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He shrugged. "I don't have the gig yet. The Sound are just in a jam right now. So I train with the guys and they decide what they want to do."
He didn’t acknowledge the midlife crisis comment, but it was written all over his face. It was clear that he was relieved to get a chance to play and he’d been struggling with his career transition. While she could understand that, it still didn’t make his constant banging on the drums easier to live with.
"Oh." That endless drumming might not be ending after all. Although, she liked the idea of spending lots of alone time with Nathan. As she ruffled up the fur on Nathan's head, she said, "Looks like you and Mom are going to get lots of time together. How does that sound?"
Nathan opened his mouth, and his tongue dropped out, making it look like he had a wide smile on his face.
PK pulled into the shopping lot. Clarissa let go of Nathan, and he climbed over to PK's lap. Instead of being jealous, she was glad those two could bond some before PK had to get on the road.
It was surprisingly easy to shop with PK. They were on the same page for most items. They probably got the pup way too many toys. Their entire cart was filled to the brim with stuff for the puppy.
As PK crammed all the goodies into the trunk, Clarissa said to Nathan, "It's clear you are going to be one spoiled pup."
Chapter 6
PK
It was amazing—he and Clarissa hadn't had one fight all day during shopping. It was some of the most fun he'd had since he stopped playing hockey. He was so glad that Nathan was bringing the two of them together. If he’d realized that a puppy could bring their feud to an end and she would actually appreciate him, he would have gone searching for one sooner.
She was making moon eyes at Nathan as PK drove.
"Up for a little dinner?" he asked.
"Don't you have to get on the road soon?" It was so refreshing that Clarissa didn't fill that statement full of barbs or hope that he would be going away soon. Instead, it was softer and more caring than usual. Almost as if she was disappointed that he would be leaving.
God, he hoped that was the case. He wanted to spend so much more time together. Every time they brushed hands as they put things into the cart for Nathan, he felt the insane chemistry with her. He was dying to know what it would be like to do some horizontal hockey with her. But he had to play his cards right.
"I have to leave in the morning. Going to meet the team in Dallas. Then I'll fly out with them for a couple days. I won’t know anything for sure for at least that long." Normally, he would have just grabbed his things and joined the team, but when he was offered time to tie up some loose ends, he took it. He wanted to spend the time with Clarissa and Nathan. He hated to leave both of them so soon. He looked over to see her reaction. "I know a great spot where we can spend time together and Nathan can join too. So what do you say?"
"Sounds awesome."
Those words went straight to his dick. He couldn't believe that she would want to actually spend time with him. It made him want her more. He didn't care if he got blue balls again tonight. He was just glad she hadn't shut him down.
In the past twenty-four hours, he feuded less with her than ever before. It made him want her even more. So much more. He was going to play his cards right and try to get her into his bed before he left.
He knew one thing for sure: he was going to play nice with Clarissa, and he wasn't going to have blue balls two nights in a row. He just needed to prove himself to her.
He didn't push any further as he drove to his favorite cantina. It was a little hole in the wall that Kai had shown him a while back, and there were always people who brought their puppies if they were sitting outdoors.
Clarissa grabbed the lead for Nathan from the truck, but Nathan didn't want any part of the leash. Instead, the pup immediately hid between PK’s legs.
PK leaned over to pick up the little guy. "It's okay, Natedog. I got you."
"I knew you would be calling him Natedog sooner rather than later."
PK cracked a smile that showed off the gap from his missing tooth. He didn't always smile wide enough to show off the space where he took the butt of a stick to his mouth during his rookie season. "I never said I wouldn't. Do you mind, Nathan?"
The dog shook out his furry face. It was so nice that the little puppy would answer him without any issues and was always in agreement with him, much to the chagrin of Clarissa.
"See, Natedog likes it."
That got Clarissa laughing. He loved making her laugh. It was so much better than pissing her off. He was still a long way from being able to sneak a kiss from her, but he was getting closer. He could feel it. He just had to keep making her smile and laugh.
Now that they had the leash and collar, Clarissa was quick to put both on Nathan, but PK continued to cuddle the little dog. Clarissa left the retractable leash hanging down his arm.
They were able to get a small table. PK couldn't help himself, and he let the dog sit on his lap. Instead of mindlessly eating the chips and salsa, even though it was tempting, more so than ever, he had to care for his body if he wanted to jump back into the big show. Petting Nate was the perfect excuse to limit his food intake.
He stuck with water, but Clarissa ordered a margarita. It was basically a fishbowl, so by the time they got their food, she was back to being that flirty Clarissa that came out when they ran into each other before. But he wasn't expecting her to say, "You know what, you are pretty sexy when you aren't pissing me off all the time."
