“Bet he’d get on board if he knew a job like this depended on it.” Jordan chuckles. There’s a strain to his expression that belies the joking sentence.
I reach up without thinking and grip Jordan’s arm. “Hey, I’ll make sure he gets a fair shot. I promise, the decision for the coach of this team won’t be made based on his aversion to reality TV.”
“Okay?” Jordan tilts his head at me. “I know you’ll give weight to the best candidates.”
I drop my hand. “You looked stressed about it.”
Understanding dawns. “Oh. Yeah, that’s about something else.” His jaw clenches.
“What’s up?”
“Let’s go home so I can make dinner. I’ll tell you on the way.”
I love the way he says “go home,” almost as much as I loved the way he told me to come back to bed this morning. I also love that going home means going to our apartment, where we don’t have to be anyone but ourselves. No acting, no pressure, just us being honest with each other.
“Sounds amazing.” I drop my voice. “Hold hands?” I ask.
In answer, he smirks at me and reaches for my hand. I won’t apologize for needing this closeness when I can’t give him more, even though I want to. He’s assured me that he wants to be here with me, even though it’s costing him.
Jordan drove his truck to the arena. Our vehicles arrived yesterday with the rest of our stuff. He leads me to it, opening my door for me. His hands rise to my waist as I reach for the grab handle to climb in; then they quickly drop, and he stuffs his hands in his pocket. He waits for me to settle in my seat and then shuts the door behind me.
The way he just held himself back? Kinda hot.
“So, what’s got you stressed?” I ask when he’s gotten in on the driver’s side. “Besides me.” I wink at him.
Jordan laughs quietly. “You don’t stress me out.” He starts the truck. “I called Mitchell Hurst today about the claim he made with Redhaven Foundation. It’s the largest one, so I want to take care of it first so we can see how much more we need to fundraise.”
“If his claim is legit, I’m paying it,” I say.
“Anyway,” Jordan goes on, ignoring me except for his lips twitching into a smile again. “He said he closed that account shortly after he paid Bryce and the bank can’t find the records.”
“That’s not suspicious at all,” I say dryly.
“Yeah. I pressed him. Asked him to get me contact info. He said he’d text me the information. I can’t shake that there’s something weird going on here—but then I wonder if that’s because I didn’t like Mitchell back in high school.” He taps his fingers against the steering wheel when we stop at a red light.
“It definitely sounds like there’s something weird.”
“I know.” He lets out a long sigh. “But if we turned down everyone I had a beef with in Redhaven, there’s at least a dozen people who wouldn’t have gotten reimbursed.”
“No way are there a dozen people in Redhaven who don’t like you. You’re too good.”
He scoffs. “I won’t talk you out of those rose-colored glasses.They’ll work in my favor eventually. I was a teenaged boy once. And a rowdy twenty-year-old. There are a few people out there who aren’t fans of Jordan Atkinson.”
“Is it okay if I hold your hand again?” I ask. After talking to Ellie today, I have faith that eventually Jordan and I will get to a point where we can be a real couple. It means I’m only afraid of doing the coupley things because I know they stretch his patience for what he really wants. “In a friendly way, of course.”
“Always okay. As friends,” he adds, his voice teasing.
I reach over and wrap my hand in his. I love the way his huge hands dwarf mine. It’s one of those things about him that makes me feel safe.
“I bet you have a lot fewer enemies in this world now that you saved a whole small town,” I say.
“Maybe,” he concedes. He looks over at me as we stop at another red light. “But to be fair, I’ve also gained a few since meeting you. Mr. Stevens, the whole governing board, that one guy who’s in prison.”
I can’t help a laugh. “That one guy?”
“I’m not going to say his name. Ever. He doesn’t deserve it.” He fake gags, and I laugh at his expression.
We fall into comfortable conversation after that about our days. Mostly I fill him in on the meetings I had and the calls I made. I’m already arranging “Devils Night” for one of our early games next month. Ellie said she’d recruit some guys to come and be VIPs. She wants to get their new quarterback some good press and says this kind of thing will be perfect.
