Chapter 11

Tyler

I never knew I could get so wound up over a cup of coffee. But it feels like a lifetime since Saturday when I last saw her, and it's been a tight week so far with meetings and training. I didn't catch a glimpse of her when I was talking to coach today, so I've been dying to see her.

A coffee on neutral ground is a good thing. To prying eyes meeting in a cafe is less intimate and more easily to palm off as friends running into each other if anyone were to spot us. I've never had to think like this before.

If our kiss on Saturday was anything to go by, I'm sure she knows I want to get to know her and be more than friends.

My phone buzzes in my pocket while I wait.

One is from Cindy telling me she's just walking out of work now. The other is from Luke wanting to catch up. And I know I have to take him up on the offer, between training and everything else, I've been a bad friend lately. I'll make it up to him soon.

When Cindy walks in a few minutes later, I half stand and give her a wave as she spots me. She looks cute in her skirt suit, but then, she always looks cute. I love her curves. She has a perfect hourglass figure.

"Hi." She smiles as I pull out a chair for her.

"Hey." I smile back.

"Sorry I'm a little late. I got held up trying to leave. My boss waited until the end of the day to run through a few things."

"It's okay." I shrug. "I just got here myself."

She puts her purse on the seat beside her as I sit back down.

She seems slightly nervous as she takes a menu and quickly scans it over. "Are we a little crazy meeting for coffee two blocks from the stadium?" She says, looking over at me, her eyebrows raised.

I chuckle behind my hand. "I don't see why."

"My dad might not see it that way."

"Two friends having coffee," I say, oh-so-casually. "We gotta drink, right? And eat, for that matter."

She laughs and puts the menu down.

"Did you decide yet?" I ask. It's a place where you go up to order and pay at the counter, then they bring it to your table.

"Yep. I think I'll just have a latte."

I smile. I took her for a latte kinda girl.

"I'll order. Would you like anything to eat?"

"No, thanks." She shakes her head. "Just the coffee is good."

I nod, making my way up to the counter to order and get back to my seat opposite her. It feels good being in this close proximity sitting together. It doesn't feel too awkward, even though we're both being a little tentative.

"Well, you wouldn't believe my day if I told you," I say with a sigh as I try to make light of things to break the ice.

"Let me guess, my dad had you guys doing a million drills?"

I laugh, a deep rumble. She smiles, biting her lip. "Not that I want to bitch about the coach, and not just because he's your dad, but yes. That's what he had us doing. He wants us all prepped up for the next game."

"How do you find the travel part?" She asks, leaning on her elbows. "It must get grueling?"

"Yeah, it does," I confess. "But I'm used to it by now."

"I guess you've been at this ice hockey thing for a while now."

"I got drafted right out of high school," I say.

"I thought I heard my dad saying something like that."

My eyes flick up at her. "I played for Pittsburgh early in my career. My parents were thrilled three years ago when I was transferred to the Hawks because I'm born and bred in Seattle."

"Ah, so they live close by?"

"They live on Mercer Island," I say. "I have a place there too on the lake."

"Wow," she replies, her eyes wide. "It's beautiful there. I've been a few times, but not in a while."

Hopefully soon that's all gonna change.

"So, do you commute back and forth, or do you have a place in the city, too?" She asks.

"Yeah, I have both," I say, not wanting to sound like I'm bragging or anything. "I love it when I get to head out there. I crave some quiet time on my own at times when it's one game after the other."

"That must be a good feeling when you're there."

"It is, but I don't get to do it often enough." And I'm not even thinking about down-time yet because my focus is on the finals. But a large part of me is hanging out for a break. My body needs it.

"Yeah, it's a crazy, brutal sport," she says. "But my dad loves it. We moved here in my last year of high school because he took a job with the state youth team."

"Your dad is very well respected." And I'm not even saying that to get in her good graces. Everyone knows it.

"I've heard players and colleagues say my dad is hard, but fair."

"That's exactly how he is." I'm in total agreement about that.

Our coffees are delivered while we both take a pause. I wanna address the kiss thing, but I don't want to embarrass her. She took off in a hurry after that, and I felt bad about it.

"Look, the other night," I start as I pick up my cup and take a short sip.

She presses her lips together as she watches me.

"I meant what I said. It was a little forward. I'm sorry for that."

I don't mention the fact she kissed me back and grabbed me by the shirt.

"It's okay." She shakes her head. "It was pretty intense in the car, that's all."

Yeah, it was nothing short of blazing from my end, and I loved every second.

When I ran into her and her friend that night and stayed to chat with them while they finished dinner, I didn't think for one second I'd be driving them home and making out with her in the driveway.

"Trust me, I felt it."

She sips her coffee, her eyes watching me, and I feel like she wants to say something. So I wait to see if she will.

"I'm not usually that forward with guys. I have to tell you that, so you know," she says.

I swallow, liking the fact she's being so candid with me. This is what I want; to know about her and everything in between. "I'm interested to know," I reply.

She sighs. It's frustrating that I can't gauge what she's thinking.

Finally, she gives me something. "Tyler, I'm more… reserved than most women you've probably ever met. That's what I mean. I don't date very often. I don't do any of this stuff very often."

"Like kissing strangers in your driveway?"

She laughs softly. "Yes, like that."

"Well, I don't have a problem with that." I glance up at her. "I think you caught the part where I really like you, right?"

"You might not be saying that if you knew me."

My forehead scrunches. "In what way?" I get she might not want to reveal too much about herself, especially since this is a first coffee date kinda thing. But I want her to know she can be open with me. I ain't going anywhere.

"My upbringing." She sighs. "And I shouldn't be saying this on our first coffee date, but I think it's better to just not do that whole pretense thing. It saves a lot of time."

My lips twitch as I watch her mouth for a second. She's succulent, every part of her.

"I don't mind you saying it. You can be upfront with me. I want you to be comfortable," I say honestly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Deadly," I reply, looking right into her eyes. "That's what this whole process is, isn't it? Getting to know someone."

"It is, but I don't usually lay things out on the line this quickly."

She has me intrigued, that's for sure. I wonder if she thinks the same thing about me.

"You mentioned your upbringing?" I say, hoping she will open up a little about that.

"Yeah. I grew up in Buffalo, New York. My parents were pretty religious growing up and strict with us going to church and everything. We ended up moving when I was a senior.

An incident happened before we moved, and he wasn't quick to forget it. My dad took a lot less interest in the church after that. My mom, however, she's another story."

"They're divorced, yeah?"

"Yeah." She nods. "She ended up moving to Tacoma after the divorce as she got a transfer with her job. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to move back to New York, where all of her friends are. We're pretty estranged these days, and neither me or my sister see her much."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Me and my sister had lunch with her the other day when she was in town for a couple of days, but it didn't end well."

"You got into a fight?"

"Yeah, it's been that way for a long time," she sighs. "Not that I want to harp on about that. It was just difficult sometimes growing up. She put a lot of pressure on my sister and I, and she's very judgmental. It can be a lot."

"It sounds like it." I'm surprised, but glad she's being so open with me. It's refreshing. "I'm sure it can't have been easy growing up like that, and now it's stemming into adulthood."

"Like you wouldn't believe." She sips her coffee slowly. "What about you?"

"Me?"

She smiles, watching me quizzically. "Are your family a little complicated or are you close to them?"

My life has been the exact opposite compared to hers. I have two great parents who get along and I had an awesome upbringing where they always supported us boys.

"It's very uncomplicated," I reply. "I'm close to my family. It's pretty boring compared to most. My dad is a Seattle native, my mom is Greek, but moved to America when she was very young. She is pretty much fully in mine and both my brothers' lives, but it comes from a good place."

"I'm glad," she says with a genuine smile. "Was it two brothers you said you had?"

"Yeah, I'm the eldest out of us three. Dion is a pro-golfer. You might have heard of him?"

She thinks for a moment, then a smile spreads across her face. "Your brother is Dion Peterson? I mean, of course he is. I didn't click the other day when you told me about them. Your parents must be so proud."

"They are." I smile. "But I think they're most proud of Chris, who has given them their first grandchild. So that's all my mom cares about now."

She laughs and I love the sound. I also know they would absolutely love Cindy. "Is that all you hear about now that they have a grandchild to fuss over?"

"Absolutely." I nod. "You know what parents can be like, always laying the hint."

Her eyes shift, and something passes in them. I don't know what, but for a moment she looks a little sad.

Perhaps this isn't the safest subject, and I should change it.

"What's your nephew's name?" She asks before I can.

"Leon." I smile. "He's a cute little guy, too."

"That's so sweet."

"Might keep mom off mine and Dion's backs," I muse. "For a little while, at least."

"Might keep her distracted for a while."

"You know I'm thirty-three, right?" I say. I know she's younger than me, as from what I know she was in college at a similar time to Taylor and Ashton.

"Yes," she replies.

"So you know I'm the geriatric of the team, and you're okay with it?"

She laughs. It's so sweet. Her eyes light up and I can't take mine off her. She mesmerizes me so easily. Her beautiful pert lips, her deep eyes, and that dark mane of hair against her pale skin. I notice she doesn't wear too much makeup, either. She's a natural beauty. "Geriatric?" She shakes her head. "I wouldn't say that, especially if GQ magazine is anything to go by."

I throw my head back now and laugh. Oh shit. She's seen that.

"Not too subtle," I admit, sheepishly. "And anyway, how did you know that?"

I pray she's been looking me up, trying to find out more about me. I'm not sure at this point if that's something she would do or not. Maybe one of her friends might have shown her, I don't know. The modeling work I've done is not exactly a secret, I guess.

"I stumbled up on it," she smiles. "And the photos left little to the imagination."

She's right about that, but I'm not ashamed of it. The endorsements I've received have only added to my fortune and helped set up my family for life.

"Is that a bad thing?" I tilt my head as her eyes flick down like she's embarrassed. She's so goddamn cute.

"Not at all, I mean, I'm sure the underwear is excellent quality," she jokes with a twinkle in her eyes.

I laugh. "It sure is." I don't mind the fact she's practically seen me naked. I suppose the rest of the world has too, but I like that she's taken an interest in what I've done outside of the ice rink. "How old are you Cindy?"

She glances up at me again. "Twenty-seven."

I nod. "I figured it was something like that. I know you were in college around the same time as Taylor and Em."

"Yeah, I mean, I met Em in high school when we moved. I'm younger than her, but we got along just fine. Working for the Hawks wasn't something I'd considered back then when I was doing a business major, either. I love it, though."

"It can't be easy sometimes with your dad as the coach."

"I think there's certain expectations at times," she agrees. "But, as far as things go, I'm pretty behind the scenes. I don't think most people know who I am."

"Well, more fool them," I say. "It's great that you love your job, though. It's just a pity you don't travel with the team more."

"You'd like that?" She asks.

"Oh, I'd like it a lot. Then I'd get to see you all the time."

She smiles, but then her face grows a little more serious. "Tyler, you could have any girl you wanted."

"That's not exactly true, and even if it was, I'm here with you. And this is where I want to be."

"You're very sweet."

"Hardly makes me the wild child they all think, huh?"

"I am surprised by how you are in real life," she says.

It's not the first time I've heard it, but I'm glad she sees there's more to me than what's written in the news. "You were expecting something different?"

"I didn't know what to expect, to be honest. I don't think all hockey players would be cool about cold coffee being spilled all over them."

I laugh as I think back to that day she slammed into me in the hallway. "I didn't mind because it was you."

"Is that right?" She seems pleasantly surprised by the smile on her lips.

"It's kinda handy the location of your office, not that I get to see you much, but I have to pass by to see coach every day. Sometimes I might use that as an excuse, but hey." It springs to mind again about the fact I've watched her walk into work every single week since I took a shining to her. And she has no idea. After hearing coach talk on the phone to his ex wife and the fact Cindy was attacked in college, I don't think it's a good idea to bring that up. At least, not yet. Though I do want to get to the bottom of that, and hopefully she will open up to me in time about it.

I love how it's an easy conversation between us. She seems very uncomplicated and has herself together. I like the fact she's quietly confident.

"You pass by every day so you can see me?" She asks, clearly surprised.

"Well, I try to see you. You're not always in your office." I chuckle.

It's easy for me to be open with her. I'm not struggling at all in that department. In fact, I'm probably saying too much. I just hope I'm not coming on too strong.

"I had no idea. Well, Andrea made a comment about you being down our end of the building a lot more than in recent times, but I thought she was joking."

"Andrea might be a little more observant than I realized."

We both laugh.

"Seriously though, she isn't far off, Cindy. I almost can't wait for the playoffs to be over so we can spend some more time together. I mean, if you want to?"

She licks her lips as I take a sip of coffee, my eyes flicking down to them.

"Of course I want to," she says. "All you guys have gotta do now is win."

A grin spreads across my face. "Oh, babe, you better believe it. It's everything we've worked for."

"You guys have the best chance. You were the favorite going into the playoffs."

"New York have been tough, I'll give them that. But Vegas have been consistent in this whole tournament."

"I have a feeling you guys will pull it off if you keep playing like you have been this season."

"I think so too. A win like this would be awesome. I only have another year left of my contract," I say. "Would be great to get a Stanley Cup under my belt before I bow out."

She looks up at me, surprised. "You'll retire?"

"I gotta think about it at some stage." I sigh. Hockey is all I've ever really known, so the thought is a little scary. But I know I can't play forever. As long as I'm fit and healthy, I will keep going.

"What would you do after the NHL is over?"

"You know, hockey has been my life for so long, I don't think I could ever truly give it up. I'd love to coach maybe someday."

"Wow, Tyler. I think you'd be a fantastic coach."

"You do?"

"Yes. You have the maturity and the leadership. I know you're well respected in the league, too."

I smile. "Thank you. It's been a hard, and at times, a rough slog. But it's all worth it. It certainly beats having a regular day job. My parents have instilled that into me. I'm not out there like many people, trying to make ends meet on the minimum wage. I never take it for granted."

"They sound like really great people, making sure you stay grounded." She smiles.

"They definitely are."

We sip our coffee and enjoy talking and just being with each other. We're both opening up, and it feels good. I don't mind her knowing all about me and what I want to do after the NHL is over, even if it's something I haven't really talked to anyone about before. Not like this, anyway.

With her, it feels effortless. And I want to know more, but our afternoon can't go on forever.

I wish it could. When we're finished our coffee, I walk her to her car.

"I'll see you soon?" I'm dying to kiss her, but I know we can't.

She leans into me and I distinctly hear her inhale, loving the fact she's taking in my scent.

"Yes, very soon," she says.

I give her a hug and tip her chin up with my finger. "You're beautiful, Cind. I enjoyed this afternoon."

She smiles. She's so freaking pretty. "I enjoyed it too. You're very sweet."

I tug on her hand and pull it up to my lips. "Until next time."