“She sure is.”
As if perfectly timed, I hear fast footsteps approaching and a stunning woman appears by our side, her blue eyes sparkling with glee as she pulls me into a hug. “Oh my god, Blair. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Lucy, hi.” I smile through my unease. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you today.”
“I know, sorry. When Wes said you were coming to practice on my day off, I couldn’t stay away. I promise, no shop talk. I just wanted to meet you. And I’ve been meaning to come and see a practice.”
“I’ll leave you ladies to it.” Wes nods before pressing a kiss to Lucy’s brow and waving to me. “Come by when you’re done,” he whispers to Lucy, and she smiles before turning to give me her full attention.
“So, don’t tell Wes I said this, but are you sure you and Zane are just friends? That man is gorgeous.”
I bite back a grin as we walk closer to the fence, and it takes me less than a second to find Zane. He’s not the biggest guy on the team, but he’s tall and his tattoos stand out from a mile away.
When I glance back to Lucy, I find her grinning my way and I let out a laugh. “We’re friends. Who knows what the future might bring, but we have some history to work through.”
“Ahh, damn baggage. If we didn’t have it, we’d be boring, but God, some of it weighs you down. Want to know a secret?”
“Always.”
“Wes has taken a liking to Zane. He said he can see through his cockiness. He mentioned D’Angelo feels the same.”
Pride consumes me and I can’t stop my beaming smile. “I always hoped people would see him the way I do, but he’s good at putting on a front.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“I’m not. At least not when people bother to look.” I physically jolt at the words leaving my mouth, and rush to retract them. “Don’t mind me. Wes used to work at Heartwood U, right? Did you meet there?”
Clearly, I have some baggage with Nathan that I also need to address. Particularly, how it took me so long to realize that he didn’t always see me or see the way I was hurting. Then again, I didn’t see myself either. And maybe that’s why I loved him. Because he wasn’t constantly bringing up my pain like everyone else was.
Lucy frowns at my abrupt change of subject, but after a beat, she lets it slide.
“Actually, we met when I decided to kiss a stranger on the beach to piss off my ex. That stranger being the one and only Wes Johnson. The rest of it is a long story.”
“Luckily we’ve still got an hour to go.” I shrug and Lucy bursts out laughing.
“If you insist.” She playfully rolls her eyes, but I can tell she loves sharing this story.
When practice ends, Lucy keeps me company while I wait for Zane to finish in the locker room, and while she promised no shop talk, I can’t help but bring it up. She’s made me feel so incredibly comfortable that I no longer mind the fact that it was technically an ambush.
“Have you found a doctor for the team yet?” I ask, eliciting another bright smile to her face.
“We have, and you’re going to love her. Shaylee. She’ll be there tomorrow. She doesn’t have much knowledge of football though, so you might have to teach her a thing or two.” She pauses. “If you take the job, that is.”
Her confidence makes it sound like I’m meant to be on the team, and in turn, makes me love the idea more and more, the longer I’m in her presence. But it’s still not a done deal. Not yet.
“I’m glad you’ve found someone. But didn’t she have any nurses to recommend?”
“She had plenty. We’ll look into thoseonlyif you turn us down. No pressure, of course. We just all agree that having a passionate employee is always better for the team.”
“You’re not worried I’ll betoopassionate, if you know what I mean?”
I bite my lip and an over-the-top laugh escapes her. “I’ll admit that thought definitely crossed my mind, and the mind of Shaylee, but I’m no longer worried.”
“Why?” My brows crease in confusion.
“Because I saw the way you were watching Zane, and I doubt you’ll be single for long.”
“Oh.”
