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“She gets serious with this guy, gets engaged, married, maybe has babies. Then what? Do you keep her on as general manager and watch her live her happy life every day? Could you stay friends and move on?”
Noah didn’t know what he would do if that happened. He liked her, he really liked her, and he already knew that it would drive him crazy if he had to watch her move on with another guy. He’d never felt so strongly about a woman before, and he wasn’t sure how to do any of this.
“Or when she gets tired of your not committing and leaves?”
“Enough. I get your point. I’m not doing this right now.” He finished signing off on the reports.
“Just think about what I said,” Jared replied.
“I appreciate your concern.” Noah grabbed his gym bag. “I have a workout scheduled, but I’ll catch up with you again before you fly out.”
He stormed out of the restaurant and headed down to the players gym in the arena, stewing about Jared’s comments the whole time. The guys had pretty much convinced him that he was getting in deep. And getting in deep wasn’t part of the arrangement. Maybe Jared was right. All kinds of things could go wrong. Keeping it casual was the only thing he knew—and the only way to protect both his heart and Jordan’s.
He and Jordan were both adults, and Jordan knew the deal. She’d agreed to keep it casual. It was just a little fun. So, after they reviewed the rules, they could continue as before, but with some changes.
He started mentally listing all the tweaks. No sleeping over. He would miss the snuggling, but it was important to have boundaries. Secondly, no intruding on each other’s lives outside of Slap Shot and the bedroom. Maybe he could add a secrecy clause, so that he would never see or even know if she dated anyone else. What else? Oh right. Definitely no PDA at Slap Shot or anywhere else. Because that could be misinterpreted.
But even after a grueling hour workout, his irritation hadn’t faded. He wasn’t so sure he liked his tweaks to their agreement.
“Hey there, Rodgers.” Sam paused and stared at him. “Bad day? Please don’t tell me you’re having issues with Jordan. How’s it going with keeping it casual?”
Sam used air quotes for the word casual, which irritated Noah. He grunted as he dropped the weights back in place. His muscles burned and sweat dripped from his brow. He shot a warning stare at his friend.
Sam shook his head. “You need to be careful. That’s one slippery slope. Sleeping with your employee. That’s never a good idea.”
What was it with people on his case about Jordan today? Immediately, he was on the defensive.
“Harrison and Talia have The Sin Bin together.”
“True. He owns it with his wife. Wife is the operative word, my friend. Not employee. Not booty call. They’re partners in life as well as in business.”
He grabbed his water bottle and took a swig. “Why does everyone keep warning me? We’re just having fun. No strings, no expectations.”
“And how does Jordan feel about that?”
Tired of the lectures, he angrily got to his feet. “She’s happy with the arrangement.”
“Are you sure about that? What if she becomes unhappy with it? If shit goes bad, you’re either out your go-to woman or you could end up with a toxic workplace. And what about Jordan? Do you even care what happens to her career if she feels forced to leave? It’s a dangerous game you’re playing.”
When put like that, Noah agreed it sounded like trouble. Unfortunately, Jared and Sam had made some good points. If things went bad, he’d not only lost Jordan, but also his general manager. And even worse, if Jordan left, her career could take a step backwards. General manager jobs at successful restaurants didn’t grow on trees, after all. He cared about that more than he would admit.
This thing with Jordan had started out just fun, but he had kept running back to her more and more, and no one else. He hadn’t been able to stop himself for wanting to be with her. That was unusual for him.
“I hear you, Sam, but I’m done talking about this.” Noah put in his earbuds and went back to his workout.
But his friend’s words stuck in his head. Was being with Jordan worth losing her friendship? She was good for the bar, and he really liked having her around. It seemed like no matter what he chose, he’d lose.
“Jordan, can I see you in the office please?” He couldn’t help but run his eyes over her as she walked by, her high heels clicking on the floor.
“Something wrong?” she asked coolly, her face impassive.
He was getting that weird vibe again and it pinched at his heart. It felt as though he was losing her already, and he hadn’t even said his piece. This was exactly why he’d wanted things to stay casual. He had no interest in watching her leave him. No heartbreak for him, oh no.
“Let’s sit,” he said, and he watched her as she smoothed her skirt before taking a seat behind the desk. So cute and sexy.
He sat in the chair opposite. Taking a deep breath, he knew here was no way to say what was on his mind other than to blurt it out.
“I’ve been thinking about us, this.” He pointed between himself and her. “I know we had an agreement about how we would conduct ourselves, but I realize that even keeping things casual, stuff could get messy with us running Slap Shot together.” He hated the idea of not being with her, but this had to be done, for her sake as much as his.
