Page 46 of The Playmaker

know,” he says, and I wait for him to say more, but instead he examines his brushes again.

“Cole,” I say, wanting to ask what that was all about. Why did he say we were on a date and give up a night with a hot blonde?

Because he’d rather be with me?

I shake my head. Dammit, while I like the thought of that—and I wish I didn’t—I probably shouldn’t read too much into this. Maybe he’s just following doctor’s orders and trying to take it easy so he can get back on the ice. Everyone knows hockey is the most important thing in the world to him, and he’d let nothing and no one stand in the way of his career. I can’t blame him for that. I’d never seen anyone put the work into the sport the way he had. He deserves to be on the ice for the playoffs, which is why I brought him here tonight to paint. It’s always helped me clear my head, and I’m hoping it does the same for him.

“So you’ve done this before?” he redirects. “This Paint Nite?”

“Yeah, with Jess.”

“What did you paint?”

“It was a sunset, actually.” I exhale a slow breath, and think back to the times I climbed Mt. Rainier when I was younger. “I loved watching the sun set from the mountain,” I say quietly, and the wistfulness in my voice takes me by surprise. I shake my head to snap out of it.

“I didn’t know that.”

When I lift my gaze and find him looking directly at me, those green eyes intense, not a hint of teasing or playfulness about him, something inside me melts. His mouth dips, and for a second I think he’s going to kiss me.

I wait, and when the kiss doesn’t come, I swallow against the tightness in my throat and say, “Remember when we’d all go to Mount Rainier? One of my favorite thing to do was watch the sun set.”

Cole nods. “You know, for two people who didn’t like each other, we used to do a lot of things together.”

I grin and point to the canvas. “We still are doing things together.”

“Yeah, lots of things,” he says, a hint of humor in his eyes. But it disappears when he asks, “When was the last time you hiked?”

“Before the accident.” I crinkle my nose. “I don’t think I could make it very far now. I’d likely end up in traction.”

A long pause, and then, “That’s too bad, Nina.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’ve learned to live with my limitations.”

He frowns like it’s not okay. “Cason always wanted to take you with us.”

I give a very unladylike snort. “And you hated that, didn’t you?”

“I never said that.”

I wave a dismissive hand. “Oh, please, you didn’t have to. All the times you threatened to toss me over the cliff pretty much told me how you felt about your best friend’s kid sister tagging along and getting in the way of you picking up girls.”

“Jesus, I was a prick.”

“Total nightmare.”

“Seriously though, Cason loved when you came, and you never slowed us down. You were always so fit and up for anything. You were different from other girls.”

“I know that.” That’s me, different, overlooked, underestimated.

“Not in a bad way,” he says, and I find him looking at me like he can read my thoughts. “Seriously, Nina, Cason liked it, and I kind of…”

His voice falls off, so I pick up the conversation. “Doubtful. I was the one who always asked to go along. Mom and Dad probably forced him to take me. I can’t imagine he ever wanted me around. There isn’t a teenage boy in all of the world who wants their sister on their heels.”

“Cason did.”

My head lifts at the seriousness in his voice. I stare at him for a moment, take in the narrowing of his eyes, the tenderness flickering there. It only makes me want him even more. My gaze rakes over his face, and I can’t help but think he’s lying, but everything about his expression, his body language, indicates he’s telling the truth.

Cason wanted me around?

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