“My salary is more than fair. Dinner is ready whenever you are.” I reach into the cupboard to pull out bowls.
“I’m going to change. I’ll be right back.” Her heels click across the living room to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. I can’t help but watch her. More and more she has me mesmerized. Sharing this space with her means that my attraction for her grows every day.
She turns before slipping into her bedroom, catching me staring at her. I quickly whirl around to dish out soup and bring it to the table. Busted.
She comes back a few minutes later. She’s changed from her wide-leg dress pants and button-up top into a pair of leggings and a different Pumas hoodie than the one she wore in Maui. At least this one doesn’t have another guy’s name across the back, even if he is happily married. I need to get her some Houston Outlaws gear, stat. Or maybe we both need to stock up on White Wolves stuff when we get to Denver. I can’t help but want to see her wearing a hoodie from my team, the Outlaws.
Maybe I’ll give her one ofmyhoodies.
I banish the thought quickly. Thinking of her wearing my clothes is not good. And definitely against her rules.
I hold out a chair for her as she crosses the room to the dining table. She pauses, putting a hand on her hip. “Flag on the play, Atkinson. No flirting in private.”
I look down at the chair and back at her. “No flirting here,Bennet. Just being a gentleman like my mama taught me.”
She narrows her eyes. “Fine. I’ll let this slide, but it’s a fine line.”
I bite back a smile. “Noted.” I help her scoot it in, ignore the little huff she gives (especially since her cheeks are pink), and take my seat across the table from her.
She’s staring at me when I look up. “What?” I ask. Does she want to say grace?
“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “You sat across from me and not next to me. I always tease my sister Ellie because she and Will sit on the same side of the table or booth when they’re out, and even at home. It’s so cringey.”
The thought of sitting next to Libby, our legs touching, shoulders brushing, sounds very appealing. I disagree. It’s far from cringey that my new in-laws do this. I’m jealous.
“Well.” I clear my throat. “Next time I’m out with you, I’m going to be sure to sit next to you and put my arm around you.”
She meets my gaze, eyes bright, and I wonder—hope—that she’s considering the same things I am. Libby holds her heart behind a tightly guarded gate. I want to convince her it’s safe to trust me with the key.
She blinks and then gives a faux long-suffering sigh. “I guess we’ll have to. If that’s what cringey couples do.”
“If I sat across from you, I could slide my foot under the table and?—”
“Careful of that line, Atkinson,” she says quickly, and maybe a little breathlessly.
I chuckle. “Just strategizing.”
“Hmm.”
We eat in silence for a few moments before I ask her how work was.
“Good.” She gives me a genuine smile. “A client won a civil suit against her attacker. The evidence we uncovered in it might mean the district attorney can take it to trial.”
Though she’s speaking in celebration, of a win that she got for her client, her words are still sobering to me. It’s a reminder of why security is so tight around her heart. The things she sees—they must make it almost impossible to trust.
“That’s great. We should celebrate. We haven’t been out since we got back from Maui.” I take another bite of my soup while I wait for her to reply.
She cringes but then smooths it out. “Yeah, we probably should.”
I quickly give her an out. “Or we can stay home. That way you don’t have to spend your celebration ‘working,’ just in another sense.”
She nods slowly. “There is some other work we need to get started on sooner or later that might be fun to talk about, especially for you. We need to be thinking about the moves we want to make once the papers are signed this week. Season starts in October.”
I grin. “Talking hockey will always be a good time for me. Sure you don’t want to just chill?” I ask.
“I’m sure,” she says. “Today was a good day, but it still reminds me that my client doesn’t have justice yet. Her attacker is free. We won in court, but she has to go home and worry about her safety.” She gives a shrug, even though it’s clear that this weighs heavily on her. “Talking about hockey will distract me.”
“Then I’m happy to help.” I finish up my soup, and Libby does in a few minutes as well. I gather our dishes. “Why don’t you rest for a minute while I clean up, and then we can discuss some ideas I’ve had?”
