Page 20 of Something Like That

“Having lunch with Nick Sadler?” Janelle attempted to wag her eyebrows—at least that’s what Alex thought she was trying to do—and failed miserably.

Alex chuckled at how ridiculous her best friend looked. “And Em.” She sat up a little straighter. “How did you know?”

“Please.” Janelle waved her hand around like Alex’s question was ridiculous. “There is nothing that happens around here that I don’t know about.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Let me guess? Sabrina?”

“I’ll never reveal my sources.” Janelle smiled and sat forward, placing her elbows on her desk. “But seriously, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Which wasn’t actually a lie. Because even though her body might be ready—and willing—to throw itself at Nick Sadler at the first opportunity, it was not going to happen. “I would never jeopardize our business.”

Janelle made a growling noise in the back of her throat. “Of course, you wouldn’t, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Alex crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knee. She knew exactly where this was going, and she didn’t want to get into it right now. But she also knew Janelle was not going to drop it, either. Better to get it over and done with. She sighed. “All right, out with it.”

“I love you Alex, but you’ve become a hermit.”

“Hardly. I feel like I’m barely at home these days. With Em, the clinic, the team—”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” Janelle didn’t even try to hide the irritation in her voice.

Alex felt a touch of heat prickle her cheeks. Of course, she knew that wasn’t what Janelle was talking about. She just didn’t want to talk about what Janelle was hinting at. It was embarrassing.

Apparently, Janelle wasn’t done. “I’m worried about you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve closed yourself off. And while I appreciate this whole, I-am-an-island vibe you’ve got going on, it’s not good for you.”

Alex rubbed the back of her neck and glanced away. Focused on the certificates and awards hanging on the wall. “I just don’t think…” She sighed and turned back to Janelle. “I don’t think I can put myself out there like that again.”

Janelle got up and came around the desk, sitting in the seat next to her. She took Alex’s hands in hers and squeezed. “I get it. Kevin was a dickhead, but that’s his shit to sort out, not yours.”

Alex stared into Janelle’s dark brown eyes. Her throat thickened. Which was stupid. She’d dealt with this stuff years ago, back when she and Kevin had eventually decided to call it quits. And she would not cry over him now, or ever again. “I know that.” Her voice wavered, which ticked her off. She cleared her throat, swallowing down the rogue emotion. “But it’s really hard when someone tells you to your face that you ruined their life.”

Janelle squeezed her fingers tighter. “That fucker didn’t deserve you. You know that, right?”

“He was young and frustrated and angry.”

Janelle snorted. “And you weren’t?”

Alex shrugged, although it still, even after all this time, didn’t feel like the dissolution of her marriage was that inconsequential. And at the time, it had felt like her heart was being crushed. “We just weren’t meant to be.”

“Sure, I get that. But that doesn’t mean you need to cut romance out of your life forever.”

She sighed again. Janelle really wasn’t going to let this go. “I just… I don’t know… don’t think I need it. You know?”

Janelle gave her the that-is-the-most-ridiculous-thing-I’ve-ever-heard side eye she’d spent the last few years perfecting. “Going out on a date with someone, or various someones, doesn’t mean anything has to be serious. Go out, have fun, meet some people. Or, you know, get to know more about one particular person…” She let the words trail off, but her meaning was crystal clear.

“What if he isn’t interested? I mean, he’s a superstar professional athlete who could probably have anyone he wanted. Why would he want me?”

“Don’t make me hit you, Alex Dumont. Workplace injuries mean I have to fill out paperwork and file forms, and you know how much I hate that crap.”

Alex snorted. Janelle was a beast when she had to do any sort of paperwork. She was more the hands-on type, not so much the paper pusher type. “Besides, I think Em has a huge crush on him.”

Janelle wrinkled her nose. “Ooh, that might be a bit of a problem.”

“Right?”