Oh my god. Ellis kicked me. Thismenace.I shoot him an angry look as I lean down to massage my ankle, and he only points at his phone screen again.
“What was that?” Dylan asks.
“Stubbed my toe,” I mumble.
Ellis seems to have lost all his patience because he raises his hands in the air and lets out an exasperated sigh. He then says, loud enough for the whole fucking breakfast buffet to hear, “Hey, Damon, tell Dylan about your fabulous idea.”
“Was that Ellis?” Dylan lets out a startled laugh. “I heard he was also stranded in Buffalo, but I didn’t realize you were together right now.”
“Unfortunately,” I say.
Ellis ignores that. He gets up and leans over the table, getting as close to my phone as he can. He almost spills over his honey in the process. “Dylan! Killian Schultz quit junior hockey because he got homesick, so Damon should maneuver a no-trade clause for him with a team in the area!”
“Ellis!” I hiss.
“That’s interesting,” Dylan says. “Tell me more, Damon.”
Glaring at Ellis, I kick my seat back and get up. He gives me a smug look as I walk away, heading out of the dining area and searching for a quiet spot. “That’s not how I do things,” I tell Dylan. “Ellis came up with that.”
“Why’s he telling you to do that, then? Are you two getting along now?”
Leaning back against the wall in the massive hallway right outside the buffet, I bite my cheek. He hasnoidea just how much we’re getting along now. “I don’t know why he’s making me do it.”
Really. I have no clue. A migraine starts to form as I try to wrap my head around this.
“Maybe he thinks his roster’s big enough,” Dylan says. “Why did he make the trip there, then?”
“A change of mind, maybe.”
It doesn’t make sense to me. Ellis badly wants Killian.
Did he do that because he overheard our conversation…? Replaying it in my mind, he did jump the moment I said I might get into trouble if I didn’t sign Killian. A smile tugs at my mouth. Jesus Christ. Elliscares.He actually cares about me, doesn’t he?
Dylan makes me promise to do the scouting report and send it first thing after the holidays. While he’s talking, all I can think of is Ellis. I can’t even wipe the goofy expression off my face. After I hang up, I make my way back inside the dining area. Ellis has already stood up and is on his way out.
He chatters endlessly as we make our way back to our hotel room, and I nod along with him. He tells me more and more about how his plan to recruit Killian will surely work, even giving me pointers on how I should approach the prospective teams about it.
I’m not sure why he’s so happy about giving me his lead. He told me he really wanted the guy on his roster, and now he’s… so easily handing over the opportunity to me? Ellis is practically vibrating from the idea.
“Why are you doing this for me?” I ask him when we step into our hotel room. “I thought you were eager to sign him on as a client.”
Ellis flashes me a wide smile. “Because you need him more than I do, and if he’s going to be signed on by anyone else, I know you’ll take care of him!”
I stop in my tracks. Ellis doesn’t notice. He only titters and walks over to his suitcase, leaning down to rearrange his things. He’s already packing. Right.
This is where we’re parting ways.
He’s going to head back to Tampa, and I’m heading back to my family, and it will be weeks before I see him again. I wonder what it’ll be like when we see each other again.
Will we once more pretend like we never slept together?
I’m quiet as I roll over those thoughts in my mind. I make my way to my suitcase, not really paying attention to what I’m actually doing. I even unfold and fold a pair of pants that I don’t need.
“Dee,” Ellis says. I look up, and his eyes glint with amusement.
I blink when he giggles and pats me on the chest. Honestly? I like this look on him. He’s often snarky and wears a cocky grin, but there’s much more honesty to his mood right now.
Maybe I’m delusional, but it seems as if he’s genuinely happy… about helping me with my job?
