Page 11 of Any Second Now (Fort Collins Blizzard Hockey #2)

Dating Coach

RALEIGH

I scoff.

“I am not good at dating.”

Lachlan could not have read me more wrong. Good at dating? Good at picking the wrong guy, yeah. Good at agreeing to bad marriages, sure.

“Really?” Lachlan raises his eyebrows. “Because you’ve gotten two blokes to marry you, which means you got them to date you first, and eventually propose. I’d say you’re pretty good at it. This guy’s never gotten someone to actually date him.” He nods toward Atticus.

“By choice!” Atticus insists, his brow furrowed. I can’t decide if he looks confused or offended. “If I wanted to date someone, I would’ve.”

Offended, then?

“To be honest, I have a hard time believing that Atticus can’t get someone to date him.” Honestly. There’s no way this is hard. There’s no way this man—I let my eyes flit over his chiseled jaw, bright green eyes, deep red curls—would have a problem dating.

“Exactly. See?” Atticus practically growls at Lachlan, who is clearly just pushing his buttons .

“You need help, mate. You want to ask this Rose person out?”

Atticus pauses and I find myself holding my breath.

“Yeah.” He looks at me when he says the word and I give an over-exaggerated shrug, then nod like a crazy person.

I shouldn’t care in the least if Atticus dates Rose or a cute bartender or half of Fort Collins.

I’m not interested in dating anyone .

Definitely not him.

“Just say—can I take you on a date? Then take her on one,” I say. “It would be that easy to prove Lachlan wrong.”

“It’s not really that easy.” Atticus watches me with a blank expression that I can’t read.

Of course it’s that easy. What’s he talking about?

I study him with narrowed eyes. I have no clue what’s going on inside his head. Maybe I should text Lucy and get more information.

Or maybe I shouldn’t let Lucy know how overly interested in her brother I am, because she’d see through me in about two seconds.

“Is it the actual date that’s the alleged problem?

” I tilt my head and take a drink, deciding I’m going to play along.

Why not? But I need more alcohol to have this conversation.

“Because we all know you can get women to pay attention to you without a problem. And you can ask them out—you are not shy, Atticus Knox—and they’ll likely say yes. ”

Atticus grins at my use of his full name. “Yup.” He nods. “That’s it. The actual date.”

“I got lucky,” Lachlan says dreamily. “I didn’t know what I was doing either, but Melissa took care of me. You’ve just gotta take a chance and then embrace it, mate.”

“Christ, if I have to keep hearing about how in love you are, I’m going to walk into the Rocky Mountains and never come back.” Atticus glares at his friend.

“Don’t do that.” I shake my head and try not to giggle. Atticus looks at me. “Listen, I did some research, and there’s like all sorts of scary chicken-eating wildlife in those mountains.”

“You had to research to find that out?” Atticus raises his eyebrows. I attempt to growl at him but we both burst out laughing instead.

Lachlan makes a curious sound and I turn to him. He’s watching me, eyes narrowed, mouth twitched to one side.

“What?” I say. I feel like he’s really seeing me. Seeing through me?

“You should be Atticus’s dating coach.” He looks back and forth between us and says the words slowly, as if making sure we both understand every. Single. One. Of. Them.

“Um—what?” I practically spit out the sip of wine I just took.

But Atticus is quiet, and when I look over at him, his eyes are wide as he chugs his own wine.

“Hear me out.” Lachlan lifts both hands in the air. “Give my friend—your friend—some pointers. Go on a few test dates so we can make sure he doesn’t totally fuck things up with this Rose person once he actually gets her out on a date.”

“Raleigh, just ignore him.” Atticus finds his voice and sounds oddly calm. “It’s a stupid idea. Don’t even look at him.” His protests aren’t nearly as strong as I’d think they’d be.

It’s almost as if he doesn’t hate the concept.

I do look at Lachlan. A hysterical laugh forms in my throat, but I beat it down.

“I mean, it might be good inspiration for new cross-stitch quotes,” I say casually. “I’m trying to make enough money that I don’t have to spend my savings on gas and food and campsite fees.”

I really have no problem with money. Even with sending funds to my ex every month, I have plenty in the bank. Doing cross-stitch is not about money. It’s about exploring a new hobby and trying to break even. Like a little game I’m playing with myself and my spreadsheet .

“Oh, come on.” Again, Atticus’s protest is weak. I’d think he’d be glaring at Lachlan and cutting off the conversation completely.

It is a stupid idea on so many levels.

That I am any kind of dating expert.

That I want to help Atticus Knox ask someone else out.

That Atticus needs any help at all.

That I need inspiration for new cross-stitch patterns so I can pay for my campsite fees.

“It doesn’t have to be a big deal,” I say, apparently on board. “I’ll be in town anyway. I’ll probably be here until Lucy gets back from her trip.” Wait—did I decide that for sure? Yeah, I might’ve. “We could go over some dos and don’ts of dating.”

“This is actually perfect,” Lachlan says.

“Atticus needs to learn how to date someone so he has something to do all summer besides whine about how much his groin hurts and how sad he is that Barrett Steele now plays for the Blizzard. And Raleigh, you need some inspiration, and unless I’m mistaken, you don’t have much to do this summer either. ”

“I mean, you’re not wrong,” I say.

“Raleigh?” Atticus leans forward and touches my arm. “You don’t have to be my dating coach.”

I glance down at where his hand is on my arm. I like it there. He slides it off slowly, and I like that feeling, too.

“Dating coach. Mate, that’s perfect.” Lachlan points at Atticus and then at me with a cackle.

“Seriously, Lach?” But Atticus looks at me questioningly.

“I’d be happy to help you ask out Daisy.” My voice is unnaturally squeaky.

“Rose,” Atticus says her name slowly.

“Right. Rose.” I clear my throat.

“Then it’s settled.” Lachlan drains his wine, then empties the remaining drops from the bottle into our glasses.

“I think we need more wine.” Atticus glances down at his half-full glass and then locks eyes with me .

“I’ll get another bottle. Least I can do for your birthday. Besides getting you a dating coach.” Lachlan sings the last two words and practically skips away to the bar.

“Lachlan in love is annoying as shit,” Atticus grumbles. “As if he has any idea how to be in a relationship.”

“It’s really not that hard,” I say. Atticus chuckles and the sound rolls over me pleasantly.

“For you, maybe.”

I shrug, uncomfortable under his gaze. “So you met this woman at the bookstore?”

“Yeah. Oh, I was at the bookstore buying you more presents.” His eyes light up.

“More presents?” My cheeks warm as Atticus reaches down to the ground and pulls up a paper bag, pushing it across the table to me.

“Yup.”

“But you already bought me the hammock.”

“That was an RV-warming gift.”

“And the cheese sticks.”

“A simple snack.”

“And the wine and corkscrew.”

“Who shows up to someone’s house for the first time without wine? And a way to open it?” He throws his hands up.

“RV, not house.”

“Yeah, RV.” His mouth twitches up on one side. “I was inspired today. Go ahead.”

I accept the bag and pull out the books one by one.

How I Found My Wild Side has three mostly naked people entwined in a bed on the cover. I look up at Atticus with raised eyebrows, and his cheeks turn rosy.

“They’re all memoirs about women reinventing themselves.”

“Sexually?” I say before thinking.

He laughs. “I guess that one might be?”

The second book is called 53 Stops and looks like a good travel memoir. The third one, Woman Boss, is about career reinvention. I’m struck by how thoughtful of a gift this is. He went into the bookstore—met Rose—and thoughtfully picked out these three books.

“No big deal if you don’t want to read them, I just thought?—”

“Thank you. They’re perfect. And you’re very sweet.” A little knot in my chest tightens. I have the urge to hug him for the second time tonight, but god knows I’d make it awkward as shit, so I don’t.

The bookish woman must have thought she hit the lottery when she met Atticus at work. I stare at him and shake my head.

“What?” His brow furrows.

“Atticus, you do not need my help learning how to date someone.” The words come out sharper than I intend. “I have a feeling if you really want a girlfriend, you’ll figure it out.” I’m irrationally annoyed at the thought of bookstore Rose with hearts in her eyes.

“But what if I do?” He holds my gaze and doesn’t crack a smile. “Want your help?”

Lachlan interrupts the moment, arriving back at the table with a fresh bottle of red wine. Atticus breaks eye contact and Lachlan spots the books as he fill our glasses.

“Oh, nice stack, Raleigh!” Lachlan tops off my wine.

“Atticus bought them for me.”

“Did he?” Lachlan glances at Atticus with raised eyebrows. “And have you made plans for your first dating lesson?”

Atticus is staring into his wine, probably thinking about the bookstore woman.

First dating lesson? Just one problem.

I have a crush on this man.

If I’m totally honest, I’ve had one since he showed up for his freshman year of college.

And now I’m supposed to help Atticus date someone else?

But it’s not like he’d date me .

Why would he possibly want me, a twice-divorced, thirty-four- year-old woman, when he can have someone younger and hotter and less awkward and weird?

He doesn’t. We’re just friends. Friends who made out that one time.

And as a friend, I’m going to help him learn how to date someone.

New cross-stitch idea: It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine. With a flaming dumpster below it.