Page 29 of Love in Overtime

I find a bench away from the crowds and scroll through my phone until I reach Sophie’s number.

She answers on the second ring.

“Do you have some good news for me?” she asks. “Did you find the yummy small-town firefighter, and does he have a brother?”

I giggle. She’s really hooked on the firefighter idea. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“What? How can there be no eligible men in that town?”

I’m quiet for a few seconds. “Well, I didn’t say that.”

“Blair Elizabeth Radcliffe, I demand you tell me what’s going on.”

“Whoa. You’re using my full name, so you must mean business.”

“Heck yeah. Spill it.”

I exhale slowly. “I did meet someone.”

“I knew it,” she shouts excitedly. You’d think she just won the lottery.

“There’s a problem. He’s kind of off-limits.”

“What? Oh no, does he have a girlfriend or a wife? Blair?—”

“It’s my client,” I blurt out.

I hold my breath while I wait for a lecture.

“The hockey star? Are you telling me you’re interested in Cooper Montgomery?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa. I didn’t expect that.”

“Neither did I,” I tell her. “I don’t know what to do because it could ruin everything. I just started working with him. I don’t want to put us in an awkward situation.”

“Do you think he feels the same?” she asks. “Has he even shown any emotion? Cooper is hot, but he always looks so stone-cold serious.”

The image of Cooper smiling at me flashes through my mind.

“Underneath the tough exterior is a whole other side of him. I’ve seen glimpses of it since we’ve been here.”

“Ohhh, this isn’t just a little crush, is it? You have fallen for your client,” she exclaims. “That’s such an un-Blair thing to do.”

She’s right. Normally I’m so laser-focused on my career that I wouldn’t let something like this happen. Which reminds me, I should probably check in at the signing table.

“Anyway, I need to figure out how to handle this,” I tell her. “If I give in, I could destroy everything. But I’m not sure how I can continue to work so closely with him. We almost had a moment a few days ago. I think he was going to kiss me, and I panicked.”

“It sounds like Cooper might have some feelings for you also. Maybe you two need to have a talk?”

“Maybe … anyway, I need to get back to work. I just needed to tell someone.

“Girl, you know I’m always here.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Please do. And if you really want my advice, I say go for it. Maybe you guys will be one of those couples who work and play well together. It can happen.”

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