Page 35 of Netting the Goalie

Luckily, I couldn’t see his smile but I heard it in his quick laugh.If I’d glanced over at him, I might’ve driven off the road.

“Glad you think so.”A pause.“Be nice if the other teams thought so, too.”

I slid him a quick glance.“Why do you say that?”

His shoulders barely moved in a shrug.“Just…having a little trouble lately.I’ve been—” Another pause.“In a slump.”

“What does that mean?”

I heard him suck in a breath and, when I glanced his way again, saw him shake his head, his beautiful mouth a flat line.

“It means I’m letting my team down.”

I heard his anger and frustration so clearly, I wanted to soothe him in some way but didn’t know him well enough to know how.But I couldn’t stop myself from trying.

“Is that why you didn’t go home?”

Everything about this man intrigued me and I wanted to know every little thing about him.

Which was foolish.He wouldn’t be around long enough for me to get to know him that well.This…whatever we were doing, was just for fun.He wouldn’t in Reading forever.

And I certainly wasn’t in the market for an emotional attachment to a guy who could pick up and move across the country at the flick of a coach’s fingers.

That didn’t mean I didn’t want him to talk to me.

After a few, long seconds, he finally said, “A little, yeah.I just need some time to think.Get my head straight.”

I almost said, “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” but knew that was bullshit.Sometimes things weren’t fine and you needed to work through your issues before they got better.And sometimes they never got better and you just learned to handle them.

So I reached for his hand, resting on his knee, and laced my fingers through his.

“So you thought a Christmas Eve wedding was just the thing to take your mind off your game.”

I glanced his way again, made sure he saw me smile.

But he didn’t return it.Instead, he stared at me, even after I returned my attention to the road.I felt his gaze on me.

“Actually, you’re the one taking my mind off my game.You’re a distraction.A good one.”

Heat shot through me and I had to suck in air.“Then I’m glad I asked.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

We fell silent then but we were only a few minutes from the church so it didn’t have a chance to get awkward.

By the time I parked, we were a few minutes early but Faith’s mom’s car was on the street so I parked behind it.

Shane was already waiting at the back of my car.

“You want some help?”

I smiled again.My ex would’ve watched me struggle with my purse and the dress and my kit before asking me if I’d needed help.

What the hell had I ever seen in Rich?And why the hell was I even thinking about him now?

Shoving those thoughts aside, I nodded.“If you don’t mind, could you grab my kit?And…”

The ultimate test.I held out my clutch with an apologetic grin.

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