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“Goodnight, Cameron.”
And with that, I slip inside and lock the door behind me.
Chapter Six
Cameron
“How was dinner with your dad and Nila last week?”
“It was weird,” I tell Kade, Dylan, and Blaze as we huddle against the rink railing. “My dad loves her.”
“Yeah? What’s so weird about that? Your dad likes everyone he meets,” Dylan says, removing his helmet and wiping the sweat from his brow. “I think you’re just being nitpicky because you like her.”
“I don’t like her,” I lie. The truth is, ever since I saw her and my dad interact, I can’t get her out of my head. She was so … endearing. And she fit in with us effortlessly. It was like she belonged there. Which is something I’ve never experienced before. I mean, I’ve introduced a couple of my exes to my dad over the years, but it’s never gone that well. They’re usually put off by his dad jokes, but Nila wasn’t even phased. She even seemed to enjoy it.
Kade laughs, his golden-brown eyes alight with amusement. “It’s not that big of a deal if you did. She’s pretty and seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I don’t see what’s so bad about admitting you might have a crush...”
“Frankie wants us to go to the Humane Society to walk dogs later.”
“Wow, Frankie is so original.” Blaze frowns, rolling his eyes. “I swear that’s where all the celebs go when they’ve done something stupid.”
“I didn’t do anything stupid,” I level with him.
“Yeah, because punching out a mouthy fan is the work of a saint,” Blaze quips back, shaking his head.
“I was defending you!” I scoff.
“I don’t need defending.” He pokes me in the chest. Blaze is the oldest one of the four of us, and it shows. He’s always got a level head, and while that can be a good thing, it also causes friction.
“Let’s call it for the night,” Coach Wilson shouts.
I glance around at my other teammates, who head off to the locker room. Most of them are rookies, and the four of us have been on the team the longest. It’s not like we’re not friendly with the rest of them—we are. But the four of us are like family. We’ve been through a lot together.
“Addy’s got some kind of art gallery viewing tonight,” Blaze speaks up after a few moments. “Can you guys come? I don’t want to go alone. When she starts talking about art, it gets weird.”
I chuckle but shake my head. “I can’t. I told you I have that dog-walking thing.”
“Well, it doesn’t start until around four. You can bring your girlfriend.” Blaze wiggles his brows.
“Shut up,” I mutter as the other two chuckle. “It’s not like that. I told you. Besides, she’s fresh out of a relationship with some guy who still blows up her phone. She said she broke up with him because she doesn’t want to be tied down.”
“Red flag.” Kade holds up a hand and then bursts into laughter.
“Hard to be a red flag when there’s nothing going on between us—and there’s nothing going on. She’s not interested.”
“But you are.” Dylan shoots me a lopsided grin. “Can you imagine what the PR team would have to say about that? Oh man, talk about a nightmare.”
“Nah, they’d probably spin it in their favor,” Kade reasons, leaning against the wall. “I can hear Frankie now talking about how it’s the perfect distraction from the media storm.”
We all laugh, but I feel devoid of humor as my eyes drift up into the stands, landing on Nila. She’s sitting there alone, her eyes on me. My stomach flips, but I ignore the sensation.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m attracted to Nila ... and not just because she’s drop-dead gorgeous. There’s something about her that draws me in. She’s smart, driven, and determined, and she … challenges me.
But I’m just hoping this feeling will go away. She’s here for work, and it would be unprofessional for our relationship to go further than that.
However, that thought doesn’t seem to stop my eyes from drinking every inch of her in. Nila is the kind of woman that’s just naturally beautiful. Even sitting there in a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, she commands my attention.
I wonder what she’d look like wearing my jersey…
