Page 60 of Tough Score

My eyes flash back to the door when I realize who just walked in—Jaxson.

He takes a quick look around in search of someone. His easy smile lights up his face as he spots me.

The more time I spend around him, the more I can see why women left balloons and flower arrangements by his office door.

He weaves through the crowd, heading straight for me, not taking his eyes off me for a second. His dark blue scrubs with a black puffy Patagonia jacket over the top

I can't help but notice the women and a few men who rubberneck when he walks by, and I get why. He's gorgeous—tall and broad—a great soccer player and seems to be a really good guy if my gauge of him is accurate.

"Keely," he says, leaning against the bar. "This place is packed. I've never been here except during happy hour."

"Oh really? Surgeons don't get days off?" I tease, remembering what Sarah said, that he doesn't take much time off.

Aaron hands a fan a drink he ordered, and then he moves past Jaxson, giving Jaxson a spot to lean up against the bar.

"I don't take too many nights off, but I was going over case notes and needed to walk to clear my head. I figured you might be here."

The girls sitting nearby go quiet, and I can feel their gaze on us. I glance quickly at them to find that they all are sporting frowns.

A moment later, a fan walks up behind them and asks if she can get a picture with the 'girls of the Hawkeyes.' They smile, and all agree, giving Jaxson and me some privacy.

The fan's request reminds me that my father's transgressions could blow up at any time, causing not only an issue for Reeve's career but everyone else in the Hawkeyes' family. Could I live with myself if I did that to them?

Jaxson leans in closer across the bar. He smells clean, like mint with just a hint of coffee. I can already see him in his office late at night in the hospital, going on patient files, chewing gum to stay awake, and sipping on stale coffee from the last batch that the reception staff made on his floor before going home.

There's something sexy about a surgeon who cares about his work and the lives he's changing.

"Listen, Keely. There's a real reason for why I came down here. I was wondering if you'd like to grab dinner sometime."

My heart thumps against my chest at his request.

Dinner… he wants dinner.

"He's no Reeve." my brain objects.

And then, my peripheral vision, snags on the four women smiling and taking pictures with happy fans.

I don't get to have Reeve, that's a cruel truth. Not if I care about all these people in his life who are now in mine.

Jaxson is undeniably attractive, kind, and successful. If Reeve weren't in the picture, I would have already agreed, looking forward to calling Paula and telling her that Seattle is already looking up.

Then the sound of people on TV going wild, and the flashing light at the stadium cause me to glance over at the TV.

Reeve's on the screen again, sitting with the fans, wearing some hilarious homemade foam hat that a fan must have lent him.

My heart warms as I watch him on TV and then he turns around with the cameras at his back.

A piece of duct tape covers his last name and written over it in chunky black marker he wrote Mr. Woods on the back.

My belly flips and I bite down on the inside of my lip to keep my smile from growing too large.

The bar starts to laugh as people see it.

He's so happy to be with the team and to be with the fans.

This is his happy place, and I care about him too much for him to carry the burden that my father set on my shoulders. Someday, if he ever finds out he'll thank me for this.

When I look back to Jaxson, who just witnessed Reeves's stunt. He looks at me in question, and then I know my answer.

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