Page 64 of Dancing in the Rain

She eyed him. “Really?”

“Yeah. I had no idea such a job even existed. It’s pretty cool.” His eyes moved over her face. “You really do love your work, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“I miss that.” He looked down at his hands. “I miss that excitement about getting up every day looking forward to getting to the rink, hanging out with the guys, practicing. And the games. Most of all the games.”

Peyton bit her lip. “I know it’s not my business, but it would probably be good for you to find something else to focus on.”

“Well, yeah. But what? I don’t have any education, other than a year of college. I don’t have a clue what I could do. I’m no good at anything else. My buddy Dougie went into investment banking, but Christ, that would bore me to tears.”

“Maybe go back to school?”

“At thirty years old?” He shook his head. “School was never my thing anyway.”

“You’re a very smart man.”

He gave a huffed laugh. “Thanks. I did okay in school, but sitting in a classroom drove me crazy.”

She nodded. “Maybe something connected with hockey still?”

He sighed. “Yeah, I’ve thought about options. Coaching. Scouting. Broadcasting. Nobody’s beating down my door offering me jobs.”

She tipped her head to one side. “Have you approached anyone about a job?”

“No.”

“That might be a start.”

“I just…” He stopped. “Never mind. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure things out.”

She nodded. “I know you will. I just wanted to…well, you helped me out and let me talk. I can do the same for you. If you want to talk or throw around ideas. I don’t know anything about hockey, but sometimes it helps to have someone to bounce things off.”

“Yeah. That’s true.” He paused. “If you need to go back to New York again, let me know. I’m here.”

She nodded slowly. It had been just her and Sara and Chloe for the past few years since their parents had died. Sure, they had friends—Nik helped any way she could, and Sara had friends who’d been coming by, but as her condition worsened, some people felt uncomfortable seeing her. Having Drew there offering to help—no, not just offering, actually stepping up anddoingthings, huge, important things—felt so comforting.

She met his eyes in the dim room, the television now muted but flickering light. Heat rose around them, a humming awareness. His gaze moved over her face, lingering on her mouth. She stared at him, an achy fullness growing low in her belly. Her skin prickled and her mouth went dry.

Once more she had to give herself a mental smack. She couldn’t be feeling these things about this man.

Somehow she knew he was feeling them, too.

How annoying, that this physical attraction was flaring up like this between them. They didn’t even know each other, so that was all it could be. She still had her doubts about him and whether he could be trusted to be a good father to Chloe. He drank a lot. He partied a lot. He had no job. He also swore a lot. But she had to mentally roll her eyes at herself for that one because a parent who cussed wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Lord knows she had a dirty mouth a lot of the time, too; she was just better at hiding it.

And yet, after today, there was no denying that he was a good guy. A very good guy. Her heart swelled up with a rush of emotion.

She swallowed.

The silence had stretched on and she shook her head. “Okay,” she finally answered him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He stood. “I better go. I’m sure you’re tired.”

She stood, too, and only inches separated them. She felt a magnetic pull to him and had to force herself to step back. “Thanks again for today.”

“No problem.”

She hesitated. “Are you coming to her birthday party this weekend?”

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