“Okay. If you say so. That’s all I wanted to check in on. I’m off to Santa Barbara for a few days to scout out some new kid. Talk later.”
We hang up, and I stew in my thoughts the rest of the drive home.
Of course, everything will be fine. If I managed to stay focused on my career this long, finally getting the woman of my dreams isn’t going to knock me off course.
I was able to rise to the top, all while pining after someone I thought I would never have. Surely, now that she’s mine, if anything, it’ll be easier to concentrate.
Right?
Chapter thirty
Lark
“You’re gonna give your mail carrier a complex if you keep looking so depressed every time you see them.” Willow hands me a glass of wine, and despite her teasing, there’s a sympathetic smile on her face.
I groan. “I know, I just can’t believe it’s taking this long.”
My acceptance letter for the internship at the university still has not arrived. It’s hard to stay optimistic when I had expected to hear just after Christmas, and it’s now the end of January. Spring training is right around the corner, and then the season will begin. If I’m going to be asking for time off next fall, I need to be letting the team know soon so they can find a temporary replacement for me. Just because it’ll be the offseason doesn’t mean there won’t be players needing treatment, to say nothing of us making the playoffs. Then I’ll be trying to juggle the internship and my job. Which isn’t ideal, but Mattias said he would help make it work.
“They’d be fools not to take you on. Remind me what it’s for?”
“It’s a three-month internship working in the sports rehablab at the University of Vancouver. They have a research project going on right now looking to map muscle health in professional athletes, to try and determine how to best prevent and treat muscle decline. The hope is to be better able to prevent joint injuries by understanding why our muscles age and decline the way they do, even in professional athletes.” I rattle off the explanation with ease, having studied the research project’s material a thousand times.
But when I look at Willow, she’s got a blank expression on her face.
I sigh and try again. “It’s a research project to help find a way to prevent injuries by studying the muscles of athletes.”
“Oh. Well, why didn’t you say that the first time?” She nudges me with a smile.
“You work in the pro sports field. Shouldn’t you be able to understand the rehab side of it a bit better?” I tease.
“Nah, all I need to know for my job is what they injured and how long they’re out.”
I shake my head and take a sip of wine. “Fair enough.”
“So.” Willow looks at me expectantly. I know exactly what she wants to talk about but I pretend not to.
“What?”
Her eyes couldn’t possibly roll back any farther. “Oh my God, don’t be a tease. You know what! You and Monty. How’s it going? I need details, woman.”
I take another sip, and try to look cool, calm, and collected. “A lady never kisses and tells.”
Willow knows me too well and just snorts. “You’re not a lady, you’re Lark. So spill.”
“Fine, fine. He’s amazing, and I had no idea I could be this happy.”
I watch closely as Willow sets down her wine glass far too calmly. I hurry to set mine down, too, fully aware she’s not going to accept that. Sure enough, out of nowhere she grabs a throw pillow and whips it at my head.
I shriek, blocking the pillow. “Okay, geez!” When I look at her again, she’s got a far too pleased expression on her face. “You’re relentless.”
“I know. Now, go on.”
Here’s the thing. I’d love to tell Willow everything. She’s my closest female friend, and we don’t keep secrets. I knew about her and Ronan before anyone else. But telling her about Dan being a virgin up until being with me feels like I’d be betraying his secrets, not my own. Which means, I’ve got to tread carefully.
“He really is amazing, Wills. It’s like all the goodness in him is amplified by a thousand now. His hugs are magic, and when I’m with him, I feel so cherished. Did you know he has a tattoo on his hip? Of a skylark?”
Willow swoons against the couch. “No way. That’s the most adorably cheesy romantic thing ever.” She bolts back upright. “And so perfectly Monty. I love it.” She grabs my hands. “You deserve that kind of love, Lark. He truly adores you.”
