That would be good news, because she seemed more on the chilly side.
“No, quite the contrary, she’s strictly not interested in anything but working out. But she’s proving to be a distraction.”
“Has she got a name?”
“Look Cookson, you need to concentrate on your workouts while you’re at the gym.” And he increased the level of the treadmill I was on.
“C’mon, Brad,” I puffed. “She was actually on me for not working out hard enough, so it can only be a good thing if I see more of her.”
He frowned again. “Well, she does come to the gym almost every afternoon and work out hard. Her name is Frances Taylor, Frankie for short.”
So I started coming to the gym afternoons too. Frankie looked pretty cute in her little workout outfits, but it was true that she totally focussed on her routine and hardly looked around. By the end, when she was all sweaty and her top was sticking to her, I was ready to overlook all her prickly ways just to get a crack at that body. Then she would shower and come out wearing these dresses and high heels. She looked like something out of an old movie, but way hotter.
I said hi to her and teased her about getting a ride on my Zamboni and shit like that, she always blushed and seemed to be a lot nicer than when I first talked to her. I figured that she was warming up to me, and there might be a possibility at some point. Meantime though, I had other stuff going on and I wasn’t staying home alone for sure.
I was refilling the drink cooler when Jake walked into the café. Usually I saw him at the gym with a million people around, but this was a chance to talk to him alone. And best of all, Elaine was off.
“Hey,” I called out to him and walked over to the counter.
“Hey yourself,” he said smiling. Despite how rude I had been to him, he had only been nice to me, and that made me feel a little guilty.
Once I had the counter between us, I took a deep breath and then apologized. “I’m really sorry that I didn’t believe you were a hockey player.”
He just shrugged, “It’s okay. You believe it now?”
“Yeah, I Googled your name and saw it was you.” Hopefully that would take care of the niceness portion of our program. “So, what can I get you?”
“Wait, how sorry are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sorry enough to want to make it up to me?”
I could see where this train was headed. “Not that sorry.”
“I don’t know, I was so hurt….” he looked sad as he said this.
Now I felt really bad, I had been pretty insulting about his body and the junk food. I mean, I liked junk food too. “Really? I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, I cried myself to sleep.” He tried to maintain the sad look, but his eyes were all crinkly and smiley. I laughed, he was kind of funny.
“What a crock. But I have an idea – you like to eat, right?”
He nodded guardedly, as if I was going to insult him again.
“I’ll bake you a treat, some cupcakes. Come by the café tomorrow and I’ll have them here for you.”
“You can bake?” He seemed to doubt this possibility.
“They will be the best cupcakes you’ve ever eaten!” I told him confidently.
“Okay,” he paused, “but just so I have something to measure them by, I’ll have a cupcake now, and….”
“Don’t tell me, a Diet Coke, right?”
“Very good! You know what I like.”
And he gave me a sleepy look with his dark eyes half-closed, if I liked him I would have found it sexy.
10. Cupcake Wars
While I was shopping for dinner that night, I tried to figure out what flavour Jake would like. Was he a vanilla guy, all subtle flavour and straightforwardness? Matt had liked my vanilla cupcakes. Or maybe he was lemon, liking the tart mixed with the sweet? I liked lemon the best. I finally decided he was chocolate, chocolate was kind of boyish and earthy and obvious.
It was a hot evening, but I baked the cupcakes anyway. Temperature wise, I found Kingston a lot hotter than Vancouver, and it
“No, quite the contrary, she’s strictly not interested in anything but working out. But she’s proving to be a distraction.”
“Has she got a name?”
“Look Cookson, you need to concentrate on your workouts while you’re at the gym.” And he increased the level of the treadmill I was on.
“C’mon, Brad,” I puffed. “She was actually on me for not working out hard enough, so it can only be a good thing if I see more of her.”
He frowned again. “Well, she does come to the gym almost every afternoon and work out hard. Her name is Frances Taylor, Frankie for short.”
So I started coming to the gym afternoons too. Frankie looked pretty cute in her little workout outfits, but it was true that she totally focussed on her routine and hardly looked around. By the end, when she was all sweaty and her top was sticking to her, I was ready to overlook all her prickly ways just to get a crack at that body. Then she would shower and come out wearing these dresses and high heels. She looked like something out of an old movie, but way hotter.
I said hi to her and teased her about getting a ride on my Zamboni and shit like that, she always blushed and seemed to be a lot nicer than when I first talked to her. I figured that she was warming up to me, and there might be a possibility at some point. Meantime though, I had other stuff going on and I wasn’t staying home alone for sure.
I was refilling the drink cooler when Jake walked into the café. Usually I saw him at the gym with a million people around, but this was a chance to talk to him alone. And best of all, Elaine was off.
“Hey,” I called out to him and walked over to the counter.
“Hey yourself,” he said smiling. Despite how rude I had been to him, he had only been nice to me, and that made me feel a little guilty.
Once I had the counter between us, I took a deep breath and then apologized. “I’m really sorry that I didn’t believe you were a hockey player.”
He just shrugged, “It’s okay. You believe it now?”
“Yeah, I Googled your name and saw it was you.” Hopefully that would take care of the niceness portion of our program. “So, what can I get you?”
“Wait, how sorry are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sorry enough to want to make it up to me?”
I could see where this train was headed. “Not that sorry.”
“I don’t know, I was so hurt….” he looked sad as he said this.
Now I felt really bad, I had been pretty insulting about his body and the junk food. I mean, I liked junk food too. “Really? I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, I cried myself to sleep.” He tried to maintain the sad look, but his eyes were all crinkly and smiley. I laughed, he was kind of funny.
“What a crock. But I have an idea – you like to eat, right?”
He nodded guardedly, as if I was going to insult him again.
“I’ll bake you a treat, some cupcakes. Come by the café tomorrow and I’ll have them here for you.”
“You can bake?” He seemed to doubt this possibility.
“They will be the best cupcakes you’ve ever eaten!” I told him confidently.
“Okay,” he paused, “but just so I have something to measure them by, I’ll have a cupcake now, and….”
“Don’t tell me, a Diet Coke, right?”
“Very good! You know what I like.”
And he gave me a sleepy look with his dark eyes half-closed, if I liked him I would have found it sexy.
10. Cupcake Wars
While I was shopping for dinner that night, I tried to figure out what flavour Jake would like. Was he a vanilla guy, all subtle flavour and straightforwardness? Matt had liked my vanilla cupcakes. Or maybe he was lemon, liking the tart mixed with the sweet? I liked lemon the best. I finally decided he was chocolate, chocolate was kind of boyish and earthy and obvious.
It was a hot evening, but I baked the cupcakes anyway. Temperature wise, I found Kingston a lot hotter than Vancouver, and it
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