Page 60 of Rowdy Hearts

She nodded, biting her lip as if trying to keep herself from saying more.

“Yeah. She’s a singer.”

She said that like maybe I was supposed to know her, but the only Tiffany singer I knew was older than forty, and her sister couldn’t be.

“A good one?”

Her nose crinkled in a way that made me want to kiss her and roll her back to the floor and start loving her again. Fucking adorable.

“Not good enough. I mean, yes, she can sing, but she’ll never be great.”

“Do you sing?”

Another face. “Yes. But again, not good enough to be more than…okay. If you know what I mean.”

I nodded. “Story of my life, Princess.”

Her brow creased. “What do you mean?”

Shit, I didn’t want to make this about me, but she’d asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I love hockey, but if my dad didn’t own the team, I wouldn’t be playing.”

Her mouth twisted. “No way. I saw you tonight. You were one of the best players out there.”

Yeah, the compliment sounded great coming from her, but I was a realist. “There’s a reason I haven’t moved up another level.”

“Have you tried?”

Tricky question with a tricky answer, but I didn’t want to shut her down.

“Once. Went to an open tryout for an ECHL team.” My turn to shrug. “Didn’t make it. And the Devils actually had a winning season that year.”

“And you never tried again?”

“No. Why would I? I’ve got my team here.”

“And you’re happy.”

It wasn’t a question, but I nodded anyway.

“Yeah. I’m happy.” And if I wasn’t ecstatic every day… Hell, no one was. Didn’t mean I was going to abandon my team and run off to chase a pipe dream. “Aren’t you?”

“Most days. I mean, no one’s happy all the time, right?”

When she said it like that… I wanted to tell her she deserved to be happy all the time. That, if she let me, I’d try to make her happy every damn day.

But I couldn’t just blurt that out. She’d run so far and so fast, I’d never see her again. Hell, we’d only met yesterday. I’m not stupid, but I can be too much sometimes. I know that. I also know she’ll think it’s too soon. Which is why I keep my damn mouth shut.

For, like, a second.

“You can try, though.”

She looked like she wanted to say something, something I probably wouldn’t like, then she must have thought better of it.

“Sure, you can try.”

Sighing, she looked away, toward our clothing lying in a haphazard pile on the floor.

“I think it’s time for me to go.”

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