Chapter Eight: Blind Date part 2
"Oh, Shit! Is that you, Letty Kerns? Long time no see!" Tanner responded, which caused Steve to step back. I inhaled sharply as my body shook slightly from the close call I just had. I kept one eye on Steve as I glanced at Tanner. The Hot Shots defenseman's massive frame took up a good portion of the hallway in front of the men's room. His build wasn't just for show. From the years of being on the sports beat, I knew how capable this guy was of neutralizing a threat both on and off the field. I internally thanked whatever deity brought this sweet man to my rescue.
Steve eyed Tanner, sizing him up, and found himself lacking. I almost laughed at the absurdity of anyone comparing themselves to a paid professional athlete. Tanner was in a whole other league. When I yanked my arm away this time, he didn't resist. I glared at him in annoyance. Men like this only respected other men. Something in how they were squaring off told me Steve thought Tanner had some sort of claim on me and was backing down. Fucking idiots. Steve made some half-ass excuse and ran down the hall with his tail between his legs.
"Pervy dickweed." I mumbled. I smoothed down my dress to distract myself. I looked up at Tanner, "Thanks for that."
"No problem. What are you doing here, and who was that guy?" Tanner hitched his thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward the way Steve had just run away.
I sighed, "Long story, but that was my blind date."
"Blind date?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yep. First date since my divorce." I wasn't counting my night with Grant as a date. It had been so much more than just a date. I lost myself in thoughts of our time together before reminding my lady bits that he ruined my interview. I should be furious at him.
"Oh, man, Congrats on being single!" Tanner glanced over his shoulder, "But you need a better vetting system."
"Yep, things aren't going well for me lately." That was the understatement of the year. I sighed, "So what are you doing here?"
Tanner cringed, "I, too, am on a date."
I smirked, "Not going well for you either?"
His nose scrunched up. "Come see for yourself." We stealthily scooted around the corner into the main dining area. "I'll give you three guesses."
I scanned the open room and found an attractive blonde sitting alone. She wore a tight little black dress, full, flawless makeup, and a pouty, sexy expression. From the few women I'd seen him with, she seemed his type. I subtly pointed, "That one?"
Tanner's lips dropped in an upside-down smile, "Incorrect. Try again."
I chuckled at his apparent disregard for the woman. I looked over the room again, studying the women sitting alone, when my eyes fell on Tanner's date. In the opposite corner of the room from where my date had been, a woman with overly styled hair and makeup wearing a Hot Shots jersey, headband, and cheetah print mini skirt sat. The jersey was cut at the collar, revealing a huge dip into the woman's cleavage. Both of her dangling earrings ended in pompoms in the team's colors. All she was missing was full body paint. "That one!"
I giggled when Tanner solemnly nodded. I could see his discomfort clearly. As someone who works closely with these guys, I know the dating scene is difficult because of superfans or scheming puck bunnies. I couldn't contain the pity blooming on my face. I sighed, "You wanna get out of here?"
"I would love nothing more." Tanner sighed heavily, roughing his knuckles in his neatly trimmed beard. "But my cousin set this up, so I need a good out because she works with this woman. I only agreed because I'm in a slump."
"THE Tanner Bright in a lady slump?" I teased.
"Yeah, after everything last season, I'm struggling. I thought my cousin was being nice, but I'm doubting that now."
"Maybe your cousin needs a better vetting system, or maybe just to be called out for their bullshit matchmaking." I suddenly felt salty and petty because we were both in the same position. Our blind dates had been set up with good intentions but turned bad quickly. If only I could help Tanner out the way he helped me. My grin widened, an idea forming, "You scared off my date; I'll scare off yours."
"Wait, what?"
"Go back out to your seat and play along." I pushed him, catching him off balance, so he stumbled a bit before returning to his seat. He glanced at me with apprehension, and I made a shooing gesture. Tanner did as he was told and resumed his date. I watched in horror as she cut a piece of her steak, leaned over the table to make her boobs pop, and told Tanner to say 'Ah.' I couldn't leave him alone any longer; I stormed toward his table.
"Tanner!" I sadly said when I was next to him. His eyes grew wide and confused, so I continued dramatically, "Who is she?"
The woman's expression was as annoyed as her tone, "Who the hell are you?"
"Just some fool who really believed this playboy had changed!" I pretended to sob and wailed into a napkin I pulled from their table, "I believed he actually meant it when he said he would take care of me!"
"Seriously? Dramatic much?" the woman scoffed, dropping the untouched piece of meat back onto her plate. She folded her arms across her chest and looked expectantly at Tanner. Oh, this lady wasn't going anywhere just from that. I laid it on thicker, placing my hand on my belly.
"And our baby!" I wailed, causing people to look at us. The woman's stare bounced between me and a stunned Tanner. His face was so full of confusion that I thought he was going to blow it. Did he not understand how improv acting worked? I stealthily wiggled my eyebrows at him before dabbing the corners of my eyes.
Suddenly, he gave me a sly, arrogant smirk, the one he used to rile up his opponents on the ice. I could see why other players would take a swing to knock that smirk off his face. "How do I even know that baby is mine? You keep saying it is, but I think a paternity test is necessary."
"You're the only one I've been with!" I let a few tears fall down my cheeks, "how can you say that? I thought we had something special. You said I was the only one!"
"Yeah, maybe the one for the night!" the woman murmured into her wine glass. Tanner rolled his eyes at her comment.
"Well, as you can see, I've moved on to ..." Tanner paused, sticking out his palm to prompt for the woman's name.
"Mandy." She hiccuped, obviously uncomfortable with all the stares we were getting.
"Right, Sandy. So you and your bastard can go! I'm over puck bunnies and their lies."
"You're a pig! I'm just going to go while you sort out your baby momma drama." Mandy seethed. She got up and said one last thing before she left, "I can't believe I shaved my legs for this."
When she was out of earshot, Tanner and I busted out laughing. My waiter from earlier walks over, "Sorry to interrupt, but the guy you were with said you were paying for dinner."
I stopped laughing, "Seriously?"
The waiter nodded. What a fucking tool! I took a steadying breath, knowing I couldn't afford this $300 meal. I was going to kill my sister. I pulled my card out at the same time as Tanner also paid for his meal.
"Let me walk you out!" He placed his hand on my lower back to escort me out the door.
"I took a cab here," I said once outside. Still chuckling, Tanner hailed me a cab, gave the guy some cash, and stepped out of the way. "Thanks for that. It was funny, and I can't wait to see how my cousin reacts."
"It's my pleasure. My father always told me you fight crazy with bigger crazy." I placed my hand on his bicep. "Thanks, Tanner, for salvaging my date. I hope I have better luck on the next one."
I stepped into the back seat and reached for the door, but Tanner stopped me. He leaned down to my eye level with his hands on the top of the car roof and the door. "Letty, Wanna go on a date with me?"
I stared at him, completely dumbfounded, "Quit messing around, Tanner."
"I'm serious. We've been friends for years. Everyone says good relationships are built on friendship foundations. And after those disastrous dates, we both deserve good ones. So let's go on a date." His eyes showed an apprehension and hopefulness that I couldn't deny.
"Um, sure."
Tanner's eyes lit up, "Great! Does Tuesday night work?"
"Yes, that's perfect." He closed the door. As the taxi drove away, my stomach twisted, a squirmy guilty feeling settling in my belly. This already felt wrong. I looked out the window, hoping this date didn't ruin my friendship.