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She pushed the door open, tablet in hand, but stopped when she saw our faces. Her gaze moved from Brashe to me, then down to the instruction sheets on the table.
“I can come back,” she said.
“No.” I stood straighter, smoothing my blazer even though it didn’t need smoothing. “Actually, I need to talk to you. I’m going to turn down Denver.”
Patty’s face went through about six emotions in two seconds. “You…really?”
“I want to work on the protocol with you. If the offer is still open.”
“Open? Ellie, I’ve been hoping you’d say yes since I first mentioned it.” She came further into the room. “Are you sure?”
“This is what I want.”
Patty’s eyes flicked to Brashe, then back to me. Understanding crossed her face. “And this is part of it?”
Heat rushed up into my face. “He’s part of it. But he’s not the reason.”
“Good.” Patty’s smile turned genuine. “Because if you were staying just for a boy, even a very large, very talented boy, I’d have to stage an intervention.”
“I resent being called a boy,” Brashe muttered.
“But you don’t resent being called talented?”
“That part’s accurate.”
“Denver’s a great opportunity,” Patty said.
“So is this. We could change how the entire league approaches rehabilitation. That’s not small.”
“No, it’s not.” Patty’s eyes sparkled. “Plus, you’ll be able to workshop protocols in real-time with actual patients. Denver can’t offer that.”
“Exactly.”
Patty’s attention turned to Brashe. “And the fact that a certain goalie is here has nothing to do with it.”
“I’m a bonus,” Brashe said.
“A very good one,” I said.
Patty laughed. “I’ll leave you two to work out the details then.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
“I like her,” he said.
“Me too.”
I grabbed a purple sticky note from the desk and wrote something without letting him see. I stuck it to his chest. “Read it later.”
“Why later?”
“Because I have patients today, and you’re one of them.”
“Dr. Lundrig mode?”
“Fully engaged.”
“Can I at least—”
