“Oh, boy. Beware. This guy is the biggest flirt around,” Emilia said.
“Hey, don’t be a hater, Em. It’s called being friendly.” He flashed his smile at me, showing off his perfectly white teeth.
“Nice to meet you.”
He raised his beer bottle and clinked it with mine. “It’s definitely nice to meet you.”
I chuckled, and my gaze moved across the bar to find Clark’s eyes on me as he finished his whiskey.
Emilia turned to chat with some friends when they pulled up chairs at our table.
“So, you grew up here?” I asked Brett.
“I did. Left for college and law school and just moved back last year,” he said.
“You missed home, huh?”
“My dad is battling cancer, so I wanted to be here.” His gaze softened, and he looked away briefly, before forcing a smile when he turned back to me.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m guessing you two are close?”
“Yes. We have our moments,” he chuckled. “But he’s a good guy. And my mom isn’t handling it well, so I knew coming home would help.”
“How is he doing now?”
“He’s actually doing a lot better. The chemo seems to be helping. We’re just taking it one day at a time right now.”
I nodded. “That’s great news. I hope he continues to stay on this path to recovery.”
I knew how tough it was to watch a family member suffer. My mom had battled cancer when I was young, and those last few months with her were still etched in my memories.
“Yeah, me too. So, where is home for you?” he asked.
“I currently live in San Francisco. I work for the San Francisco Lions.”
“No shit. I’m guessing you’re here for their star player, Clark Chadwick, huh?” he asked, and I didn’t miss the way his jaw flexed at the mention of Clark.
“Yes. I’m the team physical therapist, but I’m also a certified athletic trainer, so I’m getting him ready for the season.”
“Yeah, he sustained a pretty bad knee injury in that final game, right?”
“Well, for most, it would be brutal, but for Clark, it’s more of a mild inconvenience,” I chuckled.
“Ahhh… I see we’re a big Clark Chadwick fan.” He rolled his eyes.
“I’m his physical therapist and a member of the team, so I’m a fan of all of our players. But from the standpoint of rehabbing an injury, he’s the kind of athlete you want to work with. He puts in the work and doesn’t complain, which is a rarity most of the time,” I chuckled, trying to make light of it. “I get the feeling you’re not a fan?”
“Let’s just say we have a history, and we don’t speak anymore.”
Interesting.
“It sounds like some small-town drama.” I arched a brow.
“Yeah, you could call it that. But I have a beautiful woman sitting with me tonight, and the last thing I want to do is talk about Clark Chadwick.”
I took a sip of my beer. “What would you like to talk about?”
“I want to hear about you. Where you grew up? If you have siblings? How long you’re staying?” He paused, and the corners of his lips turned up. “If you’ll have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
