Page 97 of Home of the Brave

“You have her number, right?”

The corner of his lip quirked. “You still don’t.”

I narrowed my eyes. “No, and I’m not asking you for it. I just wanted to give her a head’s up about this idea. Let her prepare before the post-game interviews.”

He held my gaze for a moment before finally nodding. “Good idea.”

“Thanks.”

“You sure you don’t want to tell her?”

Was he offering to give me her number without jumping through hoops? I hesitated, then decided against it. She wanted boundaries, so I’ll respect that. “Nah, doesn’t matter who it comes from, I just want her to know.”

“Okay,” he pulled his phone from his locker, and I went back to my chair to pull on my gear.

A moment later, he dragged another chair over and dropped into it, facing me.

“Things were awkward when we saw her.”

I nodded. What else was I supposed to say?

“And she didn’t come over after the women's game yesterday.”

No, she did not.

“Something happen?”

Obviously. “She just wants to keep things professional between us.”

He looked away for a long moment before speaking. “But you still want to help her?”

“Yes, and this will help her professionally.”

“Because you care so much about her career?”

“Because I want her to be happy and successful,” I countered.

“A woman you barely know and only began to see as a person and not a nemesis a few days ago.”

I stared him down. “Yes.”

“That doesn’t sound like you.”

“You don’t think I’d help someone out if I could?”

“I just don’t think you would have noticed to this degree.”

Should I be offended by that?

“I’m trying to say that I think you care about her more than just as a professional acquaintance. I think you care about her as a person, and I haven’t seen you do that.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I care about people.”

He blew out a breath. “Fine. I haven’t seen you interested in a woman before. Not enough to make me text her. Not enough to defend her in front of your teammates.”

That was fair.

“So, are you just going to let this go?”