Page 66 of Over the Moon

“I love that,” she said, as she listened intently like I was telling her the most important thing in the world. “Listening to you talk about it, I’d say you were over the moon for hockey.”

I laughed. “I guess you could say that. So, why’d you choose physical therapy?”

“After my mom passed, it was just me and Dad. Hockey is his life, you know? So I started going on the road with him when I wasn’t in school, and then I’d be with my grandparents when I couldn’t travel with him. I’d already lost my mom, and I just missed him when he’d have to go to games. And I think when you lose a parent young, you just realize how precious life is. So I knew I wanted to do something in that field so I could be connected to him in a way. And I do love sports as a whole, seeing how far you can push your body—how to heal it after you get injured. I guess that was the lure.”

“Your dad talks about you like you set the sun,” I said.

“He’s the best. He was so excited that the team agreed to hire a full-time PT, and when I got hired, he actually cried. It was the fourth time I’ve ever seen my father cry in my life.”

“What were the first three?”

“My mother’s funeral was the first, though I’m sure he cried the day she passed and many times during her illness, but he hid that from me. The second time was at my college graduation, and the third was my grad school graduation,” she chuckled. “I think those milestones are hard for him because he knows my mother would have loved to be there.”

I didn’t stop and think before I pushed to my feet, picked up her chair with her sitting on it, and set it down right beside mine. Of course, she gaped at me, but I grabbed her wine glass and her plate and moved them over before sitting back down. “Sorry. You were too far away.”

A smile spread clear across her pretty face.

“I love that you two are so close,” I said.

“Yeah. That’s why I have to be really careful, Clark.” She reached for my hand. “I like you. I like you more than I want to like you. But we only have a few more weeks here, and then we go back to reality. To a job I’ve worked really hard to get. And I know my dad went out on a limb to get me the interview. And embarrassing my father—it’s just not an option.”

“Hey, I promise you, this is fine. We’re hanging out. It’s not a big deal. We haven’t done anything wrong.” My hand moved to her neck, and I stroked her jaw with the pad of my thumb. “I think it would be weird if we went back to the city and we weren’t friends. You’ve been here for two months already. Hell, your dad called me this morning and was asking about you, as if I know everything about you.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I think he’s aware that we’re friends. But he wouldn’t be okay if it were more than that. Not when I signed a contract. Not when we’re talking about his star player. And don’t even get me started on Randall. He reminds me daily about the ethical clause in the contract. It makes me paranoid, like he knows something. I feel like he’s just waiting for me to fail.”

I slipped my hand beneath her chair, pulling it even closer. “Randall can be an asshole, no doubt about it. But what does he know, Eloise? That we spend time together? That you spent the night at my house after you puked your brains out? He doesn’t know anything.”

She blew out a breath. “Maybe I’m afraid he can read my mind. It makes me feel guilty—the thoughts I have sometimes.”

You and me, both.

“He can’t read your mind, but I sure as shit wish I could.”

Her head tipped back in a fit of laughter, and I scooped her up in my arms. “How about we go watch your favorite movie.”

“You didn’t?” she asked, and I assumed she thought I wouldn’t remember.

“How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, it’s your favorite movie, right?”

“It is.” She smirked as her fingers ran through my hair and down my neck. I walked over to the couch and set her down as I nuzzled my nose into her collarbone, making her head fall back in a fit of laughter. “But I thought you said that you’d never seen it, and romantic comedies aren’t your favorite.”

Maybe you’re my favorite, Eloise Gable.

“I mean, I prefer something with a little more grit, but it’s our first date, and I’m trying to be a gentleman.” I waggled my brows as I sat beside her. “Plus, I think you’re trying to run me off in a lot less than ten days, so maybe I can learn how to stick around a little longer.”

Her gaze softened, and she climbed onto my lap. “If you played for any other team, I might just try to keep you for a little longer.”

“I don’t think I’d mind that at all, Weeze. But I just want you to enjoy right now. Can you do that?”

“I’m enjoying myself a lot tonight.” She wrapped her arms around me, and I breathed her in. She smelled like a mix of lavender and honey, and I couldn’t get enough.

“Yeah? Well, that’s a good thing.”

She pulled back to look at me. “It’s a good thing at the moment. So let’s just enjoy it.”

I pulled her face toward mine, and I kissed her.

I kissed her like it was the first time.

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