Page 62 of My Pucked Up Enemy

I catch her gaze. "You always psychoanalyze your dinner guests?"

"Only the ones broadcasting their unresolved issues through carb choices."

I grin. "Good thing I skipped the mashed potatoes."

She laughs, the sound low and warm.

Coach lifts his glass again. "Early practice tomorrow. Let’s not make me regret letting you have cheesecake."

Groans all around.

Nina adds her two cents. "Therapy starts at dawn."

I lean close. "Better set two alarms. I’m gonna need extra time with you."

She chokes on a laugh. Swats my arm.

James catches it. "Yo, what’s this? Whispered threats? Love notes? Chadwick, you holding hands under the table?"

"Wouldn’t you like to know," I toss back.

Connor raises an eyebrow. "Should we be worried?"

Parker mutters, "Only if he starts quoting progressive relaxation techniques in the locker room."

"Or smiling too much," Ethan adds. "That's a red flag."

"Thank God Karen from HR isn’t here," Parker says. "She’d be citing us for excessive joy and minor acts of bonding."

James snorts. "Fun? Speak for yourself. I’m only here for the steak."

"You’re here because you followed the scent of garlic bread," Ethan says, popping a roll into his mouth.

Connor leans over, grinning. "Seriously though, Doc. What's it like being surrounded by a bunch of sweaty degenerates all week, then choosing to hang out with us voluntarily?"

"I consider it field research," Nina replies. "Like Jane Goodall, but with more deodorant."

Mikey laughs. "Debatable."

I lean in, eyes glinting. "So what category do I fall under, Doc?"

She gives me a deliberate once-over. "Inconclusive. But trending toward ‘high-risk distraction.’"

James whistles. "Damn, she’s good."

"I’ll take that diagnosis. I like being a distraction," I mutter with a crooked smile as I deliberately brush my foot against hers.

She fidgets, just barely, and I catch her smile just a little before she hides it behind her wine glass.

Connor shakes his head. "Forget therapy. She’s roasting us alive."

"With style," Lizzie adds, "You go girl!"

Coach chuckles into his drink. "Makes you wonder if she ever takes a day off."

"Oh, I do, Coach," Nina says sweetly. "That’s when I review all their mental profiles. Color-coded and annotated."

Parker groans. "Good organization skills...right up my alley!"

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