Page 83 of A Whole New Trick

I smile softly. “I just like you,” I admit, taking a page from his book about not hiding my feelings. “I like you a lot.”

His lips curl. “Good. Because I hate to break it to you, Caldwell, but you’re stuck with me.”

God, I hope so.

I run my hands in his hair and dip my head to kiss him. “I’m counting on it.”

“Doyou have the latest macro plans for incoming rookies trying out for the team next season?” My coworker, Nate, asks me from the cubicle behind me.

I spin in my rolling chair to see him leaning over the gray half-wall separating our desks. “Yes, I emailed it out this morning.”

“Weird.” He frowns. “I didn’t get it.”

“Let me check that I included you in the recipients.” I turn back to my computer and open my email.

“Ugh, the internet is down.” I refresh the page and see that the email I sent this morning is sitting in my outbox.

“Try restarting your computer?” Nate suggests.

I’m not IT, but I don’t have any other ideas. I power off my computer and wait for it to come back on.

Nate hovers over the cubicle wall. “So… that was a crappy game last night, huh?”

My lips flatten. “Yeah, it was.”

“Think Larson will be able to play in two days in North Carolina?”

“I hope so.”

A loaded silence follows. My computer dings when it powers back on.

“Do you think the team will push his trade request through after this mess? I hope not. Last night proved we’d be screwed without him.”

I type in my credentials. “What makes you think Dane put in a trade request?

“Oh, shit. You didn’t know?”

I straighten and face my coworker. I tell myself to keep my composure, but my emotions are running high. I’ve been on edge all day, waiting for someone to ask about Dane punching Aaron. Part of me even expected Dr. Gaines to call me into his office to discuss the matter.

But nothing could have prepared me to hear Dane could be traded.

Calmly, I ask, “What have you heard?”

Nate’s features tighten. “I’m sorry, Morgan. I thought you’d know, seeing as you’re dating Larson.”

“What trade request, Nate?” I press. “What are you talking about?”

To Nate’s credit, he looks visibly uncomfortable. He wasn’t looking to cause trouble. Too bad for him; I’m not letting him off without telling me everything he knows.

“Before playoffs, there was a rumor that Dane’s agent told the Ranchers he wanted to explore trade options,” Nate reveals.

My stomach twists. “What else?”

The way Nate avoids my gaze tells me there’s more.

“Uh. Well.” He runs a hand over his short hair. “I heard he only put in the request after he heard he was being given a team nutritionist. Apparently, he wasn’t happy about it.”

That’s not news.

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