Page 6

I most certainly wasn’t daydreaming about the thick thighs of a certain rugby player.

“Sweetie,” she says calmly and slides a phone toward me.

It’s my phone.

And it’s ringing.

“No!” I groan and battle the urge to flip it to silent. I’m not on call. I don’t have to answer it.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” she grunts and swipes her finger across the screen, accepting the call and throwing the phone at me.

I catch it, but only because it’s the newest model and I don’t want to stand in the store to have a cracked screen replaced.

Again.

“This is Dr. Bellows,” I respond, my professional voice bright and perky. My facial expression, on the other hand, is anything but.

“Hello, Dr. Bellows. This is Brady Manson, the GM for the Toronto Tigers.” What. The. Fuck? “I was handed your application and your resume this afternoon. Were you still in the market for a job opportunity?”

I purse my lips and lean away from Veronica, who is leaning against my shoulder with her ear pressed to the back of my phone. “Get off me,” I mouth and push her away. “Yes, sir. I am.”

“That’s great news!” He responds cheerfully. “We have a position that needs to be filled quickly. Our current doctor just went on early maternity leave and we haven’t had a chance to nail down her replacement yet. What does your time frame look like?”

“Uh, my time frame?” I ask, still trying to process what’s happening on the other end of this phone call.

Brady chuckles. “How soon can you start?”

“Well, I guess that depends,” I counter slowly. “Where am I going?”

“Toronto,” he responds smoothly.

I almost drop the phone into my cheese fries. Veronica eyes me with concern and I know I must be gaping like a fish out of water because I’ve just been offered a position with the Toronto Tigers.

THE Toronto Tigers.

My eyes move back up to the screen as the Tigers secure a win against the Thunderhawks. The players slide across the pitch, hugging and slapping each other on the back while the fans in the background absolutely lose their minds.

“Dr. Bellows?” Brady asks with a hint of concern. “Are you still with me?”

“Yes,” I breathe and then clear my throat. “Yes, I’m still here.”

“Will Toronto be a problem?”

“No, sir! Not at all! I’m actually already in the city.”

“I know,” he lets out another smooth chuckle. “I read your resume.”

I squeeze my eyes closed as a blush burns across my cheeks. Of course, he knew I was in Toronto. Why am I such an idiot?

“Anyway, the team was recently bought out so the management is under construction, but I’ll have someone send you over a contract and get all the paperwork situated. Your email is the same as what’s on your application?”

“Yes, it’s the same,” I mumble, distracted by the news that the Tigers have been bought. I follow all of their social media accounts and I haven’t seen that come across any of their webpages.

“I’ll give you some time to process this,” Brady says lightly and I can hear the clicking of a keyboard. “Please reach out to me on this line if you have any questions.”

“I will. Thank you, Mr. Manson.”

“I look forward to working with you, Dr. Bellows.”

The call ends and I’m left staring at the dark screen, completely speechless.

“Well?” Vee asks and shakes my shoulders hard enough to pull me out of the shock. “You either got a job or someone just called to tell you that you’re dying of some rare disease.” Her eyes narrow slightly. “And I’ve seen your medical files, you’re healthy as a horse. So…”

I give her a playful shove and turn back toward the TV screen hanging above the rows of liquor, my eyes focusing on the faces of the players that I’ve idolized for years. Faces that I’ll get to see up close and in real life in just a few days. “His name is Brady Manson,” I tell her, cutting my eyes at her with a smirk. “He called on behalf of the Tigers.”

Veronica blanches. “Wait… THE Tigers?” She looks up at the TV just in time to see the final sweep of the drone across the stadium packed full of fans. “Those Tigers?” Her perfectly manicured nail points to the screen.

“Those Tigers,” I confirm with a smile so large it hurts the muscles in my cheeks. “I’m staying in Toronto and I’m going to be a part of the Ambush.”

She lets out a squeal so loud that several men turn from their drinks to glare at us. I mouth an apology, but she ignores them. “This is so amazing! I’m so happy for you! Sam!” Her voice carries across the bar and Sam looks up from wiping a table, his eyes flickering with annoyance. “Another round! Doc here is going to be a Tiger!”

My face flames at the attention, but I let her have her fun. I’m too far up on cloud nine to really care too much about the men around the sports bar staring at me.

I’m going to be a fucking Tiger.