Reasons Why - 6

Chapter 6

After forty minutes of open road, Chloe had relaxed. There was a good selection of music on the radio what she could hear over the roar of the road. Chris was calm behind the wheel, using one arm to expertly negotiate any disruptions to his path. 


They'd driven North, close to the coast for most of the journey, and as he pulled into a marina with a lush view of the sea, Chloe smiled, it was a beautiful place.

"I love it here! It's quiet, quite exclusive, and..." he offered a smile, "no one knows me!"


She nodded, replying, "I can see that would be a problem!"


Chris turned and lifted his shades, noting the sarcasm in her voice, "excuse me Miss...? Shit, I don't know you last name!"


Chloe groaned, "Palmer, I'm Chloe Palmer."


Nodding, he extended a hand, "nice to meet you Miss Palmer, now less of the cheek and sarcasm. Are we walking? Eating? Or taking a drink?"


Chloe didn't think there was a great amount of choice, all options had connotations. 


"Walk?" she offered.


It was met by an enthusiastic nod as Chris rushed around to open her car door and lead her off to the coastal promenade. It was awkward for a moment, Chloe was determined not to start any conversation, and ignored his attempts initially. But it was such a lovely place, with motor boats, yachts, some huge. She couldn't resist commenting on them, and all too soon they were talking about neutral things. Chloe chose to also ignore the smug smile that seemed to permanently sit on his face.


Finally they sat at a bench a long way from the marina, and Chris couldn't help thinking about the previous night, or rather early this morning when he'd sat on a bench near her brother's and kissed her.

"I maybe should've told you more about myself this morning, last night. I get that. And I'm sorry for that. But we were having fun, at no point was there a deep and meaningful chat about anything."


Chloe digested that for a moment, the sudden seriousness  in the midst of light hearted conversation almost caught her out, "I was wrong to be so angry with you this morning, but I didn't think I'd ever see you again. And there you were in the midst of my world, my family...it threw me of kilter and I should never have been so angry."


He grinned, a real genuine grin, "I'm glad to hear that. You're pretty scary when you're angry you know!"


Sighing she looked at him, "I meant what I said about not seeing you again. This isn't going anywhere Chris."


If she'd slapped him he'd have been a bit less speechless. "What do you mean? I don't get it!"

"I've a lot going on, I'm not in the right place for a relationship..."


Groaning he took her hand, "I'm not suggesting marriage, just a few dates, some time together. I like you. There's no harm in that!"


Shaking her head, she couldn't meet his eyes, "I'm here for a few weeks, then I leave. there's no point!"

"Chloe, all I want is to take you out for dinner, can't we do that? Let's not over complicate things, this is what it is."


Chloe couldn't think that way, she was too worried about becoming attached, she'd never been good at compartmentalising things, her heart always ruled her head, she'd been in love, and heart broken more often than anyone she knew. This man was dangerous...but so sexy.

"Dinner Chris Petrakis, that is all I'm offering."


Shrugging he stood and offered her a hand, "and I'll take it!"




The restaurant he'd chosen was a grill house, modern and airy despite the warm evening. They were shown to a table on the veranda over looking the luxurious harbour.

"So what do you recommend?" she asked lifting the menu.

"It's all good, the steaks especially, but also any of the Mexican dishes. Really good."


Chloe nodded, "I love Mexican. Good choice!"


He ordered them a beer each,  but they both knew they'd only have one, he was driving and she had no intention of getting drunk. After ordering, she sat back and looked at him, "so Petrakis? What's that Greek?"


Running his finger along the rim of his bottle, he pondered his reply for a moment, "My grandparents live in Athens, but my parents and my sisters live in Connecticut. My Dad worked the City in New York for years."

"So you're American not Canadian?"


He nodded, "but since I graduated from school, I spend the summer season in Canada and then winter usually East coast, depends on who wants me!"


She tried to contemplate that for a moment, "so you don't live here?"


He shook his head, "I don't really live anywhere permanently. I'm given accommodation as part of my contract, and I'm secured in Syracuse from September which is upstate New York."

"Ah." It was all confusing to Chloe, who left home, got a job. Then stayed there. At least he wasn't settled down, and she knew that might make this whole thing easier. He wasn't exactly offering her the world. "So you're kind of a nomad?"


He laughed out loud, "you could say that. I've got a finite length playing career so I'm maximising that before I have to retire."

"So what does a retired lacrosse player do?"


He laughed again, "hopefully coach, school or college, or maybe manage a team somewhere. If I'm lucky. If not, then help in my father's business? That's not such a great proposition...but beats being on welfare so I'm lucky both ways, I know that." He cut into his steak and chewed a piece thoughtfully before asking her, "what about you? You're taking a break...is that indefinite or part of a plan?"


It was a whole subject that Chloe wasn't happy diving into, how did you tell a man that was interested in you that you almost had a breakdown and really had to leave your job? But if you don't an inner voice inside her suggested, then he'll keep discussing it.

"My twin brother was killed, Owen...it's made me question my believe in law, justice. I needed to distance myself from that. You have to have faith in your profession, and I don't, not anymore."


Chris was silent, this was nothing like he expected to hear, but the fact that she'd been through this bereavement, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a twin, made her resistance more justified. Not that he thought he was some sort of gift to women. He just didn't like to think he'd read the signs so wrong. He was used to having women throwing themselves at him, he was a long way from an NFL or NBA star, but he did have more fame than your average Joe, and with that came attention. Lots of it unwanted. 


Saying that he and other players were used by both the club and the sport to promote and attract a crowd, and with that would obviously come negative as well as positive. 

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother, that must be awful."


She shrugged, "not a lot that could be worse...I'm just glad that Phil has been so good to me." She explained about the late appearance of the man into her life, and how good he'd been, vital even, since Owen had died. Chris couldn't share her devastation or empathise with her over her loss, but he could compare sibling stories. So as they finished their main courses and until their desserts sat in front of them, they exchanged stories of family holidays, dinner table arguments and teasing over first dates. Chloe loved to hear about his staunch Catholic family and the formal meals his mother insisted on every weekend. H e was the oldest of four, his three sisters seemed to be the bane of his life, causing chaos at every turn. She missed that closeness, that exasperation at the hands of a sibling that you loved so much.

"So would Owen have liked me?" Chris asked when she'd told him about a holiday in France as children.


"Yes! I think so. He was always ready for fun, but he managed to work hard too. Not many combine that well." She looked up at him, and it broke his heart to see the emotions still raw welling as tears in her eyes. "Everyone liked him. Really they did." 


Smiling she added, "he had charisma...a bit like you!"


Chris took the well veiled compliment with his own smile, "then it's a loss that I'll never meet him."


She liked that response and nodded, "it is!"



"So what now?" Chris asked as he paid the bill. "Home? Or can I tempt you out for a coffee, a walk..." he groaned, he was curfewed from bars as it was the night before a game, and he couldn't offer to take her 'back to his'! It didn't leave a lot to offer.

"You could give me a bit of a guided tour? I mean Phil intends too at some point , but I can't seem to work out where things are in relation to each other!"


That was great, driving he could do. And with the roof up it would be a little more intimate and he could actually carry on the chat. He felt he was making headway.


Cocooned in the old car, his most worthy possession, Chris accelerated out of the marina. He'd changed the radio to a CD of old crooners, Chris Isaak was bemoaning a Wicked Game, he loved it. Glancing at her slyly he saw her confused face and grinned, "purposely selected to appeal to your bad music taste!"


She stuck her tongue out, "just because I slandered Shania Twain doesn't mean I hate everything North American. I like Chris Isaak, in fact I have this album at home!"


He raised an eyebrow, "so we have something in common!" He chuckled at her huff, but all too soon the easy conversation had restarted.

"So you live in Victoria?" 


Chris glanced across to see her watching him, a foot tucked under her, far too much bare thigh on display. Gulping he looked back to the road, "the club offered me an apartment in the downtown area, but I'm not like that. So I stay in a house, on the beach a few miles further along the coast to your brother. It's awesome, huge house, and only me and my buddy Kaleb Niemi. He was the guy I was with earlier..."

"I couldn't believe you were there. I'd fallen asleep on the grassbank, and when I woke up you were literally sat beside me, talking. It was all a bit weird!"

"And a coincidence..." he added seeing where her thoughts were taking her, there was nothing staged about it. "If you believe in coincidence...cos it may have been fate!"


Chloe knew he was letting her stew for a little while, he drove back towards the centre of town quietly, she'd never get used to saying downtown, it just wasn't in her vocab. But as the open roads and scattered buildings gave way to higher buildings, more density of houses, he pulled the car over and opened his City guide. 

"We're here..." he pointed to a spot North of the City, "this is Phil's house, and this..." he pointed to an area to the South East. "That's Beacon Hill Park, definitely a good place to go, but it's too dark now."


For the next hour he showed her all the major sights on the town, from museum to sports arena's and all his favourite haunts. By then it was after eleven. They were both exhausted. But he didn't want the night to end.


He rolled the car to a stop outside her brother's home. 

"There's so much I want to say...I can't see you tomorrow...we have a game..."


Chloe nodded, "I'm going with Phil and Carter. Quite looking forward to it!"


Chris' heart surged, "really! That's great! You could join us all for a drink later? If you like?"

"I thought I'd say no, definitely not."


He grinned, "but you won't?"


As she smiled a response he leaned in to kiss her lips. And it was everything she both remembered...and dreaded! It took her by surprise, but just as she relaxed into the contact, he pulled away. As she watched him drive off, heart pounding, body longing for more, she almost laughed, because that was more of a shock.