WAG for Hire

Toby wasn’t sure she had ever been in this part of Pittsburgh before.

They had drove for nearly twenty minutes and she gave up trying to figure out if she knew where she was ten minutes ago. He had told her the name of the restaurant – The Market Square. She had heard of the place, it was the exact opposite of Meryl’s – upscale…and crowded. Jordan had made good on his promise to go where they would get noticed.

As they turned onto a street she had never heard of before, she shook her head. “I never realized how much of this city I don’t know. I think I must pretty much stay within a five block radius.”

“Time to expand your horizons then,” Jordan joked as he once again parallel parked with ease.

Toby slipped into her coat and prepared herself for whatever was about to happen. She wondered if there were paparazzi in the bushes just waiting to strike. She hoped all the hard work on her makeup and hair were holding up. To be sure, she glanced in the mirror and was relieved to see she hadn’t turned into a frizzy haired raccoon yet.

Just as she reached for the door handle, it opened from the outside. Jordan was standing there, having slipped out during her inspection. He offered her a hand and she took it after a moment’s consideration. She shivered a little as she left the warm cocoon of the car. “Cold?” Jordan asked.

“A little,” she admitted. “I usually don’t walk around in winter time with my legs bare.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew where Jordan’s eyes were going. A brief glance – but long enough to make her aware that she was having some effect on him.

To be honest, it made her feel powerful.

Since coming to the city, she had been on two dates. Both were a waste of her precious time. When the last one ended with the guy attempting to stick his tongue down her throat she had devoted herself to work and school and instead.

Toby took Jordan’s arm, enjoying the warmth that radiated off of him. Her dress was impractical given the weather but if they were to be photographed at least she would be safe in the knowledge that she didn’t look like she crawled out of a gutter. She braced herself for that moment- the quick flash, the buzz of questions.

But it never came.

In fact, they managed to get inside and to the hostess before anyone even realized who he was. She smiled widely. “Mr. Staal, so glad you will be joining us for the evening,” she said in a voice so chipper Toby had to resist the urge to make a face. She was well aware that the hostess’ eyes were now on her and she found herself unconsciously moving closer to Jordan. “If you would both follow me we have your table set up.”

He had his hand on the small of her back the whole way and held the chair like the gentleman he was (or at least was pretending to be). Toby slipped off her coat, only to have it taken by the hostess. She promised Jordan a member of the wait staff would be by soon and then left.

Toby watched her go hoping that the other woman wasn’t about to lose her coat. It was the nicest one she had. Looking back to Jordan, she frowned. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“She’s just jealous,” Jordan retorted immediately.

Toby shook her head. “That’s some ego you got there, Mr. Staal.”

“Is it really ego when I am speaking the truth?” Jordan asked. “You’ll need to get used to it.”

“Your ego?”

Her quick response caused him to laugh. He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “No, the jealously. Many females don’t take kindly to their favorite hockey player landing himself a girlfriend that is not them.”

“Oh, you’re talking about puck bunnies,” Toby concluded. Jordan raised an eyebrow. “I do know what a puck bunny is. Hockey’s very own version of a groupie.”

“Exactly. They are not going to say very nice things about you,” Jordan told her.

“I am sure I will be able to manage,” Toby assured him.



Jordan certainly hoped so. He had been playing long enough to see how it worked – he knew that some fans took it too far. He had once put his name into a search engine. Some of the results were enough to have him swearing off doing it again.

The waiter appeared carrying a wine list as well as the dinner menu. Jordan took the list, scanning it quickly and wishing he could order a beer instead. He settled on a fairly pricey bottle and handed it back to the waiter.

Toby was scanning the menu, her eyes slightly wide. “Good Lord,” she breathed.

The prices.

Jordan winced inwardly, hoping they were not heading into familiar territory. “The Chicken Marsala is really good.”

“Been here before?” Toby asked with a raised eyebrow. The menu was temporarily forgotten.

“Yes,” Jordan admitted. He enjoyed the fact that she looked just the tad bit jealous. He waited a moment before adding. “With my mother.” That seemed to placate her. She went back to looking at the menu, and he noted by the look on her face that her sticker shock must have worn off.

When the waiter returned with the wine they were immediately thrown into the production of opening it. He watched her regard the waiter was frank curiosity as a big deal was made about the angle at which it was poured. She took the glass, and brought it to her lips.

He was staring – he knew it, she knew it, hell, even the waiter probably knew it. But he couldn’t help it, especially when she closed her eyes and appeared to be savoring the taste. When they opened again, she smiled. “Lovely.” Then she ordered the seafood pasta.

He went with the Marsala. After the waiter had left them, Jordan picked up his own glass and swirled the dark liquid around before taking a sip. He immediately cringed.

“It’s complete crap, huh?”

His head shot up. Toby was leaning forward, a look of sheer amusement playing out on her face. She was about to break into laughter at any second. “But you…”

Toby tipped her head back and let the laughter come. It wasn’t loud by any means but it did catch the attention of a few neighboring patrons. When she realized this, she reined it in, covering her mouth to stifle the giggles. “He made such a big deal out of opening it, I felt like I had to pretend it didn’t taste like rotten fruit.”

“You could have warned me,” Jordan pointed out as he set the glass aside.

“I could have,” she agreed and a smile quirked her lips. “But what would have been the fun in that?” She made a face at his non reaction. “Oh, come on, you probably would have done the same to me.”

“I would have not!” He said in protest.

“Liar.”

The accusation was flung with such amusement that he couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, maybe.”

Toby ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “What are we going to do with it?”

“Pour it in the nearest potted plant?” Jordan suggested.

“There’s an idea,” Toby said. She stared intently at the glass and then picked it up for another sip. Jordan had the urge to snatch it away before she could do herself any harm. But it quickly died when he saw how her face scrunched up at the taste. He couldn’t help but grin as she set it back down. “Just checking,” she told him.

“I think we have thoroughly concluded that the wine is complete shit.” Jordan reached for his water instead. “Next time, I’ll let you order the wine.”

“Next time…” Toby trailed off as if she was realizing for the first time that this wasn’t a one shot deal. Then a ghost of a smile crossed her face. “Next time, I’ll order a beer.”

Before he could think anything of it, he spoke, “A girl after my own heart.”



His words were the equivalent of a bucket of cold water.

Toby immediately sat up straight in her seat, her smile disappearing. He noticed her retreat. Well, she had effectively killed the mood. Sighing, she made a face. “Sorry, Jordan, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I am trying to control these knee jerk reactions. Would it help you to know that I am getting a little better at it?” She asked, wondering what he was thinking at the moment. She wouldn’t blame him for getting frustrated. Time and time again she had blown things out of proportion and made him feel uncomfortable for no real reason.

Before she could get her answer, their waiter reappeared with two plates of food. She once again thanked the waiter for his elaborate presentation. Jordan had already begun to eat by the time Toby turned her attention back to him. She shifted her fork through the pasta before she said anything. “Jordan, are you mad?”

He shook his head. “Why would I be mad?”

“Because I excel at ruining a perfectly good moment,” Toby said for starters. “And because I seem to be very good at trying to make you feel like crap.”

“You’re not doing that,” Jordan told her. “You’re just being honest – I told you if things felt weird to let me know. You did.”

Toby still felt guilty. An off the cuff comment shouldn’t make her feel that uncomfortable – she chalked it up to her lack of relationships of any kind. She had been truthful in what she said to him earlier – he was one of the few friends she had and she didn’t want to see it messed up. Maybe that is why she reacted the way she did. Maybe she was afraid that things would get too complicated and she would end up right where she started.

It was funny how she didn’t realize how alone she was until she had someone else to talk to.

“I am going to start keeping a tally of how many times I stick my foot in my mouth,” Toby muttered.

Jordan appeared to pause and then raised an eyebrow. “You sure you got enough paper to do that?”

Toby couldn’t believe he had said that. Especially right on the heels of what had just happened. She had to give him credit – he really was trying the best he could to relax a situation that she created. She decided she could do her part. “Oh, drink your wine.”



Jordan breathed easier. For a moment, he thought the rest of the dinner was going to be spent in uneasy silence. Past experience had taught him that it would have been a painful process had it degraded to that point. Fortunately, she seemed to have bounced back from her momentary panic attack.

To be honest, it had only served to make him that much more curious about her.

Here she was – a beautiful woman with a kind heart (and perhaps a wicked sense of humor). What the hell was she doing all alone in the city? He hadn’t even heard her refer to a friend other than to call him one. He knew that she had a less than ideal upbringing and he was full of questions. But he also knew better than to push. She would tell him when she was ready.

Until then, he would take what crumbs he could get. For instance, after taking a bite of her meal, she declared that she had not found fish that tasted this good in her three years in Pittsburgh.

“That’s a pretty bold statement,” Jordan began. “Is it that good?”

Toby nodded. “I never joke about food. Do you want to try?” She asked pushing her plate toward him.

“Tell you what, I’ll try that if you’ll try this,” Jordan began as he speared a piece of chicken on his fork. “Because I am willing to bet you will wish you ordered this instead afterwards.”

“And you thought I was making bold statements,” Toby said. None the less, she took the chicken and he the pasta. For a moment no one said anything. Then she leaned forward and whispered almost in a conspiratorial tone. “How about we split the dishes? Half and half?”

“I’d be down with that.”

The rest of the meal went without incident. Well, if he didn’t count the waiter who seemed less than impressed with them sharing food and leaving the wine relatively untouched. Jordan could care less what the stuffy man thought. He was more interested in the fact that she seemed fully relaxed and genuinely having a good time.

She had dropped a few more hints – like she was an only child, and she absolutely hated lemon flavored desserts. How she was studying to become a dental hygienist (a fact that had him grimacing) and how she was half way there. He filed it all away, adding it to what he had already learned about her.

She was finishing up some sort of raspberry concoction when the final bill came. He handed over his card and tried his best to ignore how her dessert had stained her lips a dark red. “Are you ready?”

Toby nodded, suddenly looking nervous. “Do you think that anyone with a camera is out there? Maybe I should go freshen up.”

“You look fine, Toby,” Jordan assured her. Actually, fine was not the word that came to mind immediately. It was, however, the safest choice. The hostess reappeared with the bill for him to sign and Toby’s coat. He helped her into the garment and then led her toward the exit.

They were both braced for anything that might happen.

As it turned out, nothing did.

Once they were back inside the Escalade, she twisted in her seat toward him. “Maybe the press doesn’t care?”

“More likely they weren’t on the prowl tonight,” Jordan told her as he pulled out into traffic. “Which means we’ll have to do it again.”

“Oh,” Toby said quietly. She was silent for a moment. “That won’t be so bad will it? I mean I enjoyed tonight. It was nice to get out and talk to someone about something other than school. And as a bonus, I didn’t have to cook or clean up.”

Jordan smiled. “It won’t be bad at all.”