“T.J. Shanstrom, right?” Fuck! Aman with his hand held out crowded Natalie, pinning her in the booth. “Jesus,man, it’s great to meet you. Diehard Earthquake fan since I was a kid, and aT.J. Shanstrom fan since you entered the NHL. And nowyou’re a Blizzard!”
T.J. lurched upward and automatically shook the man’s hand,the motion echoing his frenetic pulse. He tried to press himself out of thebooth, tried to glimpse Natalie’s face, catching only a flash of pink.
The man continued pumping T.J.’s hand, obstructing his exit.“Sorry about your suspension, man. I really miss seeing you play.” Now arumbling crowd began gathering around their booth.
“Uh, thanks.” T.J. reclaimed his hand, then darted his gazeto Natalie.
She was still seated, and a series of expressions flittedacross her face like flash cards in odd combinations. Shaking head. Gapingmouth. Crashing brows. Sparking eyes. Cheeks drained of color. Hurt pinchingthe corners of her mouth. It reminded him of old movies where the human morphedinto a monster in stuttering stages.
People pressed inward, trapping him and Natalie in thebooth. He barely registered they were fans happy to meet him because,right now, it didn’t matter. Only she did.
The guy was patting his shoulder now, announcing hispresence to the diners, while Gillian yakked at him and took pictures with herphone.
Natalie gathered coat and purse in a flurry and rolledsideways, somehow escaping the booth. T.J. used every bit of his size to powerhis way through the group. “Hey, man. Sorry. Gottago.” He plucked his wallet from his back pocket, fished out a few bills, andthrew them on the table, thanking everyone for their support as he turned andloped after Natalie.
In the background, Gillian shouted, “Call me!”
Outside the pub, hand in his hair and a string of cursewords on his tongue, he scanned the sidewalk until he locked on Natalie’sslender frame scurrying away at warp factor nine.
“Natalie!”
Without slowing, she flew him the bird over her shoulder. Hetook a few strides, stopped, and strode again. His hesitant steps mirrored hisfaltering confidence. Run after her? Leave her alone? Half-formeddecisions ping-ponging wildly, he went after her a step shy of a sprint.
“Natalie, wait! Please!”
She stopped suddenly and pivoted. Color had returned to herface—lots of it—and her murderous eyes sliced into him. But moisture rimmed herlower lashes, and her bottom lip wobbled.
It gutted him.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry!
He held up his hands in surrender. “Natalie, I—”
She stabbed her finger in his general direction, growling, “Don’t you dare come closer!” Then she swiped at hercheeks and squared up her shoulders. A monolith of fury.“Are you T.J. Shanstrom?”
He dropped his head back and yelled, “Fuck!” at the sky,hoping it would swallow him whole, but the sky didn’t give a shit. So he lookedinto the heat of her flaming eyes and nodded dejectedly. “Yes.”
It was hard to believe her eyes could blaze any brighter,but they flashed as though gas had been added to their flame. “What the hell!”she yelped and vaulted at him, open palm striking his chest, rocking himbackward. “You used me! You’ve been playing me this whole fucking time!”
He threw his arms wide, making it easier for her to beat herfists against him, if that’s what she wanted. When he spoke, his voice wasoddly calm. “I didn’t know who you were when I first met you. I swear. And Iwanted to tell you. God, so many times. Weeks ago. The othernight. Today. That’s what I was trying to do bef—”
“Before your girlfriend in therestarted sucking your face? Why should I listen to anything that comesout of your mouth?”
“She’s not my girlfriend. I haven’t seen her in years. Butshe’s not the point here.”
Natalie’s chest was rising and falling quickly, her petitenostrils flaring with each breath. Arms cinched over her chest, she grittedout, “The point is you’re not who you led me to believe you are. Youused me, used your dog! You’re a despicable, lying sack of shit.”
She looked at him as though he made her sick to her stomach.
His heavy heart thudded in his chest. “You’re right. I’m alying sack, and I led you to believe I was someone else.”
“So you could pump me for information about Kevin. How couldyou do that?” Her voice quaked, and he couldn’t tell if it was fromanger or hurt.
“I know I have no right to ask you to believe me, butI’m begging you to believe I did not use you. This was never aboutgetting information. I asked about Kevin because I wanted to know. Because Igive a shit.”
He raked a hand through his hair and over his jaw. Her eyesbored into him with naked hatred, and he flinched inside.
“I should’ve told you sooner,” he ventured. “No question. Imeant to. Wanted to. I never intended for it to go this far. Togo anywhere. But I got to know you, and you were so … And I …Jesus, I felt so bad about what I did. I just wanted to help—”
“Help?” she screeched, lending her a slightlyhysterical tone. “You selfish, deceitful, conceited … Thiswas all a big game to you, wasn’t it? You make me sick.” She pivoted, and hegripped her upper arm.
“Natalie, please.”
She glanced down at his hand, and he released her. Her voicewas like cold steel knifing into him. “I want nothing to do with you.”
He swallowed hard. “I made a colossal mistake. I should’vetold you right away.”
People ambled past, shooting them curious glances. A baldguy took up station ten feet away, legs spread, arms over his chest, giving himthe stink-eye like he was some goddamn bodyguard.
T.J. dropped his voice, though his plea shot through it. “Inever intended it to come to this. Ever.”
Natalie sidestepped him, hissing, “Just get the hell awayfrom me.”
Resigned, he said, “I will. As soon as I get my dog back.”Taking Ford to her house before lunch was the only stroke of genius he’dhad the entire time he’d known her. She’d have to face him one last time tohand Ford over.
A lone, fragile teardrop glistened, then spilled
