Page 15 of Not in the Plans (London Lightning #1)

Chapter Thirteen

OLIVIA

C hecking the time again, I try not to worry that Tag is running late. Having wanted to show him another one of my favourite places in the city, I planned it when we could be alone. But with a late practise in the afternoon for him, we’re cutting it close.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Half expecting it to be Tag cancelling, I’m shocked at the name that pops up.

Mum.

Not wasting a second, I slide my thumb across the screen to answer the call. “Hello, Mum.”

“Olivia. How are you?” Her prim and proper voice is quiet over the phone.

“I’m well. And you?”

“Also well.” She clears her throat. “I was returning your call.”

“My call?”

“Yes, Olivia.” She gives an annoyed sigh. “You rang a few weeks ago.”

I try not to let my own annoyance with my mother take hold. I called weeks ago and never got a call back. Now somehow it’s my fault that she is just calling me back?

“Right. How are things at home?”

“Fine. Your father is good. I am good. All is good.”

“Right. Things are good here as well.”

It’s the most stilted call I’ve ever had with her.

“And your job? You are still working for the hockey team?” Her voice is dripping with disdain. When I told them where I would be working, they turned their noses up.

Working for a hockey team is not a suitable position for their daughter.

“I am. I’m enjoying it. Learning a lot.”

“Good. And any suitable men you’re dating?”

Suitable? I don’t know if I would describe Tag as suitable. At least in their eye. A divorced man from America working for the team? They would hate him.

“Not at the moment.”

The lie feels sour on my tongue.

“Well, you don’t want to wait too long.”

“Yes, Mum,” I agree, only because it’s the easiest thing to do.

“Well, then. We’ve been on the phone too long. Speak soon.”

She hangs up before I can get another word in.

One minute and ten seconds. That’s how long my phone tells me the call lasted. Too long for my own mum.

I try not to let my emotions take over as I stuff my phone in my coat pocket. I should consider it a positive that she even took the time to call me back, even if it was weeks later.

“Hey, baby.”

Tag is striding towards me, eating up the distance on the sidewalk. The sight of him soothes my frayed nerves .

“Hi.”

He greets me with a kiss. “You know, when you said you wanted to show me some hidden sights of London, I didn’t think it would be this hidden.”

“You don’t like parks?”

Tag shakes his head, draping his arm around my shoulder. “That’s not it at all. I’m just surprised, is all.”

It’s a brisk Thursday night. The park is all but empty as we walk through the entry gate. Burrowing closer to Tag, I steer him farther inside the garden. With fall here, not much is in bloom, but it’s still one of my favourite spots in London.

Since I really need to clear my head after that call with Mum, I am glad that I brought Tag here tonight.

“Because everything is dead and it’d be prettier in the spring?” I gaze up at Tag. His eyes are already focused on me. They always are. No matter where we are, whenever we’re together, I can feel his gaze on me.

“Well, yeah.”

“It’s my favourite, so I wanted to bring you here.”

Tag presses his lips to the top of my head. Warmth spreads through me at the slight touch. “I like that you want to bring me to your favorite places.”

“It’s peaceful here. Like I can put the chaos of the city in the back of my mind and just relax.”

And the chaos of my own family, but I don’t tell him that. Too heavy for this thing between the two of us.

Finding a bench, I sit down and pull Tag with me.

“I can understand that. This city is a lot different from Nashville, but I’m adjusting better than I thought.”

Resting my chin on his shoulder, I stare up at Tag. “Really? I couldn’t imagine moving to another country.”

Tag grabs my hand, holding it in his large, warm palm. His fingers trace patterns into my soft skin .

It’s soothing. Mesmerising.

“You’ve helped with it.”

“Yeah?” I rest my head on his shoulder.

“Yeah.” His warm breath ghosts across my forehead. “You’ve made it easy. Welcoming me. Showing me around. Just being you.”

“I’m glad I could help then.”

Tag’s thumb presses into the racing pulse of my wrist. “I thought I was running away after my divorce, but turns out, I don’t think I was.”

Shifting, I turn to look at Tag. “You don’t really talk about your divorce.”

He shrugs. “It’s not something that I really like to talk about.”

“You don’t have to.”

“It’s okay. We met when we were in college.

I suppose at some point we were in love, but then it just became more about staying with someone when I got drafted.

I didn’t want to deal with the whole dating scene while playing.

And then when I stopped playing, she didn’t like that I gave up the life. ”

“Does that make you sad?”

He shakes his head, turning to face me. “At first, it did. But then after therapy, I realized I was better off on my own than being in a loveless marriage.”

“I guess with age comes wisdom.”

Tag bursts out laughing and I love the sound of it. “Don’t get me wrong, I was opposed to the idea at first, but I like it.”

“Therapy? I don’t know if I could ever spill my guts out to anyone like that.”

Tag smiles at me. “It’s oddly refreshing.”

“Ripping open your emotions for a stranger? No, thanks. ”

“Okay.” Tag shifts, tucking a wind-blown strand of hair behind my ear. “Why don’t you try talking to me? Tell me something no one else knows about you.”

“That is quite the change in conversation.”

“You don’t want to talk to a stranger, so talk to me.”

It’s hard to get a read on his brown eyes. The sun continues its slow descent towards the horizon. Before long, we’ll be kicked out of here.

Not the worst thing right now.

Something no one else knows about me?

There’s a lot I could tell him. My childhood. Growing up with my parents. That seems too heavy for what we’re doing.

How a one-minute phone call was too long for my mother.

This is supposed to be fun. Nothing serious.

So what can I tell this man that won’t open up a floodgate of emotions inside of me?

“I hate heights.”

“Really? In the whole wide world of things you could have told me, that’s what you chose to go with?”

“Hey.” I poke him in the side. “You said tell you something no one else knows. No one knows that.”

“Okay. You don’t like heights. Something new to put in my encyclopedia of everything Olivia Montrose.”

“I like keeping my feet firmly on solid ground.”

“I guess that explains why you said no to skydiving.”

A shudder racks my body. “There is no way in hell I would ever do that. I can’t believe you would!”

Tag leans back against the bench, resting his arm along the back. “Why not?”

“Why not?” I scoff. “What if the parachute doesn’t work? Or something happens to the plane? I prefer not splatting into the ground like a pancake. ”

Tag smiles at me. “I know what not to plan for our next date then.”

“’Scuse me. Park is closing.” An old man in a uniform walks through, pointing at his watch. “Time to go.”

“Thank you,” I tell him, standing to grab Tag’s hand.

We’re the only ones in here as we walk towards the exit. It’s like being in our own little cocoon in the busy city.

Maybe it’s why I felt safe confessing something—even if it wasn’t a deep, dark secret—to Tag. Or maybe that’s just Tag.

“Hey.” Tag stops me outside the locked gate. “Thanks for telling me something no one else knows about you.”

“Thank you for making it easy.”

I wish I could gather up the courage to confess more to this man. But for now, this will do.