Page 34 of Puck Prince

“It’s none of your business,” she fires back as the doors open.

We both step into the elevator. It’s quiet, other than the listless jazz playing over the speakers. It’s the kind of quiet that eats your brain like a crazed zombie. I turn to her. “For your information, I am trying to avoid the press. And you.”

A small laugh bubbles out of her throat. Even with the smile, she still doesn’t look right. She’s even more flushed than before. “Right. And kissing a woman with a baby in broad daylight is laying low?”

“I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me! And it wasn’t even—” The elevator jolts, and we both grab the rail. “It was on the cheek, for Christ’s sake.”

Callie holds her other hand to her stomach. She legit looks like she’s about to yak all over my shoes.

I arch a brow. “I’m not gonna ask the forbidden question again, but are you…?”

“I’m fine. I just forgot to eat today, so my blood sugar is a little low.”

“You should have?—”

“I said I’m fine, Owen. My God.” The elevator opens, and she stomps out, making her way straight to Kennedy’s door as she fumbles with the keys. “You don’t need to worry about me. We aren’t friends. We’ve never met. We never fucked. You are my cousin’s shady neighbor, and you just happen to be a patient of mine. What goes on in your life is none of my concern. So just leave me out of it.” She gets the door open and gives me one last look. “Got it?”

“Sorry for being worried about you. I’m such a dick.” My words are dripping with sarcasm.

Her eyes scan my face. “Well, you don’t need to worry about me, Owen Sharpe. Because you don’t know me. And I don’t know you.”

She walks inside, slamming the door. For a second, I just stand there. She’s right: I don’t know her.

And she certainly doesn’t know me.

Now, I’m realizing for the first time there is a small part of me that thought maybe that wouldn’t always have to be the case.

12

CALLIE

“So you’re telling me that you spend all day getting up close and personal with some of the hottest hockey players in the league and haven’t been tempted to hook up with a single one of them? Girl, you have more control in those magic hands of yours than I possess in my whole body.” Kennedy’s melodramatic,woe-is-mesigh belongs in Hollywood. I have her on speaker as I pace the bathroom floor, ignoring the line of plastic sticks on the counter.

Or trying to.

The trouble is that the little sticks aren’t ignoring me. They’re staring.

Glaring.

I’m half-expecting them to stand up and launch into a sermon about my sins.

“I told you, Ken: I’m not looking for a man right now. I have—” I give the counter a side glance. “—bigger problems.”

“I’m not saying to go get wifed up, Cal. But you would greatly benefit from a hook-up right now.”

A hook-up.Right. A.k.a., exactly how I booked a nonrefundable ticket to right fucking here.

“I think I’ll pass.”

“You are the only girl I know who is constantly surrounded by hot men, yet doesn’t need any kind of physical relief from it. Ophelia can’t be that good.”

“Maybe I just don’t think about sex 24/7.”

“My God, you really are an enigma.” I can’t tell if she’s impressed or disappointed with me. “Alright, well, how’s the job going otherwise? Better than before?”

I sigh. There is at least one silver lining in my life. “I love it, actually. I was worried that working under your dad would be tricky, but it’s been great. Not awkward at all, and no one treats me like the teacher’s pet.”

“Of course not. You’re the best in the biz, baby.”

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