Page 5 of Love in Overtime

“Oh, yes,” I exclaim remembering why we’re here. “Let’s get your baggage. The car should be here soon to pick us up.”

He nods as we make our way toward the escalator. Neither of us says anything, but I know from our previous discussions that he’s not very chatty. The ring on the plane story might be the most I’ve ever heard him talk. This means I’ll have to keep the conversation going, which usually isn’t a problem for me. I’m a talker.

“Today should be relaxing,” I tell him. “At some point I want to have a meeting to go over a few things. Practices start in a few days, as you know.”

“Yes,” he says.

“It’s going to be a great event,” I continue. “And the town is so pretty and quaint. Their fall events are popular, they’ve made the place famous.”

Cooper makes a face. “I doubt Pine Falls is famous.”

“MapleFalls,” I say with a giggle. For some reason he can’t remember the name of the town.

He groans. “Crap, you’re right. I don’t know why I keep doing that. You’ll have to keep me on my toes over the next few weeks. The last thing I need is to meet the mayor and call his town by the wrong name.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll definitely keep you on your toes,” I exclaim.

“Yes, I can tell,” Cooper replies, the corner of his mouth turns up slightly which unexpectedly makes my stomach do a flip.

Ugh. What was that?

Thankfully we arrive at the baggage carousel at the perfect moment. I conveniently excuse myself to contact our driver while Cooper waits for his bag. As soon as I’m a safe distance away from him, I let out an exasperated sigh as I call for our car.

“Hello.”

“Hi, this is Blair Radcliffe. Just confirming our pickup at the airport.”

I glance back to where Cooper is standing and meet his gaze almost immediately. I give him a quick wave and point to the phone.

“Yes, ma’am. Your driver is on his way—ETA ten minutes.”

“Wonderful. Thank you,” I gush.

I exhale slowly after I end the call. I’m not sure why I feel so frazzled. I’m usually calm, focused, and professional.

Seriously, Blair, get your head in the game. CooperMontgomery may be attractive, but he’s my client, which means we work together. These next few weeks could make or break my career. The last thing I need is to be swooning over a professional hockey player and his tall, muscular physique. In my defense, it’s kind of hard to ignore. Cooper stands out, and I’m only human.

It’s ironic that I was just lecturing my dad about the same thing. Of course, my dad wasn’t swooning—but he would probably be fan-girling hard if he were here. I take a slow deep breath before I head back to Cooper. This is fine—everything is fine.

CHAPTER 3

COOPER

What’s wrong with me?

I stare out the window of the large SUV as we drive through the winding Washington roads. The trees are full of colorful leaves, and the landscape is picturesque. I admit, it’s impressive—even for a city boy.

Out of the corner of my eye, Blair Radcliffe is typing away on her phone. She’s certainly dedicated to her job, I guess that means she’ll be a great publicist. Meanwhile, I’m trying not to think about how stunning she is or how good she smells. It doesn’t make any sense because we had some Zoom calls and while I thought she was pretty, I wasn’t prepared for all the thoughts I had when I first saw her in the airport. Or how I’m feeling right now sitting so close to her in this car. Maybe it’s the jet lag or the Washington fresh air that’s playing with my mind.

As soon as I heard her call my name and I laid eyes on her, I felt like I was hit by a cement truck—and in a good way.

Blair’s taller than I expected, which was a surprise—at six feet five I’m usually towering over most women. She hasbright blue-green eyes and a radiant smile that immediately sucked me in with a force I haven’t experienced in a while or maybe ever. Her lips are full, and the red lipstick only accentuates them.

I guess I should be grateful for the jaded woman who threw a tantrum and her ring across the plane because it was the perfect icebreaker for my initial interaction with Blair. Otherwise I might’ve stared at her while fumbling over words and possibly forgetting my own name.

“So, have you ever been to Pine Falls?” I ask. For some reason I have a strange urge to make conversation which rarely happens to me.

“MapleFalls?” she corrects. “Never. But I attended college here in Washington. My good friend lives in the town, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

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