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He was quiet for a moment. “Whoa. Wow. Okay. You’ve been there… what? About a week? Want to tell me her name?”
“Lindy.”
“Lindy. Congratulations.”
“Don’t send place settings of china just yet.”
He returned to business. “So I’ll tell OutdoorNow no to Tuesday. You have that exhibition game in Finland Sunday. I’ll route your flights through Chicago on Friday, and you can meet them then, but you might miss a warmup practice or two. Combine two trips into one.”
I hadn’t forgotten about the exhibition game, but I’d put it to the back of my mind since I met Lindy. The best players in the league were handpicked to play a game there. The best of the best faced off. In Helsinki.
I’d known about it for six months and it was in my contract that I attended this one and any others I was chosen for, plus charity events anytime of the year.
“Sounds good. Thanks.” I appreciated his adjustment for me, and I was fine with missing a practice if it meant staying here a little longer.
“I’ll email you all the details.”
He ended the call and I sighed. Finland. Next weekend.
I glanced over at Lindy. The adjuster was cutting across the lawn toward the neighbor’s house, my guess to get his insurance company’s name to ensure they were working to cover the claim, which should be the whole thing.
Lindy was standing at her open mailbox, flipping through some letters. It was Sunday, but she must not have collected it the day before. I took in every inch of her. I knew what her curves felt like. What her mouth tasted like. What that toned ass felt like. Bare.
I wanted her more than ever. Not just her body, but her. To stand beside her and help her deal with her problems, which today were many. And leering men. She’d handled herself fine, but why should she have to deal with sketchy dudes like that one when she was somewhat at his mercy.
He could be a dick and deny her claim or lowball her reimbursement or… anything.
Shit. I didn’t want to leave her next week, and this was for one game. Five days away. What was it going to be like when I had to return to Denver for training? For the entire season?
It was going to fucking suck.
14
LINDY
* * *
I was emptying my fridge into reusable grocery bags when Bridget came through the front door. It was wide open since it was futile to try to keep any bugs out. The open exterior wall behind me would do that easily enough.
“Lind?”
“Back here!” I called after pulling my head out of the crisper drawer, a bunch of cilantro in my hand I didn’t remember buying. Dex was at his house stowing the frozen items safely in his freezer right now.
As she came to the doorway, a chainsaw revved to life.
My eyes widened in fear of what our neighbor might be up to.
Bridge held up her hand as Scout ran up to me, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. Since I was squatting, I was right at his short height and gave him a good pet as he sniffed the cilantro.
“It’s not Mr. VanMeyer. The tree service is here,” Bridget explained.
I frowned, thought of what time it was. It couldn’t be much past nine. “The adjuster said later in the week. I guess Dex scared him into action.” Scout licked my hand when I stopped giving him attention.
“Mav called them,” she replied.
Now my eyes widened even more. “Mav?”
Scout nudged me with his nose, and I gave him a little more attention, then stood. I cut past her–cilantro in hand–and went out onto the front lawn, Scout on my heels. Parked at the curb were two big tree trimming trucks, one towing a chipper.
