Page 8 of Something Like That

She snorted at that bit of stupidity. Of course, he was. It wasn’t like she was the same person she’d been sixteen years ago. She wasn’t even the same person she’d been ten—or even five—years ago.

And then he’d jumped to the whole Em was his daughter thing.

She hadn’t meant to laugh or embarrass him. He’d just leaped to that conclusion so fast, it had surprised her. Granted, now that she thought about it, she could totally see how she might’ve been hinting in that direction. Ugh, what had she been thinking?

That was the problem. She hadn’t been thinking. For some reason, her stupid mouth said the words without informing her brain. What if, because of her faux pas, he decided he didn’t want to work with her anymore?

And when had she definitely decided she was going to take him on as a client?

Come on, Alex. You knew, as soon as you saw him sitting in the waiting room, you were going to do whatever needed to be done to help him. Just like when you were sixteen.

No. No, that wasn’t true… well, not completely. Why did he fluster the heck out of her, even after all this time?

Em barreled through the door, and she didn’t get a chance to figure it out.

“What was Nick Sadler doing here?” The light and wonder on Em’s face was amazing to see. Her daughter had been in a funk more often than not lately, the brunt of which got taken out on her poor, unsuspecting mother. She’d been uncommunicative and moody and acting out. This was a nice change.

“We were discussing him becoming a client.”

“Why would he come here?” Em threw herself into the empty chair.

She pushed herself away from her desk. “Gee, thanks.”

Em sighed, one of those why-do-I-need-to-explain-everything-to-you, sort of sighs. “That’s not what I meant, Mother.” She followed it up with an eye roll so over the top, Alex didn’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed. “I meant, what is he doing here, and why isn’t he working with his team coaches?”

She walked over and planted a kiss on the top if Em’s head. Even though Em was a moody teenager, she loved her daughter more than she ever thought she could love anyone. “He’s looking for some one-on-one training, and I worked with a friend of a friend of his when I was at the University.”

“Cool.” The underlying excitement in her tone made Alex smile. “So, does that mean he’s going to be hanging around for a bit, then?”

“I’m not sure I’m going to take the job.” She kept her voice even and wandered over to the wall to straighten the frame that held her master’s degree. Not that it needed straightening. She just didn’t want to see the disappointment on Em’s face.

Em made a distressed noise. “You can’t be serious, Mom.” Em pushed her way between Alex and the wall, her hazel eyes wide. “You’re not seriously going to turn down Nick Sadler.”

She tucked Em’s hair behind her ear. If the little booger didn’t stop growing so fast, soon she was going to be looking Alex in the eye. How did she get so big? Wasn’t it just yesterday she was learning to walk? “I’m still thinking about it.”

“What’s there to think about? He’s Nick freaking Sadler.”

“There are a lot of things to consider. It’s a big commitment, for one, and while it might bring a lot attention to the clinic, there’s no guarantee that all of it will be good. So, I’ll need to discuss some things with Janelle first.”

“Oh, that makes sense, I guess.” Em deflated a little.

Darn it. Not the direction Alex wanted this to go. But she couldn’t make big decisions based on whether or not they were going to make a moody teenager smile for a minute. It was about the big picture and what was best for their future.

“Why don’t you head home and get a start on your homework. I’ll talk to Janelle and then be right behind you. You can leave your hockey gear here. I’ll bring it with me.”

“Sure.” Em ducked her head and turned. “See you later.” She disappeared out the door and down the hall.

Alex watched her go and then wandered back to her desk and sat down. She needed to talk to Janelle, but she knew there was no way her partner was going to think this was a bad idea. Which meant, depending on what his file said, she was doing this. She was taking Nick Sadler on as a client. But first, she needed to clear the air about their past.

Nick lounged on the bed in his hotel room, flipping through the channels on the TV, not paying attention to any of them. He was still wracking his brain, trying to figure out when he’d met Alex.

Now that he thought about it, she looked vaguely familiar. Then again, maybe he only thought she looked familiar because he knew they had a history. Alex Dumont. Nope, nothing. It was fucking annoying.

His phone buzzed, and he sat up. He’d dropped it on the console near the door when he’d come in. He rolled off the bed and his knee gave a twinge. Along with his lower back. And his left shoulder. Fuck, he needed to get himself in game shape. How was he supposed to win the championship with his body like this?

He grabbed the phone. Local number. Coastal Health and Wellness. His heart gave a quick, extra beat. He hadn’t expected to hear from Alex so soon. It had only been a few hours since he’d left the clinic.

He pressed the answer button. “Hello?”