“Is that arroz con pollo?” Lola called, leaning over in her chair.
“You got it in one,” Ida Jane said, making a beeline for her. “I’ll get you a plate.”
“Not too much,” Lola cautioned.
“You can save the rest for later,” Ida Jane called over her shoulder.
The third woman shut the door. She was taller than the other two and statuesque with dark curls and tanned skin. She had light brown eyes and a beatific smile.
“I’m Naomi Kramer, one of the original CATS,” she told me. My husband, Adam, played goalie, but now he’s one of the coaches.”
“Oh, wow. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She set down another large bag. It was lilac and embossed in silver with a store name I didn’t know.
“I talked to Ida Jane and Hana, and we got you a little something from my boutique,” she explained with a smile.
I smiled back. “Oh, that’s so nice,” I said. “Unnecessary, but really kind.”
“I sell high-end lingerie.” Naomi winked. “It really does a lot for your confidence.”
“And feeling sexy,” Hana said seriously.
I gawked. “I can’t believe you said that.” I shot a glance over at Lola and noted that she was trying to bury her grin behind her cup of tea. She caught my gaze and chuckled. “I was married, Vivian. I have two daughters, had two boys. I’m aware of attraction and intercourse.” She raised her eyebrows. “But I am not one of those women who wants to hear all the details.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” I said.
“Are there details?” Hana asked. “You haven’t said so.”
I shook my head. “When we met, we had two days together. I’ve just arrived here, and I have a job to do. I’ve still been getting settled.”
“Do you want there to be details?” Naomi asked, waggling her brows.
Thankfully, we all laughed, but I still felt squirmy about discussing my sex life in front of Lola.
“Naomi has no shame,” Ida Jane said with that soft drawl as she re-entered the living room with a plate for Lola. “Don’t worry about it.”
Naomi nodded. “That’s right. I don’t, which is why they brought me. Because I’m the one who’s going to ask you what’s going on between you and Cruz.”
Chapter 23
Chapter
Cormac
* * *
We’d arrived home last night after five days away, and we had a light practice this afternoon before tomorrow’s game. I called the guys over during a water break. We were all hot, sweaty, and a bit out of breath, thanks to the fast-paced skate sprints Coach Whittaker had put us through. Next, we’d match up for some time with our offensive or defensive coaches to work on individual skills before we spent the final hour of practice in a scrimmage.
Naese took off his helmet and swiped his forehead with his gloved hand. I scissored my legs, trying to ease the burn in my thighs, even as I kept the muscles warm.
“We have a problem. Our women went over to Lola’s today,” I said with a furtive glance at the coaching staff. Ostensibly, we were supposed to be working on improving our timing between offense and defense, but…well, we were getting our asses handed to us by our wives, and that sucked.
Stolly hung his head. “They’re just better at this feeling stuff than we are.”
I wanted to deny that, but I couldn’t. “True. And Cruz hasn’t locked Vivian down, even though she’s been here for a couple of weeks now.”
“It’s still early,” Naese said, but he looked worried.
