Page 24 of Wrong Score

I don’t have to wonder. I can almost guess with certainty. “He’s probably alone out on the ice shooting pucks into the net. It’s like his way to decompress.” I tell her, thinking of all the times I’ve seen him out on the ice.

“Ok. We can work with that. Do you have a set of skates?”

“No, I don’t. And I don’t think I’ve ice skated since we were kids. And I wasn’t very good even back then when gravity was a little nicer to me.” I never took well to ice skating, skiing, or even gymnastics.

I do pretty good on a pair of stilettos but that’s where my balancing ability starts and ends.

She shoots me a look like I’m being picky. She’s right, if I want this exclusive, Coach Bex is going to make me work for it—figures.

“I don’t have skates… but I know someone who does.”

I pick up my phone and text Penelope asking if she has a set of ice skates I can borrow. I already know that we’re the same size, and then I set my phone back down.

Penelope is going too far to happy when she finds out what I need them for. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Jordan and my sister planned this.

“He can’t be all that bad. It seems like his team respects him and the fans love him.”

I nod. "I can't deny that he's an incredible coach. The way he connects with the players, the strategies he comes up with... it's impressive. And when he lets his guard down, even for a moment, there's something about him that's just... magnetic. You should have seen him with these little boys at the restaurant." My lips pull into a wide grin at the memory of Bex crammed into the booth next to the boys.

Something about seeing him dote on those kids has me imagining him as an amazing father to some lucky kid. Or maybe that's just me projecting since I can't have kids of my own. I often see people in two different categories: good with kids or bad with kids. A habit I should break since children aren’t in my future.

Jordan nods. "Sounds like someone's got a crush on the Grinch.

I grab a handful of popcorn and toss it at her. "I do not have a crush. That kiss was a mistake. It probably happened because the air is thinner up there. My brain was being depleted of oxygen."

Jordan ducks, laughing as she throws more popcorn at me. "Right. And that's why you're blushing like a schoolgirl after her first game of seven minutes in heaven."

I stick my tongue out at her, trying to catch a piece of popcorn in my mouth. It bounces off my nose and hits Sherlock between the eyes. He’s too busy trying to eat it before I can scoop it all up.

"Okay, fine," I admit. "Maybe I'm a little attracted to him. But it doesn't matter. We're way too different, and I don't need that kind of drama. If I’m going to date someone, it needs to be the right person."

Jordan's smile fades a bit. "You mean someone who's okay with adoption."

I sigh. "Or someone who’s fine with not having kids at all. I can't go through what happened with Drew again. I don’t want to feel like I'm not enough."

"You've been through a lot, I get it. But Drew’s a fool. The right man will accept you for who you are. Don’t give up hope."

"I’m not giving up. I just want to focus on my work for now. No more talk about babies or boyfriends for a while."

Jordan reaches over, squeezing my hand. "I know, Ro. I’m not rushing you. I just want to make sure you’re not shutting out someone who could be important."

Part of her speech might be right, but thinking of that “important” someone being Bex has heat rising up my neck.

I shake the thought of the grumpy coach for now, and besides him, the dating scene feels like a complete mess. It's easier to just focus on what I can control.

"Let’s just watch our show," I say with a sigh.

Jordan grins and throws one last piece of popcorn at me. "Deal. Now, let's see if they catch this killer before I lose my mind."

I laugh and settle back into the couch, pulling Sherlock closer as Jordan hits play on the TV remote. "Ten bucks says the killer is the neighbor."

"You're on," she says.

For now, the stress of work, life, and whatever tomorrow will bring out on the rink with Bex, will have to wait. I have ten bucks to win.

Chapter Nine

Bex

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