“He snuck out another way. He’s avoiding me.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “There is no other way. He didn’t sneak out. See? Here he is now.”
Oh, shit. He walked out the door and suddenly she had no idea what she was going to say. Fortunately, Liz got to him first, throwing her arms around him and hugging him.
“It’s a damn good thing you won tonight,” Liz told him. “I’ve got potential product endorsement deals on the line, so the further you go in the playoffs, the more deals and more money I can get for you.”
“Yeah, it’s the only thing on my mind when I take the ice,” he said.
“I’m sure it is.” She winked, then said, “Well, I’ve got to talk to the big boss for a few minutes, so if you two will excuse me.”
Liz made a discreet exit, leaving her alone with Ty, who leveled an expressionless stare her way.
It was her play.
“Great game tonight.”
“Thanks. Surprised to see you here.”
“Really? I don’t know why. I wanted to support you and the team.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And…I wanted a few minutes alone with you so we could talk.”
“I think we said it all the other night, Jenna. Not much to talk about. I’m tired after the game tonight.”
“I understand. We both said a lot of things the other night, but we need to talk. I need to tell you a few things.”
He laughed, the sarcasm clear. “There’s more than what you already said?”
“I deserved that. But it’s not what you think.”
“Okay. Spill it.”
“Not here. Come with me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “Ty, please. I know you don’t owe me anything. Not after the way I acted the other night. But if you’ll just give me an hour…”
She hoped and prayed he wouldn’t judge her on the last words she’d said to him the other night, that he’d give her a chance.
“Fine. You’ve got an hour. I’ve got to grab my gear in the locker room and meet with my coach for a few minutes. I’ll meet you at your place when I’m done.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
She left and found Liz, who was chatting with the Ice owner, so she stayed in the background until she finished up.
“How did it go?” Liz asked as they made their way to the parking lot.
“He’s still angry with me. I can tell. But he did agree to give me an hour.”
“That’s because he loves you.”
Her heart squeezed. “Does he? His voice was so flat. No emotion in it at all.”
They got into the car and buckled their seatbelts and Liz drove off in her usual crazy manner, but gave Jenna a quick glance. “Honey, you hurt him and men don’t take that well. They shove their emotions deep inside where you can’t hurt them again. In many ways they’re a lot like women, though they’d deny that.”
Jenna’s lips curved. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right. They like to pretend they’re tough and impervious to pain. Physically that might be true, but emotionally they can be hurt just like we can. Especially by someone they care about.”
“I hurt him. I know that. I have to fix it.”
Liz squeezed her hand. “Then go do that and win back your man. I need him in top shape for the playoffs.”
Liz dropped her off and she hurried to get ready, nervous as hell about what was going to happen.
When Ty pulled up in front of the condo, she ran outside.
He got out of the car, but she already had her keys in her hand.
He frowned. “What’s up?”
“We need to take a drive.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to show you something.”
“Jenna, I don’t have time for this.”
What he meant was he didn’t want to go. She had to convince him. This was make it or break it for her. “Make time. Please. It won’t take long.”
He shrugged. “Fine.”
He got into her car and she drove off. The silence was unnerving, but she knew idle conversation would be useless, so she used the time to prepare what she was going to say to him when they got there. She played it over and over in her head and by the time she pulled in front of the building, she thought she had it ready.
“What the fuck is this?”
What she couldn’t plan for was Ty’s response.
She got out of the car and keyed in the code she’d gotten from the real estate manager she’d called yesterday. Just as Ty had done, she’d asked for privacy to look over the building, telling him she was Ty’s business partner and she wanted another look at the place. Okay, she lied, but it worked. She went inside, assuming he’d be curious enough to follow. If he wasn’t, if he stayed in the car, her plan to make this all up to him would be ruined.
And she didn’t have a Plan B. She probably should have come up with a Plan B.
She walked into the space and stood in the center, smiling as plans began to formulate. She’d made notes, started to set up floor plans, but none of it would make sense without Ty.