He stares at me. “Because I carry ice packs?”
“No, that’s—no.” I compose myself. “It made more sense than you just being a nice guy.”
Calder huffs what sounds very much like a laugh. His eyes meet mine, a smirk still playing on his lips, and something about the weight of that look makes my pulse trip. He follows my motion as I pull the pack free, and heat rushes straight to my cheeks.
He takes it slowly, fingers brushing mine for a fraction of a second. “Definitely not a doctor. Not a nice guy either.”
“Nope. Your cover’s blown.”
He flips the pack in his hand, then walks over and drops it in the trash can. All while maintaining eye contact. My face flushes hotter. It’s a single use ice pack. Of course it was a single use pack. Why would Calder have a frozen reusable ice pack in his bag?
“I’m an idiot.”
“You say that a lot.” He slings his bag over his shoulder.
I frown.Do I?“Really, I just wanted you to throw it away. So I don’t have the personal guilt of ruining the planet.”
Calder just stands there, watching me. I back up and drop my gaze. “Well, thanks for the help. I wish you the best of luck with your pickleball . . . stuff.” I turn, desperately searching for Sam to give me an easy out from the cherry on top of my most awkward night ever.I gave Calder my warm, used, disposable ice pack.Ugh.
“You’re not doing more lessons at Smash Point?” Calder asks.
I shake my head, scouring the area outside the washrooms. Sam is probably changing.Hurry up,I silently plead. “No. Frank refunded me for the last lesson we booked.”
Another pang of sadness hits my chest. It was fun playing tonight. Less fun partnering with Garrett because I couldn’t stop worrying about what he was thinking, but that was my fault, not his. I did want to get better, but signing up with a different club and starting over again sounded worse than reliving my last blind date. It involved a man who ordered milk with dinner and asked if I believed in chemtrails.
Garrett’s laugh sounds from the front. He says something and turns to walk back toward us, smiling like he has a secret. I decide to stay put instead of hustling to the bathroom, just in case Garrett’s things are in the bag still sitting on the bench. Maybe we can chat while he packs up.
“It’s him.”
I flinch, my head whipping back to Calder. “What?”
“The guy you’re trying to impress.”
I make a sound in my throat, already sweating again. “What? No. He’s not?—”
“So it’s Jerome? Or Josh?”
I open my mouth and close it. I had a choice to make, and neither option was pretty. Admit I was into Jerome with his mustache and sleeveless shirt, or Josh who was at least four inches shorter than me, or admit the truth. “It’s J . . . erome.”
I made a decision and height won out. It was the wrong choice, based on the expression on Calder’s face. I’m instantly in middle school again.Do you have a crush on him? Circle yes or no.
Calder glances at Garrett walking closer, and his brows pinch. “I need coaching hours at Smash Point to finish my certification.”
“Okaaay.”
“You could take lessons there. From me.”
I laugh. “Do you not remember our last lesson? Pretty sure that was your personal Hadestown. Not an exaggeration this time.”
His frown deepens. “I thought it went well.”
My eyes widen. “See, now I’m concerned. If you thought that went well, what do your worst lessons look like?” When he doesn’t respond, I worry I’ve hurt his feelings and backtrack. “It’s not that the lesson was bad. I learned a lot, actually. You just seemed miserable.”
He grunts. “Because I wasn’t chatting and saving arachnids?”
I scoff. “No! Because you seemed allergic to my personality!” I school my features. “Sorry. It’s just that when humans make expressions like this,” I grimace and hunch my shoulders, “It usually means they aren’t in love with their life choices.”
“That’s my normal face.”
