Page 16 of Scoring Chance

“Alright, I’ve got it set for twenty minutes. I’ll be back in a few to check on you.”

“Thanks, Amelia.” My heart sped up like I was running at a full sprint. Hearing him say my name with that smooth, deep voice was too much. I hurried away and went to the break area to catch my breath.

“Are you doing okay?” Madi asked as she leaned up against the counter, facing me.

I nodded. “Sure. I’m halfway through.”

I could see amusement in her eyes. “Enjoying the clients?”

“So far, yeah. They’re a fun group.”

She grinned and walked away leaving me to my freak out. I told myself to shake it off, then walked to the front desk to pick up my next chart. Since Kevin would be set for a while, I decided to get a jump on the next guy.

“Tony?”

Another attractive man with dark skin and buzzed hair approached me, and I slid back into professional mode. I couldn’t let myself lust after patients. It was wrong and incredibly inappropriate.

“Hi, I’m Amelia.” I looked up at his wide smile and offered my hand.

“Nice to meet you.” His large hand enveloped mine while I swooned a bit at his deep voice. Ugh. Why did I get all the attractive guys?

“Tony, it looks like you had a knee injury. How are you feeling now?” We walked to an empty table, and I waved him to sit so I could test his reflexes.

“I’m okay now. I worked with Madi after my surgery, and she made sure I was one hundred percent before she let me play again. She’s a lifesaver.”

I smiled at his praise. So far, anyone that had worked with her in the past had only wonderful things to say about her. It made me even more confident about my decision to come here. There was so much I could learn from her, and I knew she’d be an invaluable reference when the time came for me to move on.

“That’s great to hear. She’s pretty incredible at helping athletes recover.”

He nodded and watched me tap on his reflexes, smirking when his foot shot up involuntarily.

I placed my hand just above his knee and lifted his calf, feeling for anything off as I moved his lower leg up and down then side to side.

“You’re pretty strong for a little thing,” he said in a teasing tone.

Some people might have been offended, but I wasn’t ignorant of my petite size. “I was a gymnast most of my life. I’m stronger than I look.”

He chuckled. “I believe you.”

We chatted back and forth while I finished his exam, but it was apparent he was in good health. “You’re all set.”

“Thanks, Tiny.”

I sent him a teasing glare before he waved and walked through the exit. It wasn’t the first time I’d earned a nickname based on my size, but it was definitely the first time it came from an NBA player. I didn’t mind at all.

I hurried back to Kevin and saw there were still three minutes left in the session. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, can you turn it up for a few minutes?”

I increased the intensity and added two more minutes to the time, then picked up his chart to add my notes of the treatment.

“Was that Tony calling you Tiny?”

I chuckled, slightly embarrassed he overheard. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Tony’s deep voice carried, and we walked right past the room Kevin was lying in.

“Yeah, he said he was surprised at how strong I was and then came up with that name.”

I nearly melted at the sound of Kevin’s laughter.