“I did. It was pretty great.” He was pretty great.
We walked as the winter wind whipped around us, instantly freezing me to my bones.
“Cosa sta succedendo tra te e quell ragazzo?” She nudged me with her elbow.
“What’s going on between us?” I wanted to scream that his arms around me felt like everything. “Nothing, really. I’m off to my next nursing tour, and he’ll be playing hockey.” I hoped with everything in me it wasn’t true.
“He’s smitten with you,” she sang.
My laughter cut through the brisk night air. “I can be pretty cool. But smitten, I don’t know.”
She squeezed my hand. “Oh, honey, it was written all over his face.” We reached the car. “Shoot, Fern, I left my gloves at our table. Would you be a dear, and go get them?”
Her raised brows told me it was anything but an accident. “Yes, I’ll be right back.” I focused on appearing to be laid back, walking at an average speed of an average human because if I was alone, I’d be hurdling cars to get to the only person I wanted to see.
She yelled. “I’ll pull up to the door.”
Once back to the banquet room there was only Gabe and a woman wearing a deep green wrap dress and high heel black boots. Her hair was wavy, blonde, and she was laughing like a freaking hyena as they boxed up Minnesota Wild banners.
Their backs were toward me, and as much as I hated it, jealousy floated to the surface as I watched her say something quietly to him.
“That’s probably a bad idea.” He laughed and continued to fold another banner.
I had no right to feel what was boiling up. He wasn’t mine. Well, maybe for a bit, but not forever. This was his life. He was a professional athlete with women around every corner.
Dave had told me some stories about the fans and the length they would go to get what they wanted. It was likely a dream come true for most single players. Who could want more than big-busted women throwing themselves at them?
Then the woman bent over practically putting her ass in Gabe’s face. I realized I was quickly running out of reasons to not stab somebody and needed to get out of there.
I then made the perfect exit, and he never knew I was there. But that’s not what happened. In typical Fern fashion, I turned too quickly and smashed my face in the door that was next to me.
“Shit!”
“Fern?”
I heard his voice, but the stars and little yellow birdies circling my head blocked my view. “I’m fine, really. Uh, my mom forgot her gloves.”
“Are you okay?” The hussy in the dress that barely contained her big old knockers wrinkled her nose at me. Witch.
“I’m good, really.”
“Fern, this is Selena. She helps the Wild with promotional events.”
I nodded, wishing I could disappear in a poof of smoke. “Nice to meet you.”
“Selena, thanks for everything, I’ll just haul the boxes back to the arena tomorrow.”
She put her hands on her waist as a smile as sweet as maple syrup on crack made its way across her lips. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Thanks for all of your help tonight.”
“Anytime.”
She grabbed her purse from the table and shimmied her way out the door. Sayonara.
He took my hand and gently pushed my bottom into a chair. “It looks like Doctor Gabe is ready for service.”
My stomach plummeted to the floor when he dropped to his knees in front of me and touched my lips with his. After a long moment, he pulled away and pushed a piece of hair off my face. “No blood, just a bright red mark. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt too much.”
