I’m sorry it’s taking so long. I should be done in a few minutes.
Damn this man, apologizing when this is clearly not his fault. I know I should probably be supportive and reassuring in a moment like this, but my snarkiness wins out this time.
Sheesh, you should be sorry. How dare you take care of your injury. Not like you get paid to play hockey or anything.
I send him a GIF of Stephanie Tanner saying, “How Rude!” after my message goes through and am pleasantly surprised to see his response come in GIF form.
Joey Tribbiani is on my screen giving air quotes as he says, “I’m sorry” and a snort escapes me, my laughter jostling Sophia. She shifts in my lap but doesn’t wake, and I take a deep breath before responding to Niko.
A Friends GIF? A man after my own heart.
My thumb hovers over the arrow button as I contemplate if I really want to send a flirty text. On one hand, I’m scared to put myself out there again only to be let down when he inevitably gets sick of my antics. On the other hand, I can’t fight the pull between us any longer. It’s like there’s an invisible thread, tying us to one another. Sophia’s presence is becoming intertwined, pulling us even closer together.
Without another thought, I send the text and wait in anticipation for his next text to come through.
My hand finds my necklace, excitement and nerves coursing through me as the three dots appear on my screen.
I’m acting like a teenager texting a crush instead of a thirty-year-old woman texting a player on the team I work for. There’s gotta be something in the rule book about this, but myheart doesn’t seem to care. It feels too good to flirt with Niko. It feelsright.
Niko
I might be.
His text gives me pause. Does that mean what I think it means? Is he feeling whatever this pull is between us too?
I’m trying to find the right words to say back to him when I hear a light tap on my door. I turn my head to see Hunter walking into my office.
I flip my phone over and set it beside me, acting like I just got caught with my hands in the cookie jar.
Hunter grabs a meditation cushion and takes a seat next to me, leaning against the wall before looking over at me.
“How’s she doing?” he whispers, nodding down at Sophia.
Hunter and I have talked briefly about my attraction to Niko. It’s different with him because, number one, he’s a dude, but also because he’s Niko’s coach too. If only I had an outside friend to give me unbiased advice. Both my best friends just have to be Niko’s coach. I wouldn’t trade either of them for the world though.
Instinctively, I start lightly running my fingers through Sophia’s hair like my nanny used to do when I was a kid. There’s something very protective growing inside of me when it comes to this little girl. Knowing I’d break through walls to get to her if I knew she was in danger or trouble.
My voice is quiet when I finally respond. “She’s good. Once she saw Niko she immediately felt better.”
Hunter’s eyebrows raise at my comment. “She saw him? I just left the training room and they were still wrapping his knee up.”
He’s clearly shocked Sophia had time to see him. I busted my ass to get down to the locker room in time. I’m not sure I’ve ever moved that fast if I’m being honest.
“I rushed her down to the locker room as soon as I saw the trainers go on the ice.”
I look from Hunter back down to Sophia. Nothing was going to keep me from getting her to her dad.
Hunter’s stare is heavy on me, oozing with something I can’t quite place. It’s not judgment. Maybe concern or worry. I keep my eyes locked on the blonde hair my fingers still brush through.
“You mean to tell me,youmade it down to the locker room in the time it took Niko to walk back there? You, with those little legs?”
I finally look up at him and bump him with my shoulder. Ass. “They may be little but they’re quick. She needed to see her dad.” I say it as if it’s the most obvious and simple explanation.
Hunter snorts under his breath and shakes his head at me. We both silently laugh together before leaning our heads against the wall at the same time. We stare up at the twinkle lights draped across my ceiling.
“You gonna tell me what’s going on here, or are you gonna make me pry it out of you?”
I turn my head to see he’s already looking at me. “Once I figure out what it all means, you’ll be the first to know. Or second. Depends on who I like more that day, you or Ellie.”
