“So,” he said, watching the action on the ice. “I’ve got some tickets to a monster truck show this weekend and I thought you and Kyler might like to come with me.”
He glanced at me, brows raised hopefully. This didn’t strike me as a hanging out as friends kind of thing. I wanted to be on good terms with Landis, but I couldn’t go out with him to make it happen.
“I appreciate that, but I’m … careful with Kyler,” I said.
He turned to me, his brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t bring men into his life.”
“Oh. Well in that case, maybe just the two of us? I’ll plan something more upscale that a truck show, I promise.”
I sighed again. “It’s not a good idea for us to go out. Things happen and then our working relationship wouldn’t be the same. And I don’t want to lose that. I like working with you.”
He nodded slowly. “I knew you were against getting involved with someone you work with, but obviously something was going on with you and Hudson when he was here, so I thought … Can’t blame me for trying, right?”
“I’m very flattered. You’re a great guy. And about me and Luke … we didn’t get involved when he was on the team.”
It was a half-truth, but Landis didn’t need to know everything. My heart twisted when I said Luke’s name. I was trying to keep busy and not think about him, but he crept into my consciousness often. I missed him.
Landis turned to me with an earnest expression. “What if another doctor took over working for the team?”
Shit. I hadn’t wanted to tell him I was just flat-out not interested in him, and now it was biting me in the ass.
He gave me a wry grin. “I can see your answer on your face.”
“I really like working with you. You involve me in things and teach me. I know from grad school that some trainers don’t have that. And …” I shook my head with frustration. “To be perfectly honest, even though Luke and I weren’t involved when he was on the team …”
“Oh. You are now.”
“I don’t know. We were, but I don’t know if it’s going to be an actual thing. And either way …”
“You still have a thing for him,” he finished.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I hope he didn’t screw you over, Dell. You deserve so much better.”
“It’s not like that. I just miss him.”
Scroggins slid to a stop by the wall, pulling off his glove. “Who do you miss?”
“Kyler,” I lied. “He’s been travelling with Sadie.”
“Your roommate?”
I nodded.
“She’s hot,” Scroggins said. “You want to hook me up?”
“Not on your life. She’s my best friend. She’s way too good for a hockey player.”
Scroggins wrinkled his face in offense. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re a dog who uses women.” I glared at him. “What’s wrong with your hand?”
“I jammed some fingers pretty bad.” He held his hand toward me. “You’d be hot, too, if you weren’t such a—”
I wrapped my hand around his injured fingers and paused. “A what, Scrogs? Say it.”
He glanced at his hand, in a prone position for me to squeeze. “I was gonna say a hothead.”
“Sure, you were.” I examined his fingers.
“I think Hudson liked you,” he said. My pulse kicked up at the mention of his name. “He was always staring at you and talking about you.”
“Think we should x-ray?” Landis asked, saving me from an awkward moment.
“I don’t like this swelling.” I pointed at the top of his hand. “So maybe we need to.”
“I can take him,” Landis offered.
“Are you sure?” Usually I drove the guys to the hospital or doctor’s appointments.
“It’s no problem at all.”
We helped Scroggins unlace his skates and Landis followed him to the locker room. I flopped onto the bench when they left. Landis seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Why couldn’t I be into him instead of a pro hockey star who was an hour and a half away?
I considered. He was much further than that right now. He’d played in Minnesota the night before. Stalking his schedule was definitely not a sign of moving on.
Who was I kidding? I was nowhere close to moving on from Luke. It wasn’t just sex with him I craved, but everything. His smell and his laugh and the way he looked at me from across a room. Surely this would pass eventually, but for now, I preferred dreams of him to reality with any other man.