Breaking the Ice

Chapter 13

13

“I’m thinking of becoming a lesbian.”

“That’s nice. Let me know when you need a sperm donor.”

Samantha sighed at her sister’s practicality. “It does kind of ruin the plan, I guess.”

“Bit hard to let the girls reach their full potential without the vital ingredient. Or have you given up on that idea?”

“I wish. The clock just keeps getting louder. I see mothers in the street now and I’m jealous. One came into the shop the other day with the tiniest baby in one of those pouches and I ran out the back and cried.”

“Oh, Sam…”

“I give up, Bec. I think I’m destined to be a spinster aunt. I’ll just have to spoil my nieces and be satisfied with going home to a metabolically challenged fish.”

“Sounds like fun. Not.”

Yeah. Not. “There must be a place I can go to find real men?”

“The supermarket is supposed to be a hot pick-up spot.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I read it somewhere. You just have to go at the right time. About five-thirty when work is done for the day.”

“How am I gonna know the singles from the marrieds?”

“The singles use baskets and have a kind of lost look on their face.”

Samantha perked up. “Okay… the supermarket it is.”

“What’s on your agenda for the night?” Nick asked as he closed up the shop.

The air-con inside was frigidly efficient and Sam sighed as the late afternoon summer warmth enveloped her.

“I’m going to the supermarket.”

“I thought you shopped yesterday?”

It was then that Samantha realized how integral Nick was becoming in her life. In a matter of weeks he’d become more than a friend. He was her confidant, her sounding board. And she liked it. For crying out loud, she spent more time with him than she had some of her exes.

She shrugged. “I’m going again.”

“Mind if I tag along?” he asked as he fell into step. “I need a few things.”

Samantha faltered. Yes, she did. How was she supposed to pick up a guy with an NFL superstar hanging around ? “Fine,” she acquiesced after a beat. “Just do me a favor and pretend you don’t know me.”

“Okay.” He grabbed her arm and halted her progress. “What’s going on?”

Samantha thought about playing dumb. Just because he’d been privy to every aspect of her dating life since she’d started working at Birdie’s didn’t mean she had to consult him about every potential opportunity. But he was probably just as invested whether she liked it or not.

“Bec thinks supermarkets are great pick-up joints. I’m going to test the theory.”

“Really?” He dropped his hand from her arm. “They’re always full of screaming kids whenever I go.”

See, eggs? So not father material.

“Hard to believe, I know.”

“Okay so, what’s the plan?” he asked as they fell into step. “You’re just going to hang out in fruit and veg and wait for an unsuspecting demographically suitable guy to wander along?”

“You make me sound like a spider waiting for an insect to fly into my web,” she grouched. “It’s a sensible suggestion and I cannot face another blind date.”

“Fine.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m all out of Pop-Tarts anyway.”

She shook her head. “I thought an athlete had a strictly controlled dietary regimen?”

“It’s the off season.”

When they reached the supermarket Samantha nudged him. “You go in first.” She was suddenly self-conscious that everyone would take one look at her and know why she was there. “I’ll wait a few minutes and follow.”

“Okay,” Nick whispered dramatically. “Shall we synchronize our watches?”

She shoved him lightly and he chuckled but he moved off, the sliding doors opening to admit him. She watched as he picked up a basket and swaggered inside, T-shirt and jeans clinging in all the right places.

Samantha quickly spritzed herself with perfume from the small atomizer in her handbag while she counted to sixty then followed Nick. The benign elevator music was the first thing she noticed as she also picked up a basket and made a beeline for the fruit and veg. She checked the time – five-twenty. A little early. But if she hovered around here, she’d have direct line of sight of the entrance, right?

Slowly they trickled in and things picked up.

A guy who looked to be in his early forties sidled up to her over the cantaloupes. He had a friendly face and nicely graying wings in his dark hair. He smiled. “Cantaloupes are a good price this week.”

She checked his finger. No wedding ring. “Thank goodness,” she said with a laugh she hoped sounded tinkly rather than nervously creepy. “They’ve been so expensive and they’re so divine this time of year.”

“I know what you mean. Jonathon, my partner, absolutely adores them.”

Bump bah! Strike one.

Looking up, she spied Nick a few meters away feeling tomatoes like he was judging them at the state freaking fair. He’d obviously overheard the exchange and was trying not to laugh. She slunk away to inspect the nuts, pegging a macadamia at his head to wipe the smirk from his face. It didn’t.

“Excuse me, miss.”

Samantha made a concerted effort to smooth her frown as another man, not quite as good looking as the last but also carrying a basket, indicated she was blocking the bag dispenser.

“Oops, sorry,” she apologized as she saw Nick move closer out the corner of her eye. He settled himself at the other end of the nut display and picked one up, inspecting it like he was from quality control.

“No problem,” he said.

No wedding ring either, she thought as he piled his bag full of macadamias. “You must really love nuts, huh? Or… is it your wife?”

The man laughed. “Oh, no, I’m divorced. I live with my mom now and she adores them.”

Samantha heard Nick almost choking to death on his stifled laughter and looked up to see his back disappearing behind the pumpkin display.

Strike two.

Throwing a few nuts in a bag, she followed Nick. “Do you mind,” she hissed.

“Oh, Samantha.” His eyes shone with mirth. “I don’t know how you do it. Do you repel all the right people or just attract the wrong? I can’t work it out.”

He laughed again as he moved along to the grapes and plucked a green one off its bunch and popped it in his mouth.

“Alright Nick, I give in. If I don’t leave here with a date then I’ll do it your way.”

“Oh? How’s that?” He plucked another grape and pushed it toward her.

“Stop looking and hope they’ll find me,” she said, as he presented the grape to her mouth and she absently opened it, sucking in the taut sweet globe.

Her teeth accidentally grazed his skin and she swore his finger lingered a little before sliding from her mouth. Their gazes met and, for a beat of time, everything around them faded to black. The stark white light bathing the aisles in glory, the voice from the sound system calling for a price check at aisle ten, the aroma of nearby supermarket flowers.

Just her and Nick as Samantha’s pulse tapped out a crazy dance at her temple.

Was he looking at her like he wanted to feed her more grapes while she reclined sexily on a chaise lounge or was she just projecting because she really wanted him to feed her more grapes while she reclined sexily on a chaise lounge?

The beat passed and Nick’s gaze flicked left over her shoulder. “Don’t look now,” he murmured, “beefcake at ten o’clock.”

Samantha pulled back from the strange frisson, giving herself a mental shake. Hockey player/boss is not an option, dufus – get your shit together!

Turning slightly, she checked out the beefcake standing at the nearby deli. He was built, there was no denying that. She didn’t think he was gay – although clearly her gaydar was crap – and he certainly didn’t look like he lived with his mother. In fact, he looked like he spent a lot of time at the gym and the rest of it probably fending off hordes of women.

She rolled her eyes at Nick. “That guy is not going to be interested in me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s in your age bracket and not wearing a ring. He’s perfect.”

Taking her arm, he marched her toward the deli as Samantha dragged her feet. “He doesn’t have a wedding ring because he can’t choose between his harem of gym bunnies.”

“Just talk to him,” he whispered as they came up alongside and Nick bumped her with his hip, causing her to collide with the beefcake.

“Oh, God, sorry,” Samantha apologized, ready to blame Nick but he’d disappeared.

“It’s okay.”

Beefcake’s voice was kind of smug, like this sort of thing happened to him all the time. Well of course, the man was gorgeous. Up close even more so. His bleached blond hair made him look younger but the laughter lines around his mouth and eyes didn’t lie.

He definitely fit the demographic.

There was a bit of a line up at the deli and Beefcake, who introduced himself as Mike, pulled a ticket out of the dispenser for her. Very chivalrous . They chatted a bit and he actually seemed to be flirting with her.

Okay… it couldn’t be this easy, surely?

“So, do you work out?”

Uh-oh… she knew it couldn’t be that easy. “Sometimes,” she lied. “Semi… regularly.”

“Oh you so should.” He shot her a winning smile. “A gorgeous girl like you would look fantastic minus a few pounds. I’m a personal trainer, I could whip your butt into shape pronto.”

He gave her another smile as Samantha’s heart sunk. Okay that was it. She sucked at picking up men.

In less than an hour, she’d picked up a gay man, a mommy’s boy and a guy who would never let her look at a dessert menu, let alone chose from it first. Feigning a phone call, she extricated herself from the deli line and got as far away from Beefcake as possible.

Nick was lurking in the cereal aisle when Samantha marched by. “ Psst ,” he called, catching her attention and then, “Well?” as she approached. “Did he ask you out?”

“No. But he did offer to whip my butt into shape in a few short months.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. What was wrong with men? Nick tried not to look as horrified as he felt. “I hope you offered to kick his?”

She laughed but her heart was clearly not in it. “Come on.” She sighed. “Let’s get out of here. And remind me not to listen to Bec again.”

The lines at the checkouts were ridiculous. Resigned to the wait, they joined the queue behind a woman who smiled at them and said, “Hope you’ve got nowhere to be for a while.”

“Depressingly, no,” Samantha admitted.

The woman laughed. “I hear you.”

Her gaze flicked over him and Nick braced himself to be recognized. He’d already signed an autograph next to the Froot Loops for a middle-aged guy and his teenage son. But her glance was cursory – definitely not a hockey fan.

With the line going nowhere in a hurry, the woman introduced herself as Kelly. “Nick,” he said, turning on the Hawkeye charm. Because that’s what he did. Also, Kelly was gorgeous with blonde hair, a tight T-shirt, micro denim shorts and lace-up boots that looked ex-army.

But again she barely spared him a glance as she smiled at Samantha. “And this is?”

“Sam,” he supplied.

“Thanks, Nick.” Samantha bugged her eyes. “I think I can do my own introducing.”

“Is that short for Samantha?” Kelly asked.

“Yup,” said Nick, jumping in again although he wasn’t sure why.

Kelly’s gaze flicked between them. “Are you two…?”

“Oh no.” Samantha got in first this time. “Nick’s just my boss.”

“And her friend,” he said, not sure whether to be amused or pissed by Samantha’s quick dismissal of any sexual nature to their relationship.

The two women chatted like they were old friends as the line advanced and it soon became evident to Nick why Kelly had paid him no heed. Samantha was in fine form tonight with members of the gay community. Although this one was definitely hitting on her.

“Is that Armani you’re wearing?” Kelly asked as she angled her head and inhaled deeply.

Samantha nodded. “Yes! My Way.”

“Oh I love that.” Kelly fished around in her bag and pulled out a tester card. “Here, smell this. It’s called Flower Bomb from Viktor and Rolf. I love the jasmine notes.”

“Hmm.” Samantha pressed the card to her nose. “Smells like… a spring garden. What do you think, Nick?”

Nick didn’t think for a moment that Kelly actually gave a rat’s ass what he thought but he dutifully sniffed the card that had been thrust his way. “Very pretty,” he agreed.

“It’d smell fantastic on you,” Kelly said.

Nick refrained from rolling his eyes at Kelly’s blatant pick-up line. Did men sound that bad? He watched Samantha closely and realized she had no idea Kelly was coming on to her.

Kelly pointed at Samantha’s nametag which she’d forgotten to take off. “You work at that second-hand bookshop in the Glassworks?”

“Uh huh.” Samantha tipped her head in his direction. “Nick owns it.”

“Oh,” Kelly said, flicking a dismissive look at him before returning her gaze to Samantha. “I pass by there every day, I should call in.”

“That’s a great idea,” Samantha enthused. “Nick has done the shop up and there’s this great little nook where you can sit and read.”

A self-serve checkout became available and Kelly was up next. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?” she said, smiling at Samantha.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Kelly tinkled a little wave as she walked away and Samantha sighed. “Now why can’t I meet men like that?” she demanded, turning to him.

Nick refrained from telling her she already kinda had once tonight. He didn’t think her ego could stand the truth right now. “Like what?” he asked instead, curious to hear her thoughts on Kelly.

“Someone you can have a decent conversation with, without feeling like a piece of meat.”

Nick stifled a laugh. He was pretty sure Kelly had been looking at Samantha like she was a very tasty morsel.

Not that he could blame her.