Page 6 of Tame the Player

CATHERINE

I usually don’t give hope to a patient like I am right now, but I think Holden Gray needs it. I help people every day, and it’s not lost on me how important this is to him. Baseball is his whole life, and I can respect the fact he wants to retire on his own terms. I get that he doesn’t want any regrets and all that.

He’s taken aback by my statement, but there’s no skepticism when he says, “Okay, so when can you move in and get started?”

We’re too close. This room feels like it’s closing in on me. “Do you care if we move back to the living room?”

Without question, he walks out of the room, and I follow behind him. I try to ready my speechon the way so that by the time we make it to the living room, I blurt out, “I live just fifteen minutes from here. I can come here for our appointments.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “The position is for a live-in physical therapist. And you said it would be a whole body regimen, so I’m assuming it would be every day. It makes sense that you would stay here.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I will pay for the inconvenience, and of course you’d be paid for being here full-time.”

I don’t even have to think about it. “No.”

His jaw tightens, and it’s obvious that people don’t usually tell him no. He doesn’t like it. “Why?”

I point at a chair. “Can we sit down and talk about this?”

“Shit, yeah, I’m sorry. Sit down. Can I get you a drink or anything?”

I rest my hands on my knees. “No, I’m fine. Holden, I can’t stay here because like I told you, I have a thirteen-year-old son.”

He gestures to the ceiling. “I should have shown you around. I have four guestrooms. You and your son could each have a room here.”

I hesitate but only because I’m trying to think ofanother tactic. For a high-profile client like this, it makes sense to have a live-in therapist. It’s been done before, so it’s not out of the ordinary or anything, and heck, Cole would love the idea of staying here with his idol, but I can’t give in. I need to keep everything as professional as I can. Holden Gray has the reputation of being a charmer, and he’s very handsome. It’s a given that I’m attracted to him because who wouldn’t be? And it’s not like I don’t trust myself because I know I can be professional, but why even put myself in this position? Nope, it doesn’t matter if it’s more convenient, I need to keep my distance.

He’s smiling, and I have to look away because somehow he’s even better looking when he smiles. “You’re considering it.”

“No.”

He sits down on the coffee table in front of me. “Why not?”

“I’m not uprooting my son for two months.”

He holds up one finger and starts counting off. “One, I can help your son with technique while you’re here. Two, I would take care of room, board, regular twenty-four-hour pay, and a twenty thousand dollar bonus.”

I start to panic. It’s the deal of a lifetime, andmy son would die if he knew I was turning this down. “No.”

“Thirty thousand dollars.”

He’s talking nonsense now. “What? Why? If you’re ready to pay that kind of money, then you can hire a sports therapist. Someone that works regularly with professional athletes.”

“I want you.”

It’s like a jolt to my system. Why does my heart do a little flip in my chest? “I uh… why?”

He leans forward, and our knees are almost touching. “Well, let’s see. Why would I want you to be in charge of my therapy? You performed hand therapy on Doctor Trent when he had tendons cut in his hand in a car accident. He’s the top heart surgeon in the South, and he trusted you with his hands. He’s been back at work for three years and has saved countless lives since then.”

My mouth drops, but he’s not done yet. “You were in charge of the therapy for Josh Chambers, the running back for the Jasper Eagles.”

I can’t hold back my shock on this one. “That was all done on the down-low. No one was supposed to know about that.”

“Josh told me about it and said you saved his career. I want the best, Catherine, and that’s you. Iwant to play again, and I see the passion on your face when you talk about your job and what you can do. I want to do this with you.”

Say no. Say no.That’s what I’m repeating in my head, but I can feel myself giving in. “I would have to talk to my son first. I can’t make this kind of decision without talking to him.”

---