Once I opened the door, the aroma was divine. I inhaled deeply, and suddenly my salad seemed a long time ago. I ordered what Josh wanted, added souvlaki and salad for myself, and promised I’d return when I could spend time figuring out what some of the more unusual items were to expand my repertoire.
My phone buzzed.
Get two of everything. Then I’ll have leftovers.
I expanded the order and scrolled through my messages while I waited for the food. Then a tap of his credit card, and I was able to leave with a couple of bags of incredible-smelling goodies.
Josh was playing with his phone when I showed up. I set the food in the back of the car and got in the driver’s seat. His stomach rumbled again.
“If it tastes half as good as it smells, I’m definitely coming here again.”
“It does. It absolutely does.”
The voice in the console told me to get moving, so I pressed the clutch and followed the instructions.
Daytime traffic was lighter than rush hour, but drivers were slower, dawdling while they figured out where they wanted to go. But eventually we arrived at our destination.
Josh pulled out another plastic card and passed it to me to scan to get into the underground parking. He directed me to a parking spot beside a big Ford pickup.
Tension leached out of my shoulders as I parked the car safely in its slot. I’d done it, without taking on any damage. Driving again had been fun, but also nerve-racking.
“You did great.” Josh grinned at me.
“I’m glad I didn’t wreck it.”
“Nah, you’re a good driver. And it’s just a car.”
The way Josh had talked about Mustangs back in high school, I was sure it was more than just a car, but it was safely parked and no longer my responsibility. I opened the door and got out. I rounded the back while Josh shoved his own door open.
“Give me a sec to get your crutches.”
He pulled himself up by his arms, biceps stretching his shirt sleeves as he gripped the roof of the car. I tried not to ogle him and managed to wrestle the crutches out. I shut the back door most of the way so I could pass them to him.
While he propped them under those muscular arms, I grabbed my bag and the bags of food. Josh shuffled forward awkwardly in the tight space between vehicles and closed his door.
I backed away, letting him mostly hop till he had enough space to deploy his crutches.
“Thanks, Katie. Appreciate this.”
“No problem.” I was about to pass him his food when I realized that he might not be able to handle it as well as the crutches. Plus, the food was jumbled up together. After smelling it all the way here, I didn’t want to lose my portion. “Want me to carry this up for you?”
He shot a glance from the bags to his hands, locked on the crutches. “Would you mind? I don’t want to take up your time. You must be busy.”
Points to Josh—he’d never considered his hockey world more important than my academic one. He had mostly been punctual for our tutoring sessions, even before they became something beyond just studying. “It’s okay.”
I followed him to the elevator, not far from his car. He hit a button for the eighteenth floor once he’d crutched inside. His stomach gurgled again as the smell of the food filled the elevator.
“You must have nice views.”
“Yeah. It was weird when I moved in. My first place, after moving out, was a townhouse in Nashville. And we had that place in Halifax, remember, over the garage of Mr. Musgrove’s house? I wasn’t used to being this high up.”
“Do most of your teammates live in condos? I thought they’d have mansions somewhere.”
“More the family guys. Condo works for me. Traffic is always a bitch, so being close to the arena is nice. Plus, with all the traveling we do, no one wants to worry about shoveling snow or mowing lawns.”
The elevator dinged that we’d arrived. I held it open while he maneuvered out. Then he led the way down the hallway to the end unit. It looked like there were only a few condos on this floor.
He opened the door and stood back for me to enter. There was a roomy foyer, so I shuffled aside for him and toed off my shoes, putting them on the shoe mat, already covered with discarded footwear.
