Page 15 of Love in Overtime

We walk out of the Bistro together, and a crisp breeze hits me immediately.

“It’s so beautiful here,” I say.

“It’s nice if you like a lot of nature,” he says. “I’m a city boy through and through.”

“Oh, city life is great, don’t get me wrong,” I agree. “This is just a nice change of pace.”

“I’m surprised there isn’t a big farmers market right in the middle of town,” he says, holding out his arms.

“There is on Saturday and Sunday,” I exclaim. “My friend Keira runs it.”

“Of course there is,” he says. “Although, I do like a good farmers market. They have the best stuff. Everything is always so fresh.”

I smile. “Good to know. I’ll add it to your schedule. It’ll be another opportunity for you to interact with town residents and your fans.”

He groans and throws his head back. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Too late,” I tell him. We stroll along the sidewalk, neither of us in a hurry to get anywhere.

“Anyway, I think I’ll head back to the arena and enjoy the calm before the storm,” Cooper says.

I laugh. “That’s probably a good idea. I’m not sure what to expect because I’ve never spent weeks with a bunch of hockey players.”

He shakes his head. “Oh, you’ll figure it out very quickly, especially with the variety of personalities who will be arriving in the next twenty-four hours.”

“You make it sound so ominous,” I tell him.

“It might be.” The sound of his phone ringing interrupts him.

He glances at his phone and then excuses himself to answer the call.

I try not to watch as he walks toward the arena. The good news is I feel like we had a productive meeting, and other than my pulse spiking when I touched his hand, I’m hopeful for a successfulprofessionalpartnership.

CHAPTER 5

COOPER

This is all for the kids of Happy Horizons Ranch. That’s what I keep telling myself. It’s the Ice Breakers’ first official day of practice. Overall, we have a good group of players on this all-star team—it could have been so much worse. Hopefully, pure skill and talent will carry us through the next few weeks. I know some of the guys on the team better than others, but of course I’m probably the least social of all the players. Something I’m totally comfortable with. There’s not enough time in the day for everyone to fight over the spotlight, so I’ll happily bow out.

Regardless of this, I’m glad to spend the next several hours on the ice. If only I could get some rest. Usually I have no issues with sleep, but since arriving in this town, I’ve been restless. It could be all the fresh air, or it could be because I can’t stop thinking about Blair. I’ve made the biggest mistake someone in my position can make. I know we can’t control who we are attracted to, but I’ve always been able to shut off my emotions. I’m a little freaked out about how in such a short amount of time I’ve become so captivated by Blair. I’ve never experiencedanything like this before and it's really caught me off guard. Of course I know I need to maintain a level of professionalism. It doesn’t help that she’s beautiful and positive and she doesn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by my moodiness. At least not yet. The good news is, I’ll be preoccupied today. When I’m playing, I can shut everything else out.

As soon as I arrive at the rink, our coach, Doug Strickland, is already barking orders. I’ve had some of the toughest coaches in the league, so this doesn’t faze me one bit. This guy sounds like a softie compared to others out there. Scotty MacFarland is standing with him, while Dan Roberts and our goalie, Dawson Hayes, have already hit the ice. I think I remember those two being good friends.

“Cooper Montgomery, you actually made it,” Coach Strickland says when he sees me, his tone grave.

I’m not sure what he means by that greeting. Maybe he didn’t think I’d show up. In his defense, it was a possibility if it weren’t for Estelle and Blair joining forces. Like I said, I didn’t stand a chance with those two conspiring together.

“Morning, Coach.”

He struts over to me, and I immediately notice he’s aged quite a bit since the last time I saw him, which has probably been several years.

“So, I received a fruit basket from your publicist, Blair Radcliffe. I think that’s a first in my career.”

Um, what?

I’m not sure how to read Coach’s reaction, but he seems both confused and appreciative. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but for some reason a fruit basket seems like something Blair would do, even though I don’t know her that well.

“Hmm … the only thing I can tell you is she’s only been mypublicist for a few weeks, and I just met her for the first time a few days ago. I know nothing about a gift.”

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