Page 12 of Hockey Player Seeking Fan (Billionaires Seeking Wives Club #2)

"You really don’t have to. I don’t think it’s the sort of thing you’d be interested in."

"And why is that? Because you don’t think I’m a gentleman?"

"I mean, on a scale of one to ten, do I think you’re a ten? Nah."

"I’m offended."

"I’m not trying to offend you. I just don’t think a gentleman would throw a drink on a woman, even if it was by mistake."

"We’re not going to have that conversation again, are we?" I groan and place my hands on the table. "What can I do? What can I say? What can I buy you to end this conversation?"

"I know that it really wasn’t done in malice or spite," she says. "I’m going to get over it. But I may still tease you about it."

"Okay. Hey there, Tyler." Sheila walks out to us. Her gray hair is back in a bun. Her face is ashen white, and she looks tired.

"You okay tonight? You look exhausted."

"I am ready for bed, but one of the girls called in sick, and you know how it goes. It means that I’ve got to be here another couple of hours."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope they're not working you too hard."

"We're not super busy, so it's okay," she says, nodding. She looks over at Erica. "Hi. Have you been to Happy's before?"

"No. This is my first time. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well, all of our burgers are to die for, so you really can't go wrong. I also recommend getting the 50/50, which is half onion rings, half french fries."

"Ooh, that sounds yummy. I guess I'll get a bacon cheeseburger," Erica says, "and the 50/50. Oh, and a strawberry milkshake, please."

I grin as she smiles at me.

"I'm hungry."

"Hey, I'm not saying anything. I'll get the chili cheese dog, and I'll also do the 50/50 and a chocolate shake."

"Coming right up," Sheila says. "I'll get you both some waters to start."

"Thanks, Sheila."

I look over at Erica. "Man, she reminds me of my mom."

Erica leans forward, looking surprised. "She looks like her?"

"No, but she worked in a restaurant for a really long time and had some really long nights.

I can still remember her coming in exhausted and my sisters acting up and her getting upset.

" I'm quiet for a few moments, thinking about those years when it was really hard.

How we barely had enough food on the table, how I could hear my mom crying in the bedroom.

How when I got the offer to be a hockey player, I knew I had to take it even though it wasn't my dream.

"She's doing much better now, though," I say. "And so are my sisters. They live a blessed life."

"That's cool," Erica says. "I guess I live a blessed life myself by virtue of who my parents are." She pauses. "I never really thought about that before."

"You didn't?" I ask her in surprise. "I mean, not to put the rich princess label on you, but you've never realized that you haven't had to want like other people?"

She presses her lips together. "I mean, kind of.

Sabrina is my best friend, and she had to work through college, and I saw how rough she had it.

But I guess I never really saw myself as having it easy.

Though, I guess in many ways, maybe I have.

" She wrinkles her nose and sighs. "Man, that makes me feel kind of icky inside. "

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe I haven't been appreciative enough." She leans back in the booth. "But anyway, you grew up in Iowa, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She laughs. "I can't believe you're calling me ma'am. I'm younger than you."

"Just a sign of respect. So, tell me about these fairytales you're chasing."

She shakes her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're out here looking for your one true love, and it seems to me that every date you go on, you think that could possibly be it."

"Yeah. So what are you doing? Just going out there on different dates every week, not caring about the woman? Most likely not even calling them again."

"I call plenty of women more than once. And I go on dates with women I find attractive and interesting and fun. And yeah, maybe we have sex, maybe we don't, but it's just us enjoying each other."

"Well, good for you. That's not what I want in life, and I'm okay with that. And I think it's okay for me to have a podcast exploring whether or not I'm in the majority or the minority."

"I can already tell you that you and your unrealistic standards are in the minority."

"Excuse me? What do you mean by my unrealistic standards? You don't even know what my standards are." She sounds annoyed, and I realize that maybe I've pushed it a little too hard.

"Well, tell me, what are you looking for in a man, Erica?"

"I'm looking for someone who's handsome, funny, and intelligent, who's compassionate and who's a gentleman. He’d like to open doors and buy dinner. He’d like to surprise me with flowers and gifts and tell me he loves me.

He'd ask me where I got my outfit or if I cut my hair, and he'd notice if I'm wearing new makeup.

He'd take me on little trips to places I've mentioned from books I've read or movies I’ve watched. "

I stare at her, trying not to laugh, but I'm finding it very hard.

"Why are your lips twitching?"

"I just think that what you're looking for is not real."

"What do you mean it's not real? Is it too much for me to ask for a guy to take me apple picking or on a hay ride and to carve pumpkins?"

"I mean, I don't think that's too much for you to ask. But to expect that a guy is just going to come up with all of these things because you once told him that it would be something you're interested in?"

"If he really loved me and if he was my soulmate, he would," she says, blinking rapidly.

"That's why I'm waiting for 'the one,' not any regular ole dude.

There are plenty of regular crappy guys out there who will say and do whatever to get into my pants.

That's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a man that I'm going to have a soul connection with. "

"I just think that you're being very unrealistic. And I think you're going to be waiting a really long time if you're waiting for a soulmate."

"Whatever, Tyler."

"Don't be annoyed. I'm just telling you. In fact, I'm willing to bet you that soulmates don't exist."

"What do you mean, you're willing to bet me that soulmates don't exist?"

"Well, you're doing this podcast, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I suppose you're doing research for the podcast."

"Yeah."

"Well, I bet you that you're not going to find anyone who feels like your soulmate."

"You mean me personally dating guys?"

"Yeah." As soon as I say the words, I'm annoyed because I don't want to think about her dating other men, but I want her to realize that what she's looking for doesn't exist. I don't know why it's so important to me, but it is.

"I'll take that bet any day of the week. So how long do I have to meet my soulmate?"

"I don't know. Why don't we say three months and then reconvene and see how everything's going?"

"I would love to meet my soulmate in three months. I just don't know if that's realistic, Tyler."

"Well, that's why I said we'll reconvene. You have a packed list of things you're looking for, so if those things exist and there's a man out there that meets even half of them, I will concede that there's a high likelihood that you'll meet your soulmate."

She presses her lips together. "So, okay, the bet is—you think my standards are too high, then?"

"Yeah. I think you'll find it very hard to meet a guy who even has 10 percent of what you're looking for."

"Oh, you're on," she says, holding her hand out. "Definitely. You're on. Just because you're not a guy that knows how to treat a woman well, doesn't mean that there aren't guys out there that would."

I grab her hand, and we both feel heat running back and forth between us. She pulls it back slightly, and I see her lips trembling.

"You don't know what sort of man I am, Erica. Maybe I am a very?—"

She cuts me off and starts laughing. "I know exactly what sort of man you are. Tyler Kane, hockey player. Don't think I haven't seen you in the tabloids or heard about the parties that you and my brothers frequent.”

She just stares at me and shakes her head. "I'm going to win. But what I want to know is what I'm going to win."

"What do you want to win?"

"I don't know. What do you want to win?" she asks me.

"Let's think about it," I say, smirking. I know exactly what I want to win, but I'm not going to tell her just yet because I don't want her backing out of the bet we've made. In fact, I'm quite excited about the possibility of getting to know her better and going along this journey with her.

"So it's a deal, and we'll figure out the prize at the end?" she asks.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me."

I stare at her for a few moments and then, because I can't help myself, I say softly, "Even though I want to win, I do hope you find what you're looking for, Erica. A woman as beautiful as you deserves to find true love."

She blinks for a few seconds and shakes her head. "I don't even know what to say to that, but thank you."

"That's all you need to say. I mean, it's not like I'm going to ask you to drop under the table and give me a blowy or anything."

"Really, Tyler?" She glares at me. "Was that really?—"

I start laughing. "I'm sorry. That was a low blow, and I would never normally say that. But I know that Elliott was a jackass, and I just wanted to remind you that I think there are more men out there like him than aren’t."

"We'll see," she says, shrugging. "But I surely hope that you're not correct."