Maybe This Summer (Colorado Ice #2.5)(8)

She sighed. “What time will your office be open until? I’ll get through this as quickly as I can.”

*



Two numbers away.

Owen’s knee bounced as he sat in the chair in the back of the DMV. He flicked the now-wrinkled number slip between his fingers as he waited. He’d sat in this same cattle pen when he’d registered his first brand-new vehicle, a hundred-thousand-dollar Beemer from his first payday with the NHL. He’d been twenty years old and invincible when he’d played with the Colorado Avalanche—what felt like a lifetime ago. Two tours overseas as a Marine had cured any sense of immortality immediately. He wondered, without regret, what his career in the NHL would have looked like had he continued playing instead of leaving to join the Marines.

Probably not sitting there, waiting for his required eye exam to renew his license…but that’s where life had taken him, and he chose to enjoy whatever ride he was given. After all, he’d been lucky that landmine hadn’t ended things for him completely. Losing his sight in his left eye had been a small sacrifice to make for saving his own life and that of a comrade. And he’d been lucky that his stem transplantation surgery had been successful and he had seventy percent visibility in the left eye. Now, if only he could convince the DMV that he wasn’t a hazard behind the wheel, he could get out of there.

The number before his was called, and he stood and stretched. He was meeting Ben and Olivia that evening for drinks. His friend’s fiancée was bringing a friend.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t looking forward to the blind date setup as much as he had been before meeting Paige Adams. She was on his mind more than most women occupied his thoughts, and he’d even given up the urge to flirt with his usual barista at the Starbucks on the way over…Hopefully whatever infatuation he had for the beautiful blonde who was throwing him off his game would pass before tonight’s date.

At thirty-six years old, he thought maybe it was time to settle down, start a family. His time as Bernie was coming to an end as his responsibilities as promotions manager for the team were increasing, and booking himself for events without giving up his alter ego’s identity was becoming challenging. It was time to grow up and start taking the noncareer aspects of his life seriously. Casual dates and hookups were fun in his twenties, but they weren’t filling the void anymore. Admittedly, watching his confirmed-bachelor best friend fall in love in recent months had gotten him thinking about his own lack of commitments.

Since leaving the Marines, he’d been enjoying life and having a good time, relying on the excuse that life was too short. But lately, he realized that he may not be experiencing everything life had to offer or being honest with himself about what he wanted. Putting himself out there was so much easier when he was hiding behind a mascot head.

He moved closer to the counter, reaching into his wallet for his driver’s license, and did a double-take when he saw Paige enter the standing-room-only DMV.

It didn’t look like he’d be making it to drinks that evening. He grinned. Maybe he could negotiate his way into new plans. Judging by the “oh shit, this is going to take forever” look on her face, he suspected the number in his hand was his golden ticket. It depended only on how desperate she was.

She glanced his way, and her expression revealed she was pretty desperate. It was not the noblest way to get a date with her, but that didn’t matter. He smiled and nodded in greeting as he headed toward her.

She frowned and glanced around as though looking for an escape or someone…anyone else she recognized.

He wasn’t fazed. He had her escape in his hand, if she wanted to trade one obligatory action for another. Normally, a shutdown like the one in her office would have caused him to retreat, move on to a more willing option, but there was something about her that told him she wasn’t as resolute in her refusal. And besides, he just wanted one chance to see if the connection he was feeling to her went both ways.

Yet, his confidence wavered slightly as he drew closer. What if she actually chose the DMV over spending an hour with him? Could his ego ever bounce back?





Chapter 3



Suddenly her appointment with Dr. Madsen was the least of her worries. How on earth had she let her desperation to not spend her entire afternoon at the DMV make her agree to drinks with Owen McConnell?

Her first date in more than five years, and she’d rather do just about anything else. It wasn’t him. She’d feel the same way if it were anyone…any man. Wouldn’t she? Or was it him? And the way her attraction to him unnerved her?

Either way, she wasn’t ready for this yet.

Her last relationship was before her life had changed. She thought she’d spend the rest of her life with Paul, a pre-med student she’d met while on campus posing for a university brochure photoshoot. He’d been good-looking, smart, funny, and caring. And strong enough to stay with her after the attack. He’d promised to be by her side, help her get through the nightmares, the pain, the long road to recovery…but she’d slowly pushed him away. She’d tried to push everyone away. And not everyone had the sheer will that her mother possessed to take the abuse she’d dished out in anger and not leave her completely alone.

So many nights she’d cried herself to sleep replaying the hurtful words she’d uttered to the one person she could count on, hating that the maliciousness of her attack seemed to be becoming a part of her.