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“Who?”
“Who do you think? Ryder and Ash. It’s obvious the problem is between the two of them.” He laughs bitterly and shakes his head. “Who do they think they’re fooling?”
A rush of adrenaline comes on so fast, I have to fight off a wave of nausea. “Not to argue with you, but I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do if Ryder isn’t willing to come clean.”
“But you’re the team’s therapist. If there’s anybody he can confide in, it’s you. And I know you’ve built up trust with all the guys.”
“That’s true.” Good Lord, how much worse can this get? No, scratch that. I don’t want to know.
“This is your job, Doc. I’m sorry, I hate to be blunt, but that’s how it is. And we both know it.”
“Yes, I do know that.”
“So you’ll talk to him? Both of them?”
What am I supposed to say? “Of course. You can count on me. I’ll do my best, but I’m not making any promises.”
“That’s fine. As long as I know we’ve attacked this from every angle.” I really wish the man didn’t have so much faith in me, but there’s no helping that now. Already he’s seen, in the way the team has turned it around this season, that I know at least a little something about my job. Now, he’s desperate for me to bail him out of yet another dilemma.
What a shame it happens to be a dilemma I caused.
* * *
“Maybe havinga lesson today wasn’t such a good idea.”
I lift my brows at Corey, who’s watching me with her arms folded and her bottom lip basically disappearing under her teeth. “Why? What did I do wrong?”
“For one thing, I keep trying to talk to you, and it’s like you’re not even here. Where are you? What’s going on in your head?”
“Nothing.” I wave my hands and stiffen my spine. “I’m sorry. That’s disrespectful.”
“You don’t have to take it that far.”
“No, I’m serious. You’re taking the time to give me a lesson, and you deserve my attention. I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven,” she teases with a grin. “But I’ll be honest with you. If you can’t get it together, you’re going to end up on your ass – or worse.”
I know she’s right. I’m clumsy, slow, uncoordinated – even more so than usual. I’m trying to get the hang of skating backward before I move on, but it’s like I’ve regressed from the point I was at just a few days ago. I’m not quite as bad as I was at first, but I’m not that much better, either.
“Why don’t you try telling me what’s going on, for real.” She skates over to me, then taps a finger against the spot between my brows, over the bridge of my nose. “Did you know you get these lines here whenever you’re worried about something?”
“I do?” I raise my hand to rub the spot in question, like that’s going to help.
“Yeah, and they’re deep today. So come on, for real. What’s bothering you?”
Tell her. Get it over with. God, I want to. More than ever, I need somebody to talk to. I’m all mixed up and confused and hurt and completely lost. What’s the next step? Should I even try to get Ryder to stay? Would it be an insult if I did? Would he even listen to me if I tried? It’s all a mixed-up mess in my overwhelmed brain. I could use a sounding board to help straighten it all out.
I only hope she won’t judge me for it. I don’t want to lose a friend.
“What are you doing later today?”
She lifts a shoulder. “I didn’t have any plans. Why?”
“Do you want to go shopping?”
“Sure. But don’t you have to —"
“I think I’m going to take a short day.” Because honestly, my brain is a hundred miles away anyway. “I think I need a little retail therapy.”
