Page 7 of Offside Attraction

Rhonda laughed. “We’ve been talking about this since August.”

“I know, but now I’m really thinking about it.”

“Darker for fall?” Penny pulled her jet-black hair up into a ponytail.

“Maybe a balayage? Dark undertones?” Tina squinched her face.

Rhonda sighed. “You white girls have it so hard. Too many options.”

Tina rolled her eyes. “More like I’m pretty sure my hair is thinning, and I need to do something to distract myself.”

Anne took a sip of her drink. “Collagen. They sell it in bulk at Costco now . . .”

The mention of a supplement snapped Rhonda back into work mode. She let the conversation flow around her, white noise as she mentally ran through the list of meetings she needed to set up for next week. Dr. Henson in Lethbridge, Dr. Patel in Edmonton, and that new clinic in Banff. She'd been waiting for shoulder season to approach them. No ski accidents to fill up their waiting rooms for at least another few weeks.

She closed her eyes, letting the chilly air and hot water create a delicious contrast on her skin. She peeled one eye open as Emma started recapping the Snowballs game they'd gone to the night before. "I swear, I haven't seen that kind of energy this early in the season ever."

"Well, we’ve missed the cup for the past two years, and the team is damn good. We want momentum," Penny said.

Tina nodded. "It was electric. Even without Jack, the offence was solid."

“Ugh. I’m happy for him, but we need a deeper line.” Emma leaned her head back on the tub.

Rhonda shifted in the bucket seat. “Sean’s still recruiting, isn’t he?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah. Tyler’s working on it, too.”

“Brett found a guy through his AA meeting. I think he’s practicing with them next week,” Penny added. “After Pucks Deep stole—what was his name, Patrick or something?”

Emma jumped in, but again, Rhonda snapped into herself. Pucks Deep. She’d tried to avoid thinking of Jordan since the summer with some success. She hadn’t seen him again at Dusty Rose, thankfully. In her current drought, she didn’t know if she’d be strong enough to say no to another hook up.

She thought about that plenty. They’d been more than compatible, and late at night, when she was alone in some hotel waiting for a meeting the next morning, she’d been tempted more than once to look him up and slide into his DMs.

Which was the worst idea ever. They’d met up twice, and that was one time too many. Three would be bordering on a relationship, especially since they knew too much about each other at this point.

"Did you hear Jack and Delia are going to be at Sunday Supper tomorrow?" Tina reached for her water bottle.

Emma grinned. "Mom’s making her famous lasagna in celebration.”

“Has she met Delia before?” Anne asked.

Emma scoffed. “Sharla is positive they’re besties.”

Rhonda laughed. Sharla Thompson was positive she was besties with everyone. And she was right. “Didn’t you try to recreate that lasagna once?”

Emma shot her a look. “My mom won’t give me the actual recipe. She’s holding out so hers is always better.”

“Uh-huh.” Rhonda grinned and took a sip of her sparkling water. “I’m going to be bringing my world-famous bagged salad. So, be jealous.”

Anne put her feet up on the side of the tub. “You love food too much not to cook.”

“I love other people’s food. I wouldn’t like it nearly as much if I had to do all the work.” Rhonda pushed up on her knees, laughing as Tina did a quick check over the fence to make sure the neighbours weren’t out. “We don’t even have the lights on. Chill!”

Penny sat up across from her. “You just need a boyfriend who can cook.”

“She needs a boyfriend, period.”

Rhonda blew out a breath. “Fine. Get it out of your systems. We’re in, what, Q3? I haven’t had this lecture since first, so I’m overdue.”

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