad-dog me, I’m sure you’ll find another hook up by tomorrow night.”
“May I ask why the hard pass?” I make a half-cute, half-dismayed pout. “Am I not handsome enough?”
“Oh, you’re very handsome.” She finishes the wine and drops the glass on the counter, her eyes returning to my mouth. “Even if I’ve never much cared for”—her hands waver in the general direction of my chin—“facial hair.”
“You mean my beard?” I exclaim, pulling at it. “Ladies all over the world have loved it.”
“And that’s the other thing. Lately, I’m trying to make smart decisions—”