Page 5 of Romancing the Grump
I slam my thumb into the up button, hating the way Felix’s comment makes my chest fill with heat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means she’s single, and she’s pretty great,” Felix says. “She’d be good for you.”
I grunt as we step onto the elevator. “She talks too much.”
Felix smiles. “My point exactly.”
“Hey, hold the elevator!” Van and Alec round the corner at the end of the hall and start jogging toward us.
Felix holds the doors, waiting for our teammates to catch up, while I pull the elastic out of my hair and smooth it back, tying it into a knot at the back of my head. It’s too long—longer than it has been in months—and I make a mental note to text my barber and schedule an appointment. My beard could also use a trim, and—whyam I suddenly so concerned about my appearance?
The minute the elevator doors open, I know exactly why I’m concerned. The reason is standing at the end of the hallway outside the conference room, looking just as good as she did this morning.
Beside me, Van whistles low. “Whoa. Who’s the?—”
“She’s the Appies’ new attorney and my girlfriend’s best friend,” Felix says, cutting him off, “and you’ll treat her with the respect she deserves.”
“When have I evernottreated women with respect?” Van stands a little taller. “She came to a game once, didn’t she? I wonder if she remembers me.”
I clench my jaw. Felix just told me Summer is single. It will take Van less than five minutes to ferret out the same information, which means soon, the whole team will know. I’m not much of a gambler, but if I were, I’d put money on someone making a move within a week or two.
The thought shouldn’t irritate me. But by the time we reach the meeting room, I’m frowning, my jaw tight, mental images of my many teammates chatting Summer up like she’s a prime rib and they’re a pack of starving lions on replay in my brain.
Summer lifts her hand in a wave, banishing my distracting thoughts and making my heart rate spike the slightest bit, but then I realize she’s waving at Felix.
Becauseof courseshe is. The last conversation she had with me doesn’t exactly warrant a wave.
She meets my eye for a moment, then her eyebrows arch upward in a way that almost feels like a challenge.
That’s definitely more in line with what I deserve, and I have to respect her for giving it to me.
I duck my head and head into the conference room just as Van steps in front of Summer, leaning into the wall beside her with an easy confidence.
One down, fifteen more to go.Give or take the few guys who are already in committed relationships and will have the decency tonothit on the team’s new legal counsel.
The door is at the front of the room, with chairs set up in rows that extend into the back. There’s a whiteboard near the door, directly beside an enormous television screen that we use to watch game tapes. Coach Davis, the Appies’ head coach, is already sitting in the front row next to Malik, the team’s general manager. It looks like most of the team is already seated, so I move to the second row to sit down. But someone taps me on the shoulder before I can.
I spin around to see Summer standing directly in front of me.
“Sorry,” she says. “I just wanted to let you know I’m sittinghere.” She points at a chair in the front row. A gray folder with the Appies’ blue and black logo stamped on the cover is resting on top of the seat. “Since there aren’t signs or anything, I didn’t want you to inadvertentlysteal my seat.” Her blue eyes blaze, and her lips lift into a smirk that sends a bolt of heat coursing through me.
There’s something about her confidence, about the way she doesn’t cower.
I probably shouldn’t be proud of the fact, but most peopledocower. My dad taught me when I was young how to throw my weight around on the ice. I’m not the guy starting fights just to piss people off, but if someone plays dirty, I’ll remind them how much they don’t want to mess with me. Off the ice, people tend to treat me the same way, like they’re afraid I’m one wrong word away from punching someone. I’ve never gotten in a fight off the ice, but I don’t mind the reputation. It keeps people at a distance, which is generally where I want them.
Summer meets my frown with a confident smile.
“I deserved that,” I say.
“Glad we’re on the same page,” she says.
Malik stands up while Summer moves back to her seat, and I drop into a chair in between Felix and Alec.
“Who are we missing?” Malik asks. “Where’s Logan?”
“Right here,” Logan says as he ducks into the room, Parker on his heels. They choose two open chairs in the front row, right beside Summer. Parker leans over and pulls her into a quick hug, and Summer smiles wide, making a twinge of guilt prick my conscience.
This is Summer’s first day. New job. New city. She wasprobably nervous this morning, happy to see a familiar face when she saw me. And I didn’t do anything to make her feel welcome.
