Page 36 of The Dating Contract

Leah nodded, feeling the pull of those freaking pieces of string. But instead of saying that, she shoved it aside. “Interesting,” she said instead. “But now, let’s watch some little girls fall in love with hockey.”

And she wasn’t, under any circumstances, going to fall in love with him. Again.

Chapter Eleven

Practice had beenwonderful. Samuel had really enjoyed watching the excited little girls get their first taste of hockey, including the little babysitting with someone who’d been introduced as Leah’s client.

“What did you think?” Leah asked as they walked outside. There was expectancy in her eyes, as if she was looking for him to say something in particular.

“I can see letters dancing in my head,” he said before stopping and realizing she didn’t speak Samuel anymore. “I mean, it was amazing and inspiring and wonderful.”

Leah nodded. “I’m glad it was what you were looking for.”

“More than that,” he said, concerned she was thinking this solely had been an assignment. “I mean…” He shook his head in order to try to keep himself from gushing. “I understood why the program was getting an award before. I really understand now.”

“I’m glad,” she said, and if that wasn’t approval in her voice he’d eat his socks. He wanted her approval for many reasons, but more importantly, he wanted to make sure she knew he was a different person.

“Me too,” he said.

She laughed and then paused. “Now what? I mean when do you have to be there tomorrow? When do you need to leave?”

He blinked, then realized he had to give her an important update. “Can you drive?”

“I thought you were going to,” she said, “but I can.”

“Something happened,” he said, realizing he’d probably lost whatever point she’d given him. “I do owe you a ride back to the city or to Briarwood, but I can’t do it today.”

This time, her nod was of understanding; he still spoke Leah after all. “Okay. Do you need to get anything from your parents’ house or are we good to go?”

He shook his head, pointing to his messenger bag. “I have everything. Whatever I don’t have, either my brother can bring back when he comes to the city or I can get, or you know, buy.”

“Okay then,” she said as they headed to the car. And as she got in, organized herself in the driver’s seat she looked at him in a way that knocked his socks off. “What’s the story?”

“My brother,” he said as he settled into the passenger seat of Leah’s car. “He’d promised Tommy a nice weekend outing, only to be thwarted by his car.”

Leah nodded as she pulled out onto the main street. “You couldn’t stand in the way. Okay.”

He smiled back at her. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem.”

And as she pulled onto the highway that would take them back to the city, Leah rolled the windows down and turned up the music.

The song was…a cover, he was sure. The guitars were softer in the original, but the fun, pop punk cover suited them and their mood, and the road seemed to obey their whims; the highway was open, not as many cars as he’d expect on a Saturday night.

The irony, of course, was that the song was about a guy who couldn’t let an old love go. And he was singing it in the car with Leah.

“We haven’t done this in a long time,” she said.

Her expression was vulnerable, her words on the border of…something. Surrender to questions about their past? All he knew was that it was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her, which was saying a lot for someone behind the wheel of a car and an expression he couldn’t fully see.

But even in a partial view, her smile did something to his insides. “It feels nice,” he said.

“It does.” She paused and he wondered what was going through her head. “I guess I’m glad your brother took your car?”

Right. Fortuitous circumstances brought on by…technical difficulties. “Me too,” he said.

“So,” she began as the music changed again. “What should I expect for tomorrow? Is it going to be like the expo where I show up with armor and a sword, ready to come to your aid?”

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