Chapter 24

Cheyenne

"Do you have any young friends?"

I peered at Ivan over the rim of my margarita glass. "I beg your pardon?"

"That didn't come out right." He chuckled, grinning at me from across the table, his blue eyes hidden by sunglasses since we were out on the patio of a restaurant by the beach. "What I meant to ask was, do you have any model friends that are a little younger than you? Like, eighteen to twenty? Legal, of course, but younger than us. Obviously, not for me."

I cocked my head. "I might have a couple. Why?"

"We need to find a date for Connor. Not a girlfriend—a date. Someone who'll go out with him once or twice and boost his confidence. He's incredibly shy, and not just with women. We're afraid if we don't get him a little life experience, he's going to fall hard for the first woman who looks at him, and potentially get taken advantage of. His parents are super religious, so their answer to everything is no. And that's not helpful. He's in the big leagues now whether they want him to be or not, so the only thing his naivete is going to do is hurt him."

"Oh. Yeah, pro sports can eat you alive." I thought for a few seconds. "I worked with a model named Effie last year. We did a magazine shoot together. She was one of the teenage up-and-coming models, I think she's nineteen. She might be twenty now. How old is Connor?"

"He'll be nineteen in February, I believe."

"That could work out well. She lives in L.A., but I haven't crossed paths with her again professionally in months. I can text her, but I don't know her relationship status, though. She might have a boyfriend or whatever."

"Yeah, no pressure. Just if you think of someone."

"Effie's sweet. She's the only one I can think of in that specific age range, but I have to warn you—girls that age aren't usually interested in younger guys."

"I know, but if she would do this as a favor to you…? It would mean a lot to me. Seriously, no pressure on her to date him. Just going out once. We have Jensen and Bailey's party coming up, so if she could go with him, they wouldn't be alone, and it might give him the confidence to ask out a girl his own age at some point. Explain that it's a date, but with no expectations. Just to help out a young hockey player who's too shy for his own good. He's a good kid, and he'll be respectful toward her. If anything, he'll be too respectful."

I chuckled. "That would be a switch."

"Trust me, he's painfully shy and very awkward around girls.

"I don't know if you're selling this," I teased. "But I'll text her. She seemed a little shy too so maybe it'll be good for them."

I pulled out my phone and typed out a message.

We'd exchanged numbers and had kept in touch, but we were both busy. Most of us in the industry understood that and didn't hold it against anyone if we didn't talk for a while.

CHEY: Hey, it's Cheyenne. I know we haven't chatted in a while, but I need a favor. My boyfriend needs a date for one of his buddies for an upcoming party, and I thought of you. He's almost nineteen, and painfully shy, but he's a pro hockey player, so not some random teenager. I totally understand if you've got a boyfriend or it doesn't fit in with your schedule.

I put the phone down and turned back to Ivan. "Okay, I messaged her."

"Thank you." He reached across the table for one of my hands. "So, I wanted to talk about something."

"Sure."

"I've been thinking about buying a?—"

He was cut off as my phone buzzed.

"Oh, it's Effie. Hang on."

EFFIE: My boyfriend dumped me, like, a week ago. I would be totally down for going out with a painfully shy pro hockey player. If he's your boyfriend's buddy, I'm guessing he's a decent guy?

CHEY: I've only met him once, but he seems sweet, and Ivan (my new boyfriend) is a great guy. If Connor steps out of line, Ivan will set him straight.

EFFIE: Awesome! I'm in London right now, but I'll be back the day after tomorrow. When's the party?

I gave her the logistics, plus Connor's name so she could look him up online and told her we'd talk when she got back to town.

"Well, looks like I found Connor a date. Effie and her boyfriend just broke up, so she's down for the whole ‘going out with a pro hockey player to rub his nose in it' thing."

"Fortuitous for all of us. I feel like I should give Connor a head's up, but then I'm afraid he'll chicken out."

"Effie's gorgeous—I'm sure someone on the team would be her date for the night if he does." I typed in a search for a cover she did for Seventeen magazine, and then held it up to him.

"Oh." He nodded. "She's lovely. Young but beautiful."

"We all started somewhere." I put the phone down again. "Anyway, so Connor has a date and I get to see someone I haven't seen in a while. Win-win."

"Are you ready to order?" Our waitress approached and we gave her our orders.

"So, what did you want to ask me?" I asked him curiously.

"Well, I've been thinking about real estate."

"Really."

"For a long time, I was worried that?—"

"Mr. Rochenko…" A little boy of about nine or ten suddenly approached us, and he seemed breathless. "My mom said I shouldn't bother you but I'm your biggest fan. Could I get your autograph before my mom?—"

"Joey!" A woman in her thirties came hurrying over to us.

"Oh no." Joey froze.

"I'm so sorry." The woman grabbed the boy's hand. "I told you not to bother him while he's eating."

"But he's not eating yet!" Joey protested, motioning to the table in front of us. "They're just drinking.

I ducked my head to hide my smile.

This kid was going to be a handful someday.

"It's all right," Ivan said. "I'm happy to sign something for him."

"I don't have a pen." Joey suddenly looked like he was going to cry.

"What about a picture?" Ivan offered. "If it's okay with your mom."

The woman gave him a friendly smile. "Well… if you're sure."

"Of course." Ivan pushed his chair back as Joey's mother got out her phone and he put an arm around Joey.

The woman quickly snapped a few pictures.

"Are you a big hockey fan?" Ivan asked Joey.

Joey nodded. "I'm going to join the Junior Phantoms. I had to learn how to skate first, but I think I'm ready!"

Behind him, Joey's mom was shaking her head. "He's not ready," she mouthed to me.

"The Junior Phantoms are all about learning and inclusivity," Ivan said. "So, you don't have to be ready for anything except to work hard and be kind to your teammates."

"I can do that!" Joey beamed.

"Excellent. I'll be watching for you."

"You will?" Joey's eyes rounded.

"Of course. We drop in on the Junior Phantoms practices once in a while."

"Mom! Did you hear that?"

"I did." She took his hand again. "Okay, tell Mr. Rochenko thank you. We need to leave him to his lunch."

"Thank you!" Joey threw his arms around Ivan's neck and Ivan hugged him back.

"Take care, Joey."

"Bye!" Joey continued waving and looking back over his shoulder until he and his mother were out of sight.

"That doesn't happen very often," Ivan said after a moment.

"You didn't seem to mind."

"If not for the fans, I wouldn't get to do what I do. They're a huge part of pro sports, and the kids are the best because they're loyal. They don't care if you win or lose, or if you speak perfect English or anything else. They just want to feel the excitement of hockey."

"You were very patient with him."

"I try to always take time for young fans. There are exceptions, of course, but this doesn't happen often enough for me to be a jerk about it when it does. If it starts to become problematic, I may have to set different boundaries. For now, I don't mind."

"I try to be that way too," I said. "Unfortunately, it's more complicated for me. Guys can be ridiculous, trying to touch me, hold my hand, throw gifts at me… it can be overwhelming and sometimes scary. I do take the time to stop when it's kids, especially little girls who tell me they want to be models or actresses or whatever."

"I think it's different at your level," he said. "You're a lot more famous than me."

"Does that…bother you?"

He frowned. "No, why would it?"

"I've dated guys who couldn't deal with my level of success."

"Then they're insecure boys, not men, and I'm a man."

"You most certainly are." I slipped my foot out of my sandal and surreptitiously slid it between his legs, rubbing lightly against his crotch.

He pushed his sunglasses up on his head, fixing those gorgeous blue eyes on me, and then slowly closed his thighs around my foot. "Keep that up and I'll take you out to the car real quick."

"It doesn't have to be quick," I teased.

He laughed, releasing my leg as the waitress came over with our food.

"So. Back to your question."

"Ah, yes." He speared a carrot with his fork. "I've been saving for a house but didn't want to invest in anything like that until I had a better idea if I was staying in L.A. or not."

"Is there a possibility you'll be traded?" I asked in alarm.

"Well, the answer to that question is always yes. That's something that can happen at almost any time, to any of us. And with everything going on with the team the last few years, I didn't know what was going to happen when they brought me on last fall.

"Now I know Harper has no intention of trading me, but it could still happen. Sometimes there are deals that are just better for the business, and we don't always have the option of saying no. However, we still have to live our lives, and I think I'm ready to put down some roots. Even if I do get traded, real estate is usually a great investment. The team you get traded to helps with moving and all of that, so I'm not worried about that part of it."

"Oh. I didn't realize that."

I was confused.

Was he asking me if I wanted to buy a house with him?

"Anyway, I wondered what your thoughts were on all of this."

"I… well, I mean, if you plan to be here for a while, buying a house is certainly a good investment, but there are pros and cons to owning a home. Like upkeep and all of that. You have to weigh it against the fees of condo living, with or without a mortgage."

"My condo is paid for," he said. "And my plan is to buy something I can pay for as well. If I get a mortgage, it would be a small one. I'm not a fan of debt or high interest rates."

"Agreed. I've considered buying a house, but it seems wasteful since I'm never here. I don't know. I'm not sure I'm ready for all of that. It's easier to just have the condo with no responsibilities other than paying my cleaning service."

"That makes sense." He paused. "So, you don't think I should?"

"I don't know," I said quietly. "It's really about what you want and if you think you'll be happier there than in your condo since you're home more than I am."

I wasn't sure what he was asking, but part of me wanted him to ask me to be a part of this.

In general, I had no need to buy a house of my own, but if he wanted to live together, I wouldn't hesitate to consider it.

Hell, I could almost envision it, coming home to him, running to his arms and curling against his chest after a long trip.

Waking up with him.

Sharing everything.

Having a home base, a foundation, that we shared together.

Suddenly, the thought of living together sounded wonderful.

But he didn't ask and there was no way I was going to be the one to bring it up.