Page 62 of Scores Of The Heart

If any two co-workers are starting a relationship, it needs to be put in writing to the team board. And again, certain conduct measures are required to not interfere with work purposes. It’s a whole different avenue for team doctors and the like, but I skim past that. I’m needing to know how that relates to players and administration staff.

It takes me a second before I see Andrea clicking her fingers in my face and I snap out of my trance, jumping back in my seat.

“Wakey, wakey,” she says with a giggle.

I sigh, flipping my glasses up on top of my head, running my hands across my face.

I’m so damned bug eyed from reading so many pages over and over. But it comes as a relief that I’m clarifying things for myself. It’s not like I’ve studied these policies in-depth before. I’ve never needed to until now.

“Sorry, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in this paperwork.”

“Are you still dancing around the fact that seeing Tyler might not be the worst thing in the world to happen to you?” She gives me a pointed look.

“It’s a little more complicated than that. Tyler’s the captain. There are expectations,” I say in an ultra-low whisper. “But it’s getting harder, Andrea. I have to admit.”

“I don’t know how you stand it,” she says. “He can practically make a girl melt from one glance alone. Not that I’ve been looking, but come on already!”

“I know, right? And I think he wants to date me.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed.”

“I’m thinking of the implications, not for any other reason, trust me. I have to think of my family, my dad especially, and what the press would do. I’m sure the gossip would circulate pretty fast.”

“But who cares if you really care about each other? Unless you just wanna bone him?”

I gasp and stare up at her. “Andrea!”

She waves it off. “Oh, come on. Like you haven’t thought about it.”

I feel the heat in my cheeks. Of course I have. I want him, there’s no doubt about it. But it’s a scary thought letting anyone in, given my past.

He’s so big and manly, and everything I’ve been warned about my entire life.

“We just have to be careful,” I say. “And if we are going to date, we need to sit down with my dad and talk to him first. He wouldn’t appreciate finding out about us from someone else. ”

Andrea sighs, sympathetically. “Well, good luck with that.”

“Thanks,” I groan. “But surely my dad, of all people, knows Tyler is a good guy.”

“You have a point. Maybe it won’t be so bad?”

It’s good to know my friends are gung-ho.

Susie, Maddison, and Em are no better when we meet up at Piccolo’s restaurant on the waterfront overlooking Elliot’s Bay a few nights later. I haven’t seen Em in a while. After she moved to Florida six years ago when she split with Taylor, our visits were a little scanty, but we’ve always kept in touch.

Maddison has always been fun to be around. She has a good energy, and is sporty looking with a classic Miami tan, and golden blonde curls. Em is the tallest out of all of us, and she always has been through college, standing at five ten with flaming red hair. She hasn’t changed a bit since college. We settle into a booth and Em fills us in on what’s been happening since we saw her last.

I know she’s nervous about going to the game on Friday, because of Taylor and their past, but we try to assure her it’ll be fine. Taylor and Em were always on another level of their own altogether. I’m interested to see how everything plays out when they see each other.

“There’s another reason Cindy is so inclined to drag us all along to the game…” Susie chortles as we tuck into our meals.

I give Susie a nudge, feeling a little nervous now she’s brought that up from nowhere.

I haven’t had a chance to even talk to Em about the whole new Tyler thing.

“Hey, that’s a secret, remember!”

“What secret?” Em probes after her and Mads share a look.

---