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Beck’s face filled with compassion but he kept his big smile as he said, “I’m so glad to hear that. Is he a fan of anyone particular on the team?”
“Mostly you.”
“Ah, I love it.” Beck nodded. “I’ll get you a jersey and some tickets for next season if you’d like.” He seemed to sense how embarrassed she was.
“Oh, you don’t have to.” Abbie tugged at her shirt. “But he’d love it.”
“I’ll bring them tomorrow. It was great to meet you.”
“You too.” She waved to Eve and Paisley. “See you in an hour, pretty girl.” Abbie disappeared back into the daycare.
Beck looked down at Paisley, pulling a funny face. “Doesn’t she know you’re Princess Paisley?”
Paisley giggled. “It’s okay. I can be pretty and a Princess.”
“Ah, that is true. You’re definitely both.” He winked at Eve. “Both of you are.”
Eve felt heat rush through her. Since Mark she hadn’t allowed herself to be swayed by honeyed tongues or empty compliments, but Beck had told her twice his compliments weren’t empty. The scary thing was, she believed him.
Beck rested his hand on Eve’s lower back and escorted them out through the gym. Eve tried to ignore the interested looks they got. Sometimes she worried that his popularity would bring social media attention to her and Paisley. Luckily it was the off-season and Golden was a laidback town, no paparazzi hiding to expose the handsome hockey player and his latest date. Was that all she was? His latest date.
She pushed those worries away and focused on the heat his hand created on her back. She couldn’t remember a man’s touch feeling this incredible, but maybe she’d just been out of the dating game too long.
“Thank you,” she said to Beck as he swung open the gym door and they walked out into the sunshine. “That means a lot to Abbie.”
He nodded. “Is her husband paralyzed?”
“MS.”
He pulled in a quick breath. “She’s so young.”
“So is he. Their little girl, Hannah, is adorable, only two.”
“Wow, that’s rough. I’ll bring season tickets, a jersey, and a bunch of other junk.”
“Thanks.” She led him to her car, popped the back, and pulled out the small cooler and another sack of non-perishable food.
Beck tugged the cooler from her hand. Paisley prattled on about what games she’d been organizing and playing this morning with her friends as they walked across the river to nearby Lions Park.
Eve laid out the food on a vacant picnic table in the shade. It was perfect as it was out of the way, the playground blocking someone seeing them from the road or parking lot. They wouldn’t attract attention, but they could easily watch Paisley on the playground. Paisley quickly devoured her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and went to play on the slides and climbing equipment nearby. Eve had only picked at her turkey sandwich but Beck had devoured two large sandwiches, all the nuts, a high-protein yogurt smoothie, and a bunch of veggies. He was like her brothers, loved and demolished food.
Paisley was close enough that Eve could hear her girl’s cute chatter with the other children, but she also felt almost alone with Beck. She lost all her brave and focused on her lunch and her daughter, basically ignoring him even though they sat side by side at the picnic table. It was June fifteenth tomorrow and the table was only partially shaded. Sweat trickled down her back. She wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or the feelings the man sitting next to her stirred in her.
“Eve,” he said softly then waited until she looked at him. His blue eyes were warm on her face. “Thanks for letting me be part of your standing lunch date.”
“Of course. Sure.” She wondered if she was a rotten mom. She always loved time spent with Paisley but the past two lunch dates had been the most exciting lunches she’d ever been part of. Was she simply craving adult interaction? That didn’t make her an uninvested parent, right? If only she had somebody to ask. Only Caleb had a child—little Krew who was six when Caleb married Emily a year ago. But Emily and Caleb never seemed to crave a minute away from the adorable Krew. They had taken a two-week honeymoon where the grandparents each spent a week with Krew. She wished she could ask them if they ever felt guilty for wanting time alone together.
“Paisley is a lot of fun,” he said, still studying her.
Eve checked Paisley’s position, squealing down a slide and then racing up again with her newfound friend. Paisley instinctively trusted everyone and made friends everywhere she went, whereas Eve tended to keep to herself. Did Paisley take after Mark that way? Eve hadn’t known her ex-husband well enough to really say. He’d schmoozed her into thinking he loved her, but she wasn’t sure if he was naturally friendly like Paisley. She’d hated how he treated some people like waitresses or service workers with contempt as if they were below him. He’d always showered Eve with compliments, which was why Beck’s compliments sometimes threw her off.
“You’re a lot of fun too.” Beck’s voice drew her head around again but his words didn’t sit right with her.
She gave a derisive snort and was surprised how annoyed she suddenly was with him. Maybe her instincts were off and he was a smooth liar like Mark. “I’m not fun. I’m a too-serious stick in the mud.” Those had been part of Mark’s ugly, final words to her. She’d also heard plenty of times from Caleb and Seth growing up that she “worried too much” when she’d urged caution as they made homemade bombs and fireworks or did crazy tricks on their dirt bikes, snowmobiles, skis, or wakeboards. All her brothers were very kind and protective of her but she knew it was Rachel who was the fun one.
Beck’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “That’s not true at all. You do have a calming personality but you’re a lot of fun for me to be around. I love how you tease me.”
She stared at him, searching for deception. Would he make her fall for him like she’d fallen for Mark and then ditch her when he realized she wasn’t a millionaire yet and her dad didn’t give handouts? Beck didn’t appear to need money but she hadn’t suspected Mark did either.
