Page 26 of Power of the Mind
I wasn’t as opposed to the idea as I’d once been, but we would have plenty to discuss if we crossed that bridge any time soon—and talking was not Diem’s forte. Dating, for me, meant kissing, sharing a bed on occasion, and initiatingsomedisplays of affection. I didn’t care if they happened behind closed doors or in Time Square on New Year’s Eve in front of millions, but they needed to happen. Diem could have all the childhood trauma he wanted, but I would not be starved for affection if I finally decided to give up my life as a single man and date someone.
Who was I kidding? I might have been wily and manipulative, as Kitty suggested, but I wasn’t freaking god. Never in a million years would I convince Diem Krause to ask me out on a date.
Dammit, and I really wanted to force Memphis to lick HP sauce off his new leather shoes.
Diem’s attention shifted from the road. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. You’d better not do anything to jeopardize my license.”
“I won’t.”
“I can’t afford to be out of work.”
“Relax.”
Diem did not relax. He continued scowling, shifting his attention from the road to me as he strangled the steering wheel. “You’re up to something. I can tell.”
“Because you know me so well.”
“I know your face.”
“Because you can’t take your eyes off me.” I batted my lashes.
“That’s not…” He growled. “What are you thinking?”
I dreamily sighed. “About where we might go on our first date. Suggestions? I was thinking candlelight, soft music, and wine.”
That shut him up. Diem faced forward and ground his teeth the rest of the drive.
By the time we reached the Wells’, I had devised a flimsy strategy in case Mackie’s mom got in the way.
Diem parked, and I shifted to face him, schemingly rubbing my hands together. “Okay, coach. Here’s the plan. On the off chance Mackie’s mother answers the door, we’ll tell her we’re recruitment officials from the Ontario Youth Sports League—not a thing, I made it up—looking for potential athletes for an international youth competition happening this fall in Markham.
“During our studious research, we came across Mackie’s name and were impressed by his statistics. We feel he has potential, and we’re interested in chatting with him to see if he’d be willing to come to an event this weekend and try out for a team we’re putting together. We’ll be running drills and evaluating certain skills so we can assemble the most elite group of youth athletes Ontario has ever seen.”
Diem wore an unreadable mask. His stormy gray eyes picked me apart. I liked Diem’s eyes. Most days, they were impenetrable steel prison walls keeping me out, but on occasion, they were windows into his troubled soul, and I saw things I knew he didn’t want me to see.
Diem released a grumbly exhale that rattled his chest as he moved his attention to the beige brick high-rise, scanned the parking lot, then refocused on me. “Did you come up with that on the spot?”
“Yes, I did. Impressive, isn’t it?”
“No. It’s stupid.”
I dramatically gasped. “Um, rude.”
“What sport is this elite youth team we’re recruiting for?”
“It’s… a… few different sports. Combined. With running… and… jumping. A ball might be involved, so… kicking? You know, stuff sports people do. They could have sticks.”
Diem rubbed an oversized hand over his mouth. I thought he was covering a smile. No, not possible. Diem never smiled. But when the sun peeked out from his storm cloud eyes for a fraction of a second, glimmering on their surface, giving me a peek at his inner soul, I grew skeptical.
“Are you trying not to smile?”
“No.” The surly man cleared his throat. “I know I said this was your rodeo, but… your plan needs help.”
“Oh really? Says the man who resorts to bribes all the time because he can’t be bothered to come up with plans in the first place.”