picked up speed, but in a good way. This was different from the times her heart raced during the fight-or-flight response, which was what she usually felt when a man got too close or pushed for more from her.
“You don’t even know me,” she reminded him, reaching for her wallet as the waitress came back with their check.
“I invited you,” he insisted, gently steering her hand back into her purse before she could open her wallet. “I’m buying.”
The busy young waitress seemed to conspire with him, snatching his credit card from his hand and flouncing off with the check.
“Thank you.” Chelsea tried to let it go, thinking Vinny shouldn’t have to cope with more than one of her hang-ups at a time. And right now, she was most concerned with settling the matter of future dates.
Or whatever they were calling them.
“And I do know you. Better than you realize.”
“Really?” She couldn’t keep the skepticism out of her voice.
“I know you drink three coffees a day and you like to buy them at a diner near the rink because the money goes to the old guy who runs the place instead of a faceless corporation.”
“I’ve probably recommended Arnie’s Coffee to the players a few times.” Although, to Vinny’s credit, that had been ages ago.
He appeared undaunted. In fact, he had her caffeine addiction already ticked off on the finger of his broad right hand.
“You worked at the same department store as Misty until you took the job in the Phantoms gift shop.” He leaned back into his seat, his wide shoulders making a depression in the red leather bolster. “You like the hours, but you’ve almost got your BSc in counseling from taking online courses in your free time. And you hope to use that degree in your quest to open a women’s shelter.”
Stunned, she didn’t even know what to say as the waitress returned with mints and a receipt.
“Did Misty tell you that?” she asked once they were alone again. Chelsea hadn’t revealed that dream with anyone but the other women who followed the team with her. Other women who’d shared the hellish nightmare of homelessness at a young age.
“No.” He relaxed his hands that had been keeping track of his knowledge of her. “I was in that business development class with you online last fall. Didn’t you ever look at the roster?”
She remembered a student in the discussion forums that posted as “Vincent” but not in a million years would she have guessed it was this Vincent. The one who had a full-time, lucrative career in the best hockey league in the world.
“Why on earth would you take business development online?” He could afford an Ivy League education. “I thought you graduated from Michigan State?”
“I decided I want an MBA even though I majored in math. I’m taking some extra business classes to get into an MBA program.”
She processed that, more curious by the minute about this man who was full of surprises.
“I wrote a business plan for a women’s shelter in that class, didn’t I?” She’d been proud of it, and what had started out as a simple project really took on a life of its own. “The assignment to develop the plan made me see how many ideas I could bring to something like that.” Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment before she blurted, “You must have heard I was homeless for a long time as a teenager.”
It was such a huge part of her that anyone she spent time with was bound to find out sooner or later. She’d rather know up front if he couldn’t handle that. And as much as she told herself that those who minded didn’t matter, she found herself holding her breath, hoping Vinny wouldn’t think less of her.
“I know,” he said quietly. “And it floors me to think how hard it must have been to go from that kind of struggle to where you are now.”
He looked at her with genuine admiration in his eyes. It was so sincere that she felt a distinct tug in her heart. Pride, maybe. Or tenderness for someone
“You don’t even know me,” she reminded him, reaching for her wallet as the waitress came back with their check.
“I invited you,” he insisted, gently steering her hand back into her purse before she could open her wallet. “I’m buying.”
The busy young waitress seemed to conspire with him, snatching his credit card from his hand and flouncing off with the check.
“Thank you.” Chelsea tried to let it go, thinking Vinny shouldn’t have to cope with more than one of her hang-ups at a time. And right now, she was most concerned with settling the matter of future dates.
Or whatever they were calling them.
“And I do know you. Better than you realize.”
“Really?” She couldn’t keep the skepticism out of her voice.
“I know you drink three coffees a day and you like to buy them at a diner near the rink because the money goes to the old guy who runs the place instead of a faceless corporation.”
“I’ve probably recommended Arnie’s Coffee to the players a few times.” Although, to Vinny’s credit, that had been ages ago.
He appeared undaunted. In fact, he had her caffeine addiction already ticked off on the finger of his broad right hand.
“You worked at the same department store as Misty until you took the job in the Phantoms gift shop.” He leaned back into his seat, his wide shoulders making a depression in the red leather bolster. “You like the hours, but you’ve almost got your BSc in counseling from taking online courses in your free time. And you hope to use that degree in your quest to open a women’s shelter.”
Stunned, she didn’t even know what to say as the waitress returned with mints and a receipt.
“Did Misty tell you that?” she asked once they were alone again. Chelsea hadn’t revealed that dream with anyone but the other women who followed the team with her. Other women who’d shared the hellish nightmare of homelessness at a young age.
“No.” He relaxed his hands that had been keeping track of his knowledge of her. “I was in that business development class with you online last fall. Didn’t you ever look at the roster?”
She remembered a student in the discussion forums that posted as “Vincent” but not in a million years would she have guessed it was this Vincent. The one who had a full-time, lucrative career in the best hockey league in the world.
“Why on earth would you take business development online?” He could afford an Ivy League education. “I thought you graduated from Michigan State?”
“I decided I want an MBA even though I majored in math. I’m taking some extra business classes to get into an MBA program.”
She processed that, more curious by the minute about this man who was full of surprises.
“I wrote a business plan for a women’s shelter in that class, didn’t I?” She’d been proud of it, and what had started out as a simple project really took on a life of its own. “The assignment to develop the plan made me see how many ideas I could bring to something like that.” Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment before she blurted, “You must have heard I was homeless for a long time as a teenager.”
It was such a huge part of her that anyone she spent time with was bound to find out sooner or later. She’d rather know up front if he couldn’t handle that. And as much as she told herself that those who minded didn’t matter, she found herself holding her breath, hoping Vinny wouldn’t think less of her.
“I know,” he said quietly. “And it floors me to think how hard it must have been to go from that kind of struggle to where you are now.”
He looked at her with genuine admiration in his eyes. It was so sincere that she felt a distinct tug in her heart. Pride, maybe. Or tenderness for someone
Similar Books
