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He dips his chin. “So, are you really going to work with me one-on-one?”

“Your sister talked to you about it?” My spine stiffens, knowing they discussed it. Discussed me. There was a part of me that hoped she’d forget all about the offer. But there was a larger part that hoped she’d remember.

I don’t know why I wanted her to say yes to the one-on-one lessons so badly, but the feeling of anticipation annoyed me all weekend.

Noah wipes the sweat from his neck with the back of his hand. “Yeah. I told her I want to do it.”

“Okay.”

I inhale a deep breath that I hope he doesn’t notice, then search the bleachers for Andie. She’s not always here, sometimes an older woman brings Noah. But much to my stupid heart’s delight, I find her easily in the small crowd. The entire place is dim and grey, worn out from all the kids and skaters coming in and out of the rink. But Andie is the bright spot in this place, shining like the sun on a dreary day.

Okay, a really mouthy sun.

“I’ll find her after practice and we’ll get things set up.” My heart speeds up at the thought of another sparring match with the small but mighty Andie. I must be a glutton for punishment because the idea of his big sister roasting me with one of her sassy one-liners makes me way too excited.

With another nod from Noah, he skates off.

* * *

Once practice is over and I’ve changed, I leave the locker room to find a certain sassy blonde, but I don’t have to search for long. Andie’s twinkly, brown eyes find me instead. If you lined up twenty women in front of me and covered everything but their eyes, I’d pick Andie’s out easily.

She smirks, and it hits me like the punch I got from Ilya during our fight. The few interactions I’ve had so far with Andie, she’s either been gawking at me like I’m insane, or yelling at me in frustration. But this small smile isn’t an expression I’ve had the privilege of seeing yet, and that deep dimple in her left cheek makes my knees weak. She’s wearing blue scrubs again, so I can only assume she works at a hospital, which explains her not being here some days.

Andie sidles up next to me, trying to match her steps with mine as she follows me outside the rink into the lobby of the iceplex. Her short legs don’t stand a chance of keeping up with me. Legs I found impossible not to stare at in those black leggings she was wearing during our last conversation… Trust me, Andie is strong. Her quads give mine a run for their money, and that’s saying something.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the thoughts away. When was the last time a woman made my head spin? Maybe never.

She starts talking as we walk, “Alright, Big Man. If I’m being honest, I’m unsure about you and Noah working together, but he seemed okay with it, so I’ll give you a chance.” She pauses.

Give me a chance. I stop once we’re out of the way of the crowd that’s trying to leave the rink. For once in my life, I have to fight the urge to smile. Anyone but this woman would likely sell their own arm to get an NHL player to work with their kid one-on-one. But not her.

“I mean, if the offer still stands?” she adds quickly.

I pull my phone out of my jeans pocket and ask, “What’s your number? I’ll save it and text you about times that will work.”

Her cheeks pinken, and damn if it’s not the cutest look on her. I wish she’d smile again so I could see her dimple.

Andie rattles her number off then adds, “It might be challenging with my work schedule, but I’ll try to make it work.”

“What do you do?” I ask before I can stop the words from coming out.

My desire to know everything about her is almost overwhelming, but I shouldn’t be asking her personal questions, I shouldn’t be getting close to her.

“Oh, I’m a critical care nurse.” She smiles again, giving me another view of the dimples I’d easily become addicted to. “I’m PRN now that I’m Noah’s guardian, so my schedule is flexible… sort of.”

Now that she’s Noah’s guardian. I want to ask more questions and get a clearer idea about what happened to their parents, but I hold them back.

“Okay.” I scratch the back of my head and look down at Andie’s sneakers. I’ve always been bad at knowing how to end conversations, and I usually just abruptly walk away. But for unknown reasons, I care about Andie’s opinion of me.

When I turn my attention to her face again, I notice she’s looking at my bicep. Withholding a smirk of my own, I bring my arm back down to my side. She continues tracking the movement of my arm, and I realize she’s studying my tattoos. I deflate a little, knowing she wasn’t ogling my muscles like I thought. Andie blinks her eyes a few times and those chocolate orbs meet my gaze again.

She pops a hip out and rests a fist on it. I try not to notice the enticing curves there.

“You promise to be nice to my brother?” Her voice has that same sassy undertone that it did the first day I saw her. But I think she’s trying to be nice to me for once.

My mouth pulls up in a smile, using facial muscles I don’t normally use. It feels weird, but also nice. “One pre-teen boy is nothing after working with eight of them. I think I can handle it.”

“Alright. I’d hate to come out there and mother you again.” Her eyes are fierce, but her mouth quavers like she’s trying not to laugh.