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“I’m glad.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. A small smile, but it didn’t feel fake. My hands forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I turned away, busying myself with updating his chart so he wouldn’t see whatever my face was doing.
The door clicked shut behind him.
I stared at my tablet, trying to process what had happened.
Brashe Kedish had shown up early. He’d kept my instruction sheet. He’d followed every direction I gave him without complaint.
And he’d smiled at me. Not the cocky grin I remembered from the picnic, but something softer. A smile that made me forget why I was supposed to keep my distance.
I shook my head and gulped down my coffee.
This was fine. Exactly what it should be.
Except I couldn’t stop seeing that small smile, the one that hadn’t felt pretend.
Had I read him wrong? If so, was there anything else I’d gotten wrong about him?
Patty caught me in the hallway around eleven thirty.
“Ellie.” She waved from the doorway of the break room, her scrubs today covered in tiny purple hockey sticks. “Have you met Haley yet? Properly, I mean?”
I’d seen Haley around. She was the team’s video analyst director and the coach’s daughter. She sat in the observation area during practice, taking notes.
“Not really,” I said.
“Perfect. Haley, this is Ellie, our new PT. Ellie, Haley Beecham.”
Haley joined us in the hall. She was a few inches taller than me, and she’d pulled her long brown hair up into a messy ponytail. “Hi. I’ve heard good things about you.”
“Thanks.” I shifted my weight from one foot to another.
“I’ve got a treatment,” Patty said, giving us both a smile. She glanced at her phone, checking the time. “I have to head out after this session, but I’ll phone in tomorrow. My daughter’s getting better, but my husband has to go into the office, so I’ll be home with her.”
“I’ll handle things.”
“Thank you.”
“Want to grab lunch?” Haley asked after Patty had left. “There’s a good sandwich place within walking distance. Unless you’d prefer ramen.”
“Sandwiches sound great,” I said.
“Perfect.”
Haley and I left through the side entrance, stepping out into air carrying the scent of fresh-cut grass. Boston sprawled around us, brick buildings and narrow streets.
“How are you settling in?” Haley asked as we walked along the sidewalk, people streaming past us on both sides. “Patty mentioned this is your first full-time position after your fellowship.”
“It’s been good. Busy, but good.”
“That’s the team in a nutshell. Busy, loud, and completely hockey-obsessed.” She laughed. “Fair warning, half the conversation at team events is hockey. The other half is also hockey.”
“I’m not surprised.”
She talked about the team, the facility, and the quirks of working in professional sports. And her fiancé, Tolrek, one of the team’s starting defensemen. They’d gotten together last season.
“It’s complicated when you work together,” Haley said, her voice going softer. “My dad had a no-players or staff dating rule for a good reason. But sometimes the rules don’t account for…” She shrugged.
