AllFreeNovel
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“What crime are we committing tonight?”
“Hm.” She takes a sip of her wine. “That depends.”
“On?”
“Whether or not this dress does its job. If so, then maybe we can stay on the right side of the law. But if not …”
“Honey, if it involves a man, you in that dress will accomplish whatever you want. If it doesn’t, I’m still in … all the way up through maybe light felonies.” I pause to take another sip of my drink. “Who’s the guy?”
Naomi lifts her wine glass, tilting it toward a tall man standing alone near the bar. Other than his height and broad shoulders, what I notice first is the fact that he looks distinctly uncomfortable. No drink, hands shoved deep into his pockets, and glancing around like he’s looking for the closest exit sign.
“His name is Camden. He plays professional hockey. We’ve been sort of dating.”
Naomi doesn’t strike me as the type to fall for an athlete. But then, I guess I don’t know herthatwell. And it’s not like all athletes fit into the same box. Personality-wise, anyway. Physically, this guy looks exactly like a man who makes a living honing his body like a machine.
“That sounds like a very tasty kind of trouble. Where’s the closest hockey team, anyway?” I ask.
“Not close enough.” She sighs. “Well, Savannah does have a minor league team. There are probably at least two teams within a few hours’ drive. But no, Camden happens to play for ateam in the mountains of North Carolina. Have you heard of the Appies?”
I shake my head. “I don’t follow sports of any kind.”
“Even so, if you’re on TikTok?—”
“I hate social media. That’s Eloise’s thing.” I’ve seen too many things in my work to be interested in leaving any kind of online footprint.
“Right. Anyway, their team has a big following. He’s here temporarily on a hockey sabbatical.”
“Is that a thing?” I ask.
She laughs. “Definitely not a technical term. It’s basically a mental health break.”
“So … are you going to put him out of his misery?” I say, watching the big man shift on his feet, running a hand through his hair. “He looks like he’s ready to bolt.”
Naomi sets her wineglass on a nearby bench. It’s still half-full. “I’m nervous.”
I turn, studying her delicate features. At times, I can really see the resemblance between Naomi and Jake. Other times, like right now, there’s barely more than a hint of similarity. One thing I’ve never seen in either of them is nerves. Jake on his wedding day, maybe. But Naomi? Never. Which tells me she must really dig Mr. Hockey player.
Leaning in, I rest my head on her shoulder. “Nerves are a good sign.”
“Yeah? They don’tfeellike a good sign. I feel like I’m a planet out of my orbit. Or like, if I try to talk to him about things, I might end up vomiting on his shoes.”
“Let’s try to avoid any vomit. Though, it would be a good litmus test for whether he’s a keeper. If you puke on his shoes and he sticks around, that’s a good man.”
“Valid point.”
“But seriously, your nerves are a good sign,” I tell her. “You care. That’s no small thing.”
She draws in a deep breath. “You think so? With Liam, dating is just so much more complicated.”
I feel slightly guilty that I hadn’t even considered Liam, Naomi’s ten-year-old son. But then, most of the time, I see her at adult functions. I’ve only met her kid a handful of times. I can only imagine how infinitely more difficult dating would be with a child in the equation.
“Does Camden like Liam?”
She lets out a little chuckle. “Yes. Except now Liam’s into hockey.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“It is when Liam wants me to drive him to practice in Savannah a few times a week.” Naomi straightens her shoulders. “How do I look?”
