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When she got back to the apartment, Lisa was just coming out of the shower.
"Oh, you're back," Lisa said. "I was just about to text you."
Amber laid her purse and her package on the kitchen counter. "How did your practice go today?"
Lisa grinned. "Stellar. How about yours?"
"It went well. I even talked to Tia, one of my competitors. We sat and watched some of the other skaters."
Lisa made her way into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of juice from the fridge. "That's outstanding, Amber. Look at you, being all extroverted."
Amber skirted around Lisa to grab a juice drink for herself, unscrewed the top and took a swallow. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Hey, it's miles above how you were four years ago."
"I'll give you that. I mean, I'll never be you."
"Ha. Well, no one can be me."
Amber rolled her eyes. "So true. But I am getting out there more. I did a walk around the village today. Ate lunch by myself. I haven't been back to the room since this morning."
"See? You are doing better. I'm proud of you."
Amber laughed. "Thanks. Oh, and I had breakfast with Will this morning. He also went for a run with me at the gym."
Lisa's eyes widened. "Do tell."
"Nothing happened between us. Just a run and breakfast. Then I had to leave to get ready to skate."
Lisa leaned back in her chair. "But you want something to happen between you."
"I don't know. Maybe. I don't want to be a one-night stand for any guy."
"I don't know why not. Sex can be fun, Amber. It doesn't have to end in a big commitment. And frankly, you don't want that from any guy you hook up with here."
She sighed. "I know."
"We talked about that, remember? Jump into the sex waters, have a little fun and don't get emotionally attached to anyone. If you want to limit yourself to one guy--or maybe two guys, great. But it's okay for you to be a sexual being, honey. Isn't that what your hormones have been telling you?"
For the longest time, she'd thought she was sexually dead inside. She'd been so focused on skating, she never gave guys a second look, especially the drunken frat boy, grabby type of guys. But then she realized there was a major part of life--the fun, sexual part--she was missing out on. The only thing was, she didn't just want to be some guy's lay and then quickly forgotten. There was something deep inside of her that strongly objected to that.
"Yes, you have been telling me that. And I want that. I want to have fun. I want to have sex. I just want to be selective about it rather than falling into the sack with the first guy who suggests it."
Lisa nodded, then took a sip of her drink, obviously pondering her next words before she said them. "And has Will suggested it?"
"Not directly. I mean we've sort of talked about it in a roundabout, flirtatious kind of way, but I think he understands that I want to take things slow."
"Okay. And he's still around, right?"
"I guess. I mean, we'll see. I haven't heard from him since breakfast."
Just then her phone buzzed, so she reached for it, read the message and looked up at Lisa. "It's from Will."
"And what does it say?"
"It says, 'Hungry. Wanna have dinner?'"
Lisa grinned. "Outstanding. So go have dinner with Will. Then see what happens after dinner."
Amber couldn't deny the small thrill of anticipation, or the delight at getting a text message from Will.
You're being ridiculous.
Of course she was. But she was also giddy. So she'd ride the wave of giddiness and, like Lisa said, she'd see what happened after dinner.
EIGHT
WILL WAITED AT THE DOOR TO AMBER'S HOUSING UNIT. When he saw her step out of the elevator, his heart rate kicked up a few beats faster. She had on her white parka, the dark fur from the hood teasing her cheeks. It was snowing again, so she stopped at the door, pulled her beanie from the pocket and slipped it over her head. She spotted him as she pushed through the door on her way outside and graced him with a genuine smile that rocked him back on his boots.
"Hi, Will."
"Hey. You look pretty." Her cheeks were already pink from the cold. It was snowing again, the flakes dropping onto her black beanie. She also wore dark skinny jeans that were tucked into tall boots.
"I do? Thank you. That's so sweet of you to say. Can I say you look hot?"
His lips curved. "You can say that."
She looped her arm in his. "Are we heading to the cafeteria?"
"Nope. We're heading offsite for dinner."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
They walked a ways out of the village, toward a parking lot. Will pulled out a set of keys.
"You got a car? How did you get a car?"
He walked her to an SUV. "Let's just say I know people."
He opened the door for her and she slid inside and buckled her seat belt, her internal excitement engine revving up.
She thought she'd be stuck at the village for the entirety of the games. She wouldn't care if they were going somewhere for fast food.
Will got in and buckled up, then started the engine and cranked up the heater. They headed out of the lot and down the road.
"So this is why you wanted to meet early."
"That, and other reasons."
She looked over at him. "Care to share?"
"Not at the moment. But you'll know once we get there."
"Okay." Mysterious, too. Will was getting more and more interesting every time she was with him.
She focused on the scenery as Will drove. Vancouver was breathtaking. The snow had stopped falling and the sun had come out, so she fished her sunglasses out of her bag and slid them on, taking in the view of all that white and green blanketing the mountains. The trees towered so tall she could barely see the tops of them as Will took them thr
ough some fairly treacherous turns. But he took his time and she enjoyed every moment of gawking as he drove them down the mountain.
When he pulled into a parking lot and she spied the restaurant perched precariously on top of a hill, she felt pure awe.
"The views here must be incredible."
Will put the SUV in park and nodded. "Yeah, I've heard good things about this place. Let's go check it out."
They went inside and were immediately greeted by windows that showcased not only Vancouver, but the Burrard Inlet. Obviously there wouldn't be a bad seat in the entire restaurant.
Will stepped up to the desk and gave his name. They were immediately seated near one of the windows. Amber took off her beanie and her coat and then looked over the restaurant. The cedar ceiling and gorgeous stone fireplace created a cozy atmosphere. The fire gave off a delicious warmth, despite all the windows. She looked out over downtown Vancouver and watched the sun go down over the water. The views were breathtaking, the sun an orange fireball as it sank slowly behind the mountains. Amber felt so fortunate to be able to see it.
"This view is spectacular," she said, pulling her gaze away from the breathtaking scenery and onto other steal-your-breath sights, namely Will, who sported a day's growth of stubble on his jaw, which only served to give him a sexier look. If that were even possible.
"I thought you might enjoy it."
"Thank you for bringing me here."
Their waiter came over with menus and asked what they wanted to drink. Amber chose water. Will did as well.
Amber looked over the menu. "I have no idea what to order. Everything looks amazing."
"We should have an appetizer," Will said. "I don't know about you, but I worked up an appetite during practice today."
She looked up from her menu. "Did you eat lunch?"
"Well, yeah. But that was hours ago."
She laughed. "Okay, then. Appetizers it is."
When the waiter came back with their waters, they ordered an appetizer and their dinner.
"How did your skate go today?" he asked.
"It felt good. How about yours?"
"Not long enough. Not tough enough. It's better when you have someone to skate against other than your own team."
"I imagine that's true. I did stay and watch some of the other skaters on the ice. And I talked to one of my US teammates."
"Don't you always talk to your teammates?"
"No."
