I love my friends, but sometimes they’re way too far in my business.
I make my escape, pausing once I’m in my SUV to send Victoria my address. She says she’s leaving the mall now and I figure I’ll beat her home since the arena is closer than the mall where she works.
Jude said he and Chloe would be right behind me, and sure enough, they pull up within a couple of minutes. Victoria isn’t here yet so I can put my bag away and change into shorts and a T-shirt. By the time I’m done I hear the doorbell and then voices downstairs.
I walk down to find Victoria and Chloe chatting, already having introduced themselves.
“Hey.” I smile and lean over to kiss Victoria’s cheek. She looks amazing in tight jeans and a fitted T-shirt that shows off her luscious figure. “You guys have met?”
“We have.” Chloe grins. “Jude’s still changing but let’s go sit down.”
We walk into the great room and I sink onto the couch with Victoria beside me.
“Great game,” she says. “I was watching on my phone whenever I could.”
“Always good when we win,” I say.
“Hey.” Jude comes in and gives Victoria a friendly smile. “I’m Jude.”
She quickly stands up and shakes his hand. “Hi. Victoria.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
She laughs. “I’ll bet.”
“What’s in the past stays in the past. I’m only concerned about who you are going forward.”
“That’s nice to hear,” she says, sitting back down next to me.
I slide my arm around her shoulders and she nestles closer. Jude and Chloe strike a similar pose on the other side of the sectional and suddenly all my reservations start to fade. I’m not sure why Jude and Chloe’s approval is so important to me, but it is, and hearing Jude say he’s only interested in what happens from now on, makes me feel better.
Like maybe Victoria and I actually have a chance.
Chapter 12
Victoria
My nerves were shot by the time I arrived at Jordan’s place. I’d spent the whole day wondering if his friends were going to like me, if things were going to be awkward, and if this was a mistake. Luckily, now that I’m here I’m feeling better about everything. Jude and Chloe are laid back and nice. Maybe a little reserved but that’s to be expected when you first meet people.
They live in a beautiful house in an affluent suburb, which makes sense considering what Jude does for a living. Chloe’s a doctor, though, which I find fascinating, and I ask about her work as we hang out chatting.
“It’s exhausting,” Chloe admits. “I’m in the E.R. right now because that’s where they had an opening but next year I plan to transition to the private sector. I can’t keep up these sixteen-hour days. Especially if we’re ever going to start a family.”
“Is that in the plans?” I ask politely.
She glances at Jude and smiles. “I think so? We’ve talked about it in theory but not really in practice. But definitely not while I’m working at a hospital. The hours are just too much.”
“I’m good either way,” Jude says. “Kids or no kids, I’m happy with our life the way it is. We work hard, but we also play hard. Travel a lot in the off-season, buy whatever we want, sleep in on our days off...”
“You know you want a bunch of little boys you can teach to play hockey,” Chloe says, nudging him with her elbow.
He laughs. “No doubt that would be fun.”
I glance at Jordan and he’s smiling, but it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.
Does he want kids? Four years ago, it was nowhere on our radar until I missed my period. I was so upset when I found out I was pregnant, and then for a long time I blamed myself for the miscarriage. As if I somehow willed it to happen even though it was almost entirely related to the trauma from the car accident.
“When do you graduate?” Chloe asks me.
