Chapter 5

Jensen

I’d noticed the blond sitting at the big party table by herself when Mom and I first arrived at Casa del Papaya for a late lunch. She was adorable, but I hadn’t thought much about her until I caught a glimpse of her surroundings.

Peppa Pig balloons and decorations.

A restaurant full of kids running around.

Then I saw the crutches beside her.

My heart rate kicked up and all I could do was stare.

It couldn’t be.

How small of a world was it that someone with crutches attending a Peppa Pig birthday party would be at the same restaurant as me?

Was it possible that this was Empress?

Then she looked up and when our eyes locked, I couldn’t seem to look away.

She was beautiful, even with the baseball cap partly hiding her face.

I couldn’t tell what color her eyes were, but she had soft features and a sweet mouth. She was sitting down, but her frame was petite from this angle, and her honey-blond hair curled around her shoulders. Much like the animated character she’d designed in Realm Crusaders.

“Jensen, what are you looking at?” Mom demanded, following my gaze.

“I…” My voice trailed as I tried to snap out of it.

The woman had looked away, staring at something on her phone, and the moment was gone.

“I think it’s her,” I said under my breath. “The woman from the video game.”

Mom burst out laughing. “Stop yanking my chain. I already promised I wouldn’t try to set you up with anyone while I’m here. You don’t have to make up a girlfriend.”

“No, I’m serious, Mom!” I hissed under my breath.

I explained about the crutches and the Peppa Pig party.

Now my mother frowned, surreptitiously glancing in Empress’s direction and then back at me.

“So go say hello!” She was whispering now, as if someone would be able to hear us over the music and the squeals of the kids coming from the game room.

“I can’t!” I whispered back, grimacing. “What if she thinks I’m stalking her or something?”

“Did she tell you the name of the restaurant?”

“No, of course not! I didn’t even know for sure she lived in Southern California, it was just a guess based on comments she’s made about the weather and stuff.”

“Then go say hi. Tell her the Peppa Pig balloon and crutches made you curious…”

I looked back at Empress, taking in her delicate profile, the way her hair fell over her shoulders in what looked like natural waves, and the way she worried her lower lip.

It was adorable.

She was adorable.

No, she was beautiful.

And for the first time in my life as an adult, I was nervous about talking to a woman.

That hadn’t happened to me since high school.

Shit.

I got up and took a step in her direction.

“Go!” Mom encouraged.

I took another step forward but I couldn’t do it.

With a quick glance at Empress—who was still immersed in whatever was doing on her phone—I detoured toward the men’s room.

I washed my hands and then ran them through my hair, taming it a bit since it tended to be all over the place sometimes. I probably needed a cut, but I liked it a little long. It got wavier when it was short, unless I went with a crew cut, and the weight of the length kept it in line. Mostly.

Today I had a piece flopping over my forehead since I hadn’t bothered with gel or anything. Mom and I had spontaneously decided to go out for a late lunch and this place was only about twenty minutes away.

Was fate fucking with me or what?

Could it be my imagination?

There was only one way to find out, but apparently, I was chicken shit.

Staring in the mirror, I tried to give myself a pep talk.

I hadn’t known she would be here.

How could I?

Yes, there had been hints that she lived in Southern California, but I hadn’t known she lived in L.A., much less near me. There had been no way for me to know she would be at this particular restaurant, and as a man who led a somewhat public life, I understood how creepy it might seem if I just walked up to her and introduced myself.

I firmly believed she was single, and she’d told me the truth about it being a kids’ party, so I had very little reason to doubt her. But that just made this harder. I didn’t want to freak her out, and something told me she wouldn’t be receptive to me if I just approached her out of nowhere.

I was a big guy.

A very big guy.

I scared the hell out of other professional hockey players when I was on the ice or even in the gym, so a little thing like her could absolutely be uncomfortable.

But we’d been talking online for over a year.

She had to know me at least a little.

Hell, my mom was here.

And she was with friends.

It wasn’t like we were alone in some back alley.

I took a deep breath and wiped my hands down my jeans.

I could do this.

I might never have another chance.

Before I could change my mind, I stalked back into the restaurant and went in the direction she’d been sitting.

But now her seat was empty, and her crutches were gone.

I looked around, but there was no one on crutches.

I’d missed her.

Son of a bitch.

“I tried to stop her,” Mom said on the drive home.

“You tried to stop her?” I gazed over at my mother in alarm.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” She rolled her eyes. “I told her I liked her purse, and she said her nieces gave it to her for Christmas.”

“Shit, Mom.” I had to laugh.

“I told her it was sweet, and she smiled. Said she loved her nieces and nephew. Then she said her Uber had arrived and she walked out. You took too long, Jensen. I freakin’ tried .”

“Thanks, Ma.” I shook my head, sighing. “But honestly, I didn’t want to freak her out. You know? I’m a large man, and a stranger.”

“In a restaurant full of people. There were a couple of men in her party, so I can’t imagine she would feel unsafe. And you’re a nice boy. It’s not like you’re some thug with a tattooed face—not that there’s anything wrong with tattooed faces! I’m just saying, you don’t look like a scary guy. Beyond your size.”

“Dammit.” I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “It’s so crazy that she lives around here. I guess she could live anywhere in L.A. and just came over the hill to the Valley for the birthday party, but I don’t think so. My gut tells me she lives nearby.”

“Well, go home and text her or whatever. Tell her you think you saw her but she left before you had a chance to say hello.”

“I can’t,” I protested. “How weird would that be?”

“It wouldn’t be.”

“Come on, imagine if it was Annie.”

“If it was a family party, like this appeared to be, Annie would feel completely safe surrounded by her brothers.”

“Somehow, you’re missing the point.”

“She was beautiful,” Mom cajoled softly, a smile playing on her lips.

“Yeah, she was.” I couldn’t disagree.

“Just your type.”

“How do you know what my type is?” I asked.

“She was fairly tall, probably about five seven, and you love tall women. She was also fair with light eyes. Nice—” She held her hands out in front of her chest and I groaned.

“Mom! Jesus.”

“What? Every girlfriend you’ve ever had has had nice boobs.”

“Please stop,” I moaned.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. You’re twenty-eight years old. Are we still at a point where we can’t talk about boobs? Christ, your brother Jakob was almost apoplectic to find out I liked Nirvana. Like we didn’t have music in the eighties and nineties.”

“You like Nirvana?” I arched my brows playfully.

“I’m going to whack you with the first pan I can find when we get home,” she muttered, shaking her head.

I laughed. “Jake’s a dork. I knew you liked all that music. You used to play it when you were on the treadmill. I could hear it through your ear pods.”

“At least someone pays attention, but that’s not the point. Back to her boobs.”

“We are not going back to her boobs.”

“Whatever you say. The point is, tell her. She saw you, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

Oh, she’d seen me.

And there had been a distinct spark between us.

That part wasn’t my imagination.

Whether that had been Empress or someone else, whomever it was had locked eyes with me and for a moment everything stood still. If we’d been in a bar, under different circumstances, I would’ve bought her a drink. Potentially brought her home with me.

These weren’t those kinds of circumstances, though.

“So what’s the problem? She’s perfectly safe now that she’s home and you’re back to talking online. All she can say is no.”

“What if she’s mad and stops talking to me?”

“I’m not sure what you’ve got to lose. You’ll find dozens of other people to game with.”

“But I like this game. And this group of friends. Leif plays with us. As does a guy from the Lauderdale Knights. It’s a good group.”

“She’s not going to be mad. She might not be interested. I can’t speak to that. She might even have a boyfriend. But mad? Why? You had no way of knowing where she was going to be. And, when it was all said and done, you didn’t approach her, so from her perspective, you respected her privacy and kept your distance. There’s nothing wrong with admitting you thought you saw her.”

She had a point.

It still made me nervous, though.

I didn’t want to lose her friendship, and though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I would feel odd if the tables were turned and someone from my gaming world randomly approached me at a game or something. And I was a big guy who wasn’t afraid of much.

It was different for women and any guy with half a brain understood that.

Shit.

This was so much more complicated than I could have imagined.

And I had no idea what to do next.