Page 11 of Breakaway to You

She gave me a pointed stare. “Why do I even have to ask you about this? Why didn’t you come inside and immediately start talking to me about tonight?”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

That was a lie. There was a lot to talk about. Like how Jordan had shown up in the physical therapy room. But I hated talking about Jordan. I hated having my mistake thrown in my face over and over again. I hated that I had been so naive. I hated that I had messed things up with my job. The whole thing was an episode in my life I wanted to forget.

“You had to have had some feelings, seeing Jordan tonight, having him at your home rink,” she pushed.

“Honestly, Quinn, I didn’t have any feelings,” I paused, setting my piece of bread down. “Until he showed up randomly during a therapy session.”

Quinn almost choked on her bite of bread. “What? You’re not serious?”

I nodded, recalling how shocked I’d felt to see him standing in the doorway.

She turned her body toward me, giving me her full attention. “What did you do? What did he say? Did he look good? Is he still trying to get you back? You aren’t considering getting back with him, are you?”

“Whoa, slow down.” I held up a hand to stop her onslaught of questions. “There is no way I would ever get back together with him. You know that. Going through an embarrassing semi-public breakup is not something I ever want to repeat.” I had thought with my heart and self-esteem once, and I’d been burned. I wasn’t dumb enough to put myself through that pain again. “And yes, he tried apologizing again, saying something about how we were meant to be together.”

Quinn made a throw up motion with her mouth and hand, and I laughed.

“I told him to leave and that I wasn’t interested in being with him.” Unfortunately, he hadn’t seemed to take my words to heart. I had a feeling tonight wouldn’t be the last time I’d have to deal with him. But I kept that to myself.

“Good. He’s a scumbag and doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as you.” She smiled at me like I was the best big sister in the world.

Although she was younger by two years, she had always been my biggest cheerleader in life, and I wasn’t sure what I would do without her. We’d been best friends since we were little, and no matter what life had thrown at us, we’d always been there for each other. The years we’d lived apart while I had been in Chicago had been hard on both of us. We’d texted and called constantly but it hadn’t been the same as living in the same city.

Thankfully, I had moved back home before Dad had passed away. Cancer was stupid.

Now it was just the two of us against the world.

“I wholeheartedly agree.” I picked up my slice of bread and took a bite. I let out a quiet moan. “This is so good,” I said, around a mouthful of heaven. “Maybe you should be a baker.”

“Maybe,” she said, noncommittally.

Quinn had always been a free spirit, moving from one interest to the next. Sometimes I wished I could be more like her. But I liked predictability, plans, and stability too much to live my life on whatever whim I was feeling at the moment. I had always admired my little sister’s ability to be open to new experiences. She wasn’t afraid to take risks and to see where the wind would take her. Right now, she was working as a barista and seemed to be enjoying it. At least for now.

“Why did you have to stay after the game to do a therapy session? Did one of the players get hurt?” she asked.

I didn’t usually stay once the game was over. Most of the players had their own post-game recovery routines they went through with foam rollers, stretching, and targeted muscle work they did for their cool down. But Coach Hill and Raymond wanted Zeke to see me after every game.

“No, nobody got hurt.” I avoided her gaze as I slid the loaf of bread toward me so I could cut another slice. “The coach and team manager just want me working regularly with one specific player.”

“Oh.” She nodded. “What player?” Her tone was conversational, but once I told her who it was, things would change instantly.

I finished cutting, trying to think of a way I could get out of answering but there was no way around it.

I tried to keep my voice as neutral as possible. “Zeke Lawson.”

Silence descended, and I chanced a look at Quinn. A smile spread across her lips that was borderline scary.

“Don’t,” I warned. “Don’t say a word.”

“You know I can’t do that,” she said. “I can’t not hear more about how things are going between you and your celebrity crush.”

I shook my head. “You already teased me enough after I first met him. We don’t need a repeat of that conversation.”

“Oh, I think we do.” Her smile was still wide. “You haven’t given me any updates. It’s been a month, and now you tell me you’ve been seeing him almost every day? I think I should be rewarded for not bugging you about it on the daily.”

“It’s the same as the last time I told you about him,” I reassured her. “He’s a player on the team, and I am his physical therapist. There is nothing else to discuss.”

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