Page 23 of Scoring Chance

8

Amelia

I sent a quick message to Madi letting her know I’d be back a bit later than usual for lunch. I didn’t think the office would mind since I didn’t have any scheduled appointments, and Madi told me they were pretty flexible. I knew I was in for an afternoon of teasing though once she found out the reason for my extended break.

There wasn’t a chance of her not finding out. I was a terrible liar, and I doubted the guys would fail to mention it to the Pride. If I felt like losing a bet, I’d say everyone would know where I was and who I was with before I made it back to work.

Minutes later, Derrek walked out of the locker room with damp hair wearing black joggers and a dark gray Fury hoodie. The smell of his manly body wash went straight to my head. I had to keep myself from leaning in. “Ready?”

“Sure.” I shook off the thought fell into step next to him as we headed into the elevator. His arm grazed mine when he reached out to hit the button and his warmth spread, even through my coat. “So where are we going?”

“I have a place in mind, but if Mexican doesn’t sound good, we can go somewhere else.”

“Oh no. If there is one thing I could eat every day for the rest of my life, it’s chips and salsa. I’m always in the mood for Mexican food.”

His grin made my entire body warm as we walked out to the parking garage. “Perfect. Did you drive here?”

“Yes, my car’s right over there.” I pointed to my little black hatchback parked in one of the few visitor stalls.

“The restaurant's actually not too far from the clinic. Do you want me to drive and bring you back here, or drive separately?”

I appreciated him thinking ahead. “It would make more sense to drive separate so I can head back to work when we’re done.”

“Sounds good. Do you want to follow me?” He walked across the aisle to a silver sportscar. I wasn’t much of an expert, but it looked fast and expensive.

“Yeah, just don’t lose me.”

He flashed another heart-stopping smile. “I promise.”

While my heart rate was returning to normal from the frenzy he put it in, I got into my car and pulled out behind him. He was cautious and mindful of me the entire time. There were a few lights he could have gone through, but he stopped to make sure I didn’t fall too far behind. It was a tiny thing, but I appreciated his thoughtfulness.

We arrived at a beige building with a large sign that read ‘Los Gatos’. I chuckled as I got out and met him behind my car. “The cats? Are you sure this is somewhere we should be eating?”

He laughed and took my hand before leading us to the door. “I promise, it’s delicious. Phil, the owner, used to play on the team. When he opened it, he let the players vote on names and Los Gatos was the winner.”

I couldn't believe someone would let that happen, but if the team was anything like it is now, Phil knew what he was getting himself into.

“Hi Derrek.” The hostess greeted him like an old friend. She was an older woman with wrinkles around her eyes and lips that revealed she spent her life smiling. “Who’s your friend?” she said in a teasing tone as she turned, removed two menus from the stand, and waved us back toward an empty two-top table.

Derrek sent me a questioning glance, but I wasn’t sure what he was asking.

“Hi Tina, this is Amelia.”

Tina set the menus down and gave me an appraising look. “Are you a hockey fan?”

I froze, caught off guard by the question. “Um. Yes?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yes, I am a fan.” I liked sports in general, but with Elena dating Nikolay I was kind of forced to become an enthusiast. The only people I knew here so far were either players or their significant others. Well, and the NBA players from the clinic.

I almost laughed at how different my life was compared to just two weeks before.

“Don’t worry, Tina. She’ll soon be Nikolay Kozlov’s sister-in-law.”

I gaped at him. What did he know that I didn’t? He winked and sat down. I took the seat across from him as the woman’s stern expression softened into a smile.

“You’re Elena’s sister?”