Chapter 5

A/N: I love your comments. I also like how we have some who think she absolutely needs to be with Jarret, yet we have some that are still giving Jack a chance... definitely makes it more fun to write with the sides forming. Love it!

Soundtrack for this chapter... well it's actually 2 songs. Since we are playing with this love triangle thing I needed a song for the "2 couples."

First up: Jack and Liz: Ray LaMontagne's You Can Bring Me Flowers

And...: Jarret and Beth: Kate Nash's Merry Happy

“Hey, so Grandma says you are off work today…”

I laughed, not surprised that even with the schedule switching, Elsie already knew my schedule.  “That I am,” I answered, suddenly feeling a little giddy.  Careful girl.  Remember what you told him two nights ago about not wanting to be a fling.

“Grandma also said you might be interested in showing me some places to do some repelling or climbing…” he continued.  I could picture his perfect smile just by the way he spoke over the phone.

“Did you need to ask Grandma how to ask me out for the day?” I chided, trying not to be overly obvious that I was smiling like a girl who had just won the Miss Canadian pageant.

“Well if you count me asking her for your phone number, then yeah,” he laughed.  “So what time can I drop by and pick you up?”

I took a deep breath to calm my heart-rate a little bit, glanced over at the clock and then answered.  “Um, I actually only need about 30 minutes to get ready…”

“I’ll be over in 30 minutes then,” he replied happily.

It suddenly dawned on me that he was not aware of where I actually lived and him picking me up would be absolutely no good.  “Wait!  How about I pick you up?” I blurted out suddenly.  “I need to stop by the Squad first anyway because I will need to pick up a harness for you…”  Phew, awesome quick thinking, Liz.

“Um, sure, sounds like a plan.  I’ll see you when you get over here then,” he said, not questioning a thing.

“Awesome!  See you in a bit!” I smiled as I smacked myself in the head for being a total dumbass and almost making things a little awkward.  Obviously he was going to find out sooner than later that the house he had dropped me off at that first night he came to town, was not mine.  Then he was going to find out that my real home was nothing more than a dilapidated rancher that needed a ton of work on the outside.  I prided myself on keeping it tidy and clean on the inside, but when it came to fixing the roof, redoing the siding and painting the trim, I just never got around to it nor did I really have the money to do it.  It had never really bothered me until he came to town.  Now I was just embarrassed.

I packed my stuff up in the truck, told Bruno sorry for not taking him along and gave him a big bone to reiterate the apology.  As I walked out of the house, he was laying happily in the living room, chewing on it, not paying any mind to me.  I then headed over to the squad building.

“You going climbing, Lizzard?” Taylor asked cheerfully as he followed me into the equipment room.

“I am,” I answered, rolling my eyes.  God bless Taylor, he was a wonderful medic, but he could really be a simpleton at times.  I sometimes never understood how a brain of rocks could actually made logical decisions.  I guess he could be easily described as the male version of Paris Hilton, just Canadian, not rich, not a druggie and a total sweetheart.  Okay, so maybe there are better people to compare him to, but it makes total sense to me.

“Who are you going with if Jack is here?” he continued his nosey questioning.  I had been hoping to get in and out of here so that I wouldn’t feel the need to divulge my plans, but that was obviously going down the drain quickly.  Taylor knew, hell, everyone knew that Jack was my normal climbing buddy, because up until the other night, Jack was my best friend who I did everything with.

“None of your business,” I mumbled, knowing I was going to give myself away because I could feel the heat already rising up my neck.

“She’s going with Stoll, I’m sure,” Jack said, happening to join into the conversation that he was not even invited to.

I turned around with the harness and extra rope on my shoulder and pushed passed both of the guys.  Taylor was too busy making kissy faces to make comments and I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Jack.  I was still very angry at him and it ruffled me even more that he used such an “all knowing” tone when he made the comment.  Despite not looking at him, I could feel his eyes boring holes through me.

“God, Jack.  You are such an asshole,” I growled, unable to hold my tongue any longer.  I had that problem when I was very angry about something.

“Oh, yes!  That’s me!  The big asshole!” Jack chirped back dramatically, his deep voice echoing off the walls of the bays.  “I’m such an asshole for worrying about you…”

“I can handle myself,” I spit back, this time stopping and turning to face him.  Taylor stood a few steps away from Jack looking completely confused and surprised at the same time.  I’m sure the guys were aware that there was a problem going on between Jack and I, but I knew they didn’t know the half of it.  Hell, I don’t even know half of it.  “So just back off and mind your own fucking business!”

“Fine.  Don’t come crying to me when he dumps your ass.”

“No worries there!”

She looked visibly upset when she pulled into the driveway in her old beat-up Chevy Truck.  However when she looked over and saw me sitting on the porch already waiting for her, a smile graced her face.  I instantly got up off the porch swing and hopped down the steps to meet her halfway.  “Everything okay?” I asked, and without even thinking I reached out and cupped her cheek with my hand.  It was probably an intimate gesture, but it only felt natural.

“Ugh, just some shit at work,” she sighed before looking up at me with her beautiful blue eyes that were slightly shaded by the plain black baseball hat she had on her head, her copper pony-tail pulled through the back of it.  She looked like quite the unruly chick in her worn-out jeans that we torn in both knees, layered black and olive green ribbed tank, beat-up hiking boots, with some wisps of hair escaping from her hat.  If I stared at her for too long, I was going to end up with a hard-on and from my previous experiences of climbing; it wasn’t going to be easy to sport it in the harness.

The small moment between us was nixed when Grandma came out on the porch yelling down to us.  “Hey kids!! I packed you a little lunch!” she said happily, trying to lift what looked to be a very heavy picnic basket.

I quick ran over to grab it from her.  “Geesh Grandma, it feels like it’s a little more than a little lunch,” I laughed, leaning into kiss her on the cheek.  “Thanks.”

“Anything for you, Jarret,” she smiled broadly.  “And you, Miss Lizzie,” she cooed as Beth came up beside me and placed a kiss on her other cheek.  “Now you kids don’t worry about me.  Stay out as long as you like…”

“Stop pushing, Elsie,” Beth laughed out her warning as she stomped back down off the porch and headed towards her truck.

“Whatever are you talking about, Lizzie?” Grandma played innocently as Beth just turned back and sent her an amused glare.

“Bye, Grandma,” I laughed as I placed the picnic basket in the back of the truck and hopped in the passenger seat of the old truck.

“This truck is pretty cool,” I remarked as I watched her shift the manual gear into reverse to back out onto the quiet street.

“You don’t need to keep laying it on thick,” she said flatly.  “It’s old and I would love a new one, but it still runs and gets me to where I want to go…”

“I’m being serious, Beth.  My dad had one of these old Silverado’s and I think they only reason he got rid of it was for the fact that the floorboard had rusted out of it.”

This piece of info made her laugh.  “Doug actually replaced that for me a couple summers ago…”

“I actually learned how to drive stick on my Dad’s truck,” I remembered fondly.  “I didn’t realize how much of a bitch the clutch was until I bought my first Mercedes and realized how much easier technology made it.”

“Ah, yes, the Mercedes…” she mocked in a pompous English accent.  “I’m sure you were disappointed not to be driving the ol’ Chevy after that.”

I laughed.  “Why how correct you are, darling.  It was the first car I ever bought,” I mimicked her fake accent.

She looked over at me and asked seriously.  “And how many cars have you bought since?”

I furrowed my brow as I took a moment to think.  “Probably 5 or 6?”

This factoid garnered a loud snort and a face palm to her head.  “That’s just ridiculous.”

“I usually just lease them…” I said, not completely understanding why she found it ridiculous.

“Must be nice to have all that money to piss away,” she said, finally making me realize what her real point was.

I looked out my window that was rolled down, letting in the warm summer air and took in the scenery of the small town and the small homes that looked lived in.  “You know, you never realize how much you miss about the small town atmosphere until you come back and experience it after you’ve been away from it for so long.  Sure, these houses might be small and your truck might be old, but all these things are what bring character to a place.  In LA the houses are huge and the cars are new and shiny, but so much is fake; things seem a lot more real here.”

“So are you saying you’d rather have this than the money?” she asked, sounding totally surprised.

I shrugged my shoulders, “Yeah, I guess so.  I mean, don’t get me wrong.  The money is definitely nice, it’s nice not having to worry about if I can afford something or not, but it doesn’t always bring the happiness you think it might.  In fact, I’ve learned it brings more trouble than anything at times.”

“Heh.”

“Enough about money talk,” I said, turning back towards her.  She actually had me sitting there reevaluating some things in my life and honestly, it was a little uncomfortable, especially since I still didn’t know a ton about the petite red-head shifting easily through the gears of her truck as we drove down a dirt road towards the park entrance of Duck Mountain.  “Tell me, how did you get into all this rescue/ropes stuff?”

By the time I turned 16, both my parents were gone.  My dad passed away when I was 10 from a hunting accident and my mom died of cancer when I was 16.  I moved in with my Aunt and Uncle who were older and not really interested in having a teenager around their house.  I didn’t really give two shits about school, not really finding a need in it. So instead of studying I would wander around town.  When it got cold, I’d meet up with some friends and spend my evenings on the snowmobiles; Summertime was filled with exploring Duck Mountain, hiking, climbing…I always loved the outdoors.  I met Rick, my chief at the Squad when I was graduating high school.  He had come out to rescue a friend of mine who had fallen down in the ravine and I ended up helping him with the rescue because at that point, they didn’t have any paid staff and no one was around that day.  He instantly recruited me and got me into training.  Elsie actually helped pay for me to get my training.  By the time was 20, I had my paramedic, high angle rescue, and other various rescue certifications.  Rick hired me and I was partnered with Jack.  Jack came from Winnipeg with already several years experience under his belt.  He was slightly annoyed that he had a woman for a partner,” she paused at this thought and I watched as a smile turned up her soft lips, “But once I proved myself worthy on a very dangerous high angle rescue, he never complained again.  We worked well together and Rick said we were his highest skilled pair.”

“Worked…were…those are all past tense words.  I was fairly sure Grandma mentioned that Jack was working today…” I said, slightly confused.

Her brow furrowed at this and her tone changed when she spoke.  “Jack and I have some issues right now.  He’s an asshole.”

“I’m guessing he is the reason you were upset earlier?”

“I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

“That’s fine,” I said, reaching over and gently squeezing her thigh for some reassurance.

“Jesus!  This is one hell of a work-out!” Jarret called up to me.  He was a couple feet below me as we scaled back up the ravine we had repelled down. 

“Oh come on, I know you’ve got muscles,” I cajoled down to him.  “I’ve seen them.”

“Yeah, you’ve touched them too,” he grunted as he pulled himself up to his next point.  “I’ve touched yours too.”

“Well, now you know where I got mine,” I laughed, trying to block out the rated R images that were suddenly popping up in my head.

“And those killer calf muscles and tight ass!”

I craned my neck to look down at him.  “You better not be staring at my ass, Jarret Stoll!”

“It’s kind of hard not too when you are ahead of me and it’s looking so good in those jeans.  Besides, I just like to think of it as incentive.”

“Incentive?”

“Sure, if I keep following it, I will eventually get out of this ravine and I’ll be able to smack it.”

I pressed my feet against the rocks I was standing on, pressed my ass out and wiggled my butt.  “Come and get it,” I crooned out, laughing at myself.  The ravine swallowed up both mine and Jay’s laughter, making me laugh even harder at the boisterous sound.

I got to the top and collapsed onto the ground, allowing the sun to beat down on me as I waited for Jay to finish climbing up.  Soon his head popped up over the ledge, making me think of a-whack-a-mole, but this mole talked.  “And here I expected to get up here and find you on all fours, with your ass right here so that I could slap it as soon as I made it up here.”

“In your dreams, Jay.”

“Tease.”

“How so?!” I scoffed, propping myself up on my elbows, watching him crawl over the ground towards me, acting like he had been through the hardest work out of his life, dramatically panting like a dog before collapsing down next to me.

“You shook your ass for me.”

“You said it was incentive.  I didn’t say I was going to actually let you smack it.”

“So I do all that hard work for nothing?!” he whined.

“Just think of it as training for your season,” I smiled, laying myself back down on the ground again, closing my eyes.

“I don’t get anything?” he asked, scaring the shit out of me because he was now only inches away from my face with his own as he hovered above me.

“Are you going to leave me alone if you get what you want?” I asked, steadily, willing my pulse rate to lower because it was now beating at a higher rate than when I was climbing.  His grey eyes were sparkling and his smile was making my insides turn to goo.  There is no keeping this simple.

“I can’t promise anything.  Being near you makes me think things that probably aren’t very Christian like.”

“Good thing I don’t really have a point of view when it comes to religion,” I laughed out nervously.

He too laughed before pressing his lips firmly to mine, this time causing my whole body to melt into a complete pile of goo.

It was going on a week since the last time Liz and I actually had a conversation that didn’t consist of “fuck you’s” or “go to hell.”  That was probably because we hadn’t worked together, nor had we seen each other besides during shift change.  When we did see each other, she didn’t even dare to glance up at me.

“Earth to Jack?” Gina, my girlfriend for lack of better terms, called to me as we laid in bed intertwined.  She was staying over more frequently since my fall-out with Liz, especially since I figured it would help me forget Liz if I was busy playing house with another woman.  Too bad even that didn’t seem to be working.

“Yeah?” I mumbled, not even bothering to look over at her.  She was a pretty brunette from the next town over, a widow who was almost 10 years older than me.

“You keep going out into La-La land and I don’t even know where you are half the time,” she said softly, running her fingers lightly up and down my chest.  I stopped her movement by placing my hand down over top of hers, trapping it against my chest.

“I have a lot on my mind,” I said evenly.

“Am I any part of that?” she asked, her voice cracking with some emotion.

I didn’t even bother looking over at her because I already knew the tears were there, so I just kept staring at the ceiling as I spoke.  “No, no you are not.  I’m sorry.  You can leave now if you want, I can’t play the charade any longer.”

She pulled her hand out from under mine and rolled out of the bed.  After getting dressed she stood in the doorway and said, “You need stop making the excuse that you aren’t pursuing her because of your job.  Jack, if you love her like I’m sure you do, then you need to go after her.”

“Mr. Hollywood has already done that,” I growled.

“Because you let him.” 

Those were the last words Gina and I spoke, but they were still echoing in my head as I pulled up to the station a night later when Liz was scheduled to be working with Paul.

Chapter 4

Only posting this because Little Miss Rebelheart is on a roll and I don't want to be a slacker...

Soundtrack: Sparks by Coldplay... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar48yzjn1PE

Lovin' the comments! As usual, you are inspiring.

“Do you think fate plays a role in our everyday lives?” I asked, as Jack and I sat out back of the station, eating our dinner on the picnic table.

He looked over at me and raised an eyebrow as he bit into an apple.  “I guess,” he shrugged.

I just nodded my head and went back to concentrating on pushing around some of the tuna that had escaped from my sandwich on my plate with a chip.

“Why?” he asked, dragging out the word as if he wasn’t too sure if he wanted to really know the answer.

I popped the chip in my mouth, chewed it up and swallowed before answering.  “I don’t know, never mind…”

He sat forward and reached over to place his hand on mine.  “Liz, what’s on your mind?”

I looked up at him and already felt myself blushing.  “Jarret is actually the guy I slept with in Vancouver,” I said quietly, expecting some sort of emotion on his handsome face, but to my surprise there was none.  “You aren’t surprised.”

“I figured it out,” he said, removing his hand from mine and turning on the bench like he was going to get up and walk away.  This was exactly why I didn’t really want to talk to him about it; I knew he was still pissed off at me for that night.  However, Jack was my best friend; I talked to him about everything.  I would talk to Elsie about it, but I thought it would be a little awkward to talk to her about those things.  He startled me a bit by leaving out an ironic laugh.  “I mean, hell Liz, it wasn’t that hard to figure out with the way you were acting around him.”

“Oh.”

“So let me guess, you are thinking that maybe it is fate that you two have met up again?” he asked, his voice telling me that the thought tasted like acid as he spoke the words.  In fact, he didn’t even dare look over at me.

I sighed.  “Something like that.”

“With a guy like that, I’m sure you are just another notch in his bed-post, Liz.”

I flinched at the harsh reality of his words.  “That was a little blunt.”

He finally turned and looked at me.  “Well, what do you want me to say?  I’m sure he hasn’t thought of anyone but you since that night?” he asked.  “Women are a dime a dozen to men like him.”

“On the ride home last night, he was really nice.”

“Oh, I’m sure he is.  I can’t imagine him being a cold-hearted ass, especially since he is offspring of Elsie’s, but let’s be realistic here, Liz.  The guy is a professional in the NHL, he’s been engaged to Rod Stewart’s ex-wife and has dated more than his fair share of Hollywood Starlets.  You are Elizabeth Reese, you’ve been an orphan since you were 16 years old, you’re married to your job and you live in the tiny town of Kamsack.  You know damn well he’s just going to see you as an easy lay and be gone at the end of the summer.  I’m sure it’s always every little girl’s dream to marry a prince charming so that you can get out of this place, but I figured you of all people would have a more realistic idea on life…”

“Wow, you make me sound so glamorous.  Glad to finally hear what you truly think about me,” I spit, as tears suddenly sprung to my eyes.  I couldn’t crawl out from the picnic table quick enough to get away from him.

“Liz,” Jack called out, genuinely sounding like he had instantly regretted the words he had spoke, but they were already out and I was too pissed to care at this point.

“Fuck you, Jack.”

“Liz, please.  I didn’t mean to sound so harsh…”

“Oh, don’t worry Jack, I’m sure your charm will work on the next piece of trash you pick-up outside of the town limits,” I yelled back as I made my way through the truck-bays, not quite sure where I was really going to go, but all I knew was that I wanted to be far away from him.  Obviously I wasn’t walking as fast as I thought I was because he surprised me when he grabbed firmly onto my arm, making me stop.

“Liz, stop.  Listen to me.  I was just trying to say how you would look to him, but that is not at all how you look to me,” he began, sounding frustrated.

“Don’t try to smooth this over…”

“I’m not trying to smooth anything over.  Damnit.  I think you’re perfect the way you are.  You’re beautiful, independent, stubborn as hell, but I love your fiery attitude and I wouldn’t want you any other way.  Your hard life is what has given you character.  I’m glad that you’re married to your job because if you weren’t we probably wouldn’t work together as well as we do,” he said sincerely. His large hand was now cupping my chin, as if he was making sure I wouldn’t turn away.

Despite him holding my face, I still couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes.  I was still hurt and frankly he ripped out my heart with his original words.

“I’m talking to you and you aren’t even listening to me,” he growled.

“I’m listening.”

“But you don’t believe me.”

“I don’t know.”

I heard him take a deep breath in and let out his air before he dropped his hand, mumbling something about how he wished things were just easier.

“What would make them easier?!” I suddenly yelled as he began walking away.  “Would it be easier if we weren’t partners anymore?  Is that what you want?!” I stomped my foot, literally having a temper tantrum.  “Fucking tell me, Jack, because like I said the other night I will go to Rick and tell him to switch us.”

He stopped, but without turning around he growled.  “Do whatever you want.”

“Fine.”

I wanted to kiss her right then and there.  Scratch that, I wanted to scoop her up and take her into the crew room, lock the door and have my way with her.  I knew I fucked up when I saw the tears come to her eyes.  She literally had me crazy.  I didn’t know how to convey to her how much she really did mean to me, how much I wanted her to be mine but instead I acted like a jealous bastard and now I was basically losing her.  I knew she would go to Rick as soon as she could so that she could get her shift switched and not only would I be losing her as my partner, I would probably lose her friendship.

Way to fuck things up, Jack.

I know I was right when I said those things to her.  There is no way in hell Jarret would appreciate her for who she was.  Plus, it was fairly sure he wouldn’t give her a second thought after he fucked her all summer and left for LA, and that’s if Elsie’s little plan half-worked.

Saying the right words to a woman was never my claim to fame.  I was always blunt and to the point.  Usually Liz was able to handle that, but obviously this subject was a little touchier than the rest.  I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that things had been so strained between us as of late, but still, I was still kind of surprised when I saw the tears.

Ugh, women crying.  Definitely not something I can handle; especially after seeing my mom cry after my dad would beat her.

I felt like shit for the rest of the shift.  I felt like I had been just as bad as my dad was to my mom.  I didn’t physically abuse Liz, but it was obvious I hurt her tremendously.  Not surprisingly, Liz talked to me during the 2 ambulance calls we ran.  I expected her to talk because she was professional, but the ride home from the hospital was a silent one and you could cut the tension with a sharp knife and still probably not make it a clean cut.

If was going to fix things, I better get my act together and quick, before I lost her all together.

“Do you want to come over for dinner?” Elsie asked as I was getting back from my walk with Bruno a couple days after Jarret had arrived.  It was a nice warm, sunny afternoon and I felt like I needed to be out in it.  The way Bruno’s tongue was hanging from his mouth, led me to believe he didn’t agree with me.

“Um…you just have a nice dinner with Jarret,” I said, hoping that would get me out of it, but I knew deep down it wasn’t going to work.

“He’s here all summer and I’m sure there will be enough evenings to spend by ourselves,” Elsie said pleasantly into the phone with an undertone that said, “Get your ass over here.”

“What time?” I asked, not even bothering to argue.

“Is an hour too soon for you to get all pretty?”

“I’ll see you in an hour,” I rolled my eyes.

“Why don’t you wear one of those new outfits you were telling me you bought in Vancouver?” she asked in her “I may sound innocent, but I really ain’t” tone.

“But…”

Good, see you then my dear,” she quickly whispered into the phone, making me wonder if there was something going on.

An hour later I was walking into Elsie’s house to find candles and a fancy table cloth on the table.

“Elsie, what is this all about?” I heard Beth ask, sounding slightly annoyed just on the other side of the bathroom door.  I was surprised to hear her voice because Grandma didn’t say one word about her coming over.  I felt my pulse quicken just a little knowing she was in the house.

Sure, I had dated famous women, even engaged to one, but there was something about Beth that totally got me.  Maybe it was that beautiful copper hair, her sparkling blue eyes, the fiery attitude she used against me yesterday, the way she cared about my Grandma, or just for the simple fact that she seemed completely clueless to how beautiful she was.  Either one way, I was definitely keen on spending some more alone time with her this summer.

I still had a smile on my face when I walked out of the bathroom to find the dinning room dimly lit by candles and only two place settings.  Now I understood what Beth was asking about.  “Grandma, I think you forgot another place setting…”

“Oh no dears, I’m actually heading off to bingo at church.  I ate earlier,” she smiled broadly before grabbing her cane and bag.

“But…” Beth began to protest but after a look from Grandma, she instantly shut her mouth.  At that we heard someone beep the horn out front.

“Oh! There’s Viola!  I’ll see you kids later, enjoy the dinner…it’s in the oven all ready for you.”

“Thanks,” Beth and I both said at the same time as we watched the elderly lady walk outside and shut the door behind her.

“Did you have something to do with this?” Beth instantly turned and hissed at me.

I just held up my hands and shook my head.  “No, I swear.”

“I’m just going to go home,” she said, beginning to take some steps closer to the door.  She looked adorable in a light yellow patterned cotton sun-dress and flip-flops.  Her hair was pulled off her neck in a simple ponytail and she just had a trace of make-up on.

“I’m not eating all that baked ziti by myself,” I suddenly piped up.

“You’re a big boy.”

“Why thank you,” I laughed.  Her eyes got big and then she blushed.  “Oh come on Beth, I highly doubt you are shy around the guys at the Rescue Squad, so don’t start being around me.  Besides, you weren’t shy the first time we met.”

“I had lots of alcohol in me,” she said, leaning her hand on the door knob.

“Please, stay.  I’d feel bad if you went home without any dinner, besides, I haven’t seen you since I got here and I wouldn’t mind having some company closer to my age.”

I watched with baited breath as she thought about it for a moment and then nodded her head, taking a step away from the door.  Soon we were drinking some kind of homemade wine I found in Grandma’s wine rack and laughing at how much ziti we had stuffed ourselves with.  Once she had relaxed, she talked non-stop about stories of calls she had been on and stories about my Grandma acting like her crazy self.  I couldn’t help but find myself mesmerized by her easy laughter and smile.

“I’m going to need to go for another walk,” Beth exclaimed as she sat back and patted her stomach.

“That sounds like a good idea!  I said, wanting any excuse to spend more time with her. 

“Well, let’s get this cleaned up and we can go for one if you want,” she said easily, not even seeming to second guess the suggestion.

Soon I was standing next to her, washing dishes in the tiny kitchen where I had to duck in certain places so that I wouldn’t hit my head.

“Does it get old being that tall?” she asked as she watched me put a wine glass away on the top shelf of the cabinet; she wouldn’t have been able to reach it without help.

I laughed as I looked down at her and shook my head.  “My height helps in hockey and in everyday life, so no, I don’t think so.  How about being short?”

“I hate it,” she frowned.  “I feel like it limits me out in the field and I always get put in places that no one else can fit into; usually they aren’t the most pleasant places.  This one time I had to climb into this mini-cave and ended up getting pooped on by the bats that happened to be living in there.  It was disgusting!”

“Did you find a person in there?”

“Yeah, it was a scared little boy, so I guess it worked out, but still,” she said, scrunching her nose.

“I think your height fits you perfectly,” I remarked sincerely.  It did fit her.  She was spunky, tough and I was enjoying the fact that she would fit perfectly against my side.  I looked back over at her as she rolled her eyes at me while taking a hand-full of soap suds and blowing them up at me.  Soon a soap-suds battle was in full swing with the two of us laughing hysterically and Beth squeaking when I placed a handful on top of her head.

“Not fair!” she ran away from me, making me chase her out into the living room.

“How is it not fair?!” I cried back.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and looked at me with a serious look.  “I’m not quite sure actually.  It just sounded good.”

I bust up laughing as I reached out and grabbed her, swiftly pulling her against me.  Without even thinking I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, allowing her to protest if she wanted, but she didn’t and I deepened the kiss.  The alarm bells were going off in my head as I drank from her, announcing that she tasted like the cool clean water I had been searching for over the years.  I shivered when I felt her hands slide up and under my t-shirt so that her wet hands were touching my skin.  She giggled at me, but didn’t leave my lips.  Soon I was backing her up so that I could lay her down on the couch. 

Don’t ask me what I was thinking by kissing him back and running my fingertips over those familiar abdominal muscles, because obviously I wasn’t thinking.  He made my mind ripple like still water that had been disturbed by a pebble thrown into it.  His kisses were not demanding like they had been in Vancouver, these were more tender, more searching.

Sure, Jay and I had already slept together, but this was a totally different situation in my eyes.  This time we had time to get to know each other and by my normal standards, I didn’t know much about him.  As much as I tried to push them out of my head, Jack’s words echoed through my head.  I was going to be the summer fling; the easy lay since I had already gave myself to him.  That is not at all what I wanted.  I didn’t need a boyfriend to be happy because I already found that life was still fulfilling without a man, however if I was going to have anything, then I wanted a real relationship and not just some fling that would be cast away when I wasn’t convenient anymore.  “Jay,” I breathed, putting a flat palm against his hard chest just as he was bench pressing himself down over top of me on the couch.  “Please…”

He stopped moving towards me and looked at me with eyes that told me he was all for continuing things but also worried at my reaction.  “Something wrong?”

I took a little breath and pushed my hand on his chest a little more so that he would give me back some space because the heat of his body and smell of his skin was clouding up my mind.  “I can’t do this, Jarret,” I said, saying his full name so that he would hopefully get the hint that I was being serious.  “What we shared in Vancouver was amazing, but…Well, to be honest, I refuse to be a fling of yours.”

He was standing up at this point and I felt a little strange laying on my back on the couch in a vulnerable position, so I quickly sat up and smoothed out the skirt of my dress, avoiding his gaze.  I was kind of surprised that he didn’t automatically come up with some sort of sentence meant to reassure me that I wouldn’t be that.  Instead he scared me by reaching out and gently grabbing my hand.  When I looked up at him he had a friendly smile on his face as he said, “I think that walk sounds like a perfect idea right now.”

I cocked my head in surprise, unable to hide my own smile.

“Beth, I might be Mr. LA during the season, but I promise you, I have not lost my values.  I like to think of myself as a pretty stand-up guy who wouldn’t pressure anyone into something they were not comfortable with.  For one, Grandma would have my ass.”

“Have you taken acting lessons while living in LA?”

He looked at me confused as he slowly said, “No, why?”

“Because I’m pretty sure that sounded too perfect for any guy to say,” I laughed.

“Well, then I guess it goes to show we have a lot to learn about each other because I swear, I’m genuine and true to my words.”

“We shall see then,” I giggled, walking over to the door and opening it dramatically.  “Shall we?”  We both laughed as he came up to my side, offered me his arm.  Once my arm was locked in his, we began our walk in the warm Saskatchewan summer night.

I kind of felt like a piece of shit when she came out with not wanting to be a summer fling.  The sincerity in her eyes told me she was being completely honest with me and I completely respected her for that.  To be honest I wasn’t really thinking past what was quickly becoming a hot make-out session on the couch and that’s because I was thinking with the head that made it the beginning of our walk slightly uncomfortable.  “So have you lived here all your life?” I asked as we rounded the block to walk down Main St. of the tiny town.

“You don’t need to feel the need to ask me more about myself, I’m sure it would be boring to you anyway,” she looked over at me with a small, shy smile on her face.

“But I really am interested in learning more about you,” I countered.  “Believe me when I say that I wanted to ask you so many questions while we ate room-service that night, but I didn’t because I just didn’t feel like either of us was 100% keen on divulging much information except for what felt good when we touched each other.”

She blushed as she laughed out loud.  “Are we ever going to be able to forget that?”

“I don’t want to,” I said sincerely.

“You’re way too truthful for a professional sports guy who makes more money in a year than I will probably ever make in a lifetime.”

“That might be true, but it doesn’t make me a pompous ass who feels the need to lie and not speak straight.”

“I’m sorry; I guess I’m still thinking about how much I’ve hated you over the years for not visiting Elsie.  I had conjured up this ugly picture of you and to be honest, it’s hard to think of you as a nice guy…”

“Well, I guess I have all summer to make you conjure up a picture of me being the hottest thing ever,” I proclaimed, puffing out my chest a little before Beth reached over and swatted at me, shaking her head.

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m just going to picture you as being pathetic.”

“Well if that’s the case, I’m going to just keep picturing you naked, underneath me.”

“You’re really pushing your limit…” she growled, now blushing profusely.

I threw my hands up in the air and laughed, “I just call it as I see it.”

“And I’m calling you out for still flirting with me,” she playfully complained.

“You said you didn’t want a fling, but you didn’t say anything about not being allowed to flirt with you.”

She looked over at me, bit her lip and looked forward again.  “This is totally all Elsie’s fault.”

Chapter 3

...soundtrack for this chapter is from an awesome musician named Eric Hutchinson!! You've Got You

“We were going to put you with some of the highest paying donors,” Jill, my charity coordinator said.

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.  “Fine, then just make sure my Grandma and the guys from the Rescue Squad are sitting at my table during the banquet part.”

“Not a problem,” she said, smiling because she got her way.

It was the morning of the golf tournament, one of my favorite days of the year because it was basically a reunion with all my buddies and the whole day was for a good cause.  Each year we raised more and more funds, this year we were hoping for the million dollar mark.  After doing a few press interviews I began making my rounds to all the golf carts to thank everyone for coming out and wish them luck out on the green.

I was walking over towards a group of people and I instantly heard Andrew Cogliano’s voice booming from the center of the group.  “No shit! You’re a chick and do that stuff with them?!”

So flippin’ professional.  He was looking at a phone that one of the people in his group was showing him.  The girl began to laugh and immediately I stopped in my tracks.  It can’t be.  No fucking way it is…Beth?  I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out who I am, but to stalk me at my own golf tournament?! Now that’s just fucking creepy.  I was just debating on how I wanted to handle the situation when I felt a frail hand on my arm.  When I looked down I found my Grandma standing there with her cane, smiling up at me with her sparkling grey eyes.

“I’m afraid that I have shrunk even more since the last time I saw you,” she smiled as I bent down to hug her tightly.  She not only shrank, but it was obvious that her health and age had deteriorated her, but she still looked, sounded and smelled like my Grandma.

“You look even more beautiful,” I laughed as she whacked me in the back of the head like she always did when I said something that she determined to be a lie.

“How are you still single?!” she chirped.  “Look how handsome you are,” she continued as she took a step back from me so that she could get the full effect.

“I’m so glad you are here,” I laughed.  “Where are the guys from the squad?  I want to meet them before we head out for a day on the course,” I informed her as I looked around for people that looked like they might be with her.

“Yes, you must meet them,” she said enthusiastically as she took my hand and led me over to the exact place I had been looking to avoid.  “Jack, Taylor, Doug, Lizzie!” she called out.  The group turned around and I watched as the girl I had known as Beth just a month and a half ago turn to face me.  Never in a million years had I seen such a look of surprise, disgust and lust come over a woman’s face.

“What the hell is he doing here?!” My mind screamed.  Elsie was talking as he began shaking hands with the guys and yet all I caught was Jarret and grandson.  There he was in black shorts, black fitted polo-shirt, and a pristine white baseball hat looking just as good as he did the night we had met at the Roxy.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

“Lizzie dear, are you ill?” Elsie asked, placing a hand on my forehead.  “You look like you just saw a ghost,” she laughed nervously.

“I can take her over to the water tent,” The man I had known as Jay said instantly, quickly taking my hand and walking us away from the group.  “Lizzie?”

“Jarret?”  I asked quietly, unable to look over at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Obviously your grandmother invited me,” I answered with an edge of annoyance in my voice because I heard the same in his voice.

“Did you know…you know, when we…well, did you?”

“If I had known we wouldn’t have…well, you know,” I grimaced, daring to look up at him this time.

He left out a nervous laugh as he nodded, apparently taking my word.  “Well, this is definitely a surprise…”

“I don’t like you.”

“Huh?”

“I had always told myself that when I’d meet Elsie’s pompous NHL grandson, that I would slap him,” I said plainly.

“And why would you do that?” he asked, sounding slightly amused by my declaration.

“Because she dotes on you constantly, yet you never come to visit her.”

“Well, I am a little busy…”

“Oh I’m sure, like picking up girls in clubs and dating Hollywood starlets,” I scoffed.

He looked appalled at my accusations, but I stood my ground and kept narrowing my eyes at him.

“Those are some pretty nasty allegations for someone who obviously doesn’t even know me,” he said in a polite tone that seemed to annoy me even more.  “Especially since I was just going to tell you that I was happy see you again because I still found myself thinking about our night together in Vancouver, but obviously that doesn’t sound like something you want to hear from me.”

“Wow, I figured you’d have better lines than that because I’m sure this can’t be the first time you’ve seen one of your “stands,” I snipped at him.  “So just save it.”  I began walking out of the water tent when he called out.

“Beth, I’m sorry that we had to find out this way…” he called after me, actually sounding sincere, but for some reason it annoyed me even more.

“I’m pretty sure Lizzie is going to break that golf club over someone’s head,” Taylor remarked as I watched her grip her putter, knuckles white and looking totally tense.

“I thought you guys said you didn’t know Stollie,” Andrew Cogliano remarked.  The guy was really cool and the rest of us were actually having a good time, unfortunately I don’t think anyone could say that for Liz.

“He looks familiar, but I think it’s just from seeing him on TV,” I shrugged.  Every time I attempted to ask Liz, she just shot me a look that said, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Well it seems that Miss Liz and he have met before…” Andrew laughed as he pointed over at Jarret whose group was actually waiting for us to finish up.  It was obvious Jarret was watching her and it was at this point I realized she kept sneaking back glances at him after she finished the hole.  “That Stollie, such the ladies man,” Andrew joked as he shook his head and took his stance.

I looked back over at Jarret.  Something about him seemed really familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her the whole day.  It was even worse when Grandma insisted that Beth and I sit next to each other at dinner.  I’m fairly sure the old woman was attempting to play match-maker, but her efforts were not worth the trouble because it seemed that pissy “Lizzie” was going to have nothing of it; which in truth was a shame because for the evening banquet, she once again looked like a million bucks the night I had made her cry out several times.  Personally, I wouldn’t mind reprising that evening.  I hadn’t been lying to her when I said that I thought about that night.  She was definitely one of the few girls I had been with that I had spend such an amazing night with, even if it was just all sex.  Now I had a chance to actually get to know her and as a believer in fate, I was going to make sure I took full advantage of that chance.

“Lizzie, dear.  Why don’t you ride along with Jarret, so that he knows where to go…”

“He doesn’t own a GPS?” she grumbled.

“I don’t trust those stupid things,” Grandma laughed, shooting a pleading look over at me.

“I would appreciate someone in the passenger seat,” I said smoothly.

“I’m sure Taylor…”

“Hell no, Liz.  You know I don’t trust Doug to drive my truck!” Taylor spouted off, quashing her idea before she even finished.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her bite her lip and frown.  “Don’t you want to ride with him?” she asked the Grandma in a last ditch effort.

“I’m sure he’d enjoy the company of a pretty lady his own age,” she smiled sweetly as she shot me a wink.  Glad to see this woman hasn’t changed one bit.

“Fine,” Lizzie pouted, not daring to even look up at me.

“You are evil,” I hissed as we walked over to his car.

“If I’m so evil, then how is it that I just donated $200,000 for a new station for the squad?” he asked with a laugh.  “Beth, you are not so tough, so stop acting like it.”

“You don’t know me and I think it’s more than a little obvious that my name is not Beth.  It’s Elizabeth and everyone calls me Liz, except for your grandma who calls me Lizzie.”

“And that is why we have a 2 hour car ride to get to know each other in a non-sexual way, Beth,” he said, completely ignoring my real name rant while taking a box of items from the day out of my hands.

I looked up at him while pursing my lips and glared.  He surprised me by leaning down and putting his lips just centimeters away from my ear as he whispered, “That feisty attitude is exactly what I loved about that night together.”

“My feisty attitude is making me want to slap you,” I bit, trying to will away the sudden flip in my stomach and the building of heat I felt between my legs.  I have been reenacting that night over and over again every time I needed a fantasy.

“I might like that just as much…”

I couldn’t help but lose my edge and just giggle.  “You probably would.”

“Ah, now that laugh sounds better than your growling,” he mused as he stood up straight once more.

I just shook my head and climbed in what looked to be a brand new Range Rover.  This just makes everything worse.  Not only did I sleep with Elsie’s grandson, but I slept with a man whose vehicle prolly cost more than what I will make in 2 years.  I was way out of bounds.

“So what do you do at the Rescue Squad?” he asked as soon as we started down the road.

As much as I wanted to play the silent card, I decided it was too long of a trip to stay quiet.  “I’m a paramedic and I’m certified in high angle rescue, ice rescue, and all kinds of other things that deal with search and rescue.  I also have a bloodhound that is a certified K9 who can help out with searches.”

“How many women are on the squad?”

“It’s just me right now,” I said quietly.

“That totally explains why you are in such good shape,” I said, causing me to blush and making me thankful it was pitch black in the car, besides the glow of the dashlights.

“I guess it’s safe to say that I know how you got your muscles…” I mumbled out, obviously not being very tactful, but then again I never learned my manners and the joke amongst the guys at the squad was that I was raised by a pack of wolves.

He laughed out loud at this.  “Yeah, I guess so.”  There was a slight pause before he spoke again.  “I’m kind of sorry that I didn’t tell you who I was that night…it just seemed like we were both okay with only knowing each other intimately,” he said honestly.

“Heh,” I laughed out nervously.  “Yeah, I was okay with that.”

I watched out of the corner of my eye as he ran his hand through his hair and smiled.  “This is totally crazy!”

“That it is.”

Somewhere along the way home I feel asleep and I jumped when I felt his hand touch my thigh.  “Beth?”

“Huh?” I answered to the nickname I hadn’t been called since my mom died.

“Which way do I turn to get to your place?”

“Shit, we are already here!” I sat up suddenly.  “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”

“I figured you were tired cause I’m sure you guys got up early to get to Saskatoon.”

“Well I guess you still remembered your way here after all.”

“I will never forget how to get here,” he said with a smile that kind of made me feel bad for accusing him of being a bad grandson.

“Just make a left up here,” I said, pointing to my street.  It suddenly dawned on me that he was now going to see the tiny house I called my home.  It was a total mess in need of major repairs, but I never had enough time or money to fix it.  “Um, actually just drop me off here.”

“Is this it?” he asked skeptically, stopping in front of the town Mayor’s house which was this beautiful old brick home.

“Uh, yup,” I said quickly unhooking my seatbelt and reaching in the back seat to grab my bag.

“Nice place.”

“I like it.”

“You live there by yourself?”

“Yes,” I said, getting slightly annoyed with all his questions.  “Thanks for the ride and thank you again for the generous donation, Jaaaay.” I said, drawing out the name he had given me that night in Vancouver.

“Not a problem, Beth,” he chuckled.  “I’ll see you soon, I’m sure.”

Lucky me.

I was more than annoyed that Liz ended up with Jarret for the ride home, especially since she didn’t seem overly keen about it.  However, I could never step in between Elsie and her demands.

“You’re mad that I sent her home with Jarret,” Elsie said after a few quiet miles on the road.

I looked over at her and then back out the windshield.  “I just don’t think Liz was very comfortable with the decision…”

“I know you care for her, Jack.”

“She’s my best friend,” I said, speaking the words like the broken record they were.

“How do you think it effects her seeing you pimp yourself out to every woman in the province?” Elsie asked bluntly.  She never was the type to not say what was on her mind.

“She doesn’t care for me that way,” I bit.

“Then you are a dumber man than I took you for, Jack.”

“No, I’m a smart man who wants to keep my career.”

“Then why have you been acting all jealous since you kids got back from Vancouver?  What happened?”

Now I was more than annoyed, unable to hold my tongue anymore, especially since it finally clicked where I had seen Jarret before.  “Do you really want to know, Elsie?”

“I do,” she said, raising her voice to meet mine.

“Because she had a one-night stand with your Grandson and I had to basically watch it all unfold on the dance floor and then be up all night worried to death that something bad would happen to her,” I threw out, gripping the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles were as white as Liz’s early today out on the course.

Elsie blew out a whistle as she sat back in her seat.  “Well now isn’t that the story of the year,” she said quietly.

“From Liz’s actions today when you introduced them today, I’m thinking neither of them had a clue whom the other person was,” I continued a lot calmer.

“Now that changes things a bit,” Elsie said quietly and I could have sworn I heard the gears turning in her head.  “So then I guess I have to ask you…”

“What?”

“Are you going to make a move on her or not?”

My jaw dropped a bit as I scoffed at her question.  I cleared my throat before speaking.  “Like I said before, I want to keep my career and I’m sure that is how Liz feels too, if not more so,” I spoke honestly.

“Fine.  Then I’m going forward with my plan,” Elsie said, sounding set in her idea.

“What would that be?”

“Well, my grandson needs a good woman and since you can’t shit or get off the pot, I’m going forward with my ultimate plan so I can die knowing that 2 of the people I care the most about on this planet are happy.”

I couldn’t help but snort at this declaration.  “Well, have fun making that work, because from the way Liz was acting around him today, I can’t see her falling for him…”

“Jack, when you get to my age, you can see who is going to work together and who isn’t.  Believe me, the way Jarret looked at her today and the way Liz reacted around him, I’m thinking that night they spent together in Vancouver will not be hard for them to reenact.”

“Sex isn’t the issue, Elsie.  You need to have that connection…”

“All I have to say is, you’ve been warned.  So if you plan on doing something about your feelings for Lizzie, then you better act now because this woman ain’t going to live forever.”