Page 21 of The Rebound Play
“Where are you rushing off to so quickly?” he asks in that smooth-as-butter voice of his.
“Oh, Dan. Hi. I didn’t see you there,” I lie. “Did you come in to see your sister? She’s so great. I love Emmy. And this shop is amazing. I love it here, but then you know I’m a total book nerd. The coffee is good, too. I just met a friend, but now I’ve got to go. Places to see and people to do.”
I’m babbling worse than a brook.
His lips quirk. “Isn’t that ‘places to go and people to see’?”
Dang it!
I shrug nonchalantly. “I think you can say it either way, actually.”
“Well, you’d know. You’ve always been the smart one.”
I slide my gaze to his before I remember how dangerous it is to look into this man’s eyes. I pull my lips into a smile. “I’ll let you catch up with your sister.” I begin to walk around him.
“Actually, I saw Ellie at the arena today. She’s Hannah’s teacher these days, right”
“Yup.”
“She mentioned you like to come to the bookstore sometimes. Since I was coming here to surprise my sister, I was hoping to bump into you, too.”
“Me?” My voice comes out all breathy and full of hope, and I swear my pulse ceases its rhythmic beating for a moment. “What’s up?”
“I need to apologize for the other day.”
On what planet does he need to apologize to me?
“You do?”
“Yeah. It was clear I put my foot in it with Benny and the whole hockey thing.”
Benny. Right.
“Don’t worry about it,” I reply with a wave of my hand. “Benny’s doing just fine.”
I’m not about to tell Dan we can’t afford for Benny to play ice hockey as well as for Hannah to have figure skating lessons. Ice hockey is not a cheap sport. Not only are there lessons, but it’s all the gear, too. With Clara unable to hold down a job with her health challenges, I’m the sole breadwinner of the household, and although I love my job, it doesn’t exactly provide an NHL star’s level of income. Not even close.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I talked to Ellie about Benny, and she mentioned that there’s a team he could join. But she recommended he have some lessons first.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he keeps talking.
“She also mentioned that Benny is your nephew, not your son.”
My protective shield has been ripped from my hands, leaving me vulnerable. Which is so not where I want to be around this man.
“Oh, you thought that he was my son? How funny,” I say on a laugh.
“I did, actually. Crazy, right?”
“Benny and Hannah are Clara’s kids. I’m their aunt,” I explain, feeling a touch guilty I let him think otherwise. But come on! When it comes to protecting herself, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
His face breaks into a knee-weakening smile, and I dig my nails into my palms to stop myself from doing something I may regret. Something like telling him how I feel about him and throwing myself into his arms and kissing his face off.
Not what I need to be doing right now.
“That’s what Ellie said. She also said that you bring Hannah to all her lessons.”
“Clara can do with the help. She’s a single mom these days.”