“You’re from Vancouver, right? Is the weather similar to Seattle?”
“Exactly the same, but ten degrees colder. I used to walk to school in it.” There was some movement to my right, up under the bridge. Two homeless men were peeking out to look at the storm.
“Sorry about all this,” she said, glancing nervously at the men.
“Stop apologizing,” I said. “I’m glad I ran into you. I wouldn’t want you walking home alone in this, mace or no mace.”
“I’m glad I’m not alone, too,” she admitted with a bashful smile. “I owe you one.”
“You don’t owe me shit,” I insisted. “You’ve been a huge help for the team.”
“That’s nice of you to say,” she muttered. “But I’m sure you miss Andy.”
“Sometimes,” I said. “But you’ve done a better job than Andy.”
Her eyes widened for a split second. “You’re just being nice.”
“I’m serious. Sure, I missed Andy at first. He’s been with the Reapers since the team was founded. But you’re a better trainer.”
“I am?”
I nodded. “He was kind of set in his ways. He had two workout routines that he was married to, and he rarely deviated from them when creating our programs. But you’ve been tailoring your rehab assignments for each individual player. And it’s working. Just look at what you’ve done for Rhett.”
It was tough to tell in the dim light under the overpass, but it looked like June blushed again. I wondered what that was all about.
“I’m just glad the guys trust me enough to do what I tell them.”
“They do,” I said. “Every single guy in that locker room trusts you.”
June smirked at me. “Well, noteveryguy.”
“Oh? Who are you talking about?”
She glanced out at the storm. “Tell you later. I think we’ve got a window where the rain isn’t bad.”
We huddled under the umbrella and speed-walked the final couple of blocks to her apartment. June was shivering in the cold, leaning against me to keep as much of her body protected from the rain as possible. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but as we darted into her apartment lobby, I quickly became aware of howgoodher body felt against mine.
I stepped back and shook out the umbrella. “Whew. Barely made it.”
“I thought the storm wasn’t supposed to hit us until after midnight!” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered again. “Want to come up and dry off while the storm passes? I’ll make you a drink as a thank-you for making sure I got home safe.”
It was an innocent offer. I was used to women hitting on me, and I could tell that’snotwhat June was doing here. And now that I was soaked, a warm towel sounded great.
“I’ve got spiced cider packets,” she offered. “I can booze them up with Fireball.”
Oh, that was tempting. It was far more appealing than going back out in the rain. June was smiling at me. Her AtlantaReapers polo shirt was wet, molding to her curves and revealing the outline of her bra underneath. The wordyeswas on the tip of my tongue.
And in a flash of insight, I saw how the night would play out. What started as an innocent invitation would turn into drinks on her couch. As the storm raged outside, it would turn into two drinks, or maybe three.
And from there…
I realized that I wanted it to happen. To see where the night would take us. Maybe it was fate, our cars breaking down at the same time. Forcing us to walk home together, forcing us under the same umbrella.
Something inside me came alive at the thought. I wanted itbadly.
But the weight of responsibility quickly slid into place in my mind. I was the captain of the team. I was supposed to set an example for everyone else. Getting involved with the new trainer was a bad idea. If it made things awkward in the locker room, throwing off the team’s chemistry…
I couldn’t risk it.
