Page 21 of The Rebound Plan

She startles at the frustrated grind in my voice. Yeah, that might be a bigger factor for me than it is for her. I’d rather not explain why I care. There is a part of me that is tempted to tell her the truth. Maybe I need another woman’s perspective on how I’ve gotten myself into this mess—and how I can get out of it.

But it would feel like betraying Shannon, to tell anyone about my feelings for her. Even someone I trust as implicitly as Emery.

“Anyway, just… We don’t need to be a PDA couple, you know?”

She laughs and throws her arms around me, hugging me fiercely. “Yeah, maybe it would be easier if we’re ‘taking things slow’. Nobody is going to believe that you want to drag me back to your room and rail me?—”

“Stop,” I groan.

That just makes her laugh harder.

I hug her back and kiss the top of her head. “How’s that?”

“Brotherly.” She pushes me away. “And sweaty. Go have a shower.”

“You aren’t going to suggest we share that, too?”

That makes her cackle. But then she stops and gives me a once over. Thinks about it longer than is necessary, straight-faced. “Should we, for research?”

The only thing giving her away is the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. But…it is believable.

I sigh and take her hand in mine. “Come on, you brat. It’s going to be a long weekend if we overthink it.”

CHAPTER 7

SHANNON

I’m climbing out of the pool when Russ and his new girlfriend stroll onto the terrace, hand in hand.

He’s wearing the same Highlanders t-shirt he had on when we arrived, but now it’s sweat-dampened, and he’s turned his baseball hat around to wear it backwards, which makes his close-crop beard stand out more, in a distracting way.

She is very cute, as promised, wearing spandex short shorts and a revealing tank top, and she’s beaming as he introduces us.

I’m sure it’s just a matter of hours before he asks me to add her to the group chat, so as the senior WAG, I do my best Welcome Wagon impression. “So nice to meet you, Emery. I hear you’re a hockey player, too?”

“Six years with the US national team,” Russ says with pride. “But she’s also building a personal chef business, too.”

“Oh? Locally?”

“Um, no.” She glances sideways at Russ. “I’m based in Minneapolis.”

“Family,” Russ adds.

Of course.

There’s a funny pang in my chest at the thought of Russ falling for someone who is establishing a business in a whole other country. It makes me worry that he’ll ask for a trade, which doesn’t make any sense—he’s just bought this place.

She starts chattering about her business, and how she might return to pro hockey at some point, but right now she’s not sure about the new women’s league. She didn’t enter the inaugural draft, isn’t sure if she wants to. She keeps talking even as I wrap myself in a towel, as Russ guides her to the door.

“You wanted to shower,” he reminds her, and she blushes.

Great, now I have a mental picture of the two of them washing off their workout together. “I’ll let you two go do that.”

“Oh, no—” Emery cuts herself off.

They exchange a look so tender it makes me uncomfortable. Russ’s eyes crinkle and the corner of his mouth quirks up.

“All right,” she says, giving in. “Let’s go. And then after we change, we’re going to see a guy about a boat?”

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