Page 97 of Offside Attraction

Jordan breathed a silent sigh of relief. “That’s the one.”

“Sad to see a friendship shredded like that. They’re going to need each other.”

Jordan blew out a breath. “Yeah.”

“Well, thanks for looking out for these boys. I’ll see what we can do.”

Jordan's grip on the steering wheel relaxed. “Great. Appreciate that.” He expected Curtis to end the call, but instead he cleared his throat.

“Uh . . . I just wanted to say, I’m open—I mean, some of us are open—to talking about our teams as well.”

Jordan blinked, staring at the road bending in front of him. “Not sure what you mean, bud.”

“Snowballs. Pucks Deep.”

Jordan couldn’t think of a damn thing to say to that. Luckily he didn’t have to because Curtis was talking again.

“We got our asses handed to us the other night. Might be good to clear the air.”

Jordan almost laughed. He had to be talking about Rhonda. “That would be good. I’ll talk to the guys and see what we can set up."

“Right. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” Jordan pressed the button on his steering wheel, then hit the brakes. He’d been so focused on the conversation, he almost missed his exit into Canmore.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Rhonda

Rhonda stood at her door,gripping her overnight bag, hot pink with black leopard spots and a bright blue zipper. It was her staple for weekend getaways. She quickly rifled through the contents of her bag, making sure she had everything she needed. She'd packed in a rush, so her mind ran through the list. Toothbrush, makeup, a change of clothes, and her favourite shampoo and conditioner. A hot water bottle for her feet—they were always freezing. Her silk hair wrap so her curls didn’t go insane while she slept.

Anne’s car pulled into the driveway, and she hurried out the door, locking it behind her. She jogged down the steps and climbed into the passenger seat.

Anne grinned at her. "Ready?"

"A hundred percent." She tossed her bag into the back seat, and Anne reversed back onto the street. Maybe she should’ve said ninety percent. She was excited to spend time with them, but there was a part of her that wished she could be with Jordan. Anne would’ve understood, she’d ditched them plenty of times to see Gary. But Anne had been so amped about this weekend. Rhonda couldn’t say no.

Rhonda turned in her seat. Anne was dressed in a pair of black leggings and a cozy waffle knit top. "How far to the cabin?”

Anne shrugged. “Should only be forty-five minutes or so.”

Rhonda adjusted her seat. "Where did you say it was?"

Anne focused on the road. "It's just outside of Canmore. I think you'll love it." She turned her head, a bright smile on her face. "So, how was your week?"

Rhonda told her about the ongoing discussions with Rocky Ridge, then about her meetings up north. Community pharmacies were about to take major pay cuts after the government promoted opening pharmacist walk-in clinics because of the physician shortage. Rhonda was working to support them, and she was grateful Cantra was making it a priority, as well.

Anne filled her in on all the things they’d been cramming in with Melissa while she was in town. Rhonda felt a little guilty about not being around for that, but Melissa wasn’t leaving until after the new year.

She’d never apologized for making her work a priority, but she had been seeing things differently as of late. What was the point of getting promoted if it didn’t allow her to live the life she wanted? It had never been about her setting boundaries, it had been that she didn’t know which boundaries to set.

“Do you miss all the excitement?” Anne asked, lifting her water from the cupholder and taking a sip from the straw.

“Of . . . ?”

“You know, meeting new people.”

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