Page 14 of Shot on Goal at a Second Chance
“Not when she has an arena remodel to oversee and a GM who’s not happy with her right now.”
“Jack will get over it.” He pauses as if he’s listening. “And I don’t hear any construction noise, so I’m guessing the workers have left for the day, too.”
“Fine. But I should change clothes first.”
“If you say so.” His gaze skims down my body.
Those eyes might as well be lasers by the way he leavesa trail of heat all over me. “You didn’t intend to get sand in your suit, did you?”
He takes a step closer. “I would for you.”
My inhale shakes through my lungs. I remember the exhilaration of dating Zach. The anticipation—the titillation of doing something I knew my father wouldn’t approve of. Maybe that was a big part of the draw then. Zach was the bad boy hockey player, according to my father, and that made him off-limits. Later on, I realized it had more to do with me being the coach’s daughter—I was the one who was off-limits.
What if that’s what drove Zach to pursue me back then? Don’t men often want what they can’t have? But this, now, this feels more dangerous. As much as I may want to explore this new version of him and see if the spark between us could have a longer life than it did in the past, I don’t need this kind of distraction right now. Not with the future of my team hanging in the balance.
“Fine. I’ll go on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“This isn’t a date. Like you said, we’re just twoolderfriends catching up. Deal?”
He doesn’t even try to hide his disappointment, which pleases me for some reason. “All right. But friends eat dinner together, too, you know.”
“Now you’re pushing it.”
“Sorry.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “But there’s a burger place near Mango Key Beach that has the best truffle fries you’ve ever tasted.”
Intending to grab my bag, Ispin around to head back to my office. “You’re still pushing,” I singsong, sounding like my sister.
He follows me to my desk. “Just making a recommendation, in case.”
I sling my purse over my shoulder, then pause. “In case of what?”
“In case you get hungry, or…” Sheepish at first, his expression turns earnest.
“Or?”
When he searches my face, our eyes lock just like they would at the arena when he played, and I wore his jersey. “Or you decide you want to spend more time with me.”
The air between us grows thick with unspoken words and feelings I’m not ready to hear or feel. Like I said…dangerous.
“As a friend?” Boundaries, people. Gotta keep ’em.
He relents. “If that’s what makes you happy.”
His statement feels more like a question than acquiescence. And I’m asking myself the same question dancing in his eyes.
Will keeping Zach in the friend zone make me happy?
CHAPTER 8
Zach
Ibrought Rebecca to the beach to see the sunset, but in comparison, she’s the better attraction in my mind. The young girl I remember is still there, but she’s stronger, more sure of herself. And standing at the shoreline, looking out over the water while an ocean breeze dances through her hair, she’s the epitome of beauty and poise. Plus, I can’t stop checking out the curve of her lips, remembering what they felt like on mine.
“You’re staring at me, Zach.”
A hint of ire tinges her humorous tone. “Would you think I was ridiculous if I said I can’t help myself?”
