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I nearly saidI’m hungry for you, or something equally as stupid. A small frown slipped across her lips, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. She wanted me to pick.
“I think I’d like a burger.”
“Okay,” she agreed with a soft smile.
Jessa sat back and buckled her seatbelt. I did the same and pulled away from the arena parking lot.
I must have driven us around in circles until I found a restaurant that looked vaguely familiar. I parked and peered over at Jessa, afraid I was going to see that disappointment written so blatantly across her beautiful face. Instead, she just gazed back at me with a soft smile.
“This was where my dad would bring us to celebrate his birthday every year. He loved the mushroom and Swiss burger,” Jessa admitted gently. “I haven’t been here since...”
Her words trailed off, and I felt like an ass. Had she lost her dad? I didn’t know enough about her. I not only wanted more, but Ineededmore.
“I can find somewhere else,” I announced quickly.
“No!” Jessa yelped, placing her hand over mine. “I can’t avoid every single place that reminds me of my father for the rest of my life. It’s been long enough. Plus, I love their bacon mac and cheese.”
“Alright.” I nodded and slid out of my seat, rounding the car to open her door.
I liked how she waited, knowing damn well I wanted to do this for her, and she accepted my outstretched hand with a sweet grin.
We were seated immediately, slipping into a booth where we sat across from one another, grinning like two idiots. Jessa glossed over the menu, tapping when she found the bacon mac and cheese. I scanned through the long list of burgers and wondered if it would be weird for me to order the mushroom and Swiss burger. That sounded absolutely delicious, but I didn’t want to upset her by ordering what her dad used to eat. I opted instead for a burger that boasted having three onions rings on it and chose sweet potato fries as my side.
Jessa asked for the bacon mac and cheese with a lemon water, while I looked like a complete glutton ordering what I had along with an orange soda. Screw it. I’d worked up an appetite, one that couldn’t be sated by food alone.
“I thought about ordering the mushroom and Swiss burger,” Jessa admitted with a warm blush across her cheeks. “But I don’t really like mushrooms, so I think it would have defeated the entire purpose.”
I smiled. “I was going to order it too, but I didn’t want to upset you.”
Something danced in those green eyes. “You should have.”
“Maybe next time.”
A frown tugged down her lips that she swiftly swiped away with the back of her hand. “You played well today.”
“Thanks.” I fiddled with my fork and knife wrapped in a thick napkin. “Like I said, my lucky charm was present.”
“You’re such a liar.”
I chuckled. “I’m not lying. You were witness to the greatness. Really, I should be thanking you. Going to need you at all my games and practices.”
I peered up at her, and I could see she was thinking about something.
“When are your practices? Normally, anyway.”
There was no way I could have wiped the grin off my face, no matter how hard I tried. “Earliest is ten, latest is three. Every two to three days except Sundays. I get those off. I can get a practice schedule for you.”
Jessa nodded slowly, and thanked our server when our drinks were dropped off.
“I might be able to work my schedule around that.” She shrugged. “Considering you’re helping Power Play, I’m sure some planning will be needed.”
My head bobbed up and down eagerly. “Oh, definitely.” I twisted the tip of my drinking straw. “We’ll need someone from Power Play to beveryinvolved in the plans.”
“Is that so?” she teased, her eyes absolutely sparkling. “Well…if it’s for work, I’m sure Andrew would be alright with me working at the arena.”
“We’ll need to get you a little desk to set up in the stands,” I joked, and Jessa grinned.
Our food arrived, and we ate, chatting between bites about topics that weren’t invasive. I asked what her favorite meal was, intent on making it for her, and she wanted to know what kind of movies I liked. Comedies and mac and cheese. Our interests were lining up perfectly, two parallel lines that pointed directly at one happy life together.
